South Korean success story

C-Fam Friday Fax: This is so good, I'm going to reproduce most of it here --

Pro-life Doctors Movement and South Korea's Abortion Ban

South Korea’s highest court upheld that country's 59-year abortion ban last week, amidst a surge of pro-life activism led by former abortionists. On Wednesday the government reversed a decision that would have lifted the prescription requirement for emergency contraception.

. . . What dramatically changed dynamics in Korea was that the government, which had for decades encouraged doctors to perform abortion as a means of population control to foster economic growth, expressed official support for a pro-life doctor's group. Because of that, "the political terrain of abortion politics in South Korea is changing drastically," researcher Young-Gyung Paik said.

Young-Gyung's 2012 paper showed that pro-life activism, long marginalized as "religiously driven," suddenly gained prominence: "It was only after the formation of the group of doctors called 'Pro-life Doctors' in 2009 that the contentious issue of abortion started to gain public attention in South Korea." "In [the doctors'] opinion, the South Korea’s low fertility rate has originated from its high abortion rate, which, in turn, was the result of the immoral and profit-oriented conducts of Korean medical doctors," Young-Gyung found.

Whereas Korean media painted the pro-life activism as a "war between doctors," Young-Gyung's extensive interviews with both sides found it was fostered by the development of neo-natal medical technologies, decreased interest in embryonic stem cell research, the rise of disability activism, as well as concern about depopulation.

. . . "I bought into the government's argument that it was OK to do this," Shim Sang-duk told the Los AngelesTimes in 2010. The doctor received death threats and took a significant pay cut after abandoning the practice of abortion. "[I thought] it was good for the country. It boosted the economy," said Shim, who founded the Korean Gynecological Physicians' Association to encourage other doctors to stop performing abortions and call on the government to enforce the law's penalties.

. . . Abortion has been illegal in South Korea with exceptions for rape, incest or severe genetic disorders since 1953, but the law has been routinely flouted.

Kwak Seung-jun, chairman of the Presidential Council for Future & Vision, told reporters in 2010: "There are few people who realize abortion is illegal. We must work to create a mood where abortion is discouraged."

Related: What the Media Missed: Looking into South Korea’s Abortion Ban

Bauer: Botching the abortion debate

Bauer: Botching the abortion debate - Conservative News: The proper Republican response to the Akin incident is to regret the congressman’s ineptness while vigorously confronting the social radicalism of today’s Democratic Party.

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British couples flying to US for banned baby sex selection

British couples flying to US for banned baby sex selection - Telegraph: Dozens of couples are flying to the US every year to choose the sex of their babies, a practice banned in Britain three years ago.

Editor: And why isn't it banned here?

Related: Scientists create sperm from skin sample

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Four ways the president affects abortion rights

Four ways the president affects abortion rights: In an interview with CBS News Monday night, Mitt Romney argued that abortion was not an issue for the presidential election. “This is a matter of the courts,” Romney said. “It’s been settled for some time by the courts.” The Supreme Court is certainly the only body that can overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. But that does not mean the president does not hold sway over what abortion rights look like in a wide variety of ways.

See also: 
Christians Have Responsibility to Vote to Further Pro-Life Cause
Abortion gains as political issue

Editor: But what about when the candidate is so lukewarm? Tell me again why we should be excited about this ticket?
Romney's sister says he would never ban abortion (not that pro-aborts are buying it)
Romney's view on abortion are clear (that he allows for the exceptions of rape, incest, and a mother's health)

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Wheaton's Birth Control Mandate Suit Dismissed

Wheaton's Birth Control Mandate Suit Dismissed - US - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com: The federal judge threw out Wheaton's suit after the government altered an exemption to include the college. That exemption gives religious institutions one year to comply. The government said it will re-do the mandate to protect religious freedom before the exemption expires.

Related: Evangelical Presbyterian Church states objection to HHS mandate to cover abortion

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Romney: My views on abortion rights are clear

Romney: My views on abortion rights are clear - CBS News: In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, Mitt Romney said his views on abortion rights are more lenient than those put forward in the Republican party platform. "My position has been clear throughout this campaign," Romney said. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother."

Editor: This puts him at odds with us and other pro-life organizations.

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Prenatal genome sequencing expected to pose challenges to doctors

Prenatal genome sequencing expected to pose challenges to doctors - amednews.com: Geneticists soon will be able to identify an unborn child’s risk of developing chronic diseases later in life and possibly shed light on other traits, such as athletic ability and intelligence, medical experts say. The source of such information probably will be the expectant mother’s blood sample. For the first time, researchers recently extracted fetal DNA from a pregnant woman’s blood and examined the unborn baby’s genome. The procedure — prenatal whole genome sequencing — is not yet available in the clinical setting.

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The Democrats’ Abortion Moment

The Democrats’ Abortion Moment - NYTimes.com: "[M]any Democratic politicians have something in common with Akin: They have abortion positions well outside the American mainstream. Because the press is reliably sympathetic to the cause of abortion rights, and because pro-choice extremism tends to be the province of sophisticates and tastemakers, this reality does not always get the attention it deserves. But it’s crucial to understanding the risk that the Democrats are taking if they set out to make this election a referendum on abortion."

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Downstream, in the Moral Sewage

Downstream, in the Moral Sewage | Challies Dot Com: "[Y]oung women today are convinced that their bodies are all their own, that they can hook up with whomever they want whenever they want without emotional scars. What is tragic is that they think this is their own idea, that they are the revolutionaries. What they don’t see is that they are swimming downstream from someone else’s sewage. "

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Another Abortion Falsehood from Obama’s ‘Truth Team’

FactCheck.org : Another Abortion Falsehood from Obama’s ‘Truth Team’: The Obama campaign is falsely accusing the Republican Party’s platform of calling for banning abortions even in cases of rape or incest. That’s not true. The 2012 platform is silent on exceptions — leaving that decision up to Congress and the states — just as it was in 2008 and in previous presidential election years. To make matters worse, the latest falsehood comes from the president’s “Truth Team.”

Related: 
Embryonic stem cell in GOP platform, but no longer controversial -- because it doesn't work!
Full GOP platform statement on abortion
Stupak, Pro-Life Dems Plan to Counter Planned Parenthood & NARAL at Democratic Convention
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Down's syndrome testing hits several European markets

AFP: Down's syndrome testing hits several European markets: A new prenatal test for Down's syndrome hit the market in Germany and several other European countries Monday, the manufacturer said, amid a controversy over whether it could lead to more abortions. In June, the international federation of Down's syndrome organisations objected to such testing at the European Court of Human Rights.

The product, marketed as PrenaTest and manufactured by German life sciences company LifeCodexx, "is targeted exclusively toward women in their 12th week of pregnancy and beyond who are at an increased risk" of delivering a child with Down's syndrome, the company said in a statement.

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Appeals court panel says federally funded embryonic stem cell research can continue

Appeals court panel says federally funded embryonic stem cell research can continue - The Washington Post: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld a lower court decision throwing out a lawsuit that challenged federal funding for the research, which is used in pursuit of cures to deadly diseases. Opponents claimed the National Institutes of Health was violating the 1996 Dickey-Wicker law that prohibits taxpayer financing for work that harms an embryo.

Americans United for Life analysis

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The Gospel Is More Than a Story: Rethinking Narrative and Testimony

The Gospel Is More Than a Story: Rethinking Narrative and Testimony | Christianity Today: Leslie Leyland Fields says, "Story is all the rage. Everyone pants to tell their personal narrative or to give the Bible a simpler and more relevant plot. Maybe it isn't such a good idea." Important article.

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Celebrate William Wilberforce Day - August 25

Celebrating William Wilberforce Day! | Blog | Joni and Friends: William Wilberforce was a very busy man: he was a British parliamentarian, Christian, philanthropist, and social activist. August 25th is William Wilberforce Day! He dedicated his life to making the Gospel real by fighting against injustice and the social ills of his time. As the psalms say, he "defended the rights of the weak and needy," and "spoke up on behalf of those who could speak for themselves.”

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What it means to be a Bible-believer

By Steve Mayo, missionary to Australia. "Trends in Christianity come and go, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. That’s why we must be Bible-believers in word and in deed."

Hubert Humphrey opposed abortion

MCCL Blog: What you won't hear about Humphrey at his memorial dedication: He opposed abortion: Hubert H. Humphrey was a Democrat and a progressive for sure, but he was also a believer in civil rights and social justice. When asked on the campaign trail about legalized abortion he said flat out, "I am not for it." One of his most famous quotes from 1976 underscores his concern for society's most vulnerable citizens: "The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."

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Baptists vs. Sebelius

National Review: Last week, the Obama administration did it again. In a new bulletin, the Department of Health and Human Services implied that there are more faith-based entities who can apply for a “safe harbor” from its controversial “contraception” mandate.

The revised safe harbor does nothing for businesses — such as the Hercules HVAC company in Denver, which won an injunction in late July, or the Seneca Hardwood Lumber Company in Pennsylvania – with regard to conscience objections to the mandate.

The one-year delay may be the most insulting part of the mandate. All it does, as both Catholic Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Presbyterian Philip Ryken, the president of the evangelical Wheaton College, have noted, is to tell faith-based entities — many of them providers of social services — that they have a year to figure out how to violate their consciences.

A Message from a Bachelor Pastor to His Congregation before His Wedding

The Gospel Coalition: Steve DeWitt has been Senior Pastor at Bethel Church in Crown Point, Indiana for 14 years. At the age of 44, Steve just preached his last sermon as a single man. He offers some important advice for single people:

I want to speak frankly to the matter of sexual purity. I have fought the fight for purity since my first real girlfriend in 10th grade. That is 28 years. It’s hard to believe. As an adult single in the Christian dating scene, it is frightening to see how little concern there generally is about sexual purity. Yet God’s Word makes it clear, God’s will is for our sanctification – that we control our bodies with holiness and honor. If you would have told the 18-year-old me I would still be dating in my 40s, I would have thought, “Well, at least the temptations aren’t as strong. You’re old. You probably don’t even think about it.” I actually think in some ways it’s harder as an adult than as a college student.

In spite of all the struggles and challenges, purity is worth it. After 28 years of battling this, let me share a few lessons I have learned.

The Pastoral Practicality Of Law-Gospel Theology

The Pastoral Practicality Of Law-Gospel Theology – Tullian Tchividjian: "If we really love people and want to see them truly set free, we have to get out of God’s way and let the law do its crushing work so that the gospel can do its curing work. I’ve seen way too many lives ruined because parents, pastors, families, and friends have cushioned the fall of someone they love–robbing that person from ever experiencing true deliverance because they never experience true desperation. "

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I’m Tired of Hearing “The Gospel”

I’m Tired of Hearing “The Gospel” (Warning: Mild Rant) – Pure Church by Thabiti Anyabwile: "I know I need Jesus. I know the news is good. I need reminders specifically enumerating the reasons why."

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Evangelical Colleges Biola and Grace Sue Obama Administration over Contraceptive Mandate

Evangelical Colleges Biola and Grace Sue Obama Ad... | Christianity Today: The California- and Indiana-based colleges join Wheaton College in suing over health care law.

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Despite Apology, Left Continues to Assail Akin

Despite Apology, Left Continues Its Belly Akin: Family Research Council writes, "Was his statement offensive? Absolutely. Was it inappropriate? Without a doubt. But if we abandoned every politician who made a ridiculous comment in their careers, there'd be no one left in Washington! Todd Akin has a long and distinguished record of defending women, children, and families--and unlike the GOP establishment, I refuse to throw him under the bus over one inarticulate comment for which he has apologized. If Congressmen Akin stays in the race, it will be up to voters to decide if his candidacy is a viable one. Until then, FRC Action is not going to walk away from a man whom we support based on a lifetime of service--not one indefensible moment."

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Unearthed Video Shows Obama Supporting Late-Term Abortions

Unearthed Video Shows Obama Supporting Late-Term Abortions | LifeNews.com: Weekly Standard reporter John McCormack has unearthed an old video from 2003, when President Barack Obama was running for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, in which he defends his position favoring late-term abortions.

OBAMA: “I am pro-choice.”

REPORTER: “In all situations including the late term thing?”

OBAMA: “I am pro-choice. I believe that women make responsible choices and they know better than anybody the tragedy of a difficult pregnancy and I don’t think that it’s the government’s role to meddle in that choice.”

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Morality and the Irrationality of an Evolutionary Worldview

Morality and the Irrationality of an Evolutionary Worldview - Answers in Genesis: Morality is a very difficult problem for the evolutionary worldview. This is not to say that evolutionists are somehow less moral than biblical creationists—or anyone else. Most evolutionists adhere to a moral code and believe in the concept of right and wrong. But evolutionists have no rational reason for this position. Thus, only creationists have a rational, logical, and consistent reason for morality.

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The Complicated Politics of Abortion

The Complicated Politics of Abortion | Pew Research Center for the People and the Press: Democrats (65%) say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases; most Republicans (57%) say it should be illegal in all or most cases. Republicans are divided over the extent to which abortion should be illegal: 22% say it should be illegal in all cases while 35% say it should be illegal in most cases. There is no consensus among Democrats either: 26% say abortion should be legal in all cases and 39% in most cases.

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New Republican Party platform strongly pro-life

New Republican Party platform strongly pro-life | LifeSiteNews.com: The Committee approved a new party platform that strongly defends the sanctity of human life. A key provision in the document is a call for a Human Life Amendment to the US Constitution, a provision that has been in place since 1976, just three years after Roe v. Wade. And, in an historic first, the document now includes information about the negative impact of abortion on women, a provision that was approved unanimously by the delegates.

Meanwhile, pro-abortion-rights leaders will speak at Democratic convention. And GOP grassroots furious at Romney over Akin, abortion rape exception. Finally, Full GOP pro-life platform strongly opposes abortion and euthanasia.

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Get to Know: The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

The EFC - Mission and Vision: The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is the national association of evangelical Christians in Canada. It gathers Evangelicals together for impact, influence and identity in ministry and public witness. Since 1964 the EFC has provided a national forum for Evangelicals and a constructive voice for biblical principles in life and society. Read their declaration on human life.

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Secretive suppression of Canadian abortion data ‘obstructs’ democracy

Secretive suppression of Canadian abortion data ‘obstructs’ democracy: new report | LifeSiteNews.com: Gaping holes in Canadian abortion data and the surreptitious passage of legislation in Ontario saying abortion data can no longer be obtained, even through a Freedom of Information request, is nothing other than the “obstruction” of democracy, according to a new report (Black Holes: Canada’s Missing Abortion Data) by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

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Pastors address abortion in the African-American community

Pastors address abortion in the African-American community - Local - Ohio: Three Northeast Ohio pastors have come together to urge pastors in the African-American church to use their pulpits to address issues affecting the black community. They’re starting with abortion.

The Choose Life Conference, called What If You Were Chosen to Be Aborted?, was hosted by the Rev. Roderick Pounds at Second Baptist Church in Akron. It attracted more than 50 people, mostly pastors and church leaders, and featured talks by Star Parker and the Rev. Stephen Broden.

Broden, senior pastor at Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Dallas, has been a leader in the black anti-abortion movement for decades. He reminded pastors that it is their responsibility to represent the Christian worldview on abortion. “How is it that we are murdering our kids at an alarming rate and why does it seem that no one is saying anything about it? Pastors, there is a judgment that awaits us for our silence. Pastors play a strategic role in turning this around. We are witnessing a war on black babies, a war on black women and a war on black families and we must stop it."

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Mobile Truck Offers DNA Tests to Go

Who’s Your Daddy? Mobile Truck Offers DNA Tests to Go - ABC News: In what may be a first anywhere, a “Who’s Your Daddy” truck is cruising New York City selling DNA tests to people who want to confirm their child’s paternity or even whether their parents are biologically related to them.

Related, in an round-about way: Scientists Closer to Birth Control Pill for Men

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The Pro-Life Movement Must Disavow Akin Comment

Dennis Prager: The Pro-Life Movement Must Disavow Akin Comment: "It is . . . morally incumbent on conservatives to do everything in their power not to give the left legitimate targets. Therefore, the pro-life movement should announce that the comment on pregnancy has no basis in truth. And since truth is a supreme conservative and religious value, the movement neither espouses nor condones untruths. The Republican Party has said this. And since Todd Akin has not said this, his candidacy is no longer viable."

Related:

• Medical opinion similar to Akin's has been cited for decades
• Todd Akin’s rape remark has GOP fretting
• Obama, McCaskill, Funded Group Failing to Report Child Rape
• Media at war

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Have We Stopped Protecting Our Girls?

Have We Stopped Protecting Our Girls?, Christian Women, Faith, Spiritual Life: The end of James 1:27 exhorts us to keep ourselves "unstained by the world" and 1 Peter 1:16 says we should "be holy" as God is holy. For those involved in ministry to young women and parents of girls and young women, the question is: How can we help our young women live holy lives in a "hook-up" culture? How can we encourage this in our young women, knowing full well that they are bombarded daily with messages that do anything but encourage holiness?

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Evangelicals, Premarital Sexual Ethics, and My Grocery List

Evangelicals, Premarital Sexual Ethics, and My Grocery List | First Things: "Evangelicals need to construct a theology of sexual relations that informs the question of premarital sexual boundaries."

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Undue influence

WORLDmag.com | Undue influence | J.C. Derrick | Aug 14, 12: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month approved the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and sent it to the full Senate, where it will need a two-thirds majority—67 votes—for ratification. The treaty’s supporters include Democrats and some Republicans, including Sen. John McCain and former President George H.W. Bush and former Sen. Bob Dole. They contend the agreement would essentially widen the effects of the Americans with Disabilities Act, giving disabled American citizens more rights when traveling abroad.

But according to Home School Legal Defense Association chairman Michael Farris the CRPD would undermine the American with Disabilities Act rather than strengthen it, taking away U.S. sovereignty and handing it over to unelected UN bureaucrats.

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Conference: A theology of adoption for the church

Our Triune God & The Pastor: Adoption Conference: The doctrine of adoption is becoming more prominent and getting more attention. There are more books and articles devoted to various aspects of it, and more theologians are putting an emphasis on it. . . . The other important thing happening right now with adoption is a movement among Christians to actually adopt.

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Did Americas bygone golden age truly exist?

Morning Joe: Did Americas bygone golden age truly exist?: In an interview about her book, What's the Matter with White People, Salon editor Joan Walsh points to 1973 as the start of a change for this country -- the start of its downward spiral. "Everything changed in 1973." Hmmm.

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Todd Akin’s rape remark has GOP fretting

Todd Akin’s rape remark has GOP fretting - David Catanese - POLITICO.com: Answering a question about abortion from a local Fox station in St. Louis, Rep. Tod Akin said victims of “legitimate rape” very rarely get pregnant because their bodies prevent them from doing so. “If it’s legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” he told reporter Charles Jaco.

Editor: What does the idea of "legitimate rape" suggest to all the women who have become pregnant after rape? I don't know who the doctors were who gave Akin this idea, but they were not reliable.

Related:

• Akin’s Opposition to Rape Exception vs. Obama’s Infanticide Support
• Woman Conceived in Rape Responds to Akin Abortion Controversy
• Akin's Abortion View: More Widespread in GOP Than You Think

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Religious Hostilities in America

Religious Hostilities: The Survey of Religious Hostility in America is a collection of more than 600 cases, detailing religious bigotry throughout America -- most of which have occurred within the past 10 years.

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Dozens of pastors ask city leaders to "protect human life"

Dozens of pastors ask city leaders to "protect human life" - Pastors Pro-Life Resource Center: The construction of a new Planned Parenthood mega abortion center motivated 38 pastors and church leaders to join together yesterday in an effort to present a "Solemn Appeal" document asking the City Council of Bakersfield to "protect human life from the threat of Planned Parenthood."

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Captain Witold Pilecki: The Auschwitz Volunteer

Captain Witold Pilecki: The Auschwitz Volunteer | Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform: Witold Pilecki purposely got himself rounded up with Polish Jews so he could discover and document what was going on in Auschwitz. From the essay:

He worked swiftly to organize an inmate resistance movement, and kept a detailed account of the horrors he witnessed in a notebook he smuggled past the guards. Starting November 1940, the first accounts of the genocide that was occurring were sent to the resistance forces in the outside world, often with prisoners who escaped.

The resistance army was completely in disbelief about the horrors Pilecki described. They refused to accept the horrific reality of the ovens, the gas chambers, and the injections used to murder people. They thought Pilecki was exaggerating and refused to send troops to help with Pilecki’s proposed uprising.

It took two and a half years for Pilecki’s messages to reach the British and American authorities. Once again they were ignored and dismissed as “exaggerations.”

These were, sadly, not the most atrocious parts of his story.

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Pat Robertson strikes again

This time, he demeans adoption and special-needs kids:

Read Russell Moore's response: Pat Robertson vs. the Spirit of Adoption --

[I]f you want to see the gospel of Christ, the gospel that has energized this church for two thousand years, turn off the television. The grinning cartoon characters who claim to speak for Christ don’t speak for him. Find the followers who do what Jesus did. Find the people who risk their lives to carry a beaten stranger to safety. Find the houses opened to unwed mothers and their babies in crisis. Find the men who are man enough to be a father to troubled children of multiple ethnicity and backgrounds.

And find a Sunday School class filled with children with Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy and fetal alcohol syndrome. Find a place where no one considers them “weird” or “defective,” but where they joyfully sing, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Someone, please tell Mr. Robertson to step aside. 

What Does “Conversation” Really Mean?

What Does “Conversation” Really Mean? | Around the World with Ken Ham: scholars say they want to talk about science and faith, but they really just want to push their compromising view of theistic evolution without entertaining a response to their claims.

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Genetically engineering 'ethical' babies is a moral obligation, says Oxford professor

Genetically engineering 'ethical' babies is a moral obligation, says Oxford professor - Telegraph: Professor Julian Savulescu said that creating so-called designer babies could be considered a "moral obligation" as it makes them grow up into "ethically better children." The expert in practical ethics said that we should actively give parents the choice to screen out personality flaws in their children as it meant they were then less likely to "harm themselves and others." The academic, who is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Ethics, made his comments in an article in the latest edition of Reader's Digest.

Commentary by Wesley J. Smith: Reader's Digest pushes eugenics

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A long shadow: Nazi doctors, moral vulnerability and contemporary medical culture

A long shadow: Nazi doctors, moral vulnerability and contemporary medical culture -- Colaianni 38 (7): 435 -- Journal of Medical Ethics: More than 7% of all German physicians became members of the Nazi SS during World War II, compared with less than 1% of the general population. In so doing, these doctors willingly participated in genocide, something that should have been antithetical to the values of their chosen profession. The participation of physicians in torture and murder both before and after World War II is a disturbing legacy seldom discussed in medical school, and underrecognised in contemporary medicine. Is there something inherent in being a physician that promotes a transition from healer to murderer?

Editor: This is the same journal that published "After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?" There is a connection. Doctors or anyone who accept the idea that some human beings are not persons will participate in whatever murderous endeavor is at hand. So, no, there is nothing inherent in being a doctor that promotes such a transition, but there is something inherent in the naturalistic, post-modern worldview.

Related: Here's something new about the author of "After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?" --
Genetically engineering 'ethical' babies is a moral obligation, says Oxford professor.
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Don’t ‘discern,’ join the fight for the unborn…now

Don’t ‘discern,’ join the fight for the unborn…now | LifeSiteNews.com: Jonathan van Maren of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform responds to Rolley Haggard's call for more leadership from the pulpit concerning abortion (and here) --

"When recruiting activists to the pro-life cause, this is one of the immensely frustrating things that can happen. People will see the reality of abortion, become convicted of their responsibility to do something about it, and immediately lapse into an interminable period of 'finding their calling,' 'discerning,' or a variety of other costly delays. And when I say costly, I mean that the pro-life movement needs people to confront the culture and save babies, and they need them now. The hourglass is dripping drops of blood. . . . We know how to end abortion, and we know it’s not easy."

Editor: I think I understand what van Maren is saying because I'm well aware of the kind of "discernment" with which he's frustrated. It's the kind that says a person shouldn't move unless and until he's heard a special, private word from God. God's word reveals His will, and He clearly says to all, "rescue those who are being delivered to death" (Proverbs 24:11).

But to say we shouldn't use discernment is dangerous and foolish. It would be like saying, "Don't love" or "Don't pray." Discernment is a godly virtue (Matthew 16:3, Philippians 1:9, and Hebrews 5:14).

And it's a little crazy for van Maren to say this because the group he's working with promotes a different tactic from the one proposed by Haggard. In fact, his essay goes on to cite Joe Foreman who wrote, "We will never transform our culture by politicking for a surface change in the law." Yet a political solution -- urged on through preaching -- is precisely what Haggard proposed. And this quote was taken from a book Foreman wrote in support of yet another tactic -- the rescues/blockades at abortion clinics of the '80s. If one were to jump on a bandwagon, one would have to first decide which direction to leap.

I'm amused by van Maren's statement that "we know how to end abortion." We do? Judging by the wide array of pro-life groups and the multiplicity of tactics that they represent, I'd be hard pressed to say which is the ultimate solution. 

There are as many ways to be pro-life as there are pro-life people. Not every method is efficacious. Some have proven detrimental. A person must choose which one fits his or her beliefs, skills, personality type, etc. It takes discernment. 

Yes, do something. But choose wisely.

Related: 
Is there an 'overnight solution' to abortion?

Louder than the ‘Silent Scream’: the deafening silence of our pulpits
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Democrats reject move to acknowledge pro-life stance within party

Democrats reject move to acknowledge pro-life stance within party :: Catholic News Agency (CNA): A Democratic committee has rejected efforts to broaden the party's platform in order to acknowledge and welcome “differing positions” on the issue of abortion. Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America, said there is a lack of understanding about the extent of pro-life support within the Democratic Party.

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Why the Amish Population Is Exploding

Why the Amish Population Is Exploding - Neighborhoods - The Atlantic Cities: There are nearly 251,000 Amish people in America and Canada, according to Ohio State University researchers. That's more than double the estimated population in 1989 of about 100,000. Researchers estimate the population will double again to half a million within about 21 years.

Much of the growth has to do with the fact that more Amish children are staying with the religion and starting their own high-fertility families. "Some people would claim 90 percent of daughters and sons get baptized Amish and start families," says lead researcher Joseph Donnermeyer, a professor of rural sociology at OSU. He says this number has been increasing steadily since WWII.

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Peter Singer: "It’s irrational to risk women’s lives for the sake of the unborn"

Bioethicist Peter Singer writes in The Scotsman  (emphasis added):

Opponents will respond that abortion is, by its very nature, unsafe – for the foetus. They point out that abortion kills a unique, living human individual. That claim is difficult to deny, at least if by “human” we mean “member of the species Homo sapiens.”

It is also true that we cannot simply invoke a woman’s “right to choose” in order to avoid the ethical issue of the moral status of the foetus. If the foetus really did have the moral status of any other human being, it would be difficult to argue that a pregnant woman’s right to choose includes the right to bring about the death of the foetus, except perhaps when the woman’s life is at stake.

The fallacy in the anti-abortion argument lies in the shift from the scientifically accurate claim that the foetus is a living individual of the species Homo sapiens to the ethical claim that the foetus therefore has the same right to life as any other human being. Membership of the species Homo sapiens is not enough to confer a right to life.

We can plausibly argue that we ought not to kill, against their will, self-aware beings who want to continue to live. We can see this as a violation of their autonomy, or a thwarting of their preferences. But why should a being’s potential to become rationally self-aware make it wrong to end its life before it has the capacity for rationality or self-awareness?

We have no obligation to allow every being with the potential to become a rational being to realise that potential. If it comes to a clash between the supposed interests of potentially rational but not yet conscious beings and the vital interests of actually rational women, we should give preference to the women every time.

Editor: I've highlighted some pretty startling concessions by this pre-eminent "enemy" of our cause. It is "scientifically accurate" to claim the embryo (and, therefore, fetus) is "a unique, living human individual." And it's a pretty big caveat on Singer's part to admit the it's difficult to argue for abortion "except when the woman's life is at stake." Life, not health. 

As to whether it's a leap to make the ethical claim that fetal (or embryo) life is the same as any other human being, we have only to argue that these are mere stages of life. Development of the human person goes on throughout life. It is wrong to arbitrarily attach conditions for one's right to life.

Later: In his essay, Singer cites a recent case in the Dominican Republic which -- he says -- proves his point about a clash of interests between the mother and her baby. Here's an article that refutes the case as he presented it: Dominican Pregnancy Death Sparks American Demagoguery over Life-of-the-Mother Cases. Dr. Patrick Johnston of the Association of Pro-life Physicians is quoted, explaining: “When the life of the mother is truly threatened by her pregnancy, if both lives cannot simultaneously be saved, then saving the mother’s life must be the primary aim. If through our careful treatment of the mother’s illness, the preborn patient inadvertently dies or is injured, this is tragic and, if unintentional, is not unethical and is consistent with the pro-life ethic.”

Scott Klusendorf on the Best and Worst Biblical Arguments for the Pro-Life Position

Scott Klusendorf on the Best and Worst Biblical Arguments for the Pro-Life Position: Scott Klusendorf from Life Training Institute offers the best syllogism pro-life people can use if they want to make a biblical argument for the pro-life position, and also explained why we shouldn’t use Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1:5 instead.

Editor: I agree with what he says are the best passages to use, but I think we can offer Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1:5 (and other passages about unborn human life) in support of our argument. Poetical books of the Bible are important for developing other doctrines (such as the sovereignty of God) and we shouldn't shy away from using them in support of the pro-life view. (Indeed, we turn to Psalm 139 when we want to demonstrate God's omniscience and omnipresence.)

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Removing right to abortion would violate ‘essence of being human,’ rabbi says

Removing right to abortion would violate ‘essence of being human,’ rabbi says | LifeSiteNews.com: “Women are moral decision makers,” said Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, a leader with the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice’s Wisconsin branch. “They have a conscience, guided by their moral values and the moral teachings that they follow. When we deprive people of the ability to make those decisions themselves, we deprive them of being fully human.”

Editor: And the person that is aborted? Are we not depriving them of something?

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Do Good in This World By Loving the Next

Do Good in This World By Loving the Next – The Gospel Coalition Blog: As the Christian leans forward toward God's eternal future, the actual result is productive engagement in the world and spiritual transformation within.

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Louder than the ‘Silent Scream’: the deafening silence of our pulpits

Louder than the ‘Silent Scream’: the deafening silence of our pulpits | Breakpoint.org: In the months since Rolley Haggard published We Could End Abortion ‘Overnight’—If We Really Wanted To at Breakpoint.org, he's been stunned by "the thunderous silence from evangelical pastors. I’ve gotten loads of feedback from lay evangelicals and Catholics—clergy and laypersons alike—but almost nothing from evangelical ministers. It has left me wondering, 'Do they agree? Do they disagree? Does this register even the slightest flutter on their moral seismograph?'

"So this time I’m explicitly soliciting feedback. Help me understand. You who pastor an evangelical church, what do you think of this 'One-Minute Strategy' to end abortion? It seems to me that to say nothing about it is to say everything."

Editor: For what it's worth, here's why I believe his idea is not coherent -- Is there an overnight solution to abortion?

After reading some of the comments to Haggard's follow-up article, I would add a few thoughts to my original response. I have heard of pastors that speak out against abortion too often, perhaps to the point of trying the patience of their congregation. And no one wants to hear a political "spot" every week. It wouldn't always be appropriate.

We need pastoral leadership on this issue, but in a wholistic manner. There's a problem that no one speaks about -- that of making pregnancy from sexual sin something to cover up. Abortion is the perfect solution if you want to hid your sexual sin. As I said before, all sin stems from the heart, and abortion is tied especially to sexual sin. 

For more, please read these new items on our website:

• The Pro-Life Message
• Pro-Life to the Core
• Compassion Ministries
• Avoiding Abortion
• Preventing Abortion

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Paul Ryan's Solid Pro-Life Record

Paul Ryan's Solid Pro-Life Record | Pro Life, American Center for Law and Justice ACLJ: Paul Ryan is a man completely committed to the cause of life. The Susan B. Anthony list outlines his record.

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Climate alarmists on the left recruit young evangelicals

Cornwall Alliance :: Newsletter :: Newsletter (August 13, 2012): For years, the Cornwall Alliance has been warning that radical environmentalists are infiltrating evangelical churches, “greening” the gospel message, and targeting our youth. A major recent development in that infiltration is the founding of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action. YECA grew out of a meeting convened by the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) early this year.

Response from YECA
Recommended Readings on the Global Warming Debate

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Peter Singer: a case study

Peter Singer: a case study | NRL News Today: When veteran pro-lifers tutor newcomers, we try to talk about the entire spectrum of pro-abortion opinion—from what appears to be the product of a genuine conflict to people who simply are unable to find any end point in their anti-life philosophy. The example of the latter that we most commonly use is Peter Singer, the Ira W. Decamp Professor of Bioethics in Princeton University’s Center for Human Values.

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Terrific explanation of the human embryo

A Distinct Human Organism : NPR: "Whether produced by fertilization or cloning, the human embryo is a complete and distinct human organism possessing all of the genetic material needed to inform and organize its growth, as well as an active disposition to develop itself using that information. The direction of its growth is not extrinsically determined, but is in accord with the genetic information within it."

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The Golden Rule According to Whom?

The Golden Rule According to Whom? | Dr. Georgia Purdom's Blog: Evolution works by “survival of the fittest,” not “survival of the fairest and kindest.” In fact, many eugenicists (those that promote the birth of the “well-born”) both of the past and present readily acknowledge that helping the sick, poor, and weak impedes the evolution of man to a higher level.

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Is There Life on Mars?

Ask Dr. Rhonda – Life on Mars: A literal reading of Genesis 1 describes a universe with life that is bound to earth.

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Parents’ insurance covers children up to age 26 — but not for pregnancy

Parents’ insurance covers children up to age 26 — but not for pregnancy - The Washington Post: Group health plans with 15 or more workers are required to provide maternity benefits for employees and their spouses under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. But other dependents of employees aren’t covered by the law, so companies don’t have to provide maternity coverage for them.

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25th annual Life Chain on October 7

Annually, on the first Sunday in October, LIFE CHAIN invites the churches in each city and town across North America to stand on a designated local sidewalk and pray for 90 minutes, while holding one of the following pro-life signs. In 2011, over 1500 cities and towns held Life Chains (in over 1700 locations), and each Chain is posted at LifeChain.net. We are now focusing on National Life Chain Sunday 2012—to be held October 7, Lord willing, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm.

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Was Lot Righteous?

Contradictions: A Lot of Righteousness - Answers in Genesis: From the text in 2 Peter that Lot was considered righteous. He was weak, and he sinned, but he did love the Lord. He did try to call out the people of Sodom for their sin by reminding them that they were doing wicked deeds (Genesis 19:7), and he tried to protect his angelic visitors. He may have been an ineffective evangelist, but he was burdened and grieved over the sin he saw around him.

Although we live in a sinful world that hates God, we are not to be conformed to this world, but by God’s grace we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2). Lot, however, had a choice; he could have chosen to live outside the gates of the city, raised his family in a more godly way, and still attempted to have told the people of Sodom about the true and living God. The fact is that he did not do this, and his family was influenced by the wicked culture around them, even as Lot was tormented by it. The point can best be summed up by 1 Corinthians 15:33. “Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits.”

Lot spent too much time around the creature comforts of life in Sodom, and consequently his testimony was tarnished. Yet even in all of this, God was faithful and did not forget that Lot was His servant.
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Love is the Antidote to Prenatal Eugenic Cleansing

Love is the Antidote to Prenatal Eugenic Cleansing | First Things: Unconditional love cuts against the current cultural zeitgeist of our times. Consider: About 90 percent of fetuses testing for genetic conditions such as Down and dwarfism are terminated to the moral support, if not outright cheering, of much of society. It may seem harsh to say, but it is true nonetheless: We are in the midst of a great eugenic cleansing in which diagnosed imperfection often favors abortion.

There may even be overt pressure on parents to terminate from friends, family, and the medical community. The anti “defectives” message is vividly clear. . . .

A cultural expectation is forming in which people believe they not only have a fundamental right to have a baby, but the concomitant right to have the baby they want—and by any technological means necessary. . . .

We claim to extol diversity and tolerance more than at any other time in human history—as we unleash a merciless reproductive pogrom to eradicate imperfection from the human condition.

That’s a crying shame. If I were to pick one human attribute to extol above all others, it wouldn’t be high intelligence, good looks, or athletic prowess—the usual targets for human improvement. Rather, I believe the most crucial human attribute is our capacity to love.

Editor: This is so good. I wish I'd written it.

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An epidemic of special needs kids heads for a crisis of care

An epidemic of special needs kids heads for a crisis of care - Newsweek and The Daily Beast: The special-needs population is growing. Government funding is shrinking. The coming crisis for millions of parents.

Editor: Epidemic? Children with disabilities are like a disease?

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A Eugenics Common Sense?

A Eugenics Common Sense? « Public Discourse: Calling fetuses defective if they are prenatally diagnosed with genetic conditions foreshadows a dangerous path toward eugenics.

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Adopted for Life, Ten Years Later: What I’ve Learned Since

Moore to the Point – Adopted for Life, Ten Years Later: What I’ve Learned Since: We were blessed when we received our two sons, but we didn’t know how hard it would be.

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A heart big enough for two: Navigating an open adoption

A heart big enough for two: Navigating an open adoption | Deseret News: Past studies show that adoptions have decreased since the 1970s. More than 8 percent of all premarital births were placed for adoption between 1952 and 1972. That percentage dropped to 2 percent between 1982 and 1988. It then dropped to less than 1 percent between 1989 and 1995, according to the National Survey of Family Growth. As the number of adoptions has dwindled, the number of open adoptions has exploded.

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New Documentary Highlights Broken International Adoption System

New Documentary Highlights Broken International Adoption System: "Stuck" was the brainchild of Craig Juntunen, founder of Both Ends Burning Foundation, an organization that promotes adoption. The purpose of the film is to "get the word out" and expose the issue of the troubled international adoption system.

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Many 'emerging adults' 18-29 are not there yet

Many 'emerging adults' 18-29 are not there yet – USATODAY.com: Young adults have it made: lots of fun and plenty of time to make their mark — right? That's not what a new nationally representative survey of 1,029 people ages 18-29 suggests. Almost 60% say "adulthood will be more enjoyable than my life is now."

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Why Divorce Calls Children's Existence into Question

Why Divorce Calls Children's Existence into Question | Christianity Today: If we truly are social animals, nullifying a family has implications.

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A searing new report on radically dysfunctional families

The Iona Institute | 28 Jul 12 A searing new report on radically dysfunctional families: A major new report on Britain's most dysfunctional families commissioned by the British Government in the aftermath of last year’s riots makes for disturbing reading but much of it is depressingly familiar. Quite apart from the accounts of serial physical and sexual abuse, it's the casual neglect of children and the failure of mothers to protect their children from such abuse, for fear of losing their new “boyfriends” that is shocking.

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Black pastors group launches anti-Obama campaign around gay marriage

Black pastors group launches anti-Obama campaign around gay marriage – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs: A group of conservative black pastors are responding to President Barack Obama’s support of same-sex marriage with what they say will be a national campaign aimed at rallying black Americans to rethink their overwhelming support of the President, though the group’s leader is offering few specifics about the effort.

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The Politics of Science

The Politics of Science | Christianity Today: Recent studies on gay marriage and abortion showcase key tensions in our public life.

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ERLC President Richard Land Announces Retirement

ERLC President Richard Land Announces Retirement: Richard Land, who led the transformation of the Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics entity during the denomination’s conservative resurgence, has announced he will retire next year after a quarter of a century of service as its president.

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Get to Know: The Frederick Douglass Foundation

About Us: The Frederick Douglass Foundation is a national Christ-centered education and public policy organization with local chapters across the United States which brings the sanctity of free market and limited government ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing our nation. We are a collection of pro-active individuals committed to developing innovative and new approaches to today's problems with the assistance of elected officials, scholars from universities and colleges  and community activist.

They uphold the sanctity of human life and the protection of traditional marriage.

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Why the Chick-fil-A Boycott is Really about Jesus

Why the Chick-fil-A Boycott is Really about Jesus – Trevin Wax: This Chick-fil-A boycott has revealed some fault lines in our culture that will lead to increasing pressure upon Christians who uphold the sexual ethic described in the New Testament. Furthermore, in listening to the mayors of Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco, it’s clear to me that – political posturing aside – this discussion may not be about the alleged homophobia of Chick-fil-A’s president but the actual Christophobia of the leaders of the cultural elite.

Editor: The article helpfully goes on to define homophobia. According to the Anti-Defamation League, homophobia is “the hatred or fear of homosexuals – that is, lesbians and gay men – sometimes leading to acts of violence and expressions of hostility.”

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The FAQs: Updates on the Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate

The FAQs: Updates on the Contraceptive-Abortifacient Mandate – The Gospel Coalition Blog: In February, The Gospel Coalition produced a list of frequently asked questions about the Obama administration's controversial contraception-abortifacient mandate. Since the mandate goes into effect today, they updated that post to include more recent information.

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Spinal-Cord Injuries: FDA Approves Cell-Regeneration Therapy

Spinal-Cord Injuries: FDA Approves Cell-Regeneration Therapy - ABC News: Eight patients with acute spinal-cord injuries, or those within one month of paralysis, will be injected with their own Schwann cells as scientists at the University of Miami Medical Center monitor them for side effects. Not only do the Schwann cells survive, they grow and remyelinate, with no toxicity or tumors.

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Obamacare's Pro-Abortion HHS Mandate Takes Effect

Obamacare's Pro-Abortion HHS Mandate Takes Effect Tomorrow | LifeNews.com: The mandate adversely affects three categories of businesses and organizations in different ways.

Related: Obamacare Rationing Begins, States Cut Prescription Drug Benefits

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Solid Majority of U.S House of Representatives Votes to Prevent Abortion of Pain-Capable Unborn Children

Solid Majority of U.S House of Representatives Votes to Prevent Abortion of Pain-Capable Unborn Children | NRL News Today: But 154 Lawmakers Vote to Defend Current D.C. Policy of Legal Abortion for Any Reason Until Birth

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Chinese dissident Chen to see Boehner, Pelosi

Chinese dissident Chen to see Boehner, Pelosi - ABC News: Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident whose dramatic escape from house arrest and eventual flight to the United States captivated global audiences in April, heads to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for talks with top lawmakers including Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

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Evangelical leaders: US no longer a Christian nation

Evangelical leaders: US no longer a Christian nation: In a statement issued Tuesday, the National Association of Evangelicals said that when it surveyed selected evangelical leaders about whether the United States was a Christian nation, 68 percent said no.

"Much of the world refers to America as a Christian nation, but most of our Christian leaders don't think so," said Leith Anderson, the association's president. "The Bible only uses the word 'Christian' to describe people and not countries. Even those who say America is a Christian nation admit that there are lots of non-Christians and even anti-Christian beliefs and behaviors."

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Scientists discover traces of DNA in space

Are we all extraterrestrials? Scientists discover traces of DNA in space: They not only found nucleobases widely found in organisms on Earth, compounds such as adenine and guanine, two of the four bases found in DNA. They also found related compounds, which the team dubbed "nucleobase analogues," that aren't found on Earth and in effect are new to science.

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