Posts
I rarely do this, but with this issue in the current media spotlight I feel the need to truly express myself. With that being said, I also feel the need to say the following.This issue is so vitally important and core to my beliefs and who I am that I am adamant, firm, and passionate about it. It is one of my few truly conservative beliefs, although I feel it is more of a social justice and human rights issue than a lot of the conservative movement treats it.I know that my views will anger some of you, some of you will agree, and some of you are just burnt out on hearing about it and don't really give a damn about it anymore. The last is the most dangerous of those things, for to become apathetic about a issue of this nature is to allow yourself to slowly become a person who can be blown like a blade of grass in the wind; this way and that without truly having a belief of your own.
Now with all of that being said; my normal rules of engagement apply. If you cannot discuss this issue in a polite and adult manner then please do not comment. By this I mean no name calling, profanity, references to intelligence or anger driven comments. If you want to comment but feel angry at the time, wait, consider your words and come back later.
Let's begin.
I am passionately Pro-Life; to me there are no options that include ending a innocent child's life! In a couple of moments I'll go over the 3 most common reasons given for having an abortion and why I feel they are not valid; but right now I want to go over my personal reasons for being pro-life.
( I have chosen to use the terms pro-choice and pro-life because they are the preferred terms for each group of people.)
SAM, GRACELLYN, ISAAC, AND AVERY...and other things.
My four biggest reasons for being pro-life are named above.
I love my children, Sam and Gracellyn, to the ends of the universe. I consider them to be amazing gifts from God, and cannot believe He has blessed me with such amazing pieces of His artwork.
I had Sam when I was 18. I found out I was pregnant when I was 17. The day I found out I was pregnant, my friend Alli took me to lunch and we talked. She knew what the answer would be, but she still asked what I would do and if abortion was an option. I looked at her crying and said that abortion was not an option, and that I already knew his name. She nodded her head, and hugged me. I was 17, and I knew I had a living child inside of me. I knew that I was pregnant because of a bad choice on my part; but this was not the childs fault. I tell him as often as I can what an incredible gift he is to me. How he is not a mistake, even if my choice to have sex was. He is amazing, he has issues, what person doesn't; but his heart is full of compassion, and grace, and I believe he will grow up to be a good man.
I had Gracellyn when I was 26, my husband and I had been married for 15 weeks when we found out I was 12 weeks pregnant. I was horrified, after my first pregnancy and the complications involved I had sworn I didn't want anymore children. We were using birth control. I was angry at God for the first trimester, how could he do this to me? He knew the hell I'd been through the first time, he knew the doctor had said I may not be able to carry anymore children to term. Why on earth would he give me another child when he knew all this? This pregnancy was worse than the first, and I was on bed-rest for a total of 6 out of 9 months. And then she was born, the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Her Uncle Zeb held her and said it was love at first sight. Sam held her (he was 9) and said, with big blue eyes, "She's beautiful!", in a small, almost whispering voice filled with awe. The awe and wonder on his face alone made it all worthwhile. She still adores her Uncle Zeb ad BruBru(pronounced with a short u sound) and they return that adoration. She is amazing, athletic, generous, caring, loving to EVERYONE and my little fashionista. She's also headstrong and can be devious, but we're working on that.
My third reason is my little brother, Isaac. My parents had been praying for another child. They had tried multiple times, and my mother had miscarried each time. It took a horrible emotional toll and my entire family. Then a friend of a friend of my Aunt Susie had a pregnant daughter and they were looking for adoption options. My parents immediately knew this baby was for them. During the pregnancy this girls catholic father tried to get her to have an abortion, even though there was already a family waiting. She adamantly defied him and carried Isaac to term. Even though life has often been hard with my brother, and he doesn't make the greatest decisions, I love him and know that he can be an amazingly wonderful husband, father, brother and son when he chooses to. I have seen him come back from India and Kenya with wonder and love in his heart for the poorest of the poor. I have heard him say that he knows God has a plan, or he wouldn't be here. And most importantly if he hadn't been born then my fourth reason for being pro-life would not exist...
AVERY BEAN KLEIN
Born June 9th, 2010 at 23 1/2 weeks. She shouldn't be alive, as a matter of fact the first hospital my sister-in-law was in told her it was basically impossible and that we were waiting for the baby to be born to die. After much prodding and poking they finally told us that KU or St. Luke's had the right level NICU to deliver and give this child the best opportunity to survive. We transferred to KU and Avery was born. She weighed less than a pound, she could fit in my brothers hand and she looked like an alien. She shouldn't have lived, 23 1/2 weeks is not considered viable, but she proved EVERYBODY wrong. She is now 10 months old, she is lively, active, and the cutest little girl I've ever seen. Her laughter alone lights up our house and hearts. There are those who feel it is okay to abort a child at this age..
I have the other standard reasons for being pro-life. i.e. life is sacred and begins at conception; my faith belief that God knows us before we are conceived (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalms 139:15) and a couple of others. Now to discuss the reasons most commonly given for abortions and my opinions regarding them.
WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS CHOICE?
Outlined below you will find the 3 most common reasons given for having an abortion; or so we are told. My statistics come from a report put together by Wm. Robert Johnston and his statistics are from a series of polls done by The Allan Guttenmacher Institute done between the years 1987 and 2007. Note that Mr. Johnston report has a pro-life bent to it, but that his source is decidedly pro-choice. I think you will find the Bound4Life page to be easier to understand, which is why I am including it as a source.
1) I have been raped/incest
I feel for you, I morn with you, I will hunt this person down and do whatever I can to ensure justice is served; but I do not believe you should abort this child. Have the child and give he/she up for adoption. According to research done by The US Dept. of Health and Human Services 62% of private, domestic adoptions are newborns.You don't even have to spend anytime with the child if you don't want to and the adoption can be a closed adoption. A closed adoption is when the child has no contact with you and you have no contact with them as they are growing up.
There are not enough infants to go around in the adoption world. The majority of adopted children grow up in two parent homes, live in a middle to upper middle class family, and are loved as if they are biological children. This makes adoption a viable and wonderful option for mothers who have been rape or are victims of incest.
Now, the truth is the percentage of rape/incest abortions is EXTREMELY low, about .33%. Yet, the Pro-Choice movement uses this as one of their main arguments as to why abortion should be easily accessible.
2) The birth of this baby may put the mother at risk of dying
This is so incredibly rare in this country and day and age. According to the Maternal Mortality Review Team , the most recent data on the Maternal Mortality Rate indicates 15.1% (figured in 2006).Granted, this number is way to high, but it is still a fairly low percentage of pregnancies that end in death. I'll discuss this issue of Maternal Mortality in a future post.
Again, the truth is that Maternal/Baby health and or death accounts for only 1.7% of abortions. Yet again this is one of the Pro-Choice movements main arguments for keeping abortion easily accesible! COME ON!!! It's not even close to a majority of the reason women get abortions. Let's fix the issue of maternal mortality, instead of using it as an excuse to keep abortion legal!
3) It's my body, so it's my choice!
This is the truth of the matter, abortion is a form of birth control. The majority of women who have abortions in the United States have them because the child would be an inconvenience or burden in their lives. Personal choice accounts for 98% of abortions, 98%!!!
How is this even acceptable?
My friend Matt Keech recently asked on Facebook for us to say in 10 words or less why we are pro-life. Now for some of us this was difficult (eh...hem...Daddy and Joel Hines). My favorite answer given was by Joel Hines, and it addresses this core issue of it being your body to do with as you will. He said,"The argument on the other side is that it's a woman's body; therefore, her body, her right. If you follow that to it's logical conclusion then a pregnant woman has 4 arms, 4 legs, 2 brains and 2 hearts functioning independently of each other and 2 different sets of DNA.) *She doesn't have 4 arms; she has a baby.*"
WOW! What a concept...
Now my own personal opinion on this part of the issue is simple. YOU LOST THE CHOICE WHEN YOU OPENED YOUR LEGS! I know this may be a crass way of putting it, but it's true! Why should a innocent child pay for your bad choice? If you don't want to get pregnant, then take birth control (which ironically didn't work for me), or better yet DON'T HAVE SEX!!!
In closing, I would like to say a couple of things. First, I will not judge you if you have an abortion; I have seen the tragedy that is the post-abortion reality. I have done too much peer counseling to sit here and say mean and awful things to you about your choice. Don't assume that just because I'm Pro-Life, I can't identify with your reasons for having an abortion. I have personally been in 2 of the 3 situations mentioned above. I wasn't prepared for either of my children, and I was in danger of dying with both of my pregnancies; but I made the choice of life and I have never regretted it. As a Christian I firmly believe that God forgives our sins. I know that he sees the pain in your heart, and he will heal it.
At this time in America, abortion is legal. We as Christians need to stand and fight for the rights of the unborn child; but we also need to be careful what we say to women considering abortion. Inform them of ALL their options, talk to them in love, and then let them go. All you can do is inform them and then be there for them when the post-abortion guilt and pain sets in. This is something we suck at. Instead of spewing hate at those who make this choice, we need to be there ready to help in the healing process.
resources:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/NSAP/chartbook/chartbook.cfm?id=2
http://www.guttmacher.org/
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html
http://bound4life.com/statistics
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/medExam/maternalmortality.htm
Now with all of that being said; my normal rules of engagement apply. If you cannot discuss this issue in a polite and adult manner then please do not comment. By this I mean no name calling, profanity, references to intelligence or anger driven comments. If you want to comment but feel angry at the time, wait, consider your words and come back later.
Let's begin.
I am passionately Pro-Life; to me there are no options that include ending a innocent child's life! In a couple of moments I'll go over the 3 most common reasons given for having an abortion and why I feel they are not valid; but right now I want to go over my personal reasons for being pro-life.
( I have chosen to use the terms pro-choice and pro-life because they are the preferred terms for each group of people.)
SAM, GRACELLYN, ISAAC, AND AVERY...and other things.
My four biggest reasons for being pro-life are named above.
I love my children, Sam and Gracellyn, to the ends of the universe. I consider them to be amazing gifts from God, and cannot believe He has blessed me with such amazing pieces of His artwork.
I had Sam when I was 18. I found out I was pregnant when I was 17. The day I found out I was pregnant, my friend Alli took me to lunch and we talked. She knew what the answer would be, but she still asked what I would do and if abortion was an option. I looked at her crying and said that abortion was not an option, and that I already knew his name. She nodded her head, and hugged me. I was 17, and I knew I had a living child inside of me. I knew that I was pregnant because of a bad choice on my part; but this was not the childs fault. I tell him as often as I can what an incredible gift he is to me. How he is not a mistake, even if my choice to have sex was. He is amazing, he has issues, what person doesn't; but his heart is full of compassion, and grace, and I believe he will grow up to be a good man.
I had Gracellyn when I was 26, my husband and I had been married for 15 weeks when we found out I was 12 weeks pregnant. I was horrified, after my first pregnancy and the complications involved I had sworn I didn't want anymore children. We were using birth control. I was angry at God for the first trimester, how could he do this to me? He knew the hell I'd been through the first time, he knew the doctor had said I may not be able to carry anymore children to term. Why on earth would he give me another child when he knew all this? This pregnancy was worse than the first, and I was on bed-rest for a total of 6 out of 9 months. And then she was born, the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Her Uncle Zeb held her and said it was love at first sight. Sam held her (he was 9) and said, with big blue eyes, "She's beautiful!", in a small, almost whispering voice filled with awe. The awe and wonder on his face alone made it all worthwhile. She still adores her Uncle Zeb ad BruBru(pronounced with a short u sound) and they return that adoration. She is amazing, athletic, generous, caring, loving to EVERYONE and my little fashionista. She's also headstrong and can be devious, but we're working on that.
My third reason is my little brother, Isaac. My parents had been praying for another child. They had tried multiple times, and my mother had miscarried each time. It took a horrible emotional toll and my entire family. Then a friend of a friend of my Aunt Susie had a pregnant daughter and they were looking for adoption options. My parents immediately knew this baby was for them. During the pregnancy this girls catholic father tried to get her to have an abortion, even though there was already a family waiting. She adamantly defied him and carried Isaac to term. Even though life has often been hard with my brother, and he doesn't make the greatest decisions, I love him and know that he can be an amazingly wonderful husband, father, brother and son when he chooses to. I have seen him come back from India and Kenya with wonder and love in his heart for the poorest of the poor. I have heard him say that he knows God has a plan, or he wouldn't be here. And most importantly if he hadn't been born then my fourth reason for being pro-life would not exist...
AVERY BEAN KLEIN
Born June 9th, 2010 at 23 1/2 weeks. She shouldn't be alive, as a matter of fact the first hospital my sister-in-law was in told her it was basically impossible and that we were waiting for the baby to be born to die. After much prodding and poking they finally told us that KU or St. Luke's had the right level NICU to deliver and give this child the best opportunity to survive. We transferred to KU and Avery was born. She weighed less than a pound, she could fit in my brothers hand and she looked like an alien. She shouldn't have lived, 23 1/2 weeks is not considered viable, but she proved EVERYBODY wrong. She is now 10 months old, she is lively, active, and the cutest little girl I've ever seen. Her laughter alone lights up our house and hearts. There are those who feel it is okay to abort a child at this age..
I have the other standard reasons for being pro-life. i.e. life is sacred and begins at conception; my faith belief that God knows us before we are conceived (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalms 139:15) and a couple of others. Now to discuss the reasons most commonly given for abortions and my opinions regarding them.
WHY ARE YOU MAKING THIS CHOICE?
Outlined below you will find the 3 most common reasons given for having an abortion; or so we are told. My statistics come from a report put together by Wm. Robert Johnston and his statistics are from a series of polls done by The Allan Guttenmacher Institute done between the years 1987 and 2007. Note that Mr. Johnston report has a pro-life bent to it, but that his source is decidedly pro-choice. I think you will find the Bound4Life page to be easier to understand, which is why I am including it as a source.
1) I have been raped/incest
I feel for you, I morn with you, I will hunt this person down and do whatever I can to ensure justice is served; but I do not believe you should abort this child. Have the child and give he/she up for adoption. According to research done by The US Dept. of Health and Human Services 62% of private, domestic adoptions are newborns.You don't even have to spend anytime with the child if you don't want to and the adoption can be a closed adoption. A closed adoption is when the child has no contact with you and you have no contact with them as they are growing up.
There are not enough infants to go around in the adoption world. The majority of adopted children grow up in two parent homes, live in a middle to upper middle class family, and are loved as if they are biological children. This makes adoption a viable and wonderful option for mothers who have been rape or are victims of incest.
Now, the truth is the percentage of rape/incest abortions is EXTREMELY low, about .33%. Yet, the Pro-Choice movement uses this as one of their main arguments as to why abortion should be easily accessible.
2) The birth of this baby may put the mother at risk of dying
This is so incredibly rare in this country and day and age. According to the Maternal Mortality Review Team , the most recent data on the Maternal Mortality Rate indicates 15.1% (figured in 2006).Granted, this number is way to high, but it is still a fairly low percentage of pregnancies that end in death. I'll discuss this issue of Maternal Mortality in a future post.
Again, the truth is that Maternal/Baby health and or death accounts for only 1.7% of abortions. Yet again this is one of the Pro-Choice movements main arguments for keeping abortion easily accesible! COME ON!!! It's not even close to a majority of the reason women get abortions. Let's fix the issue of maternal mortality, instead of using it as an excuse to keep abortion legal!
3) It's my body, so it's my choice!
This is the truth of the matter, abortion is a form of birth control. The majority of women who have abortions in the United States have them because the child would be an inconvenience or burden in their lives. Personal choice accounts for 98% of abortions, 98%!!!
How is this even acceptable?
My friend Matt Keech recently asked on Facebook for us to say in 10 words or less why we are pro-life. Now for some of us this was difficult (eh...hem...Daddy and Joel Hines). My favorite answer given was by Joel Hines, and it addresses this core issue of it being your body to do with as you will. He said,"The argument on the other side is that it's a woman's body; therefore, her body, her right. If you follow that to it's logical conclusion then a pregnant woman has 4 arms, 4 legs, 2 brains and 2 hearts functioning independently of each other and 2 different sets of DNA.) *She doesn't have 4 arms; she has a baby.*"
WOW! What a concept...
Now my own personal opinion on this part of the issue is simple. YOU LOST THE CHOICE WHEN YOU OPENED YOUR LEGS! I know this may be a crass way of putting it, but it's true! Why should a innocent child pay for your bad choice? If you don't want to get pregnant, then take birth control (which ironically didn't work for me), or better yet DON'T HAVE SEX!!!
In closing, I would like to say a couple of things. First, I will not judge you if you have an abortion; I have seen the tragedy that is the post-abortion reality. I have done too much peer counseling to sit here and say mean and awful things to you about your choice. Don't assume that just because I'm Pro-Life, I can't identify with your reasons for having an abortion. I have personally been in 2 of the 3 situations mentioned above. I wasn't prepared for either of my children, and I was in danger of dying with both of my pregnancies; but I made the choice of life and I have never regretted it. As a Christian I firmly believe that God forgives our sins. I know that he sees the pain in your heart, and he will heal it.
At this time in America, abortion is legal. We as Christians need to stand and fight for the rights of the unborn child; but we also need to be careful what we say to women considering abortion. Inform them of ALL their options, talk to them in love, and then let them go. All you can do is inform them and then be there for them when the post-abortion guilt and pain sets in. This is something we suck at. Instead of spewing hate at those who make this choice, we need to be there ready to help in the healing process.
resources:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/NSAP/chartbook/chartbook.cfm?id=2
http://www.guttmacher.org/
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html
http://bound4life.com/statistics
http://www.vdh.state.va.us/medExam/maternalmortality.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment