Freedom of Choice Act ~ Current Events Wrap Up

Ok, it’s Thursday, and you know what that means… It’s time for The Current Events Wrap Up meme, hosted by the amazing Julie Arduini at her The Surrendered Scribe blog. The Current Events Wrap Up meme is the vision God gave Julie for discussing what is going on in the world, nation and even our own lives. Please go and check out Julie’s blog, and if you like current events or news, think about joining in and/or spreading the word!


Once again, with SO much going on in the world and nation today, I had to really search my heart to determine what I, and God, wanted me to write about. And once again, God led me to where He wanted me to go. Right now there is a battle being waged to end the slaughter of innocent lives through the barbaric act of abortion. Make no mistake, this is a battle between light and darkness and good and evil. And there can be only one acceptable outcome – protection of the lives of the innocent unborn.


Barack Obama is now officially the President of the United States. While campaigning last year, he made a promise to Planned Parenthood to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. In fact, he stated in that speech, that it would be his first order of business. Thus far he has not signed it and we need to pray that this is a campaign promise that he does not keep.


Some of you may not be aware of exactly what FOCA is. The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide. This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, such as:
· FOCA will do away with state laws on parental involvement, on partial birth abortion, and on all other protections.
· FOCA will compel taxpayer funding of abortions.
· FOCA will force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.
· FOCA will remove requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion.
· FOCA will allow other than licensed physicians to perform abortions.


Perhaps you may not even be aware of the history of Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. Liberals would paint Margaret Sanger’s history as that of a caring and passionate nurse who fought for the reproductive rights of women. What they don’t mention is that she was very racist and a Nazi sympathizer. She was a strong proponent of forced sterilization and elimination of those she deemed inferior or unworthy. This would include anyone not white, poor, and mentally or physically disabled. Sanger was a proponent of eugenics, a social philosophy which claims that human hereditary traits can be improved through social intervention. Methods of social intervention (targeted at those seen as "genetically unfit") advocated by eugenicists have included selective breeding, sterilization and euthanasia.


This is not about choice, because proponents of abortion do not give vital information or facts that would allow an expectant mother to make a choice other than abortion. Since we now have a pro-abortion president, it is imperative that the fight continue. We must choose to get the facts, get involved and make our voices heard.


There are countless websites that give information on all types of abortion, Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood, etc. Support those who are on the front lines of this battle –Jill Stanek (former nurse), Gianna Jensen (abortion survivor), National Right to Life, Pro-Life, Americans United for Life, and Crisis Pregnancy Centers to name a few. Right now you can get involved by going to the website www.fightfoca.com and sign a petition, and support financially, to fight the Freedom of Choice Act. Together we can win and save lives.

It's Here ~ The Current Events Wrap Up Meme!

Ok, I am SO excited about this new weekly meme that is being hosted by the amazing Julie Arduini at her The Surrendered Scribe blog. In the weeks leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, Julie became a part-time armchair political pundit wannabe (I think those were her words), and many of us thought she did a fantastic job! Much more fair and balanced than the Mainstream Media, I thought. There were, I think, several of us who wanted her to continue (and I think she did too), so here we are. The Current Events Wrap Up meme is the vision God gave her for continuing on in a similar way. Please go and check out Julie’s blog, and if you like current events or news, think about joining in and/or spreading the word!

As I said, I was really excited about this because… well, frankly, it’s because I’m a news junkie and I believe that it’s important to be aware of what is happening in the world. And to be honest with you, I am passionate about some things, like America, conservatism, anti-abortion, freedom of (not from) religion, etc, and I’m opinionated I sometimes like to share my opinion.

While I was really excited about this, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write on. Seriously, there is so much going on! The Presidential transition, the economy, the war on terror, the war between Israel and Palestine, the persistent bullying antics from Russia, not to mention the fact that Brittany Spears actually seems to be getting her act together for the moment, and the list could go on and on. Well, I was watching the Today Show this morning (for research, really…) and one of the guests was the always controversial, love her or hate her, Ann Coulter, and that was it! I had ‘my story’!

For anyone who may not know, Ann Coulter is an ultra-conservative political pundit, who is proud to have the title of the ‘Most Hated Conservative in America’. She is a former attorney, has written five New York Times bestsellers, is the legal correspondent for Human Events, and writes a popular syndicated column for Universal Press, which can also be read on her website, www.anncoulter.com.

That is her bio. She’s also a Christian and has been named as one of the top public intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner. Ann is an unapologetic very anti-liberal, very in-your-face and tell it like it is, take-no-prisoners kind of girl. She truly is one of those individuals that people tend to either love or hate, with not much in the middle. I personally love her. Her wit is razor-sharp and her sarcasm is both biting and brutal. I love to listen to her, and read her column and books. Honestly, she makes me laugh. A lot.

The reason I wanted to write about her though, is in relation to the interview she did today with Matt Lauer. They talked about her new book, Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America. Matt said something to the effect of, she made a lot of good points (and some he didn’t agree with) about societal issues in her book, but that the way she said it would really turn people off and didn’t that worry her. Of course, she said, no, and they went back and forth. But that particular exchange really got me thinking.

As I said, I love Ann, but I totally get why other people don’t. She’s brilliant and passionate, but she’s also very controversial and extremely acerbic. The way she says the things she says, really offends a lot of people – even other conservatives. Of course what she says offends liberals, regardless of how she says it, but the point is, to me anyway, she’s saying it. She talks about, and offers tons of documentation to verify, the things people don’t want to talk about.

On a regular basis she writes scathingly about the ACLU, NARAL, NOW, Planned Parenthood, vicious criminals and the liberals who love them, corrupt or immoral politicians (Democrats and Republicans, though she’s not as hard on Republicans because she knows the liberals and MSM will take care of them), abortion, global warming, evolution, feminism and emasculated men, etc. Very often, she makes great points in what she says, but like Matt, I wondered if her style damaged her substance?

Then I came to the conclusion that no it doesn’t, because she creates controversy. And controversy sells. And controversy gets people talking. And the people who are talking are making others aware of what they are talking about. Ann discusses things other people don’t like to, or want to, or even know anything about, like NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) which incites members to "rape male children" and "serves as a conduit for an underground network of pedophiles in the U.S. and is being defended by the ACLU (for more info on this click here).

The point is Ann Coulter gets people reading, listening and talking by creating controversy. That’s her job. And when people talk, when there is more awareness of what is really happening in the places us nice folks don’t go to, when we learn of the depths that some factions of society have sunk to, then we can become outraged. And spread the word. And get involved. And fight to take back our country by praying, voting, talking, and supporting those who are on the front lines in the culture war (and war on terror, by the way) battling for us.

Yep, I like Ann. And it’s ok if you don’t. She’s certainly not going to win any popularity or Miss Congeniality contests. But I also think she probably doesn’t care. I hope you enjoyed this, my first contribution to the Current Events Wrap Up meme. Be sure to check back next Thursday and see what I come up with. And Julie, thank you so much for hosting this!

Prelude to Choose Life

On August 4th, I announced that it was time for me to do another series and that after much prayer and reflection I knew the topic for the new series would be “Choose Life”. I announced this, confident that I would be able to put out some devotional-type articles relatively easily because this is something I so strongly believe in.

Oh, how wrong I was. I am working on this and I will put together a series, but I have been held up by the Lord. It’s very easy to make excuses about it – all of a sudden life got very busy for me, Sweet Pea was sick for nearly two weeks, then I was sick for nearly two weeks, we had another miscarriage, went on vacation, and finally came home and worked on getting caught up with things after being on vacation. All of this is true; however I also know that they’ve been convenient excuses to perpetuate avoidance.

What has really been going on, is a wrestling match with God. See, I thought I had it all planned out in my head, but it would seem that He had something else in mind. So, I guess you could say I have been experiencing first hand Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” And I’ve learned that when it comes to wrestling with God, I don’t win unless He wins first.

This began when I posted my intentions to do this series. A friend, Michelle, on GodLinked.com nearly missed my post and suggested I start a discussion about it, so it could be easily found and discussed. I thought this was a great idea, so I did so. I briefly summarized what “Choosing Life” meant to me and asked others to add what it meant to them. I got great responses from various readers, and then there was “the one.” Michelle responded and said that for her, choosing life was first and foremost about choosing life in pregnancy and contributed a FANTASTIC and heartfelt plea for the unborn. Wow! I felt like I’d been hit by a truck, because I have to admit, I never once put the idea or Scripture of choosing life together with the Pro-Life cause. Not that I didn’t share those beliefs though, because I do. I am wholly, 100% Pro-Life, but for some reason linking the cause with the verse just never occurred to me.

Thus began the wrestling match. I knew I couldn’t pursue this topic until I first included this most important aspect of it. However, I didn’t really want to. The topic of abortion is controversial (but that doesn’t bother me), emotionally draining and one of our nations (and the world’s) greatest tragedies. Did I really want to delve so deeply into satan’s territory? Though I fought it hard, in the end I knew the Lord was right and I absolutely had to start with this.

Since Roe v. Wade was decided by the Supreme Court in 1973, nearly 50 million babies have been aborted. Liberals would have us believe that it is harmless. No one gets hurt. It’s not a baby anyway until it is born – it’s just a fetus. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Please get the facts. Find out about abortion, partial-birth abortion (it is hideous), Planned Parenthood (and Margaret Sanger, founder of PP), and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (to give medical care to a baby born alive after a botched abortion – Obama voted against it). There are some fabulous sites out there that can give you information on all of this and more.

I am completely Pro-Life now, but I wasn’t always. I grew up in the 70’s (childhood) and 80’s (teen years) and didn’t have a lot of Christian influence in my life. When I was an early adolescent, my mom told me “even good girls get pregnant”. I’m not sure why, but I understood that to mean that teenage pregnancy wasn’t a big deal. When I was 19 years old, I did get pregnant. And I got an abortion. I didn’t even give it much thought. I believed the lies, that it wasn’t a baby until 12 weeks, it (the baby or fetus as they called it) wouldn’t feel any pain and that I would be better off.

The small amount of thought that I did give it all seemed to point to what would be an easy fix. I had been partying really hard, nightly, and recently broken up with the boy who was the father. He was an awful person, so I wouldn’t want to be tied to him anyway. I grew up in a dysfunctional home with a single mom and didn’t want to inflict on any child the things I’d gone through. I thought abortion was the only way. I received no counseling contrary to that.

In that moment, in the worst possible way, I chose death. During that time of my life, I was in a really bad place. I hated myself, hated my life and wished I’d never been born. I was completely surrounded by darkness and I truly believed the best way to save the child within me was to not allow it to be born. It was my desire to save it from the life I’d had. So I chose abortion, murder, homicide, infanticide, whatever you want to call it, it is death forced on another innocent soul who didn’t ask to be conceived in the first place. I never thought of the blessing it could have been. I didn’t take responsibility for my actions. I just chose death.

Liberals and feminists say abortion is harmless, but that’s not true. This is something I have carried with me for 20 years. I have thought of this innocent child I killed many, many, many times since. It is my greatest shame, greatest regret and greatest moral failure. I felt this way ever since it happened, long before I became a Christian. I’ve heard many other women who’ve gone down this road, say the same or similar things.

Though I’ve never stopped thinking of the child I should have had, I made some sort of peace with it. I knew God forgave me and I was so, so sorry. I knew I couldn’t change it, but I also knew it changed me – for the better. It’s funny though, how things come back to haunt you. Eventually, having a family of my own became important to me. When we began trying, it wasn’t easy. It took us a year and a half to conceive the first time, but then I miscarried. It took eight months the second time and this pregnancy went full term and we had our sweet, beautiful daughter, almost a year ago. Because of our ages, we wanted to try again quickly. It took another eight months to conceive this latest time, but it too ended in a miscarriage. During the difficult times throughout this whole journey of trying to bear children, satan has always been there, jabbing at me with his poisonous lies – “it’s your own fault, this is what you deserve, you had your chance and you blew it, you’re not good enough!”

God’s grace has strengthened me and covered me. His love has shown me what love really is. He has changed me completely. And it is He who gives me the ability to choose life. I know someday I will see my unborn children in heaven – all three of them. Previous to this post, I’ve talked about the one, then two babies I’ve miscarried that are in heaven. Though I always thought about it, I’ve never mentioned the third. Here and now, I do.

Christians, please pray for life. Pray that the lie of the enemy will be exposed. Vote for those who are Pro-Life and against those who are Pro-Abortion. And be compassionate to those who are contemplating abortion. They need love, not criticism and support not judgment. And if the Lord leads your heart to help in some way, please do so. There are many great ministries and organizations that could use your time, talent or treasure. This is the best way to Choose Life.


“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” ~ Psalm 139:13

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” ~ Psalm 27:10

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” ~ Psalm 127:10