Tag Archives: Philadelphia

Photoshopping Abortion

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

As I was perusing Twitter the other day, I saw a picture of a woman displaying a fire engine-red purse that was supposed to signify “pro-choice” fashion.

Somehow I don’t associate abortion with handbags. But I find that, increasingly in our image-driven world, abortion advocates are promoting paraphernalia to symbolize abortion. Pink tennis shoes immediately come to mind, since that was the footwear of choice for Texas politician Wendy Davis during her filibuster to prevent the enactment of common sense protections for mother and child.

Image of a baby at seven weeks

Image of a baby at seven weeks

And when the abortion industry is not accessorizing abortion, it is Photoshopping it. The aim is to crop the baby right out of the debate. The problem is, no amount of Photoshopping can conceal the stark, deadly reality of abortion: the taking of an innocent human life. Colorful imagery should not confuse us, obscuring the fact that abortion stops a beating heart.

Cleverly-designed portraits of “reproductive justice” also cannot erase the painful scars abortion can leave behind. Again and again, I hear from women who have silently struggled with the not-so-pretty-as-a-picture aftermath of abortion: in some cases, sterility; in other cases, substance abuse; in more cases than I can count, a flood of regret.

Through well-coiffed celebrities, the abortion industry tries to put an elegant face on abortion. Unfortunately, these stars cannot see the darkness that accompanies abortion — the lies, the denials, the violence. Only once in a while is the pristine imagery shattered by the horrific insider views of the abortion industry, as perhaps best demonstrated by the Kermit Gosnell case. (Gosnell was convicted in Philadelphia of killing three full-term babies and causing the death of a female patient. The grand jury suspected him of causing hundreds of additional deaths, but he could not be prosecuted for them, because he destroyed the records which could have led to more murder counts.)

Since major media outlets seem to be blinded by their own biases, it is up to the pro-life movement to shed light on the abortion industry every day that abortions take place. For the false images and to-die-for accessories will eventually fade away, as a majority of Americans come to realize that the freedom promised by abortion businesses is nothing but false advertising.

Airplanes, Alzheimer’s, and My Grandfather’s Last Days

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My mind jolted to a stop last week as I read an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about Barbara Bitros.

The 64-year-old woman is a former hospice nurse who doctors say may have early signs of Alzheimer’s. Bitros, an advocate for assisted suicide, has made plans to end her life because she is afraid of living with dementia.

She told the reporter:

“I fear the long, painful, humiliating process where you don’t know who you are or who anybody else is. Nobody should ever die like that.

“I want my grandchildren to remember me as a warm and loving person who’s still capable of reading them books and making them dinner.”

I felt a dark cloud of sorrow shadow my heart as I read her words, and my mind flashed back to memories of my grandfather.

When I was about 8 years old, I watched my grandfather’s life rapidly deteriorate because of Alzheimer’s. His dementia was doubly difficult because it was coupled with trauma from his World War II days. He was rarely at peace, even before the Alzheimer’s set in.

It was more than 20 years ago, but I still vividly remember those last days with Grandpa. Mostly, I remember the times when Grandpa played with my little brother. They often sat together on the kitchen floor playing with airplanes, balls, or tops. When they were together, Grandpa was calm and happy, and the whole family felt at peace.

Even when my grandfather went into the hospital, he connected with me and my siblings in meaningful ways. Grandpa often pulled out his harmonica and played us tunes from his military days. He didn’t remember who we were; he couldn’t read books to us or play on the floor, but we knew he loved us.

Brother

Had my grandfather decided to end his life before the Alzheimer’s, my brother never would have known him. My brother was only about 3 years old when Grandpa died, and his memories of Grandpa are few and vague.

But he remembers them playing airplanes together. Flying was something Grandpa always wanted to learn but never had the means to. Inspired by our grandfather, my brother worked hard and saved his money to begin flying lessons. He flew his first solo flight before he had his driver’s license.

Thinking back, I realize how meaningful my grandfather’s life was even in those last days. It’s why I hope Bitros won’t discount the value of her life, even as her memory fades. She clearly loves her grandchildren very much. I hope that she will see that, even with dementia, she can love and inspire her grandchildren just as my grandfather did.

Reflecting on Abortion in Philly and Black History Month

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By Carla Ezell
Southeast Regional Coordinator, ezell@paprolife.org

Black History Month is a celebration filled with music, dance, and bright colors. The nostalgia of remembering our mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles who lived colorful lives comes to remembrance. We who are older tell our children and grandchildren about the great actors, mother_and_childwriters, doctors, lawyers, and inventors from the ‘30s and ‘40s who succeeded because they didn’t give up in the face of racism and negativity.

Four hundred years ago, blacks were treated as slaves with no human rights; but today through our hard work and determination, we are able to own a business of any kind and be a part of the political system that makes the laws of the land.

CarlaEzellhed

Carla Ezell

It has been a long journey, full of every imaginable emotion a man or woman can go through. Even though we have had so many accomplishments, we as so many other cultures have been fooled into thinking we can tell our young people it’s OK to kill a child in the womb.

As a Black culture, abortion in the past was not an option. We accepted the gift of a new child knowing the child may have been conceived illegitimately, even by incest or rape. It wasn’t the child’s fault. The child was welcomed as a blessing to the family.

Now we’re listening to organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL who promote abortion as a means to a better life. We’re fooled by Planned Parenthood celebrating Black History Month. The abortion giant never tells us that their founder, Margaret Sanger, was a eugenicist who believed people of color were inferior. Adolf Hitler admired her and structured the annihilation of the Jews according to Sanger’s teachings.

We are a culture that can keep secrets, but this is not the time for secrets. Our babies are being aborted at a higher rate than any other race in America. In my city of Philadelphia in 2013, the abortion count was over 15,000. No wonder the schools are closing. In the United States, more than 15 million Afro American children and 57 million children of all races are dead, and millions of women and men are walking around wounded.

Now, we’re going to be facing a bill in Pennsylvania that would legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. Seniors, the disabled, mentally and physically impaired will be targeted. Of course, the issue will be presented as humane; but in reality it’s cost efficient.

Unfortunately, we don’t know our power. We as Afro Americans have to take the time to call our leaders and tell them, we don’t want abortion or doctor-prescribed suicide.

We keep forgetting: Our leaders work for us.

10 Important Facts about Abortions in Pennsylvania

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Abortions reached a historic low in 2013 in Pennsylvania, as unsafe abortion centers shut down and women had better access to life-affirming pregnancy resources. A lot of the credit goes to the thousands of dedicated pro-life volunteers across the state who work to protect every child and mother from the devastation of abortion. mother_and_child

Still, 32,108 abortions happened in 2013, and that means we  have a lot of work to do. The report from the state Department of Health points to key areas where we can focus our efforts.

Here are ten important facts from the report:

1. More than 88 percent of abortions were to unmarried women.

2. For more than half of the women, it was her first abortion.

3. More than half already had at least one child.

4. About 42 percent of abortions were to African American women, a disproportionately high percentage.

5. Most women were in their 20s.

6. Women are increasingly at risk of abortion injuries. The abortion complication rate increased 22 percent in 2013. (Abortion centers do not always report complications to the state; so the rate is probably even higher.)

7. More women are having medical abortions, which have a higher complication rate.

8. Almost all abortions (92.5 percent) were performed during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and almost 60 percent were at 8 weeks or earlier.

9. Almost half of all abortions in 2013 were performed in Philadelphia.

10. In 2013, there were 18 freestanding, non-hospital abortion facilities in Pennsylvania.

To me, many of these facts seem to indicate that women need better support. They are facing a pregnancy without a commitment from the baby’s father. They may have other children They may be in school or just starting a career. They may be told the lie that in the first trimester, it’s not a real baby yet — just a blob of tissue.

Because of pregnancy education and support, more women are choosing life for their babies; but we need your help to keep providing education and support to more Pennsylvania families.

If you are pregnant and need help, click here or call the Pennsylvania pregnancy hotline at 1-888-LIFE-AID to find free, confidential, caring support near you.

Inspectors Find Unsanitary Conditions at Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia

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Pennsylvania’s abortion center regulations are protecting women and holding abortion centers accountable to basic health and safety standards.

PlannedParenthood1A new report at LifeNews.com says state inspectors found unsanitary conditions, including ripped furniture and detached wall paneling, inside Planned Parenthood Northeast in Philadelphia this September.

Rips and tears may seem like minor issues, but in a health care setting, they can be extremely unsanitary. According to LifeNews.com:

“Because, unlike our homes, hospitals and doctor’s offices have serious concerns about the spread of disease. … This is particularly important when there is, shall we say, “bodily fluid spillage”.

… Once “fluids” are in, they stay. Unless a cloth chair can be steam cleaned on a moment’s notice, there is no way to guarantee it is clean for the next patient. … When there are rips in vinyl, fluids can leak into the stuffing, rendering the chair uncleanable.”

These are serious problems. We can’t just brush off a little rip here or a small tear there. A little tear could be contaminated with disease.

Abortion centers must be held accountable for the health and safety of their patients. It’s common sense. Our new laws are doing their job of protecting women from hazardous conditions inside abortion centers. We must keep working so that every preborn baby is guaranteed these same protections under the law.

State Reports: Philadelphia Abortion Center Not Informing Women of Risks, Alternatives

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A Philadelphia abortion center did not inform women about the risks and alternatives to abortion as is required by law, according to inspection reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

imagesThe Philadelphia Women’s Center and all Pennsylvania abortion centers are required to inform women about abortion risks, alternatives, and the approximate age of their preborn baby at least 24 hours prior to the abortion. However, the Philadelphia abortion center appears to be skirting the law.

According to a state inspection report from Oct. 9, 2013, inspectors found the abortionist’s signature was photocopied onto documents that indicate patients have received the information. Three women also didn’t sign the forms to indicate that they had receive the information.

But that’s not all. Records indicated that the abortionist didn’t inform eight other patients either.

This LifeNews.com story details even more deficiencies at the Philadelphia Women’s Center, including:

  • A discrepancy about medications given to a woman who was hemorrhaging and had to be taken to the hospital.
  • A broken fire alarm that the state has warned the facility about five times.
  • Dirty cleaning supplies that were put right next to clean linen.
  • Expired medication, and medication that wasn’t properly stored.

The state Department of Health routinely inspects abortion centers in Pennsylvania, thanks to new abortion center regulations passed in the wake of the Kermit Gosnell discoveries. To view the abortion center inspection reports, click here.

Gosnell Case Continues as Staffer Faces Sentencing

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The case of Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” abortion center continues, and most of the media is back to ignoring it.

Karnamaya Mongar

Karnamaya Mongar

Lynda Williams, one of Gosnell’s staffers, was sentenced last week for her involvement in his criminal drug distribution, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

Gosnell and his staff made money off of selling prescription pain killers illegally. It was Gosnell’s “pill mill” and not his deathly abortion practices that first led investigators to his West Philadelphia facility.

This week, Williams is expected to be sentenced for her role in the deaths of a newborn baby and female patient Karnamaya Mongar. She already pled guilty to third-degree murder for their deaths. Williams, like most of Gosnell’s staff, was not a licensed medical professional.

The mainstream media would prefer that we forget about Williams and Gosnell and the Philadelphia “house of horrors” abortion center. Though the case continues more than a year after Kermit Gosnell’s murder convictions, we hear almost nothing in the news about it.

I share this update on the case so that we as pro-lifers don’t forget.

Candidate for PA Governor Says Get Over Fact that She Ran an Abortion Center

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Allyson Schwartz, a candidate for Pennsylvania governor, says Pennsylvanians should just “stop worrying” about the fact that she used to run an abortion center in Philadelphia.

In a new interview, Schwartz made it clear that while she supports abortion (she had allysonschwartza 100-percent pro-abortion voting record as a member of U.S. Congress), she doesn’t want to talk about what that means for Pennsylvanians.

Schwartz used to run an abortion center in Philadelphia, not far from Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors.” Yet, she has also refused to talk about Gosnell and whether her facility referred patients to him.

Read more at LifeNews.com.

One Year after Kermit Gosnell’s Trial, We Must Stay Vigilant

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One year has passed since abortionist Kermit Gosnell went on trial, and his horrific crimes are still having an impact today.

Pennsylvania and other states have taken action to help prevent other abortionists like Gosnell from preying on vulnerable women and their babies; but there is still so much work to be done.

Star Parker, a pro-life leader in the black community, writes at LifeNews.com:

gosnell40“Anecdotes of those who worked (at Gosnell’s abortion facility) suggest the scope of murder, illegal abortions, abuse of women — mostly low income minority and immigrant women — was far beyond what could be adequately documented to stand up for the trial.

“The years that Gosnell committed his atrocities with no regulatory oversight, and the challenges to get national media attention to his trial once it began, should provoke extra vigilance today to ad-dress the issues involved that still are not getting adequate attention and the extent to which similar abuses are occurring elsewhere.

“At the conclusion of the Gosnell trial, the chairmen of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Energy and Commerce committees wrote to Attorneys General and leading health officials in all the states.

“Attorneys General were asked whether ‘state and local officials are being stymied in their efforts to protect the civil rights of newborns and their mothers by legal or financial obstacles that are within the federal government’s power to address.’ State health officials were asked how they regulate and monitor abortion clinics to protect the health and safety of women.

“We’d like to know the results of these inquiries and how this information can be used to create better policies for protecting women and children.

“My colleagues find in their investigations around the nation that Kermit Gosnell was by no means one of a kind. There are more. And, to our dismay, irresponsible and inhumane behavior continues regarding the treatment of women, particularly low-income minority women, in these facilities.”

Pennsylvania, under pro-life Governor Tom Corbett, has done a lot to help protect women and babies from abortionists who would prey on their vulnerability.

Right now, the Pennsylvania Senate is considering a bill that would enact harsher penalties for impersonating a doctor – something several of Gosnell’s employees did.

We must stay vigilant. We must never forget the women and babies who Gosnell slaughtered. And we must never stop working to protect them.

Bill Recommended by Gosnell Grand Jury Passes PA House

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The Pennsylvania House has taken another step forward to protect women and babies from the horrors that happened in Kermit Gosnell’s West Philadelphia abortion center.

House Bill 587, which passed the House on Tuesday, December 17, would increase the penalty for impersonating a doctor in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Baker, R-Bradford, Tioga, is based on a recommendation Gosnellmade by the grand jury that indicted abortionist Kermit Gosnell in connection with the murder of infants and the death of a female patient.

Gosnell is serving three consecutive life sentences in prison, following his murder conviction. Several of Gosnell’s staff members had no medical training at all. Two of his employees, Stephen Massof and Eileen O’Neill, both practiced as doctors at Gosnell’s center, but neither of them had a medical license.

The Pennsylvania Senate will now consider the bill.