Lord, turn my passion into compassion.
Lord, turn my passion into compassion.
Lord, turn my passion into compassion.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Why won't the pro-choice people talk to me? Are they ashamed or afraid?
I've been sitting here staring at my computer screen looking for the words to convey how heavy my heart is right now. As tears stream down my face, my mind races with flash after flash of horrible reminders of this morning. Today was a rite of passage for me. Today, I learned, I mean I *really* learned! I learned that being in the pro-life movement is hard work. It's a calling, a ministry, a mission.
I used to think people probably had good reasons for being pro-choice, I just had not heard any yet. So today, at the protest against the new abortion clinic opening up in Wichita, I dove right into the heart of the pro-choice movement. I felt really discouraged that my "friend" had shot down conversation about abortion with me yesterday. So I got to the protest, and right in front of me was about 8 pro-choice women. I approached them saying I was interested to know what their reasons for being pro-choice were. They were cold, heartless-seeming women! At first I thought they are just putting up a rigid front... but then they started talking to me. These women did not give me one actual reason why they were pro-choice. In fact, they told me they were not even interested in talking to me. I asked them why? They called me names.
Unable to control my tears, I went to my two role-models in the pro-life movement. They taught me many pieces of wisdom; things I heard before but never fully comprehended until now. These are sad truths, but they have proven themselves to be true throughout history-- over and over again...
1) Our job is to be compassionate
2) I have to learn how to control my passion
3) There is a time to speak and a time to remain silent in the mission
4) The hard-core pro-choicers know it's a baby, a human being-- they find ways to rationalize and will not be convinced through dialogue or debates.
5) Our main goal is to inform the ignorant-- that's where we can make a difference.
I used to think people probably had good reasons for being pro-choice, I just had not heard any yet. So today, at the protest against the new abortion clinic opening up in Wichita, I dove right into the heart of the pro-choice movement. I felt really discouraged that my "friend" had shot down conversation about abortion with me yesterday. So I got to the protest, and right in front of me was about 8 pro-choice women. I approached them saying I was interested to know what their reasons for being pro-choice were. They were cold, heartless-seeming women! At first I thought they are just putting up a rigid front... but then they started talking to me. These women did not give me one actual reason why they were pro-choice. In fact, they told me they were not even interested in talking to me. I asked them why? They called me names.
Unable to control my tears, I went to my two role-models in the pro-life movement. They taught me many pieces of wisdom; things I heard before but never fully comprehended until now. These are sad truths, but they have proven themselves to be true throughout history-- over and over again...
1) Our job is to be compassionate
2) I have to learn how to control my passion
3) There is a time to speak and a time to remain silent in the mission
4) The hard-core pro-choicers know it's a baby, a human being-- they find ways to rationalize and will not be convinced through dialogue or debates.
5) Our main goal is to inform the ignorant-- that's where we can make a difference.
Friday, December 17, 2010
If you're pro-choice, you probably don't know much about the abortion industry..
Someone on facebook says: Get a life lol
You don't call trying to save million of other lives a life? I wonder what you do consider one....
ok my phone has a comment from you... but facebook isn't showing it for some reason.. so far i have this: "haha here we go! I believe in women's rights... that being the option of having an abortion. I do hate how some women are irresponsible for taking care of baby so they have an abortion. Come on, there are better things to protest than that. We don't need another Tiller situation on our hands.. that's messed up."My response is this:
1) Yes, here we go, you are the one that opened the debate, so deal with the following..
2) I believe in WOMEN'S RIGHTS MORE THAN YOU DO! I can prove it to you because I, unlike you, have researched the heck out of abortion. Am I wrong..? have you spent hours upon hours each day researching how abortions affect women? listening to thousands of women tell their story about how they regret killing their own children? Have you ever taken the time to research how abortions are even performed? I recommend looking into suction abortions, those seem like they are REAL great for women!
3) If you are pro-abortion you either:
A) Do NOT realize the baby is a REAL HUMAN BEING with an intellect and a soul and its own individual DNA (SEPARATE FROM THE MOTHER'S-- so what about the babies' rights!? you know some babies are female too?) from the point of conception..
B) You don't believe in a soul, that's a whole other discussion!
C) You must not know much about how abortions are performed, how it affects women, planned parenthood's history, etc...
4)Why do you hate it that some women have abortions? You must realize there is something WRONG with it then?!?!?
5)What other things are better to protest than the right to life? Without that first right, there would be no others!
6) What do you mean by Tiller situation? If you are referring to his death, no one wanted him to die like that!
Lastly, I DO NOT JUDGE YOU FOR YOUR PRO-ABORTION VIEWS! IS IT FAIR FOR YOU TO PUT ME DOWN FOR MY VIEWS? IF YOU CAN NOT RESPECT ME, REGARDLESS OF WHAT I BELIEVE , THEN FEEL FREE TO UNFRIEND ME....
"Abortion is a private issue, I do not talk to people about it"
"It is a poverty that a child must die, So that you may live as you wish..." - Mother Teresa
How many of you have ever experienced being friends with a super gorgeous, intelligent, loving super-model? I am blessed enough to have met one recently and I have been developing a friendship with her over the past year.
Today, we were hanging out, just shootin the breeze, and I said to her "Do you think we're good enough friends and you are willing enough to discuss abortion with me?" I could tell she immediately felt uncomfortable. She responded, "I think that abortion is a private issue, like religion or politics, and I do not talk to people about it." I replied that the reason I wanted to talk to her about it in the first place was because I considered her an intelligent and sensible person. I explained that usually when I try to talk to people about abortion they just say one-liners at me and make it very clear that they are not interested in having that conversation. She thanked me and said "so what about abortion do you want to talk about?"
Me: "Well, there's so much to cover! What should i pick? Ok, how about you just explain to me why you are pro-choice?"
Her: "It's not even a question. It's the woman's body. She has the right to do what she wants with it. I believe that if a child is not-wanted or not ready to be taken care of, the only option is to have an abortion."
Me: "What about the right of the baby though?"
Her: "It doesn't have any rights until it is outside of the womb. Until then, the mother has the right to choose."
Me: "ok, i'll come back to that issue... But first, what about adoption?"
Her: "I could NEVER do that!"
Me: "What are you talking about? You could kill the baby but not give it the chance to live a happy and full life?"
Her: "After I see my baby for the first time, there is no way i could give it to someone else."
Me: "But once you have an abortion, you don't forget about the baby, you will always remember that you killed your child. That sounds really painful to me! I am not saying that women who have abortions should be condemned in anyway--they should be shown love--but, I just refuse to believe that a woman wouldn't regret it down the road if they have an abortion..."
Her: "I wouldn't regret it."
Me: "Do you understand the bonding that happens between the mother and child while the child is in the womb?"
Her: "yes"
Me: "Hmm.. what if you could never have children because the abortion ruins you're ability to reproduce?"
Her: "Then I would regret it!"
Me: "Ok, well you realize that's a risk you are taking when you have an abortion??"
Her: "Yes, life's not easy. It's very sad; but, you have to do what's necessary..."
Me: "Do you know what the different types of abortion procedures are?"
Her: "No idea.."
Me: "One type is where they use a powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge to dismember the body of the developing baby and it tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus... women who have had abortions of this type have literally seen parts of their baby being suctioned into the collection bottle and have nightmares about those images for the rest of their lives.. that is something i would not wish upon my worst enemy..."
Her: "Well, i really don't want to hear about the techniques..."
Me: "Why?"
*silence*
(At this point, I thought to myself, o no! What if she has had an abortion and that's why she does not want to talk about it.. so I reminded myself something I had learned at a pro-life training once.. 'there's a time to speak and a time to remain silent')
Me: "Well, listen I know abortion is a very painful topic to discuss and I appreciate you discussing it with me as much as you did. Let me know if you EVER have any questions or would like to discuss this again..."
Her: "We're talking right now, aren't we?"
Me: "haha, yes, I just figured you wanted to stop."
Her: "Well, do you have anything else to say about it?"
Me: "Yes, tons. I just wish you knew... ugh! how do I explain that women deserve better? Let's see, do you know anyone who has had an abortion?"
Her: "Yes, I have a 32 yr. old friend that just recently had an abortion."
Me: "How does she seem?"
Her: "Totally fine! She is very happy these days in fact!"
Me: "Well I can't speak for her, but I know at least a dozen women who have had abortions and regret it."
Her: *shrug*
Me: "It has been discovered that Planned Parenthood performs the "abortion" procedure to women who are NOT EVEN PREGNANT!"
Her: "What? How is that even possible?"
Me: "Women would go to them, thinking they might be pregnant, and get a pregnancy test. Whether or not the test was positive, Planned Parenthood has been known to give them a false "yes" so they could get the money from the abortion! The procedure usually damages the woman's reproductive system and is a very painful process to go through."
Her: "hmm.. i dunno about that."
Me: "Ok, well.. here's something you might care about.. do you consider yourself african american?"
Her: "I'm biracial, yes.."
Me: "Well did you know that Planned Parenthood was originally started by Margaret Sanger for the purpose of black genocide?"
*she responds by raising her eyebrows*
Me: "Don't you feel passionate about that?"
*she shrugs*
Her: "I would not go to Planned Parenthood. I'd go to my doctor."
Me: "Most doctors are not trained to perform abortions though."
**I get teary-eyed at this point**
Her: "um, what's wrong?"
Me: "I'm just really sad. I'm sad that it seems like you are not convinced that babies in the womb are legitimately human! It's a big deal! That's the reason I speak out about it.. because someone has to defend the babies!"
__________________________________________________________________________________
After about an hour and a half of talking to her, the conversation came to an end and we parted ways. I sat around beating myself up for not saying all the right responses that I've been trained to give. Looking back though, i'm glad that I did not debate her on every point and that I didn't respond with formulaic answers. I think this way she is a lot more likely to discuss the topic again with me. Hopefully she realized that I view every person as valuable, regardless of size or location (in or outside the womb). With some people, we are called to be a witness to the truth and that is all.
How many of you have ever experienced being friends with a super gorgeous, intelligent, loving super-model? I am blessed enough to have met one recently and I have been developing a friendship with her over the past year.
Today, we were hanging out, just shootin the breeze, and I said to her "Do you think we're good enough friends and you are willing enough to discuss abortion with me?" I could tell she immediately felt uncomfortable. She responded, "I think that abortion is a private issue, like religion or politics, and I do not talk to people about it." I replied that the reason I wanted to talk to her about it in the first place was because I considered her an intelligent and sensible person. I explained that usually when I try to talk to people about abortion they just say one-liners at me and make it very clear that they are not interested in having that conversation. She thanked me and said "so what about abortion do you want to talk about?"
Me: "Well, there's so much to cover! What should i pick? Ok, how about you just explain to me why you are pro-choice?"
Her: "It's not even a question. It's the woman's body. She has the right to do what she wants with it. I believe that if a child is not-wanted or not ready to be taken care of, the only option is to have an abortion."
Me: "What about the right of the baby though?"
Her: "It doesn't have any rights until it is outside of the womb. Until then, the mother has the right to choose."
Me: "ok, i'll come back to that issue... But first, what about adoption?"
Her: "I could NEVER do that!"
Me: "What are you talking about? You could kill the baby but not give it the chance to live a happy and full life?"
Her: "After I see my baby for the first time, there is no way i could give it to someone else."
Me: "But once you have an abortion, you don't forget about the baby, you will always remember that you killed your child. That sounds really painful to me! I am not saying that women who have abortions should be condemned in anyway--they should be shown love--but, I just refuse to believe that a woman wouldn't regret it down the road if they have an abortion..."
Her: "I wouldn't regret it."
Me: "Do you understand the bonding that happens between the mother and child while the child is in the womb?"
Her: "yes"
Me: "Hmm.. what if you could never have children because the abortion ruins you're ability to reproduce?"
Her: "Then I would regret it!"
Me: "Ok, well you realize that's a risk you are taking when you have an abortion??"
Her: "Yes, life's not easy. It's very sad; but, you have to do what's necessary..."
Me: "Do you know what the different types of abortion procedures are?"
Her: "No idea.."
Me: "One type is where they use a powerful suction tube with a sharp cutting edge to dismember the body of the developing baby and it tears the placenta from the wall of the uterus... women who have had abortions of this type have literally seen parts of their baby being suctioned into the collection bottle and have nightmares about those images for the rest of their lives.. that is something i would not wish upon my worst enemy..."
Her: "Well, i really don't want to hear about the techniques..."
Me: "Why?"
*silence*
(At this point, I thought to myself, o no! What if she has had an abortion and that's why she does not want to talk about it.. so I reminded myself something I had learned at a pro-life training once.. 'there's a time to speak and a time to remain silent')
Me: "Well, listen I know abortion is a very painful topic to discuss and I appreciate you discussing it with me as much as you did. Let me know if you EVER have any questions or would like to discuss this again..."
Her: "We're talking right now, aren't we?"
Me: "haha, yes, I just figured you wanted to stop."
Her: "Well, do you have anything else to say about it?"
Me: "Yes, tons. I just wish you knew... ugh! how do I explain that women deserve better? Let's see, do you know anyone who has had an abortion?"
Her: "Yes, I have a 32 yr. old friend that just recently had an abortion."
Me: "How does she seem?"
Her: "Totally fine! She is very happy these days in fact!"
Me: "Well I can't speak for her, but I know at least a dozen women who have had abortions and regret it."
Her: *shrug*
Me: "It has been discovered that Planned Parenthood performs the "abortion" procedure to women who are NOT EVEN PREGNANT!"
Her: "What? How is that even possible?"
Me: "Women would go to them, thinking they might be pregnant, and get a pregnancy test. Whether or not the test was positive, Planned Parenthood has been known to give them a false "yes" so they could get the money from the abortion! The procedure usually damages the woman's reproductive system and is a very painful process to go through."
Her: "hmm.. i dunno about that."
Me: "Ok, well.. here's something you might care about.. do you consider yourself african american?"
Her: "I'm biracial, yes.."
Me: "Well did you know that Planned Parenthood was originally started by Margaret Sanger for the purpose of black genocide?"
*she responds by raising her eyebrows*
Me: "Don't you feel passionate about that?"
*she shrugs*
Her: "I would not go to Planned Parenthood. I'd go to my doctor."
Me: "Most doctors are not trained to perform abortions though."
**I get teary-eyed at this point**
Her: "um, what's wrong?"
Me: "I'm just really sad. I'm sad that it seems like you are not convinced that babies in the womb are legitimately human! It's a big deal! That's the reason I speak out about it.. because someone has to defend the babies!"
__________________________________________________________________________________
After about an hour and a half of talking to her, the conversation came to an end and we parted ways. I sat around beating myself up for not saying all the right responses that I've been trained to give. Looking back though, i'm glad that I did not debate her on every point and that I didn't respond with formulaic answers. I think this way she is a lot more likely to discuss the topic again with me. Hopefully she realized that I view every person as valuable, regardless of size or location (in or outside the womb). With some people, we are called to be a witness to the truth and that is all.
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