Can You Hear Them?

Can You Hear Them?

by Elyssa Issel

for Cab Calloway’s Poetry Slam

Can you hear them?

I can’t get them out of my head.

I cannot escape those silent wails of the unknown who plead for deliverance.

I cannot escape the jabbering souls of those who are deaf to the cruelty which they inflict.

What joyfulness is left for those yet to come?

When the sun brings forth the warmth we desire, it comes out as a winter’s wind, consuming the hearts of all it passes.

Yet none can feel the chill on their hands, even those hands that carry with them destruction and grief.

Cries are lost to the unending shadows, and we walk forward still…as THEY bathe in empty basins and sing silent songs of longing…longing for life in the sunshine of summer.

But summertime NEVER comes and OH… what earth we stand on; decrepit and brown.

Mouths whisper words of comfort with poisoned breath, the heavens look down with shame on the advanced race of evil we have become.

Because in the sight of the brightest star, this is the blackest hole, ripping all life in our grasp to shreds and corrupting all good to the crushed sense of despair we constantly renew.

AND…my dear, hopeful future may I say you are looking pale.

A strange sadness twists your expression, what haunts your taunted gaze; could it be the ground that quakes beneath our feet, but NO, it’s sorrow for the lost, the gone, the murdered that held your hand so tight.

The most innocent smiles have faded from view and I can hear them leaving; leaving in powerful gusts to sit on heaven’s knee and weep for the home they had naught to create, because the CHOICE WAS A LIFE THAT NEVER COULD BLOOM.

And in my ears rings the music of what laughter could have been.

CAN YOU HEAR THEM, BECAUSE I CANNOT GET THEM OUT OF MY HEAD!

Stories from the sidewalk...

Dear Friends,

Praying and vigiling at Planned Parenthood goes on throughout the year, and are particularly appropriate at Advent, when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord.

Friday is surgical abortion day at 625 Shipley St. in Wilmington. Each Friday, from 8:30-11:00 am or so, we gather to pray and to hand out information about alternatives to abortion. Come and join us, if you are looking for a way to deepen your experience of discipleship.

We have discovered that the sidewalk outside Planned Parenthood is like the agora where St. Paul and the other apostles met with the people of the Roman Empire and the Greek city-states to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. Every Friday, we encounter men, women and children from the Wilmington community and enter into the most unexpected conversations.

When we first started praying outside of Planned Parenthood, we thought it was all about the abortions. We have come to discover that God makes all sorts of opportunities for us to become involved in the life of the city.

The last couple of Fridays have been very light in terms of women going into PP. Praise God for that! I like to think, and I hope and pray it is true, that our faithful prayer for the mothers and their unborn children is making a difference. I like to think that our prayers are helping widen the doors, the windows, and the cracks in people's hearts and minds that will allow the Holy Spirit to come in and make a transformative difference in a crisis pregnancy situation. Please continue to pray with us at home.

Last week a young man walked by as we were praying the rosary. He looked at us, looked at the sign that said "Re-think Abortion", and asked, "What are you all doing out here praying?"

We told him we were praying for an end to abortion. He said, "Yeah, I hear you! That's a good prayer!"

He asked, "Are you all from the same church?"

We said we were all Catholics, but we came from different parishes. He said he was new to Wilmington and was looking for a church. We told him that some of us were going to St. Peter's Cathedral at 11:00 for a holy hour, followed by Mass, and asked him if he'd like to join us. He said he wasn't sure he could make it, but could we maybe pray for him right then and there?

So we gathered in a circle, asked his name (John), and prayed for John. We asked that the Holy Spirit would help him find a church, that the Lord would bless his life in this new city, and give him the graces necessary for his life at this time and place.

Then we all hugged John, and he walked away praising God.

The Planned Parenthood escorts and the Wilmington police officer hired by PP for security looked on. I hope and pray that when they observe us engaged in ways that don't automatically trigger their animosity (as our engagement with their clients do), they may recognize that we are just ordinary people. Weird, perhaps they will think, for praying in public, but we hope they see that we are sincere and unaffected. Too many people never see ordinary Christians in ordinary acts of ministry to one another.

I love our Friday time spent in the agora of Wilmington. We'll be there tomorrow. Hope to see some new or familiar faces.

Blessings,
Rae

---

Rae Stabosz, a member of 40 Days for Life's Committee in Delaware

The Pink Link

Every October, the nation turns pink. Friends and neighbors wear pink ribbons, NFL players wear pink shoes. Even the White House reflects pink flood lights onto its exterior in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We in the Catholic community also know October as Respect Life Month. It seems these two life-saving efforts should go hand-in-hand right? Not so fast.

In general, the color pink raises awareness for breast cancer – a worthy cause. But the biggest beneficiary of pink-related events is Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation’s largest breast cancer charity. Some of you might even support Komen in your charitable giving. And why not? Breast cancer is a tragic disease that far too many women battle every year in the U.S. It’s a worthy cause to support. Unfortunately, just not through Komen.

Why “unfortunately?” Komen financially supports the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood (PP). How can that be? Why would a life-affirming organization like Komen financially support a death-peddling organization like PP? Komen refutes the claim that they directly support abortion, but let me give you the details.

According to the Bioethics Defense Fund (bdfund.org) Komen has a policy of explicitly allowing its state affiliates to give monetary grants to abortion providing facilities. Not all state affiliates give grants to PP using the 75% of the funds that they raise in a state. However, each state affiliate must forward at least 25% of funds raised in their state to the Komen National office. These funds are under the discretion of a board that refuses to disassociate itself from PP, thus the money goes into a pool to be potentially distributed to PP.

Komen gave over $3 million to PP between 2003 and 2008 (though the amount is insignificant). So why does Komen give funds to an abortion giant? They claim they give the money as grants for breast exams. There are two problems with this claim. Number 1: It doesn’t matter what you give money to PP for. The dollars are fungible and it just frees up money for them to use on abortions and other operating costs to keep their doors open. Number 2: PP is a level 1 breast center. It is only allowed to perform manual exams. Despite its implications - it DOES NOT PROVIDE MAMMOGRAMS!

Desperate following the House of Representatives’ recent vote to defund the organization, PP CEO Cecile Richards used the claim that the organization should continue to receive federal funding based on their breast health services. “If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are going to lose their health care access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning – you know, mammograms, cancer screenings, cervical cancer,” she said.

But the truth is that PP does NOT provide breast exams. They simply provide referrals for breast exams – the same type of referral you can get from you primary care doctor, urgent care center, free clinic or GYN.

Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek did some research and found that not a single PP in America performs mammograms. PP’s own website says, “Ask your local health care provider, health department, or staff at your local Planned Parenthood center about where you can get a mammogram in your area.” [emphasis mine]

Aside from the fact that PP does not provide mammograms, Komen continues to ignore the ominous fact that abortion is the #1 avoidable cause of the very disease they’re fighting. It doesn’t make sense that they’re financially abetting an organization that contributes to the tragic rise in breast cancer.

From the Abortion/Breast Cancer Coalition (abortionbreastcancer.com):

“The breasts grow considerably during pregnancy while under the influence of high levels of the hormone estrogen, a known carcinogen. Estrogen causes the woman's normal and cancer-vulnerable breast lobules to multiply. If she has an abortion, she's left with more places for cancers to start in her breasts. If she has a baby, then other pregnancy hormones mature her breast lobules into cancer-resistant lobules during the last months of pregnancy. She's left with more cancer-resistant tissue than she had before she became pregnant.”

It’s heartbreaking that an otherwise very worthy organization could negate all of the good work that they do by funding an organization that exterminates 332,278 unborn children per year. And this is a fact that, as Christians, we cannot ignore. We cannot overlook the evil that is perpetuated through this partnership by using the false justification that we’re doing a “greater good” by funding breast cancer research. In this situation, there is no greater good. The ends do not justify the means. The murder of over 300,000 innocents does not justify a few mammogram referrals.

Fortunately there are alternative organizations that do beneficial work for the same cause through morally acceptable means. If you’re currently a Komen supporter and would like to divert your funds to an ethical breast cancer research organization, please consider the National Breast Cancer Foundation (nationalbreastcancer.org) and the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute (bcpinstitute.org).

Also, please keep in mind that Susan G. Komen for the Cure is far from the only disease-research organization that funds morally objectionable groups. Many well-known disease advocate groups support Planned Parenthood as well as embryonic stem cell research. Just to name a few: The American Cancer Society (including Relay for Life), Alzheimer’s Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. For a comprehensive list of organizations, their positions on life issues, and alternative options, please visit www.all.org/charities.

-- Nicole Collins, President of Delaware Right to Life

Stories from the sidewalk...

The Fall 40 Days for Life Vigil for fall is in full swing -- Monday is Day 6. This time, the Wilmington 40 Days team is concentrating not so much in our own ability to fill the schedule for forty days, but relying rather on the Holy Spirit to recruit as we dedicate our time to prayer and vigiling. We are seeing the fruits already. Friday at 1:00pm as we got ready to leave Planned Parenthood for the day, we had only two people signed up for the following day. But Saturday, 21 people showed up to pray and vigil in witness to the value of unborn human life!

We made a long line at the edge of the sidewalk, and prayed and sang from booklets assembled by Pat Radell just 24 hours before the vigil began. The booklets help focus our attention on prayer, song, and the peaceful, prayerful presence that we want to bring to our efforts for the unborn babies and their mothers.

We saw tears on Saturday. A woman and her 14-year-old daughter came out of Planned Parenthood looking distraught. The woman was in tears. I approached her as gently as possible and asked if I could help. She said that her daughter was five months pregnant and that Planned Parenthood couldn't do anything to "get rid of it." They had given her a referral number, but she was hoping that this could all be settled today.

I spent about 20 minutes with them, offering encouragement and help for the young lady to carry her baby to term. I won't try to describe the conversation - it was heartbreaking all around. They are Christians, who attend church, but didn't think their pastor could help. We prayed together, asking the Lord's grace and help. I felt a growing sense of helplessness as the older woman kept repeating, "She's only 14. I don't want her to ruin her life." Adoption was not an option, she said, -- "I don't want people looking down on her."

=== UPDATE ====

I am writing this from the Elsmere Library, in route from Wilmington to my physical therapy appointment, and wanting to get this message out before I get back to my own computer at home.

Lawanda is the name of the woman whose 14-year old daughter is 5 months pregnant. We were at prayer this morning in front of Planned Parenthood when to our surprise, Lawanda returned, but looking for us! She hoped she would find us there, and asked if I had the information about adoption that I had talked about!

I offered to take her on the spot to A Door of Hope, but she had errands to run and her daughter was not with her. I confess that I was rattled, and perhaps the Enemy was clouding my mind a bit, because I couldn't find any of the excellent information that I carry with me, and Lawanda's gentleman driver seemed impatient. I told her how very glad I was to see her. I said she had been very much on my heart all weekend and that I had been praying for her and her daughter. Her eyes filled with tears and she seemed genuinely touched, and thanked me. I gave her two brochures, neither of which was my "prime" material, but both of which had phone numbers that could help. I gave her my card, and urged her to call the numbers on the brochures, and to call me if she had any difficulty finding the help she needed.

Please offer prayers for Lawanda, her daughter, and the child that is five months in the womb and growing every minute as her mom, grandmom and family discern what to do. All of us 40 Days vigilers prayed, right there on the sidewalk, agreeing to ask the Father in Jesus' name for the life of that child, that He send grace and hope to the child's grandmother, and the child's mother -- who is only in middle school! -- to find the courage to give the beautiful gift of life to that growing child.

Pray with us, please.

-Rae Stabosz and the 40 Days for Life Wilmington Vigilers

http://www.40daysforlife.com/wilmington/

If you would like to get involved with 40 Days for Life here in Delaware please check out their website.

For any questions or concerns you may have email Pat Radell at patradell@yahoo.com

Look for more Stories from the Sidewalk coming soon!!

Mission Accomplished. Delaware Right to Life Interviews Maria Cahill~ Miss Delaware 2011

Miss Delaware to Speak at Delaware Right to Life Annual Banquet on Tuesday, October 11^th.

Maria Cahill is not your typical Miss Delaware. Underneath the glittery dresses, and beautiful smile is a girl who is down-to- earth, motivated and hard core. Maria is determined to refine the “pageant girl image” by proving that your favorite meal can be a Big Mac from McDonald’s (don’t forget the large fry!), and you don’t have to think twice before playing video games with your brothers . She could care less if she broke a nail; but most importantly she could care less what people think of the principles she stands for and the causes she is passionate about. Where is the golden rule that if you are a young, beautiful, confident woman in the spotlight you must either conceal your conservative values or pump your fist high for “women’s rights”. Well, it’s her body, her choice, and she has chosen to stand for life.

Maria Cahill who is the second oldest of seven kids, has always been passionate about the pro-life movement. “It came from growing up in a household where the value of life was respected no matter what the case. I became even more involved when I met women that were contemplating abortion. Seeing the pain in their eyes and hearing them talk about the fact that they believed that there was no other way out was heart wrenching; and honestly made me want to make a difference”.

Standing firm amidst today’s opposition is not an easy task, though. Shocking right? No, but one would hope that in a society that promotes the “liberation of women”, a young woman would be free to speak her mind on one of the biggest controversies that has enveloped her generation. “Thinking of the lives that will be lost, and how these children have not had the opportunity to make a name for themselves”, only compels her even more to be a voice for voiceless, when so many are trying to shut her up. “One of my mottos is, “it is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not””. In turn, she hopes to use her crown “to draw attention to the things that [she] is passionate about” and inspire others who may be holding back from getting involved in the pro-life movement. “Stick up for what you believe in, no matter what the case.”

Maria is proud to be a voice for a movement that she has stood for all her life, and honored that the Miss Delaware organization would give her the opportunity to publically share her beliefs. “I have heard that because I am in the public eye, I have no right to speak about the pro-life movement. I feel the total opposite. There is a crown on my head for a reason. I am trying to save innocent lives and if it takes a crown for people to maybe consider this issue a little further, then my mission has been accomplished.”

-Jessica Ferraro

Media Coordinator for Delaware Right to Life

Groundbreaking study confirms link between abortion and mental health problems.

Planned Parenthood and abortion providers deny and ignore what abortion does to a woman's heart and mind. They spend millions of tax payer dollars each year to promote abortion as good and even necessary for women. As a result, women suffer and do not receive any post abortion services whatsoever. If Planned Parenthood were really about the health of women, don't you think they would be interested in helping those who suffer after an abortion? No, because recognizing what abortion is and what it does to a woman emotionally and offering post abortion help would completely discredit Planned Parenthood's position. Is it any wonder why abortion advocates have denied and ignored this pain, since the very beginning?

Well, that's all about to change. A study published on Thursday by Great Britain's prestigious Royal College of Psychiatrists concludes that women who have had an abortion have an 81% greater chance of subsequent mental health problems. The groundbreaking study combines the results of 20 studies conducted over 14 years in six countries involving 877,181 women. The dramatic results confirm that post abortive women are:

• 37% more likely to suffer depression,
• 110% more likely to engage in higher alcohol use, and
• 155% more likely to engage in suicidal behavior

Read the study click here--> http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/199/3/180.short

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Delaware Family Policy Council

www.DelawareFamilies.org

Rehobeth Planned Parenthood CLOSED

The Rehoboth Beach office of Planned Parenthood in the Mid-way Shopping Center closed abruptly Sept. 1.

Emily Knearl, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parent-hood of Delaware, said the center closed because it was not serving enough patients.

She said Planned Parenthood has informed patients it would close and provided a list of providers patients can now go to.

The Rehoboth facility provid-ed birth control services, emer-gency contraception, HIV test-ing, pregnancy and STD testing and hepatitis vaccines, among other services. Abortion services were not provided.

Carrie Keane, a midwife with Bayside Health Association who also worked part- time at the Re-hoboth Planned Parenthood fa-cility, said the facility faced finan-cial problems. The Rehoboth fa-cility did not have a clinician on staff. She said patient records arebeing transferred to the Dover and Newark off ices. All patients at the Rehoboth facility can go to either of those two offices to continue care.

Keane said Planned Parent-hood was looking at possibly finding another location in Sus-sex County, one with lower rent that was already suitable as a clinic so that the organization would continue to have a pres-ence here.

Knearl said, ' Planned Parent-hood is saddened by the closure and hopes to offer sexual and re-productive health services again in Sussex County. In the interim, Planned Parenthood will contin-ue to serve Sussex County with a variety of education classes and community outreach.”

-----

By Ryan Mavity
Cape Gazette

The UK can take some lessons from us

Here's a truly uplifting article from the UK on how they can take some lessons from the US on reducing and banning abortion.  I guess it's hard to recognize sometimes how much progress the pro-life movement is actually making (especially hard to realize from the state of Delaware!) but we truly are making a difference!

Blown Off the Hinges

I used to be pro-choice. I rolled my eyes with fierce contempt whenever the very active pro-life ministry at my college would have a table in the dining hall, or posters in my dorm. In fact, so adamant were my pro-choice views that I tried to start a Planned Parenthood “resource center” at a college on the Cardinal Newman list You can imagine how successful I was with that endeavor.

When I arrived at “The Mount” as a freshman, I was deeply interested in politics, veering left with rapid speed on every possible topic, including abortion. I read Ms. magazine with a passion and obviously I, in conjunction with the feminist movement, knew more than the collective wisdom of the holy Spirit and 2,000 years of unbroken teaching on the sanctity of life. It was easy to ignore those who upheld the Church’s teaching, and when necessary treat them with disdain until they left me alone. So imagine my surprise when I went from having a “Stop the War on Choice” poster hanging in my dorm room to praying in front of Planned Parenthood for an end to abortion as part of 40 Days for Life, all in the span of six years.

“How did it happen?”, you might be wondering. I often wonder that myself, and while I can trace points on the path, there was no magic moment, no immediate transformation. I suppose the nail in the coffin of my pro-choice views was when I attended the March for Life in 2006 as a “casual observer” and heard story after story of women whose lives were tragically altered by their choice to abort. The witness of the Silent No More campaign made me realize once and for all that killing someone can never be a social panacea or the solution to anyone’s problems. Violence only begets more violence and despair, as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta famously said, “But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child…And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?…Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”

However before that, there were a lot of things which came together and caused me to re-think my views on “choice”. While studying my required theology courses, I felt drawn more to the Church and her teachings, and it became more difficult to simply ignore those who were pro-life; they were my classmates and started becoming my friends. They wanted to know why I thought there was a “war on women”, and why I thought women had to have “abortion rights” to be free. They challenged me to really study the teachings, and to do so with an open mind. Mostly, they prayed for me. It was the prayers of many a pro-life friend that helped me have the humility to consider being open to the Church’s teaching.

As God is famous for doing, I opened the door an 1/8 of an inch; He blew it off the hinges. I forced myself to read through the Catechism and Evangelium Vitae. All the while, I prayed that if I was missing something, I would see it. There was so very much to see. I prayed for a well-formed conscience. That prayer softened my heart. After much soul searching and many hours spent in prayer and reflection, I saw the beautiful truth of these words:
“As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is absolutely equal to all others. This equality is the basis of all authentic social relationships which, to be truly such, can only be founded on truth and justice, recognizing and protecting every man and woman as a person and not as an object to be used.” (EV, 57)

This is the kind of statement that either is true, or is not true. It finally became that clear to me. It was the beginning of a fundamental shift in my attitude about the purpose of the human person, and the primacy of the social teaching of the Church as the thing that forms and guides my beliefs, choices, and attitudes.

We all struggle with Church teaching at some point. At least one aspect of Catholicism will stump, challenge, or make us uncomfortable during our journey. Part of growing in faith is to engage those questions and challenges. The primacy of conscience must be respected, yes, but too little attention is paid to how to create a conscience worth following. It is through prayer, reception of the Sacraments, and reading of Scripture and Catechism.

What I learned in my journey from pro-choice advocate to passionately pro-life is that the attitude with which we approach our questions and doubts will affect whether or not we are truly open to the Spirit. Once I approached the teachings on abortion and sexuality with the humility to admit that it was possible I could be wrong, andactively sought the direction of the holy Spirit, the rest, as they say, was history.

Posted by Sarah Babbs on Virtuous Planet

http://virtuouspla.net/2011/08/29/blown-off-the-hinges/

Pro-lifers.. We Are Apostles

Below are the words that Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko preached from a previous talk of Cardinal Wyszynski:

“The greatest shortcoming of an apostle is fear, because it inspires doubt in the power of the Master, cramps the heart, and strangles the voice. The apostle no longer professes. Is he still an apostle? The disciple who abandons the Master no longer professes his faith in Him. They encourage the executioners. Anyone who remains silent before his enemies emboldens them. An apostle’s fear is the primary ally of an enemy’s cause. In a strategy towards godlessness, the terror that is practiced by all dictatorships draws its effectiveness from the timidity of the apostles. The first goal is to force one into silence through fear. Silence has its apostolic significance only when I do not shrink from my oppressors. This is what the silent Christ did, and by this sign He revealed His courage. Christ did not allow himself to be terrorized. When He went forth to meet the rabble, He said openly, “It is I.”

“To liberate man so that he can aim for the truth and live by it, it is necessary to acquire the virtue of valor. The proof of Christian valor lies in readiness to fight for the truth. The virtue of valor is nothing else but the shedding of human weakness, especially fear and apprehension. We must be afraid of only one thing in our life-betraying Jesus for the few silver coins of barren quietude. It is not enough for a Christian to condemn evil, cowardice, lies, and use of force, hatred, and oppression. He must at all times be a witness to and defender of justice, goodness, truth, freedom, and love. He must never tire of claiming these values as a right both for himself and others.”

One more PP clinic closes.. one more worker joins the pro-life movement

Life Site News

A Planned Parenthood abortion-referrals facility has closed in Sherman, Texas — near Dallas — as a direct result of the bill Governor Rick Perry signed that the Texas legislature approved revoking taxpayer funding for the abortion business.

The center closed on Tuesday, four months after former manager Ramona Trevino resigned her post at Planned Parenthood. Trevino is now speaking out about her pro-life conversion and resulting exodus from the organization responsible for the most abortions in the United States.

According to the pro-life group 40 Days for Life, which publicized the closing and which helped Abby Johnson leave a Bryan, Texas Planned Parenthood center, Trevino explains that, although this particular Planned Parenthood did not perform surgical abortions, she was struggling “with [her] conscience . . . on contraception, abortion and [her] role in it all.” All Planned Parenthood centers make abortion referrals and some of them dispense the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug that has killed dozens of women and injured another 2,200 in the United States alone.

Beginning last March, Texoma Pro-Life Association sponsored a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the first time outside the Sherman Planned Parenthood that is credited with helping Trevino change her mind on abortion.

On August 28, there will be a rally at the public right-of-way in front of the former Sherman Planned Parenthood (2114 Texoma Pkwy) from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. to commemorate the closing of the facility. David Bereit, National Director and co-founder of 40 Days for Life, will be a guest speaker at the rally, as will Trevino. Trevino will share her journey from believing she was providing a service to women in need to realizing that Planned Parenthood “treated women like cattle and how they only cared about making money” – a realization she says was “long overdue.”

“We want to bring pro-life members of the Sherman community together to reflect upon the blessings received during our 40 Days for Life campaign . . . to rejoice in the victories that God has accomplished,” said Gerry Brundage, spokesperson for the Sherman 40 Days for Life campaign.

In addition to her Sherman appearance, Trevino will also be the keynote speaker at the 40 Days for Life-Dallas Kickoff Rally on September 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Harry S. Moss Park, 8000 Greenville Avenue in Dallas. Beginning at midnight, Dallas will join over 300 cities worldwide in the Fall 40 Days for Life campaign through November 6, including a 24/7 peaceful, prayer vigil outside the Southwestern late-term abortion center (at Greenville and Royal in Dallas).

The facility closed in the wake of $58 million dollars of funding cuts in Texas, which prompted the closure of a cluster of Planned Parenthood facilities. Other Texas Planned Parenthood facilities on the chopping block include Gainesville, Plano, Waxahachie, Mesquite, Arlington North, and Terrell.

The Texoma Pro-Life Association also commented on the closing: “After 7 years of prayer, petitions, and hard work, the Planned Parenthood facility in Sherman, TX, is shutting its doors. We ask for prayers for the former employees of the Sherman Planned Parenthood facility and we give all the glory and praise to God for this amazing accomplishment.”

Earlier this week, pro-life advocates were given the good news that an abortion center shut down in Pensacola, Florida.

The closing follows news last week that Planned Parenthood would no longer do abortions at some Arizona locations because it declined to follow new pro-life laws enacted in that state.

Meanwhile, a California-based abortion business closed in July after 40 Days for Life pro-life prayer events there.

Earlier this year, Family Planning Associates, one of the largest abortion center chains in California,closed the abortion business it runs in Newport Beach. Operation Rescue president Troy Newman informed LifeNews about the closing of the FPA abortion facility and he said the Newport Beach location is one “where pro-lifers have been sidewalk counseling and praying for decades” and “its closure is an encouragement that we are winning.”

With FPA closing up shop in Newport Beach, it joins the closing of all five Golden Gate Community Health locations in the San Francisco area. Formerly known as Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, the GGCH abortion centers closed after financial problems and mismanagement forced national Planned Parenthood officials to disaffiliate the local affiliate.

Also earlier this year, two Pennsylvania abortion clinics operated by abortionist Soleiman M. Soliwere closed by state officials in the wake of the discovery of Kermit Gosnell’s “house of horrors” where he killed a woman in a botched abortion and killed hundreds of babies in birth-induced abortions that are essentially infanticides. Soli closed the clinics and retired rather than clean them up.

The closings follow the permanent closure of a Planned Parenthood abortion referral center in Ohio. Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio will be closing one of its centers north of Columbus, in Galion, because it says it is has come up on financial difficulties that make it necessary to consolidate.

--Steven Ertelt

Delaware Right to Life Press Release

Press Release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessica Ferraro

Jessie@derighttolife.org

Delaware Right to Life’s Response to Joe Biden’s Comment on China’s One Child Policy

Thursday, August 25, 2011 --Delaware Right to Life staunchly condemns the comments made by Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday, August 20^th. The statement that resulted in national media attention was one that was made during an appearance at Sichuan University in Chengdu; in which Biden stated, “Your policy has been one which I fully understand -- I’m not second-guessing -- of one child per family.”

The media and the White House may attempt to smooth over the uneasiness of the American people which was brought on by Joe Biden’s unreserved support of China’s one child policy, but we at Delaware Right to Life know of the only way that peace and security will be reinstated in the hearts of the American people once again. We must return to the principles that the United States of America was founded on- Liberty and Justice for ALL. The prosperity of this great nation comes from the intelligence, strength and courage of its people, those who live now and those who are yet to be born. We hope that Vice President Joe Biden will soon be able to “fully understand”, without “second guessing,” the potential that lives in each human being, born and unborn.

Stories from the sidewalk...

Stories from the Sidewalk

I have seen a lot of tears recently on the sidewalk outside of Planned Parenthood. Two weeks ago Friday,

a young woman was on the cell phone talking when she burst into tears and started yelling at the person on the other end. She hung up, and stood there with tears rolling down her face. I approached and as gently as I could said, "I can't help noticing you are in distress. Can I help?"

She said, "He said he was going to meet me here. Now he says he's not coming."

I said, "Are you talking about your boyfriend?"

She said, "He's not my boyfriend. We just hooked up. But yesterday he said he'd show up here with the money for the abortion, and today he says he's not going to give it to me."

We talked about why she thought abortion was the only choice, and whether her parents knew she was pregnant. She had just graduated from Christiana High School. She said her mother would kill her if she knew, but her grandmother might understand. I suggested she call her grandmom. I offered to take her out to breakfast or to a place where professional counselors would talk to her at no cost. She said she had texted a girlfriend. Sure enough, in a few minutes a car full of young women pulled up, she got in the car and drove away. I was too timid to speak to the young women in the car also.

Pray for her,and for all those who are in distress when they come to Planned Parenthood. Pray that the Lord opens their hearts to find another way. Pray for those who come out of the clinic, after the deed is done. Pray that the Lord give them the graces they need to find understanding of what they have done, repentance, comfort, and peace. It might sound more kind for them to never recognize what they have done, but only the Lord can bring healing and peace to the chaos sin brings into our lives, however culpable we are.

Join us if you can at 625 Shipley St. in Wilmington this morning from 9-11, outside of Planned Parenthood. You don't have to talk. Prayer is the core need. Public prayer and witness to the value of the lives that are at risk and that are ended inside.

Rae Stabosz

Rae is a member of Delaware's 40 Days for Life Campaign

To be a Patriot, Part 3

Planned Parenthood has conned the public so well with their bright pink signs and empowering talking points; hoping that their passion for reproductive rights will outweigh the damage they have procured. They want the people to believe that they truly care about women’s health, not the revenue; and that they work to reduce abortions within the community. “ Planned Parenthood believes that the best way to make abortion rare is to make sure women, families and teens have access to confidential and affordable health care services”( http://www.plannedparent hood.org/rocky-mountains/planned-parenthood-parental-notification-10565.htm). This is contrary to what, Amy Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director in Texas witnessed. Assisting with an ultrasound guided abortion one day at her clinic, Amy watched in horror as the body of a thirteen week old baby was sucked from a woman’s womb; fighting for its life. That moment ended her eight year employment with Planned Parenthood. Having dodged attacks and a lawsuit from the company that once named her the affiliate’s Employee of the Year, she reveals the lies she once believed. “Abortion was where my priorities needed to be because that was where the revenue was. This meant that my job as the clinic director was to find a way to increase the number of abortions at my clinic.”(Johnson & Lambert, 2010) In Planned Parenthood’s Annual Reports ( 2005-2008,) and Fact Sheet for 2008 (2010) the insight from Abby is mirrored in their abortion numbers; which have steadily increased through the years. In 2004 there were 255,015 abortion procedures performed; 264,943 in 2005[1]; 289,750 in 2006; 305,310 in 2007[2]; and 324,008 in 2008[3]”.

Those who have stood behind Planned Parenthood have been hypnotized by the chants of “my body, my choice”. As a result, they have silenced the voices of those who have been victimized through the desensitization of integrity. In a country called “the land of the brave”, why are its leaders cowardly numb to the basic threats against liberty? It is true that these threats may not manifest into the kind of terrorism that brings down buildings; but they are the kinds that terrorize the fundamental rights of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. There are far worthier, honest organizations that deserve the millions in taxpayer money that Planned Parenthood currently receives. The masquerade has finally begun to fall, and it is now up to the people of the United States of America to ensure that the values the country was once founded, reign again over its citizens.

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[1] Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2005-2006) Annual Report. Retrieved fromhttp://www.lifeissues.org

/pp/report_05-06.pdf

[2] Planned Parenthood Federation of America(2007-2008) Annual Report .Retrieved from http://www.planned

parenthood.org/files/AR08_vFinal.pdf

[3]Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2010) Fact Sheet. Retrieved fromhttp://www.plannedparenthood.org /files/ppfa/fact_ppservices_2010-09-03.pdf

Girl gives review of DE Planned Parenthood...

Actual Quote..

"They Were kinda mean . They made me cry . They really did not care that I had no job and no were to stay. All i wanted was a pregnancy test . But They just kept repeating put down who your staying with income. I felt like they they enjoyed making me feel worthless"

~June 13, 2011

See it here http://maps.google.com/maps/user?uid=206534281000419763795&hl=en&gl=US&ved=0CDsQhQo&sa=X&ei=sYRGTrvmIan4ygXbxMzeAw

To be a Patriot, Part 2.

There were individuals who wanted to carry out the very same genocide of World War II in the United States, but through a different manner. T. Lothrop Stoddard was one of the Board of Director’s on The American Birth Control League and a writer for Sanger’s Birth Control Review. His book, The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy quotes him saying, “Non-white races must be excluded from America… the red and black races if left to themselves revert to a savage or semi-savage state in a short time (Stoddard).” It should come as no surprise that this man’s callous disdain for blacks caught the attention of Adolf Hitler; whom he once secured a private meeting with. Stoddard’s ideals were even published in Nazi school text books.

Another man on Margaret’s list of allies was a professor by the name of Dr. Eugen Fischer, who believed that “blacks are an inferior race of savages who should only be allowed to survive as long as they are of use to the Arian race (Maafa 21).”. His essay, “Eugenic Sterilization: An Urgent Need”, was published in the Birth Control Review in 1933. Fischer was eventually hired by Hitler and was a part of committees that saw to the sterilization of blacks in countries that came under Nazi control (Maafa 21).

Those dark days are over and done with, right? We have moved past racial corruption and embraced a new world where all are equal, regardless of the color of their skin. It’s sorry to say, but the oppressive weight of discrimination is alive and well in Planned Parenthood to this day. Within the past couple years a student run organization called Live Action has gone into Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation, exposing that Sanger’s ideals from over 90 years ago are rampant in the organization. In one of their many undercover videos, (2010) an actor poses as a potential donor and calls a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbus, Ohio. Within the first 40 seconds of the conversation the actor asks Lisa, the clinic’s administrative assistant, “When I underwrite an abortion, does that apply to minorities too?” to which she responds “If you specifically want it to underwrite an abortion for a minority person, you can target it that way. You can specify that’s’ how you want it spent... for whatever reason we’ll accept the money (http://liveaction.org/)”. Two other videos from this project followed in the same manor. In total, 4 out of the 7 clinics that were called endorsed the racist donation.( http://liveaction.org/). It doesn’t end there. Planned Parenthood’s lack of human respect extends far beyond the war on this country’s African-American brothers and sisters. This past January, Live Action released Planned Parenthood‘s most horrific truths to date; which, simply put, reveals them breaking the law.

On January 13^th of 2011, two actors from Live Action impersonating as a pimp and his prostitute, entered Planned Parenthood of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. What followed was a deplorable attack on innocence, liberty and the law by a Planned Parenthood employee, which sent shock waves through the nation. The “pimp” relates to clinic manager, Amy Woodruff, that some of his sex slaves “are young… like fifteen, fourteen… and some don’t even speak any English.( http://liveaction.org/)” From there the manager goes on to inform the pimp how to get the girls to lie about their own ages and the age of their partner, on paperwork when they return to receive services from the clinic.( http://liveaction.org/) According to the U.S. Code 2 and 1591, “Sex trafficking of minors is a federal crime and punishable by imprisonment for 10 years to life”, and “Any person who aids, abets or counsels a federal crime to be committed may be punished as if they had committed the crime themselves.”

In response to the illegal actions of their employee in the video, Planned Parenthood slams the group’s founder, Lila Rose, by saying they utilized “surreptitious videotaping and manipulative editing (McCormack, 2011)" Yet, consistency is lacking between their words and their actions, for the very day after the video’s release, Amy was fired (Eckholm & Medina, 2011). It is argued by many that these videos are not authentic. But that does not strike the validation of the situation. The same counsel would have been given regardless if they were actors or not. The only difference is the premeditated planting of a camera. It is safe to assume they have counseled truthful people in the same manner. These vulnerable citizens of the United States of America deserve better than this. America can do better than this. ..

-- To be continued

The Sidewalk Horror Stories

About 3 weeks ago Pat Radell and I were at Planned Parenthood and a young woman and her friend came out. It was obvious that she was in pain from having a surgical abortion, she was doubled-over, crying and was leaning on her friend very heavily. It was a hot day so she and her friend stood on the side of Planned Parenthood under a tree close to where Pat and I were praying. We went over and tried to comfort her and talk or pray with her, offering her information on Rachel’s Vineyard and after abortion-care. She didn’t speak English so her friend translated everything to her.

Emily Knearle – VP of PP marketing/public relations walked by several times and the first couple of times she never even acknowledged the woman. I went and got a folding chair from the back of my car so the poor woman could at least sit down while she waited for a ride. Finally, Emily came over and asked “Ya doin’ ok?” and then announced to both women “You know you don’t have to listen to them, right. You can if you want to but you don’t have to.” It seemed to us that PP was eager to be protective of getting this woman through the door to take her money and abort her child, but couldn’t be bothered with her after she left, broken-spirited, grieving, and in agony.

~Lorie Issel

Lorie is a member of Delaware's 40 Days for Life Campaign

Voices for the Unborn?

To be a Patriot, Part 1.

All around America there are traces of deception. The last place Americans expect to find it is in the healthcare department. Despite the trust that Planned Parenthood has earned from individuals throughout the years as a healthcare provider, they have dedicated years to building a wall of deception; in order to secure the multi-billion dollar revenue that flows through their doors. There is no other way to put it; they have been two-faced, manipulative and simply just out-right liars. From the shocking mentality of their founder to a woman who worked on the inside for eight years, it will finally be revealed why Planned Parenthood needs to be de-funded. “We the People” have a duty to ensure that every person partakes in the dream of our Founding Fathers; which is “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Amidst this time of strife, there is a war being waged on home soil against the vulnerable, the unsuspecting and the innocent. Who will fight on their behalf?

Planned Parenthood, which was originally called the American Birth Control League, was founded by Margaret Sanger; who is most popularly known for the liberation she brought to the female race in her push for birth control. But, not commonly known was that Margaret’s fight for the legalization of birth control was driven by eugenic ideals. In April of 1924 she wrote in her paper, the Birth Control Review that, “We must make this country into a garden for children instead of a disorderly back lot overrun with human weeds.”(p.111) Nobility on the behalf of Sanger was not present from the beginning; contrary to the empowering words Planned Parenthood eloquently states today. Birth control was not for women to “be in charge of their destinies[1]”. In her book Women and the New Race she speaks of birth control as “nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defectives.(p.229)” It’s interesting to note how Margaret Sanger would later change the name of her organization to Planned Parenthood. Perhaps she feared people would discover the true motives behind her birth control push; because the general public’s understanding of birth control was not the same ideal that motivated her actions.

Margaret specifically saw a certain race as these “human weeds “and “defectives”. The targeting of the black community is not only evident in her statements of this subject, but is brought to light through the people she surrounded herself with. In her autobiography that was published in1938, she relates how “a dozen invitations to speak to similar groups”(p.366) were extended to her when she spoke at a women’s branch of the Klu Klux Klan. Margaret strove to conceal her racism, but subtly infiltrated her ideals where, she believed, they would be the most undetected.

“The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. And the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members. (p. 17-18)”

These same, devious actions are carried out to this day, considering that 78% of Planned Parenthood clinics are located in minority neighborhoods. (http://www.blackgenocide.org/pla nned.html). Margaret Sanger was not alone in her barbaric fight to exterminate the black population. Who better yet to recruit as comrades in a hidden holocaust than those who assisted in one of the most horrific mass murders, human history has ever known?

--To Be Continued..

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[1] Planned Parenthood Matters. ( 2007-2008) Annual Report: Planned Parenthood. (p.24) Retrieved from http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/AR08_vFinal.pdf