sobering statistics

Planned Parenthood, by far the leading abortion perpetrator in America, has finally released its 2008 annual report. They performed 134 human abortions for every 1 adoption referral. I realize abortion is the most lucrative part of their business, but you'd wish they'd be at least a little bit embarrassed by that extraordinary bias.

Adoption is always the better option. Ours is not the right to choose who will get a chance at life and who won't. What if my mother had chosen to abort me? What if your mother had chosen to abort you? The fact is, with Planned Parenthood around, none of us is safe.

Vita Pro Omni!

pro-life 101

"There are more people working full-time to kill babies than there are working full-time to save them."

Stephanie Gray from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform has a job I'd love to take on someday. Watch her video for articulate, reasoned, and unemotional pro-life apologetics.

Vita Pro Omni!

just an afternoon chat

This afternoon I had a great conversation with Jody*, an employee from Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia, and with Brittany* and Amber*, some girls from the William and Mary chapter of VOX (Voices for Planned Parenthood). They were all three sitting in our Student Center offering the morning-after pill at a reduced price as part of their EC (emergency contraception) Day on campus. So when I walked by their table on my way to get a Quiznos sub for lunch, I stopped, said hello, and started talking.

Although I made it known from the start that I disagreed with their organization and their EC sale (Brittany asked me later whether I was a member of Students for Life, to which I replied yes and invited her to drop in on a meeting sometime-- I'll be visiting VOX's meeting next week), my goal in approaching them was not to argue. I wanted to talk. I hoped they would get to know me as an approachable face from the "other side" here on campus. I asked a lot of questions. I listened for a long time.

I did ask Jody when she thought life began. She said viability. I asked her what the fetus was prior to viability. She paused and stammered and finally laughed, saying, "It's hard to explain." As she was struggling for an answer, I felt a sense of sympathy for her. It was clear she had been lied to about the entire issue-- to the point where she, a woman who deals with pregnancy for a living, couldn't even explain what a fetus was.

I decided to change the course of the conversation a bit, and asked Jody what it was like to work for Planned Parenthood. I asked her about the kinds of conversations they have with girls who come in with unplanned pregnancies. I asked her if it ever made any of the nurses sad or uncomfortable to see fetal remains after an abortion. She hesitated. Finally, she looked up and said, "It's hard, you know... well, I shouldn't use the word hard... I don't know. It's just, I have kids of my own and..." (she glanced down at her 6-month-pregnant belly) "...it affects some nurses more than others."

Though only about 45 minutes long, my conversation with Jody, Brittany, and Amber reminded me that we are all more similar than we often think. We all understand the intrinsic value of human life and feel a sense of sadness in destroying it. It may be possible to numb ourselves from that sadness for awhile, but no one can stay detached forever. If we engage these conversations, I think people will awaken to their natural senses-- and choose life over death.

Be loving. Be brave.

Life will win.

Vita Pro Omni!

*Names have been changed

what women deserve to know

I shared via Facebook the fact that Missouri abortion clinics recently added several basic, informational stipulations. Women now receive a brochure containing the words, "The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being."

Many people asked me where I had read that information. It can be found here.

Vita Pro Omni!

darling darrs

My fabulous friends Allie and Jordan Darr recently welcomed a second little one into their family: Luke Cosmas.

Luke was born on August 13 at 3:20 pm, and weighed 7 lb, 11 oz. He was 19 inches long.

Both Allie and little Luke are doing wonderfully. Vincent loves being a big brother.

Jordan, meanwhile, loves having another little man following in his footsteps... ;)

Vita Pro Omni!

freakonomics, racism, and hot fudge

Freakonomics, Racism, and Hot Fudge

Five years after its publication, Freakonomics is still in vogue.

It’s also still a master in muddling.

The 2005 book, a collection of articles written by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, applies economic principles to various cultural and sociological issues— an interesting marriage indeed. And America certainly ate it up.

Freakonomics peaked at number two on the New York Times Best Seller list among nonfiction and was dubbed the 2006 Book Sense Book of the Year in the Adult Nonfiction category. The authors created the Freakonomics blog in 2005 (hiring a full-time editor in 2007) in an effort to maintain the discussion— one that has been assimilated indefinitely into the New York Times website. And just this year, a documentary film adaptation of the book was produced to be released by Magnolia Pictures in the fall.

Read full article here.

doing good moral math

Doing Good Moral Math

It seems talk about early human life is everywhere. The media certainly doesn’t emphasize the fact that they are speaking about tiny human beings when they discuss this issue or that issue, but nonetheless, the talk is there.

Just last month, the Washington Post featured an article about a 30-year-old woman undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo freezing to “postpone parenthood.”[1] And newspaper articles from recent years in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York have revealed each state’s lucidencouragement of embryonic stem cell research.[2]

Amidst all of this dialogue and grappling, it seems the central question is often left out of the equation: What is the moral status of early human life?

Read full article here.

[1] “Washington Post Commentary Explores Embryo Freezing”, Medical News Today, May 28, 2010.

[2] NCSL (National Conference of State Legislatures), Stem Cell Research, January 2008.