'The Walking Dead' pro-life?

If you are not a fan of the 'zombie apocalypse' genre, you probably haven't watched AMC's new show, 'The Walking Dead'.  I'm honestly not a huge fan of zombies, but my husband is and since the show is light on zombie feasts and heavier on the survivors, I have been sucked in.  This week's episode was particularly good to me.  *Spoiler Alert* The running plot line involves a married couple who were separated in the beginning of the show and the husband was presumed dead. The wife, lonely and scared, found solace in the arms of her husband's best friend until her husband suddenly shows up, alive and well.  In the second season, she discovers that she is pregnant.  She refuses to tell her husband about it and the viewer is led to assume that her reluctance is because she believes it is her husband's best friend's baby.  In last night's episode, she sends the resident go-fer to town for some medical essentials,which I thought would be prenatal vitamins.  She then talks to one of the older gentleman in their camp about the fate of this child in a post-apocalyptic world, her real reason for her reluctance.  I expected a scene with a clothes hanger after that conversation.  The go-fer comes back with both the morning after pill and prenatal vitamins and tells her not to make her 'choice' alone.  She downs three morning after pills and promptly runs out of the camp to throw them up. Her husband finds the empty packages and goes to find her and 'the conversation' ensues. She still doesn't believe it is an ideal situation to bring a baby into, but he suggests that she doesn't know what the future will bring and that it's not fair not even giving the baby a chance. 

It was a surprising message to find in a tv show. It was a pivotal point on whether I would keep watching the show or not.  I think anyone would agree that a world infested with flesh-eating zombies in a horrible world to grow up in and the cries of a baby would put them in danger, but as the character pointed out, a new human should still be given a chance. Babies are born into less than ideal circumstances every day, but no matter what  the situation, he or she still has the chance to triumph over it and thrive. 

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The Birds and the Bees

So how much do you know about the ‘birds and the bees’? If you had to have the ‘talk’ with your kids, what would you tell them ? If you already did, how much did you tell them? I would guess, it would depend on your own values and what you believe. But, really, how much do you know about the technical side of sex?

When I learned about sex in school, I didn’t learn much more than what happens at puberty in 6^th grade and what STDs were in 11^th grade. I learned a little in biology class about reproduction, but that was the extent of it. I learn some things from my parents and friends, but I really didn’t know a lot. Now, I’m not talking about ‘how’. I think most everyone can figure that out without being told, but that’s pretty much where we think we need to stop isn’t it? We seem to be under the impression that kids are going to do it anyway, so we tell them the ‘how’ when they’re a little younger trying to explain where babies come from and then when they are ‘old enough’, we either throw the ‘don’t do it till you’re married or find the ‘right’ person or are ‘in love’” speech or worse, get them birth control and tell them that if they’re not hurting anyone, anything is okay. Sex education is much like this (and I apologize if you have been forthright with your kids…): Let’s say your child has never ridden a bike before, so you take him to the top of the steepest hill, throw a helmet on his head, give him a quick ‘how to’ and push him down the hill. The thrill will be there at first, but soon that child will be going to too fast to keep under control and without enough knowledge and wisdom to know how to escape the situation without injury, will wipe out and come out on the other side hurt and broken. So we give our kids the quick, this is how you do it, it’s okay because it feels good and here’s some protection and push them off into the world. I read something recently that resonated with me. We aren’t teaching our kids anymore that sex makes babies. We’re teaching them that unprotected sex makes babies. Isn’t that true?

And sex makes babies. In fact, that is the primary function of sex. We wouldn’t be try so hard NOT to have a baby when having sex if this wasn’t true. I have had this argument with others that by saying that I am implying that people can’t have sex unless they want to conceive and that is not what I am saying at all! All I am saying is that sex makes babies, period. I say that because, whether the sex is good or not, a baby can be conceived. Babies are conceived during rape and incest. There does not have to be a good sexual experience for a baby to be conceived, so pleasure does not play a primary role in baby-making. In addition, any contraceptive method involves preventing conception - exactly what the word means. Condoms prevent sperm from entering the woman’s body and the pill does a variety of things from increasing mucus (preventing sperm form entering), preventing ovulation and thinning the lining of the uterus. If reproduction was not the primary function of sex, these would rarely be necessary. Women would probably only ovulate a few times a year. Instead, we have the chance each month to create a new human being. Secondary to procreation is the pleasure side of sex. Sex is definitely a pleasurable experience, but we have made that the primary function of sex and are surprised when our bodies actually conceive a baby when that was not our goal. That is what our kids are taught. Use a contraceptive and just enjoy sex with whomever, whenever you please and if you get pregnant, it wasn‘t supposed to happen, so we‘ll take care of the ‘problem‘.

I learned a lot while I was trying to get pregnant the first time - things I never knew before. Maybe these are things you didn’t know either and would be good if added to you ‘talk’ with your kids (older kids).

*You probably know that every woman releases one egg (sometimes more) each month. This egg only lives for 24 to 48 hours. When it is released from the ovary is different for every woman. Generally it is 14 days before the first day of the next period, but not always.
*That egg’s purpose is to be fertilized and start a new life, nothing more, nothing less. The sperms’ purpose is to fertilize an egg.
*Aside from the few days surrounding ovulation, there is a layer of thick mucus at the entrance of the cervix that allows little into the uterus. When ovulation occurs, this mucus thins to allow the sperm through. This is an indication of ovulation for those wanting to know.
*During this time, the female body releases hormones that increase sex drive for the woman. She won’t get pregnant without having sex and since that is the primary function of a woman’s reproductive system, her body will do what it takes to make that possible.
*When on the pill, most of them prevent ovulation from occurring by essentially tricking the body into thinking it is pregnant. The drive to reproduce in the human body is so strong that if the pill is taken later than the usual time, ovulation will occur. This is the reason for most pills having a secondary effect that thins the lining of the uterus so the resulting embryo will have no place to implant in the uterus
*The pill also increases cervical mucus to prevent passage of sperm into the woman’s body, but this doesn’t mean NO sperm will get through, just very few, but again the drive to reproduce is so strong, they will find a way
*So to the sperm - millions of sperm are released into the female’s body during intercourse. They travel quickly, taking 15 to 30 minutes to go the distance between the vagina and the fallopian tubes. Once there, they rest for 5 to 7 days and then die off.
*If ovulation occurs while the sperm are present in the fallopian tubes, the egg sends out a chemical signal that excites the sperm and they rush the egg
*Fertilization occurs when one sperm, in the right spot on the egg, breaks through the egg’s outer shell and then the genetic material join forming a brand new, distinct human being.

This is heady stuff isn’t it? It’s a tough thing for a woman my age to manage when TRYING to conceive much less for a teen who isn’t. Are we teaching these things to our kids? Especially the part about the increased sexual drive for a woman during ovulation? Are they responsible enough to have sex if they aren’t able to understand how it all works or to deal with the consequences? Our society tells kids, “If it feels good, do it“; to follow their feelings. Teens and college students are drinking, looking for someone to ‘hook up’ with and add to that the increased sex drive and it’s a recipe for an unplanned pregnancy. Birth control can curb those hormones for some, but not all. If a woman doesn’t take her pill at the same time every day, an egg will break through and even if sex occurred a few days before, pregnancy can happen because of those sperm waiting in the fallopian tubes.

What if kids knew this? I am not advocating sex before marriage. I will be teaching my kids abstinence, without question. It is the only 100% STD-free, pregnancy-free lifestyle choice. Sex is not a necessity and it can wait until marriage. But let’s look at a scenario. First, when I was 13, girls in my class were on the pill and having sex. Personally, I hadn’t even hit puberty yet, so it was all pretty foreign to me. But what if you had a 13 year old daughter and she wanted to have sex. You don’t want to deprive her the experience, so you get her on the pill. She’s 13. You have to remind her to do her homework and clean her room, to come home by dinner and now you expect her to take this pill faithfully, every day at the same time. She knows nothing about sex except the ’how to’ and ’safe sex’ stuff, so she takes the plunge. Being on the pill, she thinks she’s safe so they forgo a condom. 4 days later, she forgets to take her pill. Not knowing any of the information above, she doesn’t worry about it thinking it’s only a problem if you forget the day you have sex and goes about her merry way. 2 weeks later, she misses her period and now you have a pregnant 13 year old on your hands. Do you have her go through with the pregnancy and make very adult decisions and alter her future or take her to an abortion clinic to end the pregnancy thus increasing her chance of breast cancer by 800%, her chance of miscarriage and premature birth and saddle her with a guilty conscience? Hmmmm…. Yeah, I’m teaching my kids abstinence.

The Bigger Picture

As the recent news and life story of Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been broadcast on the event of his death, it has been made well-known that he was the result of an unplanned pregnancy and a beautiful adoption story. We can see the impact that the loss of an individual could have on our society. On the pro-life side, we focus on the individual lives that are lost on a daily basis through abortion, but have we contemplated the bigger picture?

Back in June of 1926, my great-grandmother and great-grandfather got married. I don’t know the exact date of their wedding, but I do know that my grandfather, their first-born son, was born on February 10, 1927. It has been a rumor in our family that, perhaps, my great-grandmother was ‘with child’ when she married. She denied the idea and took the truth to her grave. Given that I don’t know the exact date of her wedding, I did a little research. Based on a June 1^st wedding and a honeymoon baby, my grandfather would have been due February 22 - he would have been 2 weeks early. Not unheard of, but put the wedding any later in the month of June and he gets more and more premature; something that, in 1927, was probably not an event a baby usually survived. There are no records that he was a premature baby either. My point to this is that, more likely than not, my great-grandmother conceived out-of-wedlock. In this day and age, she would have had the ’right’ to abort and may have. If the conditions were as they are now back in 1926 and she had aborted, it wouldn’t have been my grandfather that would have been the only casualty. My grandfather married my grandmother on 1949 and had 3 children together. Four grandchildren followed and then seven great-grandchildren (and counting…). So, let’s do a little math: 1 (my gf), + 3 (my dad and 2 aunts), + 4 (grandchildren, including me) + 7 great-grandchildren. This is a total of 15 people who would never have existed. Sounds like a small number, but these are people who are dear to me. They are my family.

So, what is the big picture in abortion? We have not just eliminated 54.5 million children since Roe vs. Wade. We have eliminated entire families. Let’s do another math problem. We’ll use the statistic that there is a 50/50 chance of having a boy or girl in every pregnancy and assume that there were 27,250,000 girls and the same number of boys and they would have married each other to make it easier to calculate. So now we have 27,250,000 couples. The average number of children for a couple is 2.2 children. To account for more or less children per couple, we’ll assume 2 children per couple. That is 54.5 million children. Add that to the number of their parents, who were aborted and that is 109 million people that have never existed. That is just parents and children. It does not take into account successive generations. That is astounding! Out total population in the US is 312,299,000. That 30% of our population, gone.

Some of you reading this may be thinking that it’s a good thing that none of those people existed because we couldn’t sustain all those people. First of all, population control is NO reason to kill any human being. Second, we are not hurting that much in our country. I go grocery shopping every week and there is plenty on the shelves. I also live in a place with lots of open space. We have room. Third, as a Christian I believe God told us to ‘be fruitful and multiply.’ He didn’t say to ‘multiply until you don’t think the population is sustainable and then start killing off the babies and old people.’ He told Abraham his descendents would be like grains of sand or the stars in the sky. Grab a handful of sand the next time you go to the beach and start counting. Or look up at the sky on a clear, cloudless night with no moon and start counting the stars. Impossible, right?

Abortion doesn’t just allow a woman to ‘control her destiny’ by removing  an impediment to that future. It takes a life and all the lives that would have come from that person. Each baby girl and baby boy has all the ‘equipment’ to produce new life before they are born. That genetic code will never be reproduced and the individuals who would have come from that person will never exist. Who are we eliminating? A person with the cure for cancer? A gifted artist? Look at Steve Jobs and imagine what the world would be without him. No, he didn’t create a product that fundamentally changed lives, but he was gifted and added something to the world it would not have had without him. That is something to think about.

She Looked So Normal

Last night, I went to a Girls’ Night Out event at my church and the woman in front of me was holding a beautiful newborn baby girl. She was dressed in purple overalls with a flowered onsie and a feathered headband. She had ten fingers, ten toes (at least I’m assuming-she had socks on), two eyes, two ears; well you get the point. She was perfect. Angelic, sweet, slept the entire time with a few squeals and stretches to break the quiet. The surprising thing? She’s in foster care awaiting a “forever family“. She was an unplanned pregnancy. Seemingly ‘unwanted’ by her birth mother. But she looked so normal!

And she is. But Planned Parenthood and the entire pro-choice movement would have us believe that unwanted and unplanned children WILL be poor, unfit, become a drain on society and become criminals. This is an ideology started by the eugenics movement; a movement that held as its basic belief that their were ‘unfit’ (poor, disabled) people in society that would never amount to anything and their were ‘fit’ (rich) people who should be having children and would be the successful of society. They wanted to mandate mandatory sterilization through the water supply to the poorest sections and economic permission for having children. In other words, if you could prove that you could produce productive offspring and could afford to support them, they would shut off the chemicals in your water and allow you to reproduce. If you were rich however, you could have as many kids as you wanted. In Margaret Sanger’s mind, the poor produced criminals. If we could stop the poor from having children, we wouldn’t need prisons. Margaret Sanger was a proponent of eugenics and the founder of Planned Parenthood. Does the name make a little more sense?

Planned Parenthood’s motto is “Every child a Wanted Child.” In their mindset, a wanted child is the only ‘good’ child there is. An ‘unwanted’ child should not make it into this world. Apparently they want to maintain grey areas on many things, but a decision about an unwanted/unplanned child is black and white (and I’m not referring to ethnicity). A planned child will have a good life, an unplanned child will not. So let’s just be “merciful” and end it before the problems start. WHO ARE WE TO DECIDE THAT?

As I looked at that beautiful baby girl last night, I saw potential. Yes, she could make bad choices and do horrible things in her life, but more likely, she will do amazing things; big or little. She could be the very person to find the cure for cancer or balance the federal budget or she could be a mom who loves her kids and her husband and helps them reach their potential. We don’t know the plans and potential for any person’s life and we do not have the right to end their lives simply because we think we know what the future holds. And by the way, I consider her biological mom a hero. She sacrificed her body, her time and her life for this little girl. She gave her daughter life, the greatest gift anyone can give another. She acted selflessly instead of selfishly. Now that’s empowering.

Just How Liberated Are We, Really?

I recently read the story of two great women in our country’s history - Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They fought for rights for women in a time where women had very few. At that period in our history, when a woman married, she lost all rights to property, inheritance and children. What she possessed became the property of her husband, including the woman herself. If a woman left an abusive husband and took her children, she could be imprisoned on charges of theft. These two women fought for women to have the right to have a say in their elected officials and to bring them equal standing in the minds of men. Since that time, women have gained the right to vote, the right to their own property and the right not to be property. The dress of women changed as they were further liberated as did their participation in the work world. The advent of birth control brought women the freedom to control the number of children they have and combined with the movements of the 1960s, they gained freedom to express themselves sexually.
I believe, however, that the sexual freedom has brought full-swing back to where we were before the two women mentioned above came to the forefront. Some would disagree that sexual freedom and the freedom to ‘control our destinies’ is a bad thing, but lets looks at it closely.

Now that I am a wife and the mom of a boy, I am more aware of how much sex plays into so much of our society. Just walk through the mall and you’ll see Victoria’s Secret with women dressed in sexy underwear, mannequins in clothing stores in provocative poses, and topless men and women in black and white advertisements. On TV, we are shown that if a man cracks open a beer, scantilly clad women will show up, we see Victoria’s Secret models bouncing their way across a windy room, viagra commercials and KY commercials and girls dressed less than modestly in kids shows and cartoons. Movies tell us that sex on the first date is part of a long lasting romantic relationship and sometimes okay just between friends. I see young teens all the time dressed in short shorts and skirts and tiny low-cut tops. They are dressed in ways that seem like they don’t want guys to forget that they have certain parts (guys are very aware whether they can see it or not…) Women are told by companies that they need make-up, hair color, anti-aging creams and teeth whitening to be desirable. Beauty and youth the most desired commodities a woman can possess (if you believe the media).

So, why do I believe that this has taken us back in time? Girls are taught at a young age that the outward appearance is what will get them far in life. We’d like to think as a society that we are enlightened and that we encourage our girls to be and do whatever they want, but the media tells them otherwise. At the heart of most every girl (I realize not every girl thinks this way) is the desire to find the man of her dreams and have children. Our society tells girls that she needs to be beautiful and young to find a man. They are taught to believe that sex sells. Girls dress a certain way to compete with each other for the men they encounter. If you dress sexy, more sexy than another girl, you attract a man and if you have sex with him, that will either secure the guy or help you know if he’s the right one. In that quest, young women fail time after time to secure or find the ‘right’ guy and try over and over again. Parents and doctors give these girls birth control pills to keep them from getting pregnant while on this quest, but forget to tell them they actually don’t HAVE to have sex. Through this experience, these young women become like a balloon in a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, held down by many and prevented from being free. It is a slavery that our daughters are subject to. A slavery to believing acceptance is based on outward appearance and that sex will get them the love they want and need. These girls find themselves bound by sexually transmitted diseases, raped, pregnant and at risk for jumping into a bad relationship for all the wrong reasons. They also find themselves struggling with anorexia and bulimia due to that focus on outward appearance. 7 million women suffer from these disorders, 95% of those women are between 12 and 25. The number of AIDS cases among young women has increased to outnumber cases among young men and about 1 in 8 teens contracts an STD every year (one every 13 seconds). A quarter of sexually active teens have contracted an STD. One out of every ten new mothers is a teen and 44% of rapes in this country are among teens with 80-92% of them knowing their attacker. And then there is the emotional anguish young women endure when they find themselves pregnant and are convinced that an abortion is their best choice. Do we sound liberated?

I lived in the Dominican Republic for a short period of time in my 20s. I quickly learned that the way I was dressing attracted a lot of attention. I wasn’t dressing immodestly in my mind, but I was in shorts and I have long legs. It’s a hot country! In the DR, legs are a man’s focus sexually. I didn’t know a lot of Spanish at first, but I would hear the men comment as I walked by. As I began to learn the language, I was disgusted at what was being said to me and quickly ditched the shorts for long pants, sacrificing my physical comfort for a little less of the lude comments. One man told me he wanted me to come back to his house and go to bed with him. Men may not be saying that to our young women, but they are thinking it and some guys find themselves ‘lucky’ enough to actually have that unspoken request answered in the affirmative. No guy jumping into bed with a girl he barely knows is thinking that he wants to sleep with a girl to make her happy and fulfill all her dreams or even to show her love. He’s looking out for his own gratification. The young woman could be thinking the same of herself, but more often than not, she becomes a slave to his (and her own) desires.

I don’t say this to bash men, as the mother of a boy I realize the task ahead of me to teach my son to be respectful and to cherish the women in his life. But this is the reality of our world and we need to protect and cherish our daughters. To truly help your daughter live a liberated life, try teaching her to be confident in herself and who she was created to be. Help her to find her purpose in her life. Watch her, talk to her, determine her strengths and weaknesses and guide her in the direction of the correct path for her life. Help her to keep her focus on that. Teach her modesty. Modesty may not attract every guy on the block, but it will help to attract the right guy in the right time. Teach your daughter the power of saying, ’No.’ Don’t let the media, their friends or their school lie to your daughters about who they are, who they should be or about sex. Be brave, give them the facts. Tell her she doesn’t have to have sex before marriage and believe it yourself. She’s not missing out. The truth always sets you free.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised

Proverbs 31:10-30

　

What's Love Got to do with It?

In the 1940s, a man named Dr. Benjamin Spock came to the forefront of parenting with his book, ‘The Commonsense Book of Baby and Child Care‘. His parenting methods were different than what had previously been practiced and widely received. He, however, went to an extreme in parenting to the detriment of our society. He taught a child-centered approach that made the children the center of the family. This may sound wonderful, but it isn’t. As other child psychologists jumped in to put in their 2-cents (or got THEIR millions), child-raising began to lack teaching self-discipline, self-control and a realistic view of self. Instead parenting became more and more challenging as children learned that they were in control, they would always get their way and their were no consequences for unacceptable behavior, if that was something that was ever defined. The new parenting guide stressed building self-esteem by ignoring bad behavior and rewarding good behavior. Parents gave away their authority and created a generations of people who feel entitled, are self-focused, and do not believe in consequences.
Our justice system plays into it by giving criminals the opportunity to not pay consequences for their crimes. Corporations and non-profits know that by giving a reward, they will draw more people to their product or cause. We get prizes for donating! We even have to set aside just one day a year specifically for service.
So back to the title. What does love have to do with this and how does it play in to my usual subject? During the new wave of parenting, children were taught that they were the center of the universe and only what they wanted mattered. Love gained a new definition. It became an inward force. Even Noah Webster, my usual go-to for a definition of a word, falls short. Love is defined as, ‘strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties (maternal love for a child) (2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests (love for his old schoolmates). This is a poor definition of what love really is and what we are desperately missing in our culture today. Love is often defined in terms of emotions, feelings and attraction. If something gives us goosebumps, butterflies, a feeling of excitement or attraction, we call it love. As a result, people assume they ‘fall out of love’ because they don’t have those feelings anymore. We can’t fathom loving someone who doesn’t do something or give something to us or someone we are not attracted to. How many times have you heard a person express surprise at a physically unattractive person finding love? We have mistaken lust for love and dismissed the true state of love altogether. We are grossly misdirected as to what real love is. Sex is usually the measure of love between two people and our youth often seek out sex as a way to find love. This has lead to many problems in our society. Sadly, it’s not a new problem.
  Let’s go to the author of love himself as find out what He says about it.
1. Love is not primarily an emotion or an attraction. Love is an action.
*Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
*But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8
*But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. Eph 2:4-5
*This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
*Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:9-11
So, love is sacrificial and active.
2. Love is not about me.
*If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. James 2:8-9
*'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18
*The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:31
*The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Rom 13:9
*The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Gal 5:14
*You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies…’ Matt 5:44

*For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Rom 12:3
Love your neighbor. AND your enemies. That pretty much covers everyone. Love is not about me. If all of us were thinking this way, everyone would be loved and taken care of.
3. Love does not have conditions (ideally) God shows us the way…
*"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jer 31:3
*“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” Eph 3:17-18
*Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lam 3:22
*For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:38-39
*But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8
*For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
We did not have to do anything for God to love us. He loved us before we were a thought and simply because we are His.

In our society today, we have forgotten how to truly love. We love ourselves, many times to an extreme thanks to focus on building self-esteem, putting ourselves first and factoring in how decisions would effect us instead of helping someone without any promise of reward. People look to sex to fulfill them, to give them the love they seek. We are ‘love’ hoarders. When a person seeking love through sex or acceptance find themselves in a place where true, sacrificial love is required of them they only look back to themselves and how giving in this way would deplete them of the love they seek. The only true source of love is God. No human can love perfectly on their own. Only with God’s help can we truly love. Abortion or any other human rights violations, basic human needs and any other human issues will never end if we continue to seek for ourselves instead of giving of what we have.

As I read comments from people who advocate abortion, I am heart broken at the lack of love our society has for others. It sounds like they are full of love for women and their health but to hear them refer to a human being as a punishment, a parasite, a ‘tenant in need of eviction even if it means death’ is sickening. But it goes back to what I mentioned at the beginning. We are self-centered, don’t believe in consequences and we base love on how attractive and beneficial someone is to us. Take a child who would change your life, is a result of an action you don’t want to stop, and you can’t see and yes, they become unlovable and defined as unwanted. Changing peoples’ minds about abortion on the surface is a start, but changing how people love is the only way to end abortion outright and only God can do that.
　
　
　
　
　

More than we bargained for

I just want to be perfectly clear - I am NOT anti-choice. Proponents of abortion rights would like to label those who fight against abortion as anti-choice, but that’s just not true for me. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I am not. Neither is God as a matter of fact. We have been given choice by our Creator to choose our path in life - to follow Him or not to follow Him. And just like life, we face the consequences of those choices. We legally have the ability to have an abortion in this country, so women truly have that choice to remain pregnant or not to. Even if abortion wasn’t legal, women would still have a choice. One choice would be illegal, but they would still have it. Our society believes that having that choice is liberating and they find out too late that it isn’t. It says in Joshua 24:15, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." God tells us to choose. Choose the way of life or the way of death. You could argue that the choice to have an abortion is the choice to have a life, but it is really the choice of death. It may seem like the choice to live the life you want, but choosing abortion not only means choosing the death of another human being, it could mean choosing death for yourself.
We think that it is the woman’s right to make the choice whether to continue a pregnancy or not, but it is really her choice to let her baby live or take the baby’s life. If we gave that choice to all human beings at any stage, this would not be a safe world to live in. If my neighbor could choose whether I live or die and I had no say in the matter, I would definitely try to be extra nice and accommodating to that person! But everywhere else in society, making the choice for another person represents a violation of the other person’s rights. Making a choice to have sex with another person without their consent is rape. Making the choice to take someone else’s property without their consent is theft. Making a choice to punch our children without their consent is abuse. Making a choice to take the life of another person without their consent is murder. We rationalize with ourselves that an embryo or fetus or developing baby is not really a baby or we take the focus off the child just referring to the pregnancy making it personally the woman’s issue and it becomes okay to make the choice to take the life of another.
Choosing abortion is also a choice for possible complications or even death for the mother. Statistics show that between 20 and 60 per cent of post-abortive woman suffer some degree of Post-Traumatic stress Disorder, some more severe than others. If a woman manages to get past that, there are other complications and risks she can’t talk herself out of. It is the 5^th leading cause of maternal death in the US resulting from hemorrhage, embolism, undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy and infection. Studies in Finland showed that post-abortive women had a 4x more likely chance of dying in the following year than women who carried their pregnancies to term and women who carried pregnancies to term were half as likely to die in the following year as women who were not pregnant at all. Pregnancy and child-bearing makes women stronger! Go figure! Post-abortive women have a 50% increased chance of developing breast cancer by the age of 45. For teens, terminating their first pregnancy after 8 weeks, increases the chance of developing breast cancer 800%! And after subsequent abortions, the risk continues to rise. This is because breast tissue goes through significant hormonal changes during pregnancy and when that is halted abruptly as in an abortion, it causes changes in breast tissue that can lead to cancer. Trauma to the cervix and scar tissue from scraping of the uterus during an abortion can lead to an increased risk of cervical cancer, incompetent cervix, and ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies have increased by 300% since abortion was made legal and a woman who has had an abortion faces a 500% increased risk of ectopic pregnancy due to scar tissue blocking the opening of the fallopian tubes. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease occurs in 30% of post-abortive cases within 4 weeks of having an abortion and if left untreated can lead to permanent infertility. Trauma to the lining of the uterus and the cervix can lead to placenta previa (a condition where the placenta is partially or completely over the cervix which leads profuse bleeding at birth) and incompetent placentas resulting in malformations and severe complications of future children as well as miscarriages, premature births, and fetal death by 300 to 500%. 48% of women experienced abortion-related complications in later pregnancies and that was as high as 66% for teens. This was projected over the population and it was estimated that these consequences of abortion resulted in the loss of around 100,000 ‘wanted’ pregnancies each year. These complications resulting from abortion were the primary cause of increased incidence of handicaps among children and account for over 3000 cases of cerebral palsy each year from premature deliveries. Premature deliveries are increased by 127% following an abortion. Women who have had an abortion also face a 58% increased risk of dying during later pregnancies.
Sources:
Again, I am not ‘anti-choice.’ I just believe in informed choice. When I take a trip, I do research and choose the best option based on the information. Going on a trip is not a life altering event. Abortion is. Why would someone go into that choice without all the information? I also believe that women deserve better. Places that are proponents of abortion claim that they are looking out for women’s health and are pro-women. Given the above information, does it look like abortion should be part of women’s health? Or that it is good for women in general? How can someone say they are pro-woman if they are offering something to women that will bring them harm and possibly death?
‘This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Deut 30:19-20
By the way, I did some research on permanent, long term repercussions of pregnancy and the most common were simply physical changes to the body as a result of the pregnancy and very rarely were there any other permanent physical ailments from pregnancy and cancer never made the list.
Choose life. For babies, FOR WOMEN.

　
　http://www.birthlife.org/Universal/nacer_archivos/mundo.html and http://www.straight-talk.net/abortion/consequences.shtml

What's so wrong with Abortion, anyway? Part 2 (with statistics)

Abortion Procedures continued…

Abortion Procedure #4: Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) 15-21 weeks

From The American Pregnancy Association website:

Dilation and evacuation is a surgical abortion procedure performed between 15 to 21 weeks gestation. In most cases, 24 hours prior to the actual procedure, your abortion provider will insert laminaria or a synthetic dilator inside your cervix. When the procedure begins the next day, your abortion provider will clamp a tenaculum to the cervix to keep the uterus in place and cone-shaped rods of increasing size are used to continue the dilation process.

The cannula is inserted to begin removing tissue away from the lining. Then using a curette, the lining is scraped to remove any residuals. If needed, forceps may be used to remove larger parts. The last step is usually a final suctioning to make sure the contents are completely removed.
The procedure normally takes about 30 minutes. Although some clinics may perform the procedure, it is usually performed in a hospital setting because of the greater risk for complications. The fetal remains are usually examined to ensure everything was removed and that the abortion was complete.
Source: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/surgicalabortions.html

Sounds fairly routine and benign. Here is the description from webMD:

 Give first dose of antibiotic to prevent infection. Position you on the exam table in the same position used for a pelvic exam, with your feet on stirrups while lying on your back. Insert a speculum into the vagina. Clean the vagina and cervix with an antiseptic solution. Give you a pain medicine injection in the cervical area (paracervical block) along with a sedative. If the procedure is done in an operating room, you could receive a spinal anesthesia injection into the fluid around the spinal cord, which numbs the area between your legs, or general anesthesia, which makes you unconscious. Grasp the cervix with an instrument to hold the uterus in place. Dilate the cervical canal with probes of increasing size. An abortion in the second 12 weeks will need the cervix to be dilated more than required for a vacuum aspiration. Pass a hollow tube (cannula) into the uterus. The cannula is attached by tubing to a bottle and a pump that provides a gentle vacuum to remove tissue in the uterus. Some cramping is felt during the rest of the procedure. Pass a grasping instrument (forceps) into the uterus to grasp larger pieces of tissue. This is more likely in pregnancies of 16 weeks or more and is done before the uterine lining is scraped with a curette. Use a curved instrument (curette) to gently scrape the lining of the uterus and remove tissue in the uterus. Use suction, which may be done as a final step to make sure the uterine contents are completely removed.

Source: http://women.webmd.com/dilation-and-evacuation-de-for-abortion 
 
I love how they say they are grabbing ‘larger pieces of tissue’ instead of arm or leg. The basic idea is that they go into the uterus with forceps or scissors, depending on how far along a woman is and how tough the baby’s skin is and literally pull the arms and legs off the baby and out of the uterus. Mercifully, at least on Planned Parenthood’s website, they say that they may need to give the woman a shot to bring about ‘fetal demise’ (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures-4359.asp) . Go to the following link for an illustration of a ‘D&E’ (even though it says it is for a 23 week old fetus, it is an enlarge version of the procedure). http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/DEabortiongraphic.html From www.nucleusinc.com

Picture above a 20 week old baby in utero, again from http://www.lennartnilsson.com/

Abortion Procedure #5: Dilation and Extraction (also known as D&X or Partial Birth Abortion)

  In this paper, http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/Haskellinstructional.pdf, the doctor describes the procedure in full. Here is what the American Pregnancy Association says about it:The dilation and extraction procedure is used after 21 weeks gestation. The procedure is also known as D & X, Intact D & X, Intrauterine Cranial Decompression and Partial Birth Abortion. Two days before the procedure, laminaria is inserted vaginally to dilate the cervix. Your water should break on the third day and you should return to the clinic. The fetus is rotated and forceps are used to grasp and pull the legs, shoulders and arms through the birth canal. A small incision is made at the base of the skull to allow a suction catheter inside. The catheter removes the cerebral material until the skull collapses. Then the fetus is completely removed.
So in other words, they induce labor, deliver the baby breech, leaving the head in the vagina. The doctor punctures the baby’s skull and sucks out the brain. This causes the head to collapse and the baby is delivered, dead. Some other procedures have them injecting things like saline to kill and ‘soften’ the baby so that they can perform a D&E. Either way, the baby is close to delivery and then its life is taken.

Picture is of my own son during my 26 week ultrasound.  He spent quite a few minutes trying to get his fingers in his mouth.

Go to http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/PBA_Images/PBA_Images_Heathers_Place.htm for an illustration and letters from medical professionals confirming the accuracy of the illustrations

 By the numbers:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6001a1.htm?s_cid=ss6001a1_w http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0078.pdf )


*In 2007, 84% of all abortions were performed on unmarried women (CDC).
*Women between the ages of 20-24 obtained 33% of all abortions; women between 25-29 obtained 24% (CDC).
*50% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all U.S. abortions and teenagers obtain 17% (AGI).
*In 2007, adolescents under 15 years obtained .05% of all abortions, but had the highest abortion ratio, 768 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC).
*47% of women who have abortions had at least one previous abortion (AGI).
*Black women are more than 4.8 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.7 times as likely (AGI).
*37% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 28% identify themselves as Catholic (AGI).
*At current rates, nearly one-third of American women will have an abortion (AGI).
*88-92% of all abortions happen during the first trimester, prior to the 13th week of gestation (AGI/CDC).
*In 2007, 86% of abortions were performed by curettage (which includes dilatation and evacuation [D&E]). Most curettage abortions are suction procedures (CDC).
*Medical abortions made up approximately 12% of all abortions reported (CDC).
*Induced abortions usually result from unintended pregnancies, which often occur despite the use of contraception (CDC).
*54% of women having abortions used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant. Among those women, 76% of pill users and 49% of condom users reported using the methods inconsistently, while 13% of pill users and 14% of condom users reported correct use (AGI).
*8% of women having abortions have never used a method of birth control (AGI).
*9 in 10 women at risk of unintended pregnancy are using a contraceptive method (AGI).
*Given that there were 4,316,000 live births ( in 2007 and there were 1,209,640 abortions (http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-unitedstates.html) - there were 5,516,000 pregnancies (minus fetal deaths by natural causes) in the US. That made the national abortion rate that year 22%. Abortion rates in larger metropolitan areas, like NYC and DC are up around 40% (in NYC, there were 737 abortions per 1000 live births in 2007)
　

What's so wrong with Abortion, anyway?

** I will warn you now that this blog entry is graphic.**

**Please keep this for adult eyes only **

Please refer to my previous blogs to see development that coincides with each method

Doesn’t it reduce ‘unwanted’ children? Children that would otherwise have a difficult upbringing financially, be abused, put in foster care? The term ‘unwanted’ is used by the parents and society at large, not something that will be tattooed on the child’s forehead or dictates their personality in any way. Abortion takes the life of a child, period. Don’t believe me? Think it’s better that they not live at all than face a life of ‘unwantedness’? I hope this entry will a least show you the realities of abortion.

I write this because I was once in the dark about abortion. I was under the impression that abortion doctors were somewhat passive when they performed the procedures. I had only heard of ‘saline abortions’ and thought that saline dissolved the developing baby and all that came out was unrecognizable, but I was very, very wrong. My first glimpse of abortion procedures was in Norma McCorvey’s book, ’Won By Love’ (http://www.roenomore.org/wonbylove/chapter11.htm) . After that, I started getting braver and braver and educating myself. What I found was a gruesome and horrifying practice of nothing less than infanticide. Abortion is something that is heavily in the news now and needs the support of like-minded people to end legal procedures or at the very least reduce the ‘need‘ for abortion through education. People who are in favor of abortion rights and its legality will argue that making abortion illegal or pulling funding from places like Planned Parenthood, take away a woman’s rights and freedom. I hope by reading this entry, you will see that abortion not only strips another human being of its rights and freedom, but it completely violates human rights as a whole and is a violent act against an innocent human being. I will start with the earliest possible abortion and progress to the latest. In some states, abortion is legal at all stages of gestation for the mothers’ health or in cases of rape and incest, so all of these particular procedures occur regularly. Where it is possible, I will provide links and original text for you to explore on your own.

For the sake of argument:
Abortion is defined as: Also called voluntary abortion. the removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus
 .
Abortifacient: a drug or device used to cause abortion: a biochemical abortifacient in pill form in order to end a pregnancy.

Fetus: the young of an animal in the womb or egg, especially in the later stages of development when the body structures are in the recognizable form of its kind, in humans after the end of the second month of gestation.
Source: www.dictionary.com

Abortion Procedure 1: Morning After Pill This pill contains the hormone progestin (also present in common birth control pills) which can do one of three things depending on when you take it (it must be taken within 120 hours of unprotected sex). 1. it prevents a woman from ovulating (not an abortive measure). 2. It increases cervical mucus, preventing sperm from getting into the vagina, preventing fertilization (again, not an abortive measure). 3. It thins the lining of the uterus, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the lining of the uterus (this IS an abortive measure).
Sources: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/emergency-contraception-morning-after-pill-4363.asp (they claim it is not an abortifacient, but anything that causes the expulsion of an embryo, fetus or baby after conception is an abortifacient)
Source:

　

Abortion Procedure 2: The Abortion Pill (Medical Abortion)Used in women up to 9 weeks gestation
1. A pregnant woman is given antibiotics and progesterone - the hormone needed to maintain the lining of the uterus. [This cuts of the food, water and blood supply to the growing fetus, starving it to death.]
2. The woman is given misoprostol. It causes the uterus to empty and the woman will abort within a few hours or a few days.
Source:http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/abortion-pill-medication-abortion-4354.asp
Picture above: 7 week old baby in utero

 (http://www.lennartnilsson.com/child_is_born.html)


Abortion Procedure 3: Suction Aspiration (aka: suction curettage or vacuum aspiration)

Performed from 7 to 13 weeks
Here is how the website for the ‘American Pregnancy Association’ puts it:
Your abortion provider may give you pain medication and misoprostol in preparation of the procedure. You will lie on your back with your feet in stirrups and a speculum is inserted to open the vagina. A local anesthetic is administered to your cervix. Then a tenaculum is used to hold the cervix in place for the cervix to be dilated by cone shaped rods. When the cervix is wide enough, a cannula, which is a long plastic tube connected to a suction device, is inserted into the uterus to suction out the fetus and placenta. The procedure usually lasts 10-15 minutes, but recovery may require staying at the clinic for a few hours.
Source:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/surgicalabortions.html　

10 week old baby in utero

http://www.lennartnilsson.com/child_is_born.html

Another put it this way: A powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge is inserted into the womb through the dilated cervix. The suction dismembers the body of the developing baby and tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus, sucking blood, amniotic fluid, placental tissue, and fetal parts into a collection bottle.In other words, the cervix is dilated and a tube attached to a strong suction device is inserted into the vagina. The tube has a sharp end on it that punctures the amniotic sack and then, once it has entered the sack, the baby is pulled apart by the suction device. The head is too large to be suctioned out, so the doctor inserts a clamping device to crush the head and then remove it. Dr. Bernard Nathanson made a movie in the 1970s called ‘The Silent Scream’. In it, he documents an ultrasound-aided abortion of an 11 week old fetus. I encourage you to view it. You can find more information at: http://www.silentscream.org/.http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/abortion-pill-medication-abortion-4354.asp
　

To Be Continued...

Ordinary Miracle

‘…no one who studies development can fail to be filled with a sense of wonder and delight.’ Lewis Wolpert, author of The Triumph of the Embryo
 My son is two. This stage in his development is great fun. He is learning new words at an increasing rate each day, showing interests, dislikes and parts of his personality that we have not seen up to this point. Every part of his development has been a thing of joy to me , from his conception until now. The subject of abortion is so significant to me because I find human development in the first nine months the most fascinating. It’s a miracle that we take for granted. Of course, if you have tried and waited for a long time for a baby, you probably have grasped the miraculous nature of having a baby, but do many of really know or think about the period of time before the missed period? Most women feel their babies move around 16 to 20 weeks. This is referred to as ‘quickening’. Up to that point, we rely on other things, like nausea or hunger or a missed period, to tell us that a tiny, little human being really is living inside our bodies. By the time we feel that little bundle of joy move, however, most of the significant development has finished and the baby is starting to fine tune all of its systems and grow. By that time, the baby’s senses are mostly in place and he or she is experiencing the environment in and out of it’s uterine crib. At birth, they are able to see, hear and recognize often heard voices and sounds and are familiar with smells and tastes he or she experienced in the womb. I have discussed in previous posts the development of a baby starting in the first month, but I want to go back a little further to show the really miraculous part of the whole process. The most fascinating part in my opinion. I did my research before writing this so I could be accurate and have accountability. The book I chose was, ‘Beginning Life’ by Geraldine Lux Flanagan (fantastic book for all ages, by the way!)
In the beginning… If you have taken a biology course at any time, you have probably studied some embryology and know at least the basics of conception. This is a refresher course and a fresh look. If you haven’t studied it, be prepared to be amazed. It all starts with an egg, the largest cell in the human body though it is no larger than the period at the end of this sentence.. Although it did not come first, it is the female’s contribution to a brand new human being. It contains half of the mother’s DNA, nutrients and has a protective, yet soft outer shell. The DNA inside the egg is half of the mother’s own genetic material. DNA is the blueprint for each individual. It makes each person generally human and distinctly a part of that person’s family. However, each egg contains a different variation on the mother’s DNA. No two are exactly alike. 23 Chromosomes with innumerable genes located on them are waiting inside the egg to be matched with 23 chromosomes from the father, in the sperm. Now, the sperm is the smallest cell in the body. It has nothing much to it but genetic material, enzymes to forge its way through the egg, should it make the journey and a tail to propel it to its destination. Once the egg is available, it alerts the sperm with chemical signals that excite the sperm into action. Think of a dog greeting its owner after a long day apart. The sperm are visibly excited and rush to the egg. They shed their outer coating exposing an enzyme that will dissolve a hole in the egg if they are in just the right spot. The sperm attach to the egg and go to work. Once one is in, the egg closes off to all others and the magic begins. It really is a magical, miraculous occurrence. In Psalm 139, David understands how amazing this process is when he says, ‘For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.’ We are skillfully and wonderfully made. At the moment of conception, the egg goes from dormant to active. The metabolism and oxygen intake increase and it gets to work. I mentioned DNA earlier. The DNA from both parents are joined in conception and it would seem that each child should be close to the same, but it’s not the case. We all have 46 chromosomes - 23 pairs, one each from our parents. One pair of chromosomes is responsible for our sex and all that goes with it and the rest are the blueprints for the rest of what makes us who we are. Quick genetics lesson - there are one of four possibilities of expression for each pair of genes from the parents. 4 expressions by 92 chromosomes (DNA separates differently in each egg and sperm cell, so each chromosome from each parent must be counted) gives the minimal possibility of around 400 different individuals from a single couple. There is not, however, one characteristic per chromosome pair. There are hundred of thousands of different genes among the 23 pairs. My point is this, each individual is unique, never to be repeated. Each human conceived is not like anyone who has ever been or like anyone who will ever be.

Embryo at 4 weeks after last period

http://www.lennartnilsson.com/home.html

Lennart Nilsson 'A Child is Born'

So back to the fertilized egg. After conception, the DNA of the sperm and egg join and the egg divides into 2 cells. It continues to divide and be swept through the fallopian tube to the uterus. The cells are still contained within the shell of the egg, so the size doesn’t change as it moves to the place it will settle. Within 24 hours, the egg releases hcG (the hormone detected in a home pregnancy test) into the mother’s bloodstream suppressing the menstrual cycle and preparing the mother to be a mother. In 3 to 4 days, the egg reaches the uterus and floats around for 2 to 3 more days, increasing the number of cells (which at this point are identical in function), until it finds a perfect spot to nest - in close proximity to the mother’s blood vessels in the upper part of the uterus. As it prepares to attach to the uterus, the cells begin to differentiate and divide into two layers - one will become to the support system for the baby and one is the baby. The cells then burst out of the shell and attach to the lining of the uterus. This happens 7 days after fertilization, usually 21-24 days after the first day of a woman’s last period. It is important to note that this new being should be rejected and attacked by the mother’s immune system, but it is not. It is equipped with a chemical signal that allows it acceptance by the mother’s body. The mother’s body encapsulates the embryo, which forms villi or roots into the lining of the uterus to facilitate the exchange of nutrients, water and oxygen. Inside this protective lining during the second week after fertilization, the cells again differentiate into three layers. The outer will be the brain, the spinal cord, nerves and skin. The middle layer will be the digestive system, liver and pancreas and the inner will be the heart, blood vessels, muscles and skin. 2 weeks later, a little heart is pumping blood through tiny blood vessels and the brain shows specifically human specialization. By the end of the first month, the baby is 10,000 times larger than the original egg! By the earliest point that a woman finds out she is pregnant, the baby already has a heart, a brain and a spinal column.

It blows me away that in just 9 months a baby develops from a tiny pencil-dot sized cell into a newborn baby. The author of the book says this, ‘The wonder of it is that these myriad cells organized themselves into a human body with the beginnings of all its exquisitely specialized components, all in their right places and some already practicing their functions.’ It is estimated that in nine months, the two beginning cells become between 1 to 5 TRILLION by the time a baby is born. The wonder is that God created each of us in this miraculous process. Just like he created Adam to be unique and breathed life and His spirit into him, He does the same for us. Each person is a unique creation that has never and will never exist again.
　
　

　

What I have learned

I haven’t written an entry in a while and honestly it is mostly due to the fact that I feel that no one really is paying any attention, but things that I have read recently and the dialogue and actions that are going on around the country in regards to abortion are amazing and more than I have ever seen before and have encouraged me to get back to what I began.
In addition to all the media information on the abortion debate, I have been reading the Bible. Not a stretch for me if you know me, but I have decided to read the entire Bible this year. It’s something I haven’t done in probably about 10 years and I am learning so much more than I have. The major thing that seems relevant to me right now is the fallen civilizations. Every civilization that procured God’s judgment and subsequent destruction had one of three things in common - they turned away from God (or never acknowledged Him in the first place), practiced deviant sexual behavior and/or performed child sacrifice in honor of their ’gods’. These civilizations were destroyed based on the fact that they either took God out of their daily discussions, actions and social interactions, turned away from God’s plan for sex (one man with one woman in the bonds of marriage) and/or killed their infant sons and daughters (this they did by burning them alive). Sadly, our country has all three of those things going on all at the same time. We are taking God out of everything, sex has become a free-for-all and we are taking the lives of our infant children in the thousands every day. This is why I am writing this blog. It is vitally important that we stand up for those children, that we keep God in our daily conversations without apology and stand up for marriage. I am trying to do all three of those things as much as I can and though I have backed down on the abortion discussion, I am going to do what I can to educate others on what abortion is and does and hope that, even if this isn’t our ‘passion, you will stand with me and fight for our country and our people. In the next month, I will be detailing abortion procedures. I encourage you to prepare yourself and read these blog entries. Reading about these procedures is what changed my perspective on the whole issue and made me want to fight even harder to make sure everyone has an informed decision. Whether abortion is made illegal or stays legal, I would love to see that fact being irrelevant and have woman stand up and fight for their own children. One thing that will change things is the words we use. We always say ‘baby-to-be’, ‘mommy-to-be’, ‘I am going to have a baby’, ‘He’s going to be a big brother’ etc. That ‘to-be’ makes the developing child seem like it’s not a baby yet and therefore is expendable until birth. We no longer refer to a woman as 'with child'.  But they are. Woman become mothers at conception. We need to believe that for things to start to change.

New to my Site?

If you are new to this site, let me give you a little background... I am a a lover of God, a devoted wife and a stay at home mom, in that order.  God has given me a new passion to educate others about the issue of abortion. Bear with me, I know that this is a controversial subject and no one wants to talk about it.  My hope, however, is that, through this blog, I will at least encourage you to pray for those finding themselves in the dilemma of an unplanned pregnancy and the innocent children who need voices to speak for them.  Please stay tuned. I promise a life-changing experience for you.

Not just a clump of cells...

http://liveaction.org/blog/baby-body-parts-found-in-el-paso-abortion-clinic-parking-lot-police-investigating/

It's not just a clump of cells as many would like to believe. Just look at those tiny hands and feet! What are we doing (or not doing)?

A Womb with a View, Part 3

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3

Since March 8, there has been an event called 40 Days for Life (http://www.40daysforlife.com/) - a pro-life prayer vigil going on all over the world. Today marks the half-way point and they are reporting that 178 women have chosen life for their babies as a result of those individuals praying in the vicinity of abortion clinics around the world. When you look at the statistics, that 3,000 to 4,000 babies are aborted daily in our country, 178 seems a small percentage of the 80,000 babies that statistically are would have been aborted during these 20 days, but that’s 178 lives that were saved and THAT is a victory! We still need to fight for the other babies’ lives and praying for the mothers and fathers of these children and for those who are working in the abortion clinics.

This post, I will continue with my own pregnancy experience. The next ultrasound I experienced was the typical one that most women go through during the course of a normal pregnancy. It is the 20 week ultrasound. During this examination, the tech checks all the organs to make sure they are present and functioning, looks for proper brain development, measures the head circumference (for Down’s Syndrome) as well as many other vital functions for the baby. Parents are also able to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. We had a great experience with ours. The tech we had didn’t actually work at this particular clinic, but was filling in for someone who was out. We were so blessed to have her! She was thorough and obviously loved her job. We were in our appointment for nearly an hour and a half.

The development of the baby continues to be miraculous. By 12 weeks, the baby is peeing, producing insulin and digestive fluids. The brain is fully developed (though still growing and specializing) and the pituitary gland is producing hormones. By 14 weeks, the baby is practicing breathing by drawing amniotic fluid into the lungs, the prostate gland is forming in males and ovaries are descending to the pelvis in girls. By 18 weeks, the baby can hear and sense touch, can swallow and in females, all of the reproductive organs are formed. At the time of the 20 week ultrasound, the baby is about 6 to 8 inches long and 9 to 12 ounces. He or she has hair and nails, is developing all five senses, and a heartbeat is detectable with instruments outside the mother’s body.

I had started feeling my son move at about 16 weeks. That’s earlier than usual, but it felt like little flutters. By the time I got to the ultrasound, I could really feel him move. He had quite the personality, apparently not enjoying the ultrasound. He kicked at the wand, giving us a great shot of his foot, hid his face, put his hands over his heart as the tech was trying to look at it and moved all over the place. We got to see him yawn, swallow and use his hands to feel around. At one point , we saw that he had his legs crossed at the ankle. He did that all through infancy and even does it sometimes now at nearly two years old. It was a really fun experience topped off with finding out that we were having a boy ( I convinced myself I was having a girl). We got a lot of pictures, so I will try to post as many as I can.
Here is my beautiful baby boy:

Truly Amazing!

Truth

When I was pregnant, I found that there were endless choices of books and websites that would document pregnancy week by week and month by month.  Pregnancy is so predictable, that doctors know exactly what a baby will be doing each day, week and month of pregnancy.  We can know when the heart beats, when the eyes develop, when the baby can suck its thumb.  It was fascinating to me and I read two books and subscribed to two web calendars all telling me essentialy the same thing.  Some show drawings, some pictures, some ultrasounds to show what the baby looked like at each point during the pregnancy.  I looked up 'pregnancy week by week' on amazon.com and it came up with 1038 products.  1038! A search online brought up too many websites to count.  People like Lennart Nilson have brought fetal development to a whole new level with real, live pictures and ultrasounds, both 2D and 4D, give us the opportunity to see a human child at every stage of development.

So, why with all of that information at our fingertips, do people still believe and fight for abortion to be legal? I watched a Planned Parenthood rally video the other day hearing people say how proud they were to have had an abortion, or that they would get one if they found out they were pregnant without a tinge of remorse.  People still believe that a human child is a 'lump of tissue' apparently until the moment of birth and therefore is expendable.  Perhaps it is that there is a divide.  If a child is 'wanted' and a product of a loving relationship within a family that can support its existence, all of those books and websites will show you what to expect.  However, if the child is a 'mistake', a product of a one-night stand, rape or bad relationship or that child will be born into a family that will struggle to support it, it is simply a blob of tissue with no purpose and can be aborted.  Is that true? Goodness, no! People will try to make the 'truth' bend to fit their circumstances.  But what we fail to realize is that truth is fact.  Is is not arbitrary or relative. It just IS.  The truth is that a human being begins as a fertilized egg and develops over an average of 80 to 90 years when he or she will die.  A human being does not begin as a baby.  Being a woman is an honor, a privilege and a blessing to be given the opportunity to nurture a brand new, never to be created again, human being. That opportunity is being squandered.  I'm beginning to believe babies would be safer grown in test tubes so we can see them than in the hidden recesses of a woman's body.

We fight in this country to protect children from all sorts of abuses.  We mourn the loss of children to childhood disease, kidnappings and murders, yet close to 4,000 children die each day in this country at the hand of doctors who swore to protect all of their patients.  We fight more for the rights of animals than we do for the rights of these precious babies.

I recently read that 41% of pregnancies in New York City are aborted.  Nearly half of the children conceived in one city die before birth.  The numbers are similar in DC. What are we doing?! I can't believe that something like this is legal.  I just don't understand. It literally keeps me up at night.

A Womb with a View, Part 2

As I finished the last entry, I was describing the development of a baby at 5 weeks. Between that ultrasound and my next, at ten weeks, so much had changed and developed. The inner ear and external ear has almost completely finished, blood vessels are visible under the skin, legs and arms have lengthened and hands and feet have developed. Facial features begin to show about 6 weeks. At 8 weeks, joints start developing, vertebrae and ribs are forming, and blood is flowing through the body. Muscles, skin and the nervous system are developing to the point that the baby will react to outside stimuli (such as pushing on the uterus) by moving away. Here is a picture of a baby at 10 weeks gestation:

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was aware that my current OB/GYN was ending her career as an OB. She was going through the first 10 weeks with her patients and then transferring them to other doctors. I’m not sure if that was the reason behind my second ultrasound or if she just wanted another check before she passed me on, but I went in for another ultrasound at the 10 week mark. I had never seen a live ultrasound before my first one, so I was unprepared for how active our son was. He changed position frequently and was difficult to find each time the technician returned with the ultrasound wand. At this point, I couldn’t feel him moving, so it was amazing to see all the movement that was taking place that was undetectable by me. He was, by this time, about the size of a small plum-an amazing amount of growth! I was holding an apple seed in my hand the other day, marveling at how rapidly a baby grows in just 5 weeks time. A baby of this age in gestation has brain activity, tooth buds (which can be seen in the ultrasound pictures), reproductive organs are formed, internal organs are functioning (and all are present), intestines are developing, taste buds are formed, eyelids are formed and the eyes have some color. The upper lip is formed, joints are formed (also visible in the pictures) and the body has distinguishable human characteristics. Fingerprints, unique to this particular individual, are already detectable and his hand, if something were to touch his palm, would curl around the object. Beloware the ultrasound pictures from the 10 week ultrasound.

This one is my favorite.  So much is visible - toth buds, an ankle joint, leg, foot, and spine. Very cool view of him! Until next time!

The white on the baby are where bone cells are beginning to form - in the tooth buds, spine, skull and nose.

 He moved around a lot!