What it Means to be "Pro-Life" (Part 2): To Love Women Unconditionally

As described in the previous post, the purpose of this blog series is to debunk the myth that pro-life Christians only care about the unborn and not the born while looking for ways to bring both sides of the abortion issue together to provide better services for more people.  This post will examine various approaches for caring for women on both sides of the abortion issue and show how pro-life Christians extend love to women in crisis pregnancy situations in ways that help women not just during their crisis but for the rest of their lives.

When a woman suspects she could be pregnant and that pregnancy is considered a crisis for her, she will typically seek help from any of the following:
1) Her doctor
2) A government funded, free or low-cost health care clinic
3) Planned Parenthood
4) A faith-based pregnancy life care center

Given that Obamacare was supposed to provide health insurance for everyone, including those who cannot afford it, any woman should have access to comprehensive health care during crisis pregnancy situations.  She may visit her general practitioner or gynecologist, or she may seek out free or reduced cost health care clinics such as those listed at www.womenshealth.gov.  Non-profit clinics supported by generous donors instead of government grants have more flexibility to manage operations in ways that most effectively meet the needs of their clients.  The Neighborhood Christian Clinic is a full service health care facility that has been serving as a role model for other facilities around the country.  Alliance Defending Freedom developed the map below to show the locations of over 13,540 clinics providing comprehensive health care for women.

The most popular women's resource among pro-choice advocates is Planned Parenthood.  As favors continue to be bought and sold between Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Obama administration and the Clinton Foundation, government funding of Planned Parenthood has been increasing. For example, government funding increased from 33% in 2009 to 46.5% in 2010, which equated to $1.3 million per day, according to  STOPP research's analysis of Planned Parenthood's annual reports.  Even some pro-life voters support government funding of Planned Parenthood since the organization provides sex education, birth control, pap smears and other cancer screenings (but not mammograms), and STD testing.  They believe Planned Parenthood's prevention services are reducing abortion rates, but PPFA's business model actually provides incentives for increasing in the number of abortions provided.

Planned Parenthood claims that only 3% of their services are abortions, but those abortions actually provide 51.5% of their clinic revenues.  The Wall Street Journal estimated that PPFA's annual abortion revenues are over $150 million.

Planned Parenthood charges clients for other services as well, but since abortion fees plus payments received for the procurement and sale of fetal tissues and intact organs through modified abortion procedures without client consent (see video below) comprise the bulk of their clinic revenues, abortions are a priority for Planned Parenthood's marketing strategies.  According to testimonies from former PPFA workers, PPFA even sets abortion quotas for their clinics.

These abortion revenues are a key concern for pro-life Christians, not simply because abortion destroys sacred, innocent, defenseless human life, but because these revenues motivate PPFA to increase abortion revenue through methods that are deceptive, manipulative, unloving, and cruel.  As an example, reference this previous blog post.  It explains one strategy International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) uses for increasing number of abortions. IPPF reaches out to children as young as 9 years old with pamphlets that encourage adolescents and teens to engage in risky sexual activity while IPPF actively opposes legislation requiring parental consent. PPFA provides low quality contraception while assuring clients their products will make sex safe. (PPFA's condoms were determined to be the lowest quality out of 23 brands Consumer Reports tested for effectiveness.) The truth is that unmarried sex is never safe.  Many of these methods put women and children at risk of great physical, psychological, and emotional harm while mistreating, misleading, and dehumanizing women.  Women in crisis first and foremost need loving compassion and comprehensive counseling, not pressure to immediately have an abortion.


Planned Parenthood advocates insist the organization helps women by preventing unplanned pregnancy and thereby decreasing abortion rates, but a closer look reveals the opposite.


The following video shows how Planned Parenthood has increased the  number of abortions it provides and continues increasing its overall market share in the abortion industry.


Personal testimonies and undercover videos expose the fact that Planned Parenthood workers force women into choosing abortion. When women ask about other options, PPFA workers insist that abortion is really their only option. Clients are not informed of all the short term and long term risks of abortion, nor are they made aware of the long term benefits and resources available to support women who would prefer to carry their babies to term. Testimonies supporting these claims from women who were pressured by Planned Parenthood to have an abortion can be found here, here, and here.   If a woman's right to choose is PPFA's platform and battle cry, then shouldn't they give women more than one option so women can actually have a choice?


The ideal first point of contact for women in crisis is a  faith-based pregnancy life care center.  With 5-years of experience as a volunteer for centers under the Care Net umbrella, I have seen first-hand the life changing impact these centers are having on the lives of women.  I will primarily share about Care Net programs and services, but women have plenty of other wonderful faith based options as well such as Life Call or Birthline/Lifeline Pregnancy Centers.  Click on these links to find a center near you.  These centers are unique in that unlike Planned Parenthood and all the secular and/or government funded options, these centers provide what women need first and foremost in the midst of a pregnancy crisis, and they offer all their services FREE OF CHARGE!  These centers collectively provide all of the services below, but any center should provide most of them.

• Spiritual, emotional, and relationship counseling
• Free pregnancy testing
• Options counseling, including comprehensive information on parenting (including adoption), as well as information on abortion procedures and risks
• STD/STI testing and information
• Limited obstetrical ultrasound services
• Bible study classes
• Support groups and peer counseling
• Material assistance, including diapers, maternity clothes, strollers, cribs, car seats, baby food, formula, baby apparel, layettes, and more
• Job and housing assistance and referrals
• Additional community referral
• Prenatal care referrals
• Childbirth, life skills, prenatal child care, homemaking education
• Tutoring and support in obtaining a G.E.D. or opportunities to enroll in college classes
• Adoption referrals
• Parenting Classes
• Fertility Awareness Education
• 24-Hour Support Hotline
• Shelters and/or maternity home placement referrals
• Abortion recovery programs

The decision to abort, parent, or adopt will impact a woman for the rest of her life. Since this decision is so important, it is imperative that the mother not make the decision hastily or in a state of panic, desperation, anxiety, fear, or desperation, lest regret haunt her for decades. To make a wise decision a woman needs all the facts about all her options, but she also needs to know the absolute truths about her sacred identity and her infinite worth.  Far too many women find themselves in a crisis pregnancy situation because they went looking for love, affirmation, and acceptance in all the wrong places. We look for opportunities to show these women how much God loves them and to share with them His perfect plan for their lives while actively demonstrating that love in the ways we care for them. Our first priority when a client comes into our office (which typically looks and feels more like a warm and inviting home instead of cold clinic surrounded by barbed wire fence as was the case for the abortion clinic next door to the women's center where I volunteered) is to listen and comfort her spirit.  While licensed nurses perform ultrasounds or conduct pregnancy and/or STD tests, we empathize with these women while offering them support and encouragement.  We listen to their many questions, and answer objectively, laying out all the options while noting the pros and cons for each one. 

While Planned Parenthood's abortion quotas result in high pressure tactics to push as many women through the abortion mill as fast as possible with counseling sessions that present abortion as the only reasonable option, staff at these pregnancy life care centers are open and honest about each scenario.  They exude peace and calm to quiet the client's anxious spirit so she can think more clearly through her options.

While the hope is each woman will choose not to abort, we respect her decision without judgment, remind her that we are always here for her, and invite her back to join one of our abortion recovery programs if needed.  We build relationships with women and follow-up with them, if they give us permission, to make sure their needs are met and to continue offering support and services as needed. We serve these women knowing that our job is to love these women unconditionally as Christ loves the church.  While it may be our desire to save her baby, only God has the power to direct a woman's heart, so we leave that responsibility to Him.  When the primary goal is to love like Jesus without any pressure to accomplish what only God can do or to meet quotas, women always benefit, regardless of what option they choose.

These centers are entirely funded by faith filled donors and primarily staffed by community volunteers who have completed extensive background checks and rigorous training. A key value communicated through each training session and upheld daily in the clinics is that the mothers are our primary concern. This is not to say that we do not care about the baby, but just as flight attendants instruct parents to put the oxygen mask on themselves first before putting a mask on their children, we minister to the mother's needs first with the hope of saving both the mother and the child from heartache and/or devastation.

The Board of Directors for each facility or community network are comprised of like-minded community leaders who volunteer their time to guide ministry staff and volunteers, hold directors and office managers accountable to the core values and vision, and make strategic decisions to ensure the centers are effectively meeting needs and serving women with the love of Christ.  By avoiding the corrupting influences of government money and control and eliminating the pressure of quotas or monetary incentives, these centers can focus instead on delivering the highest level of service for their clients motivated out of a sincere and unconditional love for hurting women.

I have also had the privilege of volunteering as a buddy and as an adoption educator for a faith based maternity home, which receives referrals from faith based pregnancy life care centers, and ministry partners and friends.  These maternity homes provide loving nurture and room and board to women in unplanned pregnancy situations who choose to carry their babies to term. Typically, up to eight women will live in a large home at a time with a married couples serving as house parents who lead the clients as if they are all part of a family.  Family meals, evening devotions, basic chores to teach personal responsibility, life skills training, birth classes, parenting and adoption classes, counseling, medical needs, and mentoring are all included.  These homes provide an oasis for women where they can process through all their thoughts and feelings while separated from negative influences or competing voices, make decisions regarding parenting or adoption, reset the direction for their lives, set goals, and establish a plan for pursing a healthy, productive, fulfilling life.

To be pro-life is to love women unconditionally, intentionally, sacrificially, and wholeheartedly.  The DNC's support of Planned Parenthood does the opposite by deceiving, manipulating, and abusing women for selfish financial gain.  The corruption found throughout Planned Parenthood is like leaven in that it will only increase causing more women and children to suffer. Gosnell's crimes against women and children seemed extreme, but he wasn't an isolated case as numerous women have testified, and similar stories will continue to surface as liberal, abortion minded-Supreme Court Justices knock down legislation designed to make abortion facilities safer for women.  As federal funding enables Planned Parenthood to expand its operations, women will be more likely to turn to PPFA first instead of to more ethical, loving, helpful alternatives.  For these reasons, conservative pro-life Christians are voting against the DNC in favor of party platforms that support defunding Planned Parenthood.

As a compromise between the two sides, money currently given to Planned Parenthood could be redirected to more trustworthy comprehensive healthcare centers that do not profit by performing abortions or by receiving kickbacks for abortion referrals.  The video below counters Planned Parenthood's outrageous and deceptive argument against this proposal.

These healthcare centers should be measured by how well they treat patients with incentives for reducing abortion and disease as opposed to PPFA's incentive plan which seeks to provide more abortions.  Contraception could be provided by these centers but in a way that respects religious liberty.  Clients should be educated enough to understand how to use contraceptives correctly, typical failure rates, health risks, and how contraceptives work so that clients can make informed decisions consistent with their religious beliefs.  For example, those who believe life begins at conception would need to know enough to avoid the IUD, the pill, ring, and other hormone methods that prevent implantation.  While there would still be plenty of doctors who would be willing to perform abortions, doctors should not be forced to perform abortions against their religious convictions and against the original Hippocratic Oath they swore to uphold.  

The next installment will debunk the myth that conservative pro-life Christians care more about the unborn than people of various ages, stages, races, genders, abilities and special needs. It will present the big picture perspective used by compassionate pro-life Christians to provide the most meaningful, loving, long term care, support, and benefit for the most people in a more ethical manner than the DNC's quick fix, band-aid proposals.

What it Means to Be "Pro-Life" (Part 1): To Love the "Least of These" without Compromise

With Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (HRC) as the major party candidates for the 2016 U.S. presidential race, American voters are facing a major moral dilemma. Both candidates have shown themselves to be arrogant, brash, deceitful, and self-serving.  Neither adequately reflects the values of his or her party. With Trump's past support of both Democratic candidates and liberal social issues, he seems more like the Democrats' choice for the Republican nominee than the Republican's choice, effected primarily through media steering and crossover voters. Conservative Republicans especially oppose him.  He has an erratic history on abortion issues, but he now claims to stand with his party's pro-life platform.  Yet, the disrespectful and crude comments he has made toward women, those with disabilities, Muslims, and illegal immigrants are making it difficult for compassionate, pro-life people of faith to vote for him with a clean conscious.

While Trump leans to the left of the Republican party platform, HRC leans to the left of the Democratic party, reflecting the anti-Christian, socialistic, "ends justify any means"  ideals of her mentor, Saul Alinsky.  Guided by Alinsky's book, Rules for Radicals, HRC's history of corruption exceeds any elected official before her, at least in the past century, although her husband's scandal list is certainly long enough.  Lies, scandals (22 biggest HRC scandals described here), and corruption have been the most consistent traits of her entire career.  In just the past few weeks, evidence has been brought forth to prove "pay for play" abuses of power as Secretary of State, high stakes bribery and fraud in the way she used the Clinton Foundation to accept large donations from American enemies with deplorable human rights practices and even 96% of her own charitable contributions (tax evasion) under the ruse of charity when almost all of the contributions were pocketed by her nuclear family, multiple counts of felony and perjury regarding her email scandals (full testimony here) putting every American at risk (at least one spy has already been killed).  Recent HRC email releases by WikiLeaks prove that she led the effort to arm ISIS groups in Syria, and lied about it repeatedly under oath even while letting four American patriots die in Benghazi to cover her misdeeds. Yet, justice has not and will not be meted against her because her corruption is so vast that those with the power to prosecute her refuse. Or perhaps she's just employing Alinsky's first rule.  Whatever the case, it's working to her favor.

“Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.”   Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, Rule #1

Meanwhile, petty officers like First Class Kristian Saucier who committed much lesser crimes with no impact on national security and no impact on anyone's life whatsoever, are facing jail time.  Imagine how someone with such a heart of corruption will manage national security and utilize taxpayer dollars as POTUS.

Clearly, both candidates leave a bitter taste in the mouths of voters.  The two third party candidates are drawing more support than usual, but both are social liberals and pro-choice providing no good compromise for pro-life voters. Evan McMullin, just entered the race as a pro-life (from womb to tomb) independent candidate, but he entered the race so late, he may not even be on the ballot in some states.

Recently, there has been a push by self-described pro-life or "pro-lives" voters such as Rachel Held Evans to justify a vote for Hillary Clinton by upholding what they consider to be a more enlightened definition of the term "pro-life".  (View rebuttal to Rachel Held Evans' post from a Christian perspective here). Their definition is no different from what "pro-life" has always meant, at least to committed Christians, except for one tragic difference. They emphasize government support or aid programs that support life after birth as being more pro-life than simply opposing abortion itself. For liberal leaning pro-lifers, it is not just morally acceptable, but morally superior to support a candidate and party who are vehement activists for abortion at any stage, for any reason, and with taxpayer funding if that candidate has at any time in her life helped promote aid programs they like or need.  While I have no desire to discredit these programs which may very well be valuable, necessary, and effective (although efficiency, cost effectiveness, and sincere love or compassion are usually lacking when the government gets involved), I do want to point out that the key difference between this liberal view and that of more conservative pro-life voters is that they see these social programs as offsetting the crime of abortion which brutally and painfully dismembers the most vulnerable members of society.

⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

This perspective says, "I can still be pro-life and vote for a corrupt pro-choice candidate if that candidate has ever been involved in social programs that matter to me or to those I love or empathize with most."

^"And [Jesus] said to them, 'You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.' " (Luke 16:15)

Unfortunately, those social programs, no matter how wonderful they may be, were not the primary issues touted at the DNC Convention. Making on-demand abortions at any stage of pregnancy convenient and available to all women in the US and abroad is the primary focus of the DNC, beginning with the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, as emphasized during the first day of the DNC convention. The first day of the Democratic Convention seemed less like an American political rally and more like a sacrificial worship celebration honoring Molech in which speakers and attendees celebrated the fact that they threw their babies into the fire (aka "aborted" them) in worship of the pagan god with the hope that the god would give them what they wanted, personal, short-term convenience.

"You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 18:21)

Worship of Molech, Hillary, and/or oneself are allowed by the DNC, but Hillary insists that any religious beliefs that stand in the way of expanding abortion must be stuffed and silenced. Hillary, who has proven herself to be above the law, speaks as though she is deity, just like Lucifer himself, who Alinsky attributed in his book.

Abortion Activists attack Christians  (Source: Lifenews.com)

An Aside: Do the Unborn Have Rights?
HRC claimed that the "unborn person doesn't have any Constitutional Rights" according to Roe V. Wade, but the constitutionality of the Roe V. Wade verdict continues to be highly controversial.  Roe V. Wade uses an implied right to privacy not specifically enumerated in the Constitution (the 9th amendment refers these rights to the states and the people) but expressed in precedent cases to override the most fundamental and most valued human right upheld by people around the world throughout history, the right to life.  The Roe V. Wade verdict claimed that a woman's dominion over her body gives her the right to abort while contradicting the 9th and 10th Amendments and in some respects the 14th Amendment.  The Court denied the personhood of the fetus as a way of getting around the Due Process Clause and Equal Protection Clause.  However, medical advancements and ultrasound technology have removed the question of personhood from the debate.  Hillary admitted the unborn's personhood with this statement quoted above, but in so doing, she denied equal rights for all persons. HRC admitted the humanity of the unborn while insisting the right of the mother to choose is more important than the right of the baby in her womb to live. This perspective implies that the value of each individual life is relative such that some lives are more or less valuable than others.  This eugenics mindset is a recurring theme in liberal policy  just as it was the primary point of advocacy for Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood who was highly praised by Hillary Clinton.  The rights of the unborn are still affirmed by English common law, fetal homicide statutes, Embryonic Law, and the ultimate authority on the law for Christians, God's word. (Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5) 

Even though Hillary Clinton's abuses of power are unmatched and despite having a lengthy history of corruption, deceit, fraud, bribery, scandals, treason, and perjury, people still support her.  She has connections to dozens of people (or possibly over a 100) who mysteriously died after becoming involved in efforts to expose her, but people still praise her.  And despite her extreme abortion activism, some pro-life voters still endorse her because they believe short term social programs, especially those they believe will reduce abortion rates, offset efforts to expand an industry that already kills a million babies a year.  This belief that they are taking the moral high ground is rooted in the assumption that pro-life conservatives are anti-abortion only and do not show equal concern for women or for any minority or marginalized people after they are born.  This perception that "pro-life" only means "anti-abortion" has been largely circulated by the left-leaning media, but the notion is false.  Compassionate, conservative Christians are not pro-life because they are anti-abortion.  They are anti-abortion because they are pro-life. We are for all life, regardless of race, ethnicity, sin struggle, economic status, age, or ability, and the goal of this blog series is to prove it! Unlike the progressive eugenicists, we view all human life as equally valuable.  We treasure both children and elders as gifts from the Lord.  We do not rank life on a worthiness scale, for we recognize that each and every life has been fearfully and wonderfully created (Psalm 139:14) for a perfect, divine purpose (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11). We are not just for life itself; we strive to equip and lead all people to a joyous, abundant life.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)

While my disgust with HRC should already be obvious, I am not strongly for any candidate; hence, my moral dilemma.  But I will oppose senseless murdering of innocent children until the day I die, not just for their sake but for the sake of the living, for how we regard the most vulnerable lives within our ability to protect them directly impacts how we value all life. 

This blog series is not seeking to create more political division, for America is certainly divided enough already. The BBC and Pew Research Center described American politics as "more like 'alien tribes' than rival parties....because hyper-partisan news and social media enables them to live in ideological isolation - they don't even have to try to understand it."  In the interest of bringing more understanding, I intend to counter this false assumption by describing the full meaning of "pro-life" from the perspective of those who are first and foremost Christians.  Biblical truth and personal encounters with God lead people like me to a more conservative political approach toward pro-life issues, but we are Christians first.  I hope that by showing how pro-life, conservative Christians care for mothers, families, children, elderly, minorities, and the oppressed, we can begin crossing political boundaries and working together to provide better solutions for more people instead of wasting time and energy bickering. (I realize this goal could prove difficult if HRC continues following Alinsky's model, for he insisted that all life is partisan, but I'm trusting not all HRC supporters feel the same way.)

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I am all of the following:

• a committed follower of Christ for over 35 years
• a devoted wife to one man for life through the Christian marriage covenant
• a busy mother of active young children
• a former volunteer at various crisis pregnancy centers
• a former volunteer and current "as-needed" adoption presenter for a faith based maternity home for women in crisis who choose not to abort
• the product of an unplanned pregnancy that occurred during Roe V. Wade deliberations who was born too late for legal abortion had that been a consideration
• a former orphan who lived in a foster home
• an adoptee via closed adoption with a personal testimony that screams of God's goodness, grace, and sovereignty

My life experiences have shaped my opinions just as every person's unique life experiences shape theirs.  I have done lots of research, however, and I will do my best to support my points with accurate data, verified testimonies, and reliable video footage.  I hope that by sharing this data and personal testimony, areas of mutual agreement can be found to curb political division and to establish more loving options, services, and support not just for mothers in crisis, but for all who suffer from the same types of trauma, heartache, and desperation which are often rooted in the same unmet need for unconditional love, acceptance, and the absolute truths which are uniquely fitted to fill the deepest longings of the heart and soul.

The next installment will look at loving ways pro-life Christians are addressing those deepest needs to prevent unplanned pregnancy and to support women in crisis both in their current situation and for the long-term.

Planned Parenthood Encourages Children to Engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors While Opposing Parental Authority

Pro-choice advocates, including President Obama and Hillary Clinton, have long hailed Planned Parenthood as the preferred provider for women's health and family planning, but Planned Parenthood is not as helpful or charitable as many would like to believe.  By adding high priced abortion services in the 1970s, by collecting fees from ABR and other fetal tissue suppliers for the collection and delivery of fetal tissues and intact baby parts (obtained by modifying the abortion procedure often without consent) and by partnering with government agencies and DNC leaders, Planned Parenthood has increased its power, influence, and revenues.  Planned Parenthood received $540.6 million in government grants and reimbursements for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2013, which provided approximately 45% of their overall funding.  (Reference PP's 2012/2013 annual report here.) Abortions provide over 51% of their clinic income.  Life News reported that "Planned Parenthood’s cumulative abortion income [up until January 2011] is estimated to be $2.06 billion, as calculated by STOPP, based on Planned Parenthood’s annual reports dating back to 1970 when it committed its first abortions."  These corrupting factors have turned Planned Parenthood into an intricate web of greed, deceit.

Graphic created by Alliance Defending Freedom

When so much of an organization's livelihood depends upon murdering the most innocent and vulnerable human lives, any good it offers the community will become tainted.  (Matthew 25:44-46, Leviticus 20:3-5)  Consider Ananias and Sapphira who sold land and brought a portion of the proceeds as an offering unto the Lord. While sharing your profits is good, the fact that they lied about the offering, claiming they brought all of the proceeds when they actually only brought some of it, keeping the rest for the themselves, defiled the gift, and they were judged severely by God as a result. (Acts 5: 1-6)  Or, for those who do not esteem God's word, suppose you are baking brownies.  If abortion services were rare at Planned Parenthood instead of comprising over half of their clinic revenues, it would be like mixing in just one tablespoon of dog poop or human waste into a large bowl of brownie dough.  The entire batch would then be ruined.  The same occurs when high revenue abortions are mixed in with other services intended to protect life.

Planned Parenthood has been a longtime advocate for the UN Resolution on the Rights of the Child.  This resolution removes parental rights to discipline and set boundaries as the guardians, protectors, and authorities over their children. To lobby for more laws that empower children and prohibit parental interference, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) released an alarming and highly controversial report entitled, "Exclaim! Young People's Guide to Sexual Rights" just before the July 25-26, 2011 United Nations high level meeting in New York. In an article entitled "Planned Pedophilia, UN Style: International Planned Parenthood kicks off international blitz at U.N. conference on Sex Rights for Children", Richard Evans wrote,“This story is really about preventing parents from protecting their children from sexual predators – including the State.” Some of the "sexual rights" IPPF insists that children should have include: 

• The right to get an "abortion" without the parents' knowledge or approval.
• The “right” to receive sex classes at school "promoting masturbation and bisexuality, or even the 'gay' history curriculum in California" at tax payers' expense.
• The 'right' to consent to sexual 'explorations' with anybody, regardless of age or gender choice.

Dr. Gerald M. Nadal called Exclaim! "as diabolical a piece of evil as can be crafted." This document clearly demonstrates that Planned Parenthood is waging war on parental rights."  (Planned Parenthood's Latest Document:  ALL Children Under 18 Have Sexual Rights)  He notes that many teens cannot even remember to practice basic good hygiene habits, much less make wise choices regarding sexuality which could have lifelong impacts.

IPPF's publication, Exclaim!, is filled with disturbing contradictions, such as:

• IPPF declares on pages 4 and 23 of Exclaim! that children have the right to the highest level of attainable physical and mental health and well-being, yet the document promotes sexual behaviors that are more likely to cause lifelong suffering.
• The guide acknowledges the role of parents by quoting Article 5 from the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child on page 9, yet page 17 calls for the removal of parental consent laws and insists that minors should be treated as equals in all laws affecting sexual freedoms for young people.  The guide also calls for privacy protection laws (page 20) that would prevent parents from gaining the information required to effectively guide their children and protect them from predators.
• IPPF advocates free access to "safe abortions" for minors on pages 19, 23 and 25, the "right to accurate information about sexuality and sexual health" on page 22 and the right to have "access to accurate, comprehensive education for all young children" on page 24, yet the document never mentions the harmful consequences of having an abortion, legal or illegal. (Reference:  Is Abortion Safe? or How Safe is Abortion?)
• IPPF declares that every child has a right to life and freedom from harm on page 19, yet IPPF takes the lives of over 330,000 children per year (as reported by Gerald Nadal) by performing painfully brutal abortion procedures. (Abortion procedures)
• The guide calls for removal of abstinence only education programs even though abstinence is the only guaranteed method for preventing both unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (CDC National Prevention Information Network).

Health & Safety 
Exclaim!  declares on page 4 that young people "have sexual needs, desires, fantasies, and dreams." and then insists that young people should have the freedom to "explore, experience, and express their sexuality in healthy, positive, pleasurable and safe ways."   This deluded opinion assumes humans are no better than dogs, unable to control their desires.  Such an assumption is dangerous, because children typically do no better than what you expect of them.  If we expect youth  (the guide targets children as young as 9 or 10 years old) to be promiscuous, they probably will be.  If we expect them to remain chaste and give them resources, encouragement, and all the facts, they will be much more prepared to keep their commitments.  Self-control is a vital skill in all arenas to ensure a healthy, happy, successful life.  Without it, our entire society will collapse.  In many ways it already has.

Planned Parenthood encourages teens to experiment in risky sexual behaviors, but the reality is that when teens focus on their sexual fantasies, sexual perversion will usually follow. Ted Bundy, infamous serial killer, acknowledged that his horrific crimes were born out of his childhood habit of allowing pornography to fuel his sexual fantasies and twisted desires ("Pornography and sex: Ted Bundy's fatal addiction"). While the Bundy example is extreme, it is impossible for anyone to continually allow immoral sexual thoughts and actions to escalate without restraint in "healthy, positive... safe ways". Harm will inevitably follow. (Matthew 15:19).  Planned Parenthood's humanistic secular worldview is dangerous for hurting hearts desperate for the love, acceptance, comfort, forgiveness, grace, peace, and absolute truths that only God can provide.

The guide defines the sexual pleasure referenced on page 4 more explicitly on page 16 as including a wide variety of stimulation methods. Many of these actions described on page 16 can directly lead to unwanted pregnancy or contracting sexual transmitted diseases. The only measures mentioned in the guide for reducing such risks involve visiting Planned Parenthood facilities for sexual health care (may include abortions) or contraceptives, but contraceptives are not foolproof, and hormone contraceptives have a number of risk factors that could damage and disrupt the delicate process of growing from an adolescent into a young woman.  While contraception will always be safer than no protection at all, the earlier young people begin engaging in risky behaviors, the more likely they are to have an unplanned pregnancy or to develop an STD.  Furthermore, Planned Parenthood gives out low quality contraceptives.  Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Honeydew and Assorted Colors condoms scored the worst of the 23 condoms tested by Consumer Report.  Since Planned Parenthood reaches these young people first, these young people are more likely to go to Planned Parenthood for help when they become pregnant.  Instead of offering these girls the full freedom of choice, Planned Parenthood presents abortion as the only real choice. Young people are more easily pressured into having an abortion simply because they tend to be naive and  less informed, especially if parental consent is not required.



Statistics indicate that contraceptives eventually fail, especially PPFA's brand of condoms, and that the failure rate is much higher when used by young people. The Women's Health section of About.com reports that contraceptives have failure rates between 2 and 28 percent based on perfect use. However, children and teens are less likely than adults to use these contraceptives perfectly. This same article entitled "Contraceptive Effectiveness" lists adolescents, impoverished people, black women, unmarried women, and women in their 20's as those who have a much higher risk for contraceptive failure. Interestingly, this list includes the same demographic groups that IPPF targets in their marketing and who comprise a large percentage of IPPF's clientele. Reference page 6 of "Exclaim! and "The Black Holocaust". As young people "explore, experience, and express their sexuality" ("Exclaim!", page 4) and concentrate on their "dreams and fantasies", promiscuity will increase and STDs will spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that "individuals who are infected with STDs are at least two to five times more likely than uninfected individuals to acquire HIV infection if they are exposed to the virus through sexual contact." ("The Role of STD Detection and Treatment in HIV Prevention - CDC Fact Sheet")

The guide demands global recognition of the "evolving capacities of children" and insists that children be given equal authority as adults in policy making regarding "sexual rights" (page 14). Yet, the guide admits that the age at which each child becomes mature enough to make such decisions varies and is thus, determined subjectively.  Consider the legal driving age. Using driver accident statistics, most state legislators have established age 16 as the minimum age at which a person may obtain a driver's license. Even though a 10-year-old may be tall enough to reach the pedals and have full visibility of the road, laws mandate that the child must wait until age 16 to begin driving with a license. These laws exist for the protection of society. Similarly, just because a child has matured enough physically to become sexually active does not mean that the child is mature enough to engage in sexual activity without harming himself or society in general. IPPF's guide to "sexual freedom" insists that laws should not restrict a child's sexual freedoms based on age but should instead respect a child's nebulous "evolving capacities" (page 17).

In this "sexual rights" guide, IPPF calls for the removal of abstinence only education programs from schools (page 24) in favor of contraceptive education and disbursement. However, abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Abstinence or faithfulness between two unaffected partners plus avoiding IV drugs are the best ways to prevent contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

The CDC National Information Prevention Information Network has reported that "the most reliable ways to avoid becoming infected with or transmitting STDs are:

·         Abstain from sexual intercourse (i.e., oral, vaginal, or anal sex)

·         Be in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner"

If we teach young people of faith the benefits of following God's design for sex and compare those to the consequences of following the culture's promiscuous pattern instead, more young people will practice abstinence before marriage.  They need to know that when kept within the safe boundaries God has established, sex is sacred and beautiful, uniting marriage partners into a faithful holy covenant for life while providing a level of ecstasy that can never be reached outside of those boundaries. If they refuse to believe that God's boundaries are always for their greater good and  violate them, then they will suffer consequences that man-made contraceptives and abortion procedures cannot undo.  God's plan for sex is like a warm, soothing, nurturing fire in the fireplace on a cozy evening, but violating God's design is like moving the fire out into the middle of the family room where it will burn the whole house down.

Exclaim! includes quotes about sexuality from children around the world. It is especially ironic that the guide includes a quote from a child from Uganda on page 14. Uganda has been devastated by the spread of HIV.  In 2011, "there were an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in Uganda, which includes 150,000 children. An estimated 64,000 people died from AIDS in 2009 and 1.2 million children have been orphaned by Uganda's devastating epidemic." ( "HIV and AIDs in Uganda", Avert.org)  Uganda is often viewed as the model for fighting HIV and AIDs. Uganda's success has been attributed to its ABC method where A="Abstinence", B="Be faithful" (one partner for life) and C="Condom use". While abstinence education is not the only teaching employed, it is the first priority presented and is absolutely effective when practiced.

IPPF advocates free access to "safe abortions" for minors in "Exclaim!" on pages 19, 23 and 25. IPPF also notes that young people have the "right to accurate information about sexuality and sexual health" on page 22, yet the document never mentions the harmful consequences of having an abortion, legal or illegal.  Daniel J. Martin, M.D. has said, "The impact of abortion on the body of a woman who chooses abortion is great and always negative. I can think of no beneficial effect of a social abortion on a body." (Daniel J. Martin, M.D. , "The Impact of Legal Abortion on Women’s Minds and Bodies", paper presented at the "Human Life and Health Care Ethics" national conference, April, 1993) The NRLC reports that physical problems resulting from abortion could "range from hemorrhage and infection to sterility and even death" while emotional or "psychological effects range from depression and mental trauma to divorce and even suicide." Dr. Beverly McMillan is an OB/GYN who was the first woman to open an abortion clinic in Mississippi. She stopped performing abortions three years later after recognizing that the abortions were causing more harm than good. In the article, "How Safe is Abortion?", she cites the following possible complications of abortion:

·         Excessive bleeding

·         Chronic and acute infections

·         Intense pain

·         High fever

·         Convulsions

·         Shock

·         Coma

·         Incomplete removal of the baby or placenta which could cause life-threatening infections and sterility

·         Pelvic inflammatory disease

·         Punctured or torn uterus

·         Uterine scarring, weakened cervix, blocked fallopian tubes and other reproductive damage that could make it difficult to conceive or carry a child to term in the future

·         Increased risk of having more ectopic (tubal) pregnancies or needing hysterectomies

·         Increased risk of stillbirths, miscarriages, and premature births (leading cause of birth defects)

·         Increased risks of developing breast, cervical, and uterine cancer. (Afterabortion.org)

Dr. McMillan also notes in this article that illegal abortions were often "safer" than legal abortions. She reported that more than 90% of illegal abortions were performed by doctors. If the client needed to visit the emergency room following the procedure, then the doctor's illegal action might be discovered, so those doctors took extra care to avoid such complications. With legalized abortion, she suggests that there is less risk to the doctor, so more abortions can be performed quickly in 'assembly-line" fashion. Then there are cases of extreme crimes against women performed in legal abortion clinics as we saw with Kermit Gosnell.

While IPPF uses the term "safe abortions" multiple times throughout "Exclaim!", abortions are never truly safe. By encouraging risky (and immoral) behavior among children, IPPF appears to be more concerned about increasing its revenues and influence than about the individual health needs of young people around the world

Parental Consent

A third point of concern with Planned Parenthood's sexual "rights" for children propaganda is its push for the "removal of parental involvement or spousal consent laws that prevent young people from seeking sexual and reproductive health services" (Exclaim!, page 17) On page 19, the guide insists that young people must give their consent before any personal sexual health information can be released to parents. IPPF urges society to respect a child's right to make his or her own decisions (page 17). On page 18, IPPF demands that children be given the right to participate equally with adults in "decision-making and governance at a community, national, regional and international level." Such claims for equality discount the benefit of age, experience and education in effective decision making while demeaning the authority of parents. 

Children need their parents to supply their basic physical needs since children do not possess the age, experience or education required to obtain a decent paying job. Even more important than the need for physical provision, children need their parents to be actively involved in their lives at all levels of "evolving capacity" (page 17). Children need their parents' love, support and guidance. The Michigan Department of Education released a document entitled "What Research Shows About Parental Involvement in Children's Education" which cites 23 different pieces of research evidencing the vital role of a parent in a child's development. ParentInvolvmentMatters.org was established for the purpose of providing resources to help parents become more actively engaged in the lives of their children because parental involvement is so essential for a child's optimal well-being.

IPPF's "sexual rights" guide describes what IPPF perceives to be a child's right to privacy (page 20). The guide asserts that children have the right to have all personal correspondence "such as letters, diaries and on-line communication" kept private. So, if a child is receiving provocative text messages with racy photos, or if the child is engaging in on-line chat sessions with pedophiles disguised as children, then under IPPF's proposed laws, parents would have no way of knowing about these dangerous activities. Without adequate information, parents become powerless to intervene and protect their children from unfathomable harm and abuse.  Parental consent would also help expose victims of human trafficking, but given that Planned Parenthood has already been caught covering up child trafficking and failing to report pimps who provide so much repeat business, I guess it's not so surprising that Planned Parenthood does not want parents involved. Plus, parents are wiser and less likely to take their children to Planned Parenthood where girls are treated liked cash cows, not the precious, infinitely values, perfectly loved gifts from God that they are.

The release of "Exclaim! Young People's Guide to Sexual Rights" provides yet another reason for Christian parents to pray fervently for the protection of their children and for children to have discernment when distinguishing between truth and propaganda. Christian parents must make nurturing close relationships with their children a priority so that their children will always want to share their concerns and questions and even on-line discussions with their parents regardless of child privacy laws that may be in effect.

For further information on Planned Parenthood and to learn about better alternatives, click here.

 The article above is an update and rewrite of one originally written and published on July 31, 2011 by the blog author for AXS Digital Media Group, LLC.

Postmodern Paradoxes: When Modern Feminism Subjugates Women and Opposition to Racism Escalates Racial Violence

What I’m about to share could apply to race, ethnicity, gender identity, occupation, sexual preference, or any other category of potential discrimination, but as a woman in every sense of the word, I’ll try to focus on women’s issues from a female’s perspective.

I'm not sure how to put this politely, but I'm convinced that the modern progressive “feminist” movement is negatively impacting women’s lives and damaging our country.  

[I would like to address these feminists in the second person. When I use any form of "you", I'm referencing radical adherents of this movement.  First person plural ("us", "we", "our", etc.) is used to refer to women in general, including myself.]

When you manipulate the law to force voters, businesses, and governments to choose us, pay us, reward us, and grant us immunity based on our sex instead of on our character, ability, effort, and/or actual achievements, you destroy women’s confidence, robbing us of self-dignity and the satisfaction of earning our position, reward, or impact on society through hard work, perseverance, and faith.  When you point out our gender or our race instead of drawing attention to our person, our character, or our work, you steal our joy and motivation to set and pursue high goals for ourselves and for each other.  You also build resentment between men and women, making it more difficult to work together to achieve synergy and to build consensus, much less collaborate and innovate. Your laws erode efficiency, crush our economy, waste resources, and reduce incentives for workers to strive harder or to continuously improve (reference California’s failed Fair Pay Act which Hillary Clinton wants to use a model for the entire country as one would only find in the most tyrannical, socialistic countries).

Stop treating women like babies who cannot pave their own way, compete fairly, or achieve their goals without political pandering. We don’t want or need your props. Give us equal (not privileged) opportunity to become the full expression of who God intended us to be as women without denying the clear and beautiful differences between men and women that make us so complementary for the greater good.

Stop wasting valuable resources on slimy lawsuits that make men fear and avoid us. Just as school bullies reveal their own personal insecurities when they tear someone else down, you demoralize women with your bully tactics that demasculinize men in a flawed attempt to make women appear stronger. It doesn’t work. They say “behind every strong man is a strong woman”, but the truth is that those with true strength of character seek to build others up without regard to any of the biological or mental health factors referenced when accusing someone of bigotry.

The Bible teaches us to love our enemies and to repay evil with good (Matthew 5, Luke 6). Laws intended to reverse discrimination are examples of repaying evil with evil. When governments allow or even encourage Black Lives Matter zealots to return an act of racism with far more bloody murders of police officers who had nothing to do with the initial injustice, evil is repaid with escalated evil.  Hatred and murder will increase until love pushes back hate.  The idea that good conquers evil or that love overcomes hate was a constant theme in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches.  The Civil Rights movement of the 20th century did just that, winning equal rights for women and citizens of color. The successes of the Civil Rights movement are to be regarded highly and protected carefully.

However, as C.S. Lewis wrote, “[The devil] always sends errors into the world in pairs—pairs of opposites… He relies on your extra dislike of the one to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled.” The modern version of the feminist movement has pushed our culture over to the deep end on the opposite side, creating a new bigotry that could eventually become as bad as the first. Just as racism and sexism led people to withhold the right to vote from blacks and women, racism and sexism lead voters to choose a candidate or employee simply because that candidate fits into one of these “protected classes” without considering their actual job qualifications.

When race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual preference, and all the other classes I'm forgetting from the diversity unicorn are the only considerations, unqualified candidates are elevated into positions of responsibility they are not ready or equipped to handle effectively. Consider Katherine Archuleta who was selected as the Director of the OPM largely because she was a Latino female, the first for this office. Her unwillingness to respond to system security warnings and her inept management skills resulted in the largest and most dangerous security breach up until that time, involving the theft of over 22 million American’s most confidential personal information. Such epic failure in managing national security information was only recently topped by Hillary Clinton with her mishandling of top secret and classified emails. Despite Hillary’s long list of felonies and epic failures of Benghazi sized magnitude, many voters still chose her as the first woman to represent a major party for the presidential election simply because she was female. She has even touted her gender as a primary qualification for the presidency as if that should matter at all. Obama won many votes not based on merit or ability but because he was father was African. Americans have suffered greatly under these three leaders who have brought shame on the genders and races they represent.  I want someone with integrity, proven ability, and dignity to represent women. It is better to wait for a good representative than to settle for an inept and/or corrupt one.

Give us equal opportunity, not easy access to positions we do not deserve. If we are to continuously improve, we need natural consequences and obstacles in our path to refine us and make us stronger.

³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, (Romans 5: 3-4)

When you remove those obstacles, you impede us from developing the character, grit, confidence, integrity, perseverance, and drive required to make meaningful contributions as both leaders and servants to our communities and country, representing our gender well, with courage, character, and integrity.

"Count it all joy...when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 2: 2-4)

If you want men to respect women, try doing something thoughtful or speaking intellectually to keep others focused on your heart, spirit, and mind instead of dressing immodestly so as to draw attention to your body (shout out to Lena Dunham and Kim Kardashian who post nude photos/video whenever they feel lonely or want more attention).  Stop whining and blaming men for all the troubles you bring on yourself. We know a tree by its fruit. If you act like a spoiled, entitled brat or a shallow, fragile snowflake, you probably are, and by displaying yourself in that manner, you objectify women in the eyes of men while demeaning women who carry themselves with dignity and honor.

Fake feminists create micro-aggression movements and then try to feel offended by them.  They file petty lawsuits, make excuses, and place unreasonable demands upon others. True feminists value women and femininity while also encouraging and building up the men in their lives. They see themselves as God sees them, uniquely gifted for a divine purpose with equal standing before the Lord as men have but with different but equally valuable roles. A virtuous woman (see Proverbs 31) develops and uses the strengths God has given her for the benefit of others. She filters feedback from others, absorbing the truth while letting the misguided opinions of others roll right off of her. She faces challenges with courage and determination, accepts responsibility for herself and for those entrusted into her care, and makes a lasting impact in this world and for the kingdom to come.