Working Wednesday: The Summit

Our two-day conference for pregnancy care center staff, volunteers, and board members isn't until June 20-21, but we're busy planning it now. Workshop ideas are gelling into a well-rounded schedule, speakers are being contacted, exhibitors will be invited. Then a brochure will be designed and mailed to PCCs across the country. Soon after that we'll begin taking registrations.

Sol Pitchon

This annual event began in the 1990s, with just a few partner directors sitting around a table in our office. We'd discuss common problems and needs. It grew to include one or two speakers of interest. Eventually we moved to an outside location, invited more speakers, and opened it up to other centers. 

This year our main speaker is Sol Pitchon of New Life Solutions, a PCC in Largo, Florida. He has a very interesting personal story to tell and thoroughly understands the issues facing centers. We're also going to ask area pastors to join us for a couple sessions with Sol the first morning.

Workshop speakers will focus on ministry to men, sidewalk counseling, the special challenges that rural centers face, leadership, evangelism, and other important topics.

New location this year: The Kent ISD Conference Center.

Tuesday prayer: Abortion doctors

We missed our Monday Musing this week, but last week's Friday Feature was pretty thought-provoking as it reflected on how the news often casts the plight of abortion doctors in a pitiful light. Digging a little deeper, other writers have unearthed facts that lend themselves to a different interpretation.

It would be easy to despise these doctors and the people who work with them, but we must not. We must pray for them, asking God to turn their hearts to the children and toward Him.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. . . . if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." --John 8:34,36

May they indeed find repentance and forgiveness!

UPDATE 2/5/13: Answer to prayer! Operation Rescue reports that two Michigan abortionists -- Alberto Hodari and his associate, abortionist Enrique Gerbi -- have retired and allowed their medical licenses to lapse. Other long-time abortionists -- Jacob Kalo and Theodore Roumell -- are replacing them. They all need Christ!

Blogger Jill Stanek adds a couple statistics from Right to Life of Michigan: "[A]t one time there were 72 abortion clinics in Michigan. Now there are 29 surgical abortion clinics, and two medical, or 31 total – 43% of what once was. In 1987 there were 49,098 babies killed by abortion. In 2011 that number had been cut to less than half, 23,366, or by 52%."

Friday feature: Abortion doctors

The media is always full of stories about abortion in January, but this being the 40th anniversary there seems to be an added focus. I've noticed a trend of feature articles putting a positive spin on the lives of abortion doctors:

• Forty Years After Roe, Abortion Doctors Still Fear For Their Safety
• Sundance 2013: 'After Tiller' puts a face on abortion doctors
• Inside an Oklahoma Abortion Clinic
• Roe at 40: ‘It’s never been this frightening before.’
• Abortions Are Safe When Performed By Nurses Practitioners, Physician Assistants and Certified Nurse Midwives, California Study Shows

This bias is countered by these stories:

• Pro-Lifers See 1,500th Abortion Clinic Close, Now Only 660 Remain
• Most doctors now refuse to do abortions
• “Beautiful, Immaculate, Clean” Abortion Clinics? Hardly
• Records: failed abortions at Muskegon clinic
• Pregnancy centers play key role in fight for life
• Even this, from the NY Times - Pregnancy Centers Gain Influence in Anti-Abortion Fight
• 3801 Lancaster - documentary on Kermit Gosnell's 'house of horrors' clinic
• Abortion abuses and state regulatory agency failure - RTL of Michigan
• Former Abortion Worker: I Held Up Feet to Check the Dead Baby’s Age

I could go on, but you get the idea. Just be sure not to miss these two articles:

• 10 Very Surprising Quotes From Abortion Doctors
• The real truth about abortion from the mouths of abortion workers

Please pray for abortion doctors and their supporters. They need the Savior. The truth will set them free (John 8:34,36).

UPDATE: Two stories from the week of 2/8/13 add to the pile of "things that abortion clinics must answer for" -- Carhart Patient Dead From Horrific 33-Week Abortion Injuries and Ambulance Transported Another Sella Patient to Hospital Moments Before Board Dismissed Negligence Charges. 

Thankful Thursday: Pastoral advisors

Yesterday, Dr. John Watson joined us to lead morning devotions. He's the pastor of Standale Baptist Church in Standale, MI, and one of our pastoral advisors.

These pastors serve as a sounding board on proposed programs and theological issues. They also nurture us through these times around God's word and prayer. We are very grateful to God for their input.

Pastor Watson took us to Exodus 15 where the people of Israel learned that God is the One who heals. We asked God to help us recognize difficulties as tests of faith, and that those tests are opportunities to cry out to Him and see Him provide. May we be more like Moses in that, and not by like the people who complained!

Our other pastoral advisors:
Bill Abernathy, Jr. - Berean Baptist Church in Portage, MI
Burland Margesson - retired
Jeff Halsted - Calvary Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI
Ken Floyd - MARBC representative
Ray Paget - Grand Haven (MI) Community Baptist Church
Steve Harduk - Falls Road Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC
Richard Liverance - Kentwood (MI) Baptist Church

Working Wednesday: Mailing out banquet invitations

It's the time of year for invitations to out banquet to go out. Chuck has printed them, and now Winnie and Julie are packaging sets to mail to the table hosts that Rebecca and Tom have enlisted.

You're welcome to join us! And invite your friends!!

Our banquet is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday March 14 at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI. Our speaker is Dave Bereit of 40 Days for Life.

Get more details and reserve your spot at the table online. Attendance is free of charge, but we need to know who's coming. (The cost per person is valued at $35.) We're still accepting table hosts!

Even if you can't attend, you may help Life Matters Worldwide by underwriting the event. Thank you!

Tuesday prayer: To end abortion

This, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, as thousands gather in our nation's capitol for the March for Life, let's all pray for the end of abortion. May God grant us the mercy . . . the will . . . the hope to see it done.

CORRECTION: The March for Life is Friday.

Monday musing: 40 years too long, 55 million too many

Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion in this country. Most Supreme Court cases fade into history, but this one remains far from settled.

All you have to do is glance at recent headlines to find evidence of that. The news this time of year is full of stories about where we are as a nation as a result of Roe -- pro and con. Depending on the point of view, the stories usually reference how far there is left to go in "securing abortion rights," or how much ground we've gained toward full protection of unborn babies' right to life.

One recurring theme concerns numbers: How many abortions there have been since 1973 (54,559,615 in the U.S.*); how many per year worldwide (approximately 44 million*); how many pro-life laws have been passed; or how many tax-dollars Planned Parenthood gets from the government each day ($1.5 million).

Numbers can boggle the mind, but don't tend to move people to lasting action. They seem to only make us angry or overwhelm us into inaction. And then we're on to the next atrocity.

Meanwhile, which side is winning or losing is scored with as much precision as presidential election polling, but we really don't know the pro-life side has won until a "vote" is cast . . . until a woman chooses life for her child. And we only get that information if we're privy to the counseling room in a pregnancy care center, or to conversations taking place on the sidewalk at an abortion clinic.

You can also feel closer to the "action" through involvement with a pro-life ministry as a regular supporter and/or prayer warrior. If you're not enlisted that way already, I recommend finding a "front lines" pro-life ministry to pray for. Choose one that's good at communicating prayer requests on a regular (even daily) basis via Facebook, Twitter, or email. It could be a pregnancy center in your  neighborhood or across the ocean. We can make recommendations.

Numbers in the millions are too many to fathom, so concentrate on one at a time. One baby at risk. One mom tempted by abortion. One pregnancy care center offering abortion alternatives.

One life lost is too many. You can be sure one life is on the line right now.

One life at a time is, after all, what God demands an accounting of. In Genesis 9:5, He said:

"From every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man."

As God demanded an accounting from Cain over the loss of Abel, so God will demand from someone an account of every unborn baby lost to abortion. He doesn't miss a single one, even if the official counters do. The blood of the innocents cries out to Him (Gen. 4:10, Psalm 9:12).

America will have a lot of explaining to do, for first legalizing abortion and then exporting it around the world.

There's one more that needs our attention: the woman regretting her abortion at this moment. She needs to hear of the blood of Jesus "that speaks better word than the blood of Abel." It's a word of invitation, not accusation. He wants her to unload her burden of sin at His feet. He's offering forgiveness and a new life. We are privileged to bear that message.

*We're forced to rely on abortion providers and the government for figures on abortion because otherwise we'd have no access to them. Corrected 1/22/13: The link given above is to a National Right to Life compilation of figures through 2011; adding another year of 1.2 million abortions to the that total yields 55,772.015 abortions since Roe v. Wade.

Related:

Time & Abortion
Roe v. Wade: 40 years later

Roe v. Wade month - part 1, part 2

40 years after Roe, human dignity hangs in the balance
You Can Change Our Culture's Mind on Abortion - tools to use
Better Reporting for Abortions

Friday feature: AWC Des Moines & Ankeny

Alpha Women’s Center of Des Moines, Iowa, opened in 1995 and recently added a satellite center in nearby Ankeny. In that time they've served countless women. 

Their website notes that, "The average age of our clients is between 15-19 years old. The next common group consists of clients 20-24 years old." Additional data breaks down this way --

Ethnicity:
Caucasian – 57%
Latino – 21.3%
Afro-American – 14.5%
Other – 7.2%

Religious affiliation:
Catholic – 21.3%
Baptist – 10%
Non-affiliated – 20%
Penecostal – 9%
Other – 39.7%

Executive Director Linda Albertson and her team are rejoicing over the Ankeny center's new facility. Please pray with them that the new location and updated signage will lead more women to their doors.

Find them on Facebook

Thankful Thursday: Mystery box

What's better than the smooth, creamy, frozen deliciousness of ice cream . . . even in the dead of a (frigid yet snowless) Michigan winter?

This morning an intriguing package arrived via the UPS man, all white styrofoam and blocks of ice. It was Colleen Tronson's way of rewarding us for being her shipping department as she had us send bulletin inserts directly to her center's supporting churches. (Normally PCCs order in bulk and do the deliveries, but that didn't work out for Colleen this year.)

We were happy to help her. We don't need any added inducement to get our message out (or the added calories), but rewards sure are nice. Thank you, Lord, for Colleen . . . and for ice cream!

Working Wednesday: Speaking

This past Sunday, president Tom Lothamer spoke at Haddon Heights Baptist Church in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. He and his wife are able to combine this engagement with seeing their grandchildren and meeting donors.

In addition to updating the church on what Life Matters is doing, Tom spoke from Acts 4 on boldness:

"There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.

He'll be in the the following churches the next several weeks as they focus on the sanctity of human life:

• Faith Baptist Church in Geneseo, IL - Jan. 20
• Whitneyville Bible Church in Alto, MI - Jan. 27
• Calvary Baptist Church in Quincy, IL - Feb. 3
• First Baptist Church in Silvis, IL - Feb. 10

Tuesday prayer: Boldness

Pray for continued boldness among leaders of Hobby Lobby and other Christian-owned businesses as they face paying enormous fines or compromising their beliefs. Thank the Lord Hobby Lobby has found a way to avoid the $1.3 million/day fine . . . temporarily.

Pray for these pregnancy care centers in transition: 

• New directors  -- at Abiding Care PRC in Medford, WI; Modesto (CA) Pregnancy Center; Cradle PCC in Portsmouth, OH; 

• New facility - praise the Lord for Ankeny (IA) Alpha Women's Center's recent move

• New name - Harbor Lights Pregnancy & Information Center of Tawas City, MI, changed from "Caring Pregnancy Center"

• New volunteers - at Sav-A-Life Pregnancy Support Services in Picayne, MS

Monday musing: Speaking up for the "hobby lobby"

There is no "hobby lobby," but maybe there should be -- advocates of crafting everywhere, UNITE!

There is a Christian-owned company by that name, and it has become a focal point in the battle over government intruding on basic religious freedoms.

Earlier this year, Hobby Lobby petitioned the government for relief from the mandate that employers provide insurance covering contraceptives that can cause abortions. The case is still pending appeal, but the Supreme Court recently denied a request for an emergency injunction. Hobby Lobby says it has no intention of complying, and so, beginning on January 1, the government will fine them an unfathomable $1.3 million dollars per day!

In an open letter, CEO David Green lays out the principles that guide the company:

We’re Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I’ve always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God’s laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that’s what we’ve tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week’s biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. 

We believe that it is by God’s grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We’ve not only added jobs in a weak economy, we’ve raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage.
But now, our government threatens to change all of that. . . . Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one.

. . . So, Hobby Lobby – and my family – are forced to make a choice. . . . My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that’s a choice no American – and no American business – should have to make.

Blogger Kevin DeYoung says, "Millions of Americans are already outraged. And rightly so. Our government not only allows for abortion, and celebrates abortion rights, and wants women to have unfettered access to abortion on demand, it now requires other Americans to pay for abortion-inducing drugs or face crippling fines. It is not an endorsement of any political party to conclude that this policy is morally degenerate. More Americans should be alarmed than are already."

Denny Burk agrees: "This is the most egregious violation of religious liberty that I have ever seen." He goes on to explain this case is not about banning contraception. "Nothing could be further from the truth. No one wants to outlaw contraception. This controversy is about the fact that the government is forcing pro-life business owners to pay for chemical abortions. If the federal government can force citizens to purchase items that they believe to be immoral, where will this end?"

And sometimes it's about employers who do see contraception itself as immoral.

To borrow freely from Martin Neimoller:

First they came for Hobby Lobby,
but I didn't speak out because I wasn't crafty . . . or a Christian employer;
then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

January 5th was a Hobby Lobby Appreciation Day, but it's going to take more than one day of shopping at the chain of big-box arts and crafts stores to win this battle. Something sacrificial. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty represents the company in its lawsuit, going as David against the Goliath of the U.S. government. I don't know how much it will take to win, but they are accepting donations.

Related: 
Hobby Lobby: First martyr under Obamacare?
Contraception coverage heads to high court

Update: Hobby Lobby Delays Obamacare Fines for Now

Friday feature: Faith Baptist Community Center

In our partnerships with missionaries, we're usually talking about helping form pro-life ministries overseas. But in this instance of working with missionaries from Baptist Mid-Missions, we're referring to inner-city Cleveland.

Faith Baptist Community Church and Center was founded in BMM's backyard -- their "Jerusalem" -- and continues to be operated by missionaries from that agency. As director Mike Vanek writes, America’s inner cities cannot be forgotten as fields "ripe for harvest."

The community center offers a wide range of services, including:

• Meal program
• Clothing room
• Medical
• Pregnancy services
• Computer classes
• Interdependent living program
• Men’s programs
• Women’s programs
• Children and Teen programs
• Sunday School & Church service
• Prayer meeting
• Discipleship

Pregnancy services are where we came in to help. In addition to consultation on the start-up of ministry to pregnant women, we helped FBCCC obtain their first ultrasound equipment. They not only offer support at the start of a pregnancy, but help women learn proper pre-natal and infant care through one-on-one and video instruction.

How to help:

• Pray for Sherri Vanek, the clinical coordinator, and Jen Lake, the pregnancy program coordinator
• Volunteer opportunities abound
• Donations are welcome, and not limited to funding - food, paper products, gently used clothing, personal hygiene products, OTC medications and medical supplies, new baby items (check website for details)

Thankful Thursday: Year-end giving

We're rejoicing in the way the Lord supplied at the end of 2012. Our donors came through, enabling us to meet all our obligations and come into the new year with a surplus. We thank the Lord for the generosity of our friends, and for the encouragement this brings.

Working Wednesday: Bookkeeping

Ron Kersey serves with great integrity as our bookkeeper. Usually in the office only one day a week, he keeps track of all the bank accounts, maintains payroll records, writes checks, and pays taxes. He also helps our board comprehend the complete financial picture by preparing statements and generating income/expense comparison charts, and he provides our CPA with details that facilitate an annual audit or review.

Ron is otherwise retired and uses the time to keep up with his scattered family. He's also an avid fisherman.

Tuesday prayer: Being ready

In life, we're certain to meet with disappointment. May we be prepared to give a gracious response.

Other prayer requests this week:

• Joseph Akakpo, one of our ministry partners in Togo, is struggling with a bout of malaria. Pray that God would raise him up to full strength

• "C" has returned to pro-life ministry in South Asia after a furlough and reports being faced with several challenges. Ask God to help her overcome them.

• Flint (MI) Crisis Pregnancy Services recently suffered a break-in at their inner-city location. Pray for recovery of stolen property and protection in this high-crime neighborhood.

• A staff member at HELP Crisis Pregnancy Center in Monroe, NC, needs a kidney/pancreas transplant. Pray for her health.

• New Life Pregnancy Resource Center in Gaylord, MI, requests prayer for families in financial crisis.

• A pastor friend in Bangladesh reports that country is experiencing record low temperatures. Poor people lack sufficient fuel and clothing. Ask God to help him supply them with blankets for warmth.

Monday musing: A parent's nightmare

Which would be harder to hear: "Mom, Dad . . . I'm pregnant" or "Mom, Dad . . . years ago I had an abortion because I was afraid to tell you I was pregnant"?

It's not a hypothetical exercise. Given the numbers of teen pregnancies and abortions in this country, for many families it's all too real . . . like the family to which the Garden of Hope recently introduced us.

A young woman called their hotline last week, seeking information about abortion. She thought she'd "quickly and secretly" terminate her pregnancy while on a visit to Grand Rapids. As a college student, having a child would complicate her life, but her greatest challenge would be telling her parents.

We talked for a long time and this dear, sweet girl had no clue about the devastation brought on by the decision to end the life of her child. I assured her that her parents would know something had happened because the sparky, happy young girl that left their house to come to GR would never be back and they would want to know what was happening to their daughter.

As she hung up the phone, she promised to talk to her parents, and the next day she called back to report. Her mom "felt badly" she'd been afraid to talk to them. They support her plan to continue the pregnancy and assure her they'll work out everything together.

Not all parents are this understanding -- some overtly pressure reluctant daughters to get abortions -- but most are mature adults who know how to handle disappointments and setbacks. Parents love their children, have sacrificed much on their behalf already, and genuinely want what's best for them. Young people need encouragement to enlist parental input and not act on mistaken assumptions their parents will "kill" them when they receive bad news.

Still, as Russell Moore cautions in his response to TIME magazine's cover story on how the pro-life side seems to be winning, "It’s easy to identify as 'pro-life' when one sees nothing really at stake." He goes on:

A feminist leader once said that most Americans are pro-life with three exceptions: rape, incest, and “my situation.” When the teenage daughter is pregnant, the theory is abandoned and bloodthirsty pragmatism rules. I fear this feminist is all too right.

Pharaoh was pro-immigrant until the Israelites threatened what he wanted. The first Herod Administration was pro-Messiah until the actual Messiah threatened his throne. The second Herod Administration was fine with desert prophets until one meddled with his “adult entertainment.” Lots of people are pro-life and pro-child until the lives of children become personally inconvenient.

. . . [W]e must have a realistic view about how ingrained the abortion-rights worldview is in our culture.

Yes, in our culture, and in our hearts. As with other temptations, it's well before we face this one that we need to determine what our response will be. If we expect our teens to do the right thing when their backs are to the wall, we also must be firm in our minds how we'll react when they make a mistake.

Most Christian parents are zealous about getting the message of sexual purity across to their teens. The trick is striking a balance between that and the equally biblical message of the sanctity of human life. So that his daughter wouldn't err into thinking abortion was better than coming home pregnant, our president Tom Lothamer repeatedly told her, "If you make a big mistake, like getting pregnant outside marriage, don't run to the world for help. Come home! It's safer. Whatever it is, we'll handle it together."

Truly, grace is greater than all our sin. The challenge is to be "cross-bearing for the child-bearing," as John Ensor writes. "To be a lifesaver, you must do what lifesavers do every day" in pregnancy care centers. In closing, I summarize his points:

1. You must listen and love
2. Lower her fear and increase her hope
3. Amplify the voice of her own moral conscience
4. Inform and educate her
5. Offer your personal help

Related: 

• The Messages We Send Can Prevent Abortion
• In her blog, Growing Up Ziglar, the daughter of the "most positive man on earth" reveals how she made the "devastating choice" not once or twice, but three times. 
• Abortion: A Failure to Communicate
• Abortion: The Least of Three Evils
• Losing Ever Since Roe? — Albert Mohler on the TIME article

Friday feature: Maternity Resource Center

A local school donated six cribs to the MRC.

The Maternity Resource Center of Immanuel Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, is a fairly unique member of the Life Matters family. Founded in 1988, it grew out of Baptists for Life of Central Ohio, an organization headed at the time by the pastor of that church, Bill Abernathy, Jr.

At the time, several good pregnancy care centers were already operating in Columbus. Knowing this, the board of BFLCO felt the affiliate’s energies should be channeled into a different aspect of pro-life ministry. No one knew what that would be at first.

“In bouncing around ideas of what we could do in direct ministry to women with needy pregnancies,” Bill recalls. (He's currently the pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Portage, MI, and one of Life Matter's pastoral advisers.) “We came up with the concept of a maternity resource center. We saw a need for additional support for these women after they left the crisis pregnancy center, since the centers were not able to meet their needs completely.”

The MRC is located in the church building and assists families who have chosen life for their babies. The center provides free maternity clothes, baby and infant clothes, and other baby items supplied by members at Immanuel and other area churches. Biblical guidance is available to help with spiritual needs. There's also a Maternity Resource Center in the Westerville, Ohio, area -- at Grace Baptist Church.

Here's a recent video taken at the MRC:

They're currently in need of diaper donations. Pray for this ministry and "like" it on Facebook!

Thankful Thursday: Sharlene Lade

Today was Sharlene's last day with us, and we are very sorry to see her go. But we're grateful for her time with us and for all the things she accomplished during her tenure -- projects that will have lasting impact.

I'm referring to the Standards for Excellence manual revision, the creation of our Employee Handbook and Policies & Procedures Manual. These are just of few of the tasks she undertook, but they will help us for years to come.

As you might be able to tell, Sharlene was heavily involved in human resource-type capacities, but also with special events like the annual banquet, Summit, and Golf Classic. As Director of Operations for a time, Shar oversaw the office and financial matters, including grant requests. She was also deeply interested in seeing pregnancy care centers thrive and reach their full potential, and, in her more recent position, would spend time consulting with directors.

I know I'm forgetting other things that she did. Before leaving, she handed me a sheaf of papers that outline some of what she'd been working on that will need our ongoing attention. It's a bit overwhelming to consider life at Life Matters without her!

Sharlene will be nearly impossible to replace -- not only for all that she did for the ministry, but also for her friendship and laughter. She certainly added significant intangibles to this workplace -- passion for Christ and the sanctity of human life, depth of biblical wisdom, true Christian character. We will greatly miss her, and wish her all the best as she goes.

Working Wednesday: Research

Coming back from a vacation that spanned the holidays, I had quite a bit of email to absorb. I thought I'd share with you a few news stories that surfaced while I was away. They reflect the kinds of things that I collect and later write about in this space.

• Fire Marshall Closes Abortion Clinic Someone broke into Women's Medical Services of Muskegon on or around Christmas day. When police responded, they found conditions so deplorable -- and unrelated to the break-in -- that they called in building inspectors and the fire marshall, who deemed the facility unsafe for occupation and shut it down. Operation Rescue notes they have additional information about "serious violations" at the clinic, but are keeping mum for now. Apparently, someone who formerly worked in the clinic has provided evidence. Citizens for a Pro-Life Society has been keeping its eye on the clinic's doctor, Robert L. Alexander, MD, for many years; they report he has a "troubled and checkered medical career." You can take part in a poll that asks whether this clinic should reopen or not. UPDATE from Operation Rescue listing some of the abuses. TV station reports that clinic will not reopen.

• The Bioarchaeology Of Care. Don't be turned off by the academic-sounding title. It's a fascinating story about the discovery of the remains of a severely disabled pre-historic man in Vietnam. What's so interesting about that? The evidence shows he "survived from early adolescence into adulthood completely paralyzed from the waist down and with very limited use of his upper body." He had to have been "[d]ependent on others for meeting his most basic needs . . . only possible because of the high-quality, dedicated, and time-consuming care he received." That's a revelation to archaeologists, and perhaps a challenge to evolutionists since it belies "survival of the fittest." The author of the article notes that, "Looking after those who are unable to look after themselves is a behavior that defines what it is to be human." Here's a New York Times digest version of the article: Ancient bones that tell a story of compassion. 

Maddalena Douse with her
mum and dad.

• Scissors save premature baby's life. In the UK, babies born weighing less than a pound are not considered viable and are left to die. Little Maddalena Douse's life was spared, however, because someone left a pair of scissors on the scale during her weigh-in, causing it to tilt in her favor. She's home now, after being on a ventilator for six months, and is expected to be perfectly healthy.

• Finally, this also from the UK: A 'dad' is tenth most popular Christmas list request for children. That despite the idea that any kind of family will do. According to The Christian Institute, only 14% of children in the UK are born into families where dad is married to mum. One-third of American children (15 million) are being raised without a father (compared to nearly five million who live without a mother).

Postscript: Assisted Suicide’s Dangerous Illusion of Control. It never fails. I hit 'publish' and then something new comes along that prompts me to add to my post. I'd read this article about elder abuse earlier in the day, then received a related email from a concerned individual. She wrote to tell me about the group National Association to Stop Guardianship Abuse. If you know someone who's vulnerable to this type of abuse, pay attention!

I guess if this post is about anything, it's taking care of life. If even "neolithic" societies could do it, so can we!