41 Years (Warning: Controversial)

*Disclaimer - This is a controversial subject, but one I feel so passionate about that I will not be silent.  You may read this and completely disagree with me. You may read this and think, "but she's never walked in my shoes." You would be right, and for that reason I don't take this lightly.  It is never my place to judge, or tell someone I know what they're going through.  It is my place to say that I know for a fact that God can bring healing to any situation.  There is forgiveness, and when something seems unforgivable, God forgives.

Sadie Grace - 18 weeks in utero

Now, that being said, I want to put words to my pro-life conviction.  Today marks the 41 year anniversary of the roe v. wade court ruling which legalized abortion in the US.  Many are in Washington D.C. this day marching for life.  I am marching in my own way today.  My march is with a passionate plea to consider the facts regarding this issue.  Scientific evidence that life inside the womb is just that, LIFE.  The child is being carried inside the mother's body, but he/she is not her body.  At the moment of conception a baby's entire genetic make-up is present.  Gender, finger prints, and much more, are there from that very moment.  54,000,000 and counting have lost their life to abortion.  54,000,000 and counting will never have an opportunity to vote, get an education, create a job, serve in the military, or be a mother of father themselves.

Before you call me intolerant, and uneducated on this topic, I want to ask you; Why should someone be silenced when it comes to defending life?  Since when did protecting another human being and standing for life inside the womb become the stand of someone ignorant and intolerant?

Let me be clear on what pro-life means to me.  Pro-Life, first and foremost, is to defend the voiceless. Those who are unable to speak for themselves.  The child inside the womb is voiceless, and the first priority in my pro-life stance.  But, it stretches beyond this for me.  The mother who is staring at the positive pregnancy test; confused, scared, panicked, and unsure of what to do....often she is voiceless.  Often the decisions in the days following the test are made for her.  Often she feels she has no other option.  Sometimes the father involved is the voiceless.  He wants to keep the baby, but that decision is taken out of his hands.  Beyond the issue of abortion is the child/adult bullied for being different, and they are voiceless.  The child abused at the hand of an adult is voiceless.  The elderly that are forgotten, can often be voiceless.  The sick without an advocate, is voiceless.  The woman being abused by her partner feels voiceless.

Voiceless takes on many rolls, and behind each of these voiceless situations is a life.  A human being.  A creation of God.

I recently read a statistic stating that 25% of women that seek abortions are being abused by their partner. Let me ask you - does ending the life of that child in her womb stop the partner from abusing her?  No.  The best example I can think of is handing someone a pain-reliever for a broken leg.  It might mask the symptom for a time, but it does not solve the problem.  This woman needs counsel, she needs someone to be her voice and say, "you are stronger than this.  You can walk away from this.  Let's get you help.  Let's not add one more heartache to an already messy situation."  We need to treat the problem, not the symptom.  We need to be a voice for her life, and in turn you are a voice for her unborn child.

I was speaking with someone a few days ago that works for a crisis pregnancy center.  She told me that the abortion rate is dropping.  You can also read this State of Abortion article for more proof.  She also said that in Erie County alone the number of pregnancies is down.  Not because they're having abortions, but because educating women (and men) is working.  This is exciting!  But, there is still more work to be done.  You may think that someone who votes pro-life is a one-issue voter.  Perhaps, but here is where I stand on this; God has placed such a high value on life!  He is the giver & taker of life, and I will need to answer to Him someday.  I will not have to answer on whether I voted for someone who could balance the national budget, but I will give an account before God on how I cared for all human life.  I do not take that lightly.

Psalm 139:13 - 16 says:
For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
God knows about each life before it is even formed...the days of our life are written in His book.  He knew when I was to be born, and when I shall die.  That is His decision, not mine.

You may disagree with me, but please don't call me ignorant, uneducated and judgmental regarding this topic.  I stand for life, and I choose to be a voice for the voiceless, but I cannot judge.  You will not see me with a picket sign in hand, offering only condemnation, and no hope.  I prefer to educate, and support those who are on the front lines helping women & men make educated choices.  So, on this 41 year anniversary of roe v. wade, I ask you to consider standing for life.  First and foremost the life inside the womb, because it is very much a life, and then the life of those around you who need to be given a voice.

This is a great video if you have 5 minutes:
41 Years of Roe v. Wade