Early on, I used to remark that the Right to Life movement missed the ball completely when it allowed the pro-abortion folks to start hiding behind such words as pro-choice. There are life option choices. I am a great proponent of letting people make their own choices, because they are the ones who will be living the consequences. God is pro-choice. How do you think we got all of this free will in the first place. It does not mean, however, that God approves the killing of babies. 

When God gave the mother dominion over the life of a new person for the first nine months, it seems unlikely it was with the intent of having her decide whether to destroy the baby, or let this new child live, and emerge into the world from within her sole care. I suspect the last option was the desired intent. God was not likely abdicating, and asking her to fill the Role. 

I remember the early months of Covid-19 in 2020. Any number of newscasters were using the word "unthinkable" to describe the situation where a doctor, because of circumstances, would be faced with making the decision who would be treated, and who would not. Who would be given a chance to live, and who would likely be left to die. Unthinkable. It was all over the news. Yet, that is exactly what every person in the "pro-choice" camp is asking for. The right to decide who is going to live, and who, in this case, will be intentionally killed. You can put all the nice sounding phrases around it that you wish, but that is essentially the bottom line. 

You can even argue about if the word "who" is legitimate. You can claim the fetus is just a part of the woman's body, like a finger, or a toe. Should a woman not have the right to control her own body? That would seem to be a no-brainer. Yet, I no longer see it that way. Sure, if it were her body. But, it is not. What kind of religious hogwash led me to believe that you might ask? It was not religion. It was science which brought me to this conclusion. Every part of a person's body has the same basic DNA. In theory at least, you could be cloned from a single strand of your hair. The baby, from its moment of conception, has its own distinct DNA. It may be currently dependent on the mother's body. Attached inside to her body. Her body, in most cases, contributed half the DNA to its own unique body. None of that makes it just a common ordinary part of her body, as if it were some random organ, or appendage completely comprised of her DNA. 

I am amazed sometimes by how far someone in the abortion allowing camp will stubbornly stretch their arguments to stand their ground in the face of truth. I had someone say to me, how about a person who has had a transplant. That DNA does not match their body, yet is considered a part of it. Yes, this is true, but that heart, or liver, or whatever, is not going to emerge someday, learn to crawl, and then to walk on its own. Give it up. It is not going to become something it did not start out as. The baby starts out as a real person with its own DNA, because it is a real person. 

It is true, that God, in His infinite wisdom, has made a newly conceived human being completely dependent on only one person in the initial months of his, or her, life. I used to say for the first nine months. But, I have a grandson who started out with a twin brother. One grandson died in the womb, leaving the other grandson's life in peril. The doctors kept trying to buy a little more time, but finally had to remove my recently turned one year old grandson from his mother's sole care three months before he was scheduled to emerge into this world from her complete protection. That event all by itself changed my mind regarding even middle of the road laws pertaining to abortion. 

Once I got past the impetuousness of youth, I grew to believe it was not my place to try to make others believe as I do, or to live according to my beliefs. But, we do set rules based on common, or sometimes just majority, concepts. Remember the opening quote on this page from our Declaration of Independence? That is an example of one. 

There are rules, or laws, bigger than those we choose to make. Gravity would be an example. As a Christian, I belief the Bible spells out some of those bigger laws. I would safely discern that not killing babies would fall into that category. Peace Pilgrim pointed out that spiritual laws are just as immutable as the physical laws of the universe. Trying to go against the law will most often result in not so great consequences. Included in our God given free will choice is what we choose to believe regarding the validity of laws. Maybe you are a person who claims there is no God. That does not necessarily eliminate consequences. Choices always come with consequences. 

I saw a program on TV a week or so ago where a man was claiming that the day with the highest death toll from Covid-19 in New York City was exactly 15 years (or some similar number) to the day, from an equally horrific event related to abortion in New York City. He had more than one example supporting his perspective that we were in a period of severe consequences for basically ignoring God. Maybe he is right. Maybe not. Only God knows for sure. The Bible says (see Exodus) that the Egyptians chose to defy God's instructions, and it took ten plagues before they relented. Then they changed their minds, and rushed head long into complete disaster. I hope that is not the path we are on. I would not wish to go through such as Covid-19 on a regular basis just because of our obstinacy. But, even Christians feel perfectly safe ignoring God these days. Especially in affluent countries. Repentance is a word we hardly ever hear, including in churches. I understand its meaning is basically to change our direction. Back toward God is the obvious implication. 

So, what would Jesus have me do? If, as I believe, it is not my place to insist someone needs to see things my way, perhaps I could at least suggest considering possibilities beyond our typically entrenched opinions. That fellow's perspective is not so far fetched as to be unworthy of consideration. I have pondered the possibility. God would not even have to be the deliverer of such a thing as Covid-19. All He would need to do is step back, remove His grace and protection, and let us fend for ourselves. The Bible is full of examples of His chosen people, the Israelites, deciding to go in their own direction with dire consequences. God could have created us as automatons, but He gave us the ability to choose even against Him. Not usually a good place to be. Because it does not mean He approves of whatever we choose. And, as described in Scripture, God is not indifferent, wishy-washy, or changing things on the basis of what we believe should be the truth. 

_____________

"When abortion supporters say, 'abortion should be between a woman and her doctor,'
 they don’t really mean it. Only 1.8% of women who had abortions in 2018 were referred
 to the abortion facility by their doctor, according to 2018 Michigan abortion statistics."

(https://rtl.org/21st-century-prolife-healthcare)

_____________

Abortion is a medical procedure. I do not understand why pro-abortion people do not even support laws requiring abortion facilities to measure up to the same standards that all other medical facilities must adhere to. If the concern is for the woman, why not? A short time ago, the Supreme Court voted against a Louisiana law requiring such standards. Apparently, the chief justice, who cast the deciding vote, wrote in his opinion that the law was well written, and constitutional. But, because they had already voted against a similar Texas law, for consistency, he voted against it. I do not understand this at all. It was my understanding that our highest court was primarily given the job of ruling on the constitutionality of laws, not whimsically deciding based on social preference. 

_____________

"Abortion is the great moral scar on the modern age, and it is to the great shame of the
United States. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 61 million lives have
been extinguished in American wombs.

(Decision Magazine, October 2020, page 7)

_____________

If, as a culture, we deem ourselves to have the right to decide who is going to be allowed to live, and who will be killed, especially when it concerns a brand new life, it seems to me that having enough information to make an informed choice would not just be a basic given, but an absolute essential. A wise choice is pretty much paramount if you wish to avoid disastrous consequences as a result. There are always consequences. In my October 2016 newsletter I pointed out that "Planned Parenthood’s most recent report states that from Oct. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2012, the organization performed 327,166 abortions and only 2,197 adoption referrals. That equals just 1 adoption for every 149 abortions." Planned Parenthood is a major player in the abortion business. You cannot convince me that women are being given plenty of time, information, and unbiased views to make a wise informed choice considering such a ratio. Subsequent testimony has born out that they are not. The abortion industry is big business. 

Part of that is because a great many people who are OK with abortion to "protect a woman's right to choose," especially those who deem themselves Christian, have no clue. Just last week (as I write this), I met a pastor new to our area who told me Covid-19 was now the third leading cause of death in our country, behind only heart disease and cancer. I informed him that it would actually be fourth. Then, as I often must because people do not know, I explained that by far abortion is the leading cause of death. Often more than the top three combined. But, since the CDC does not consider an abortion to be a "cause of death," it is never reported as such in the general media, which these days has its own biases. Even allowing for the fact that removal of a baby that simply died in the womb is listed medically as an abortion, does not change abortion as the leading cause of death. I am not going to quote numbers here. I have already done so elsewhere. As far as I am concerned, the choice to kill even only one baby is a bad "choice." 

So, where does that leave me? God has granted us free will, and the right to make our own choices. Yet, even as a culture which elevates personal freedom to the top of the list, we pass laws for the greater good, and to protect one person's choice from infringing on another's unalienable Rights. Someone once said "morality does not take away my rights, it protects everyone's rights." God designed it so human babies would spend the first months of their life protected within their mother's body. For a period of time, that child cannot be cared for by any other person. However, that period is getting shorter, as could be testified to by the life of my own grandson. That is where I draw my line. I would not take away someone's choice over something God has given them exclusive control over. But, if given only a one extreme or the other option, as has so often been the case, I would without any hesitation opt for a complete pro life stance. All the rhetoric used to make killing babies sound like a noble thing to protect women's rights, has not influenced my belief at all. I just shake my head in disbelief that others so easily buy into it without any serious examination of the broader picture. Two big questions remain. As said, I do not believe a newly conceived child to simply be a part of the woman's body. Not with its own unique DNA. So, if the culture were to make abortions totally illegal, what types of support would we create along with that for the woman in a crisis pregnancy, or untenable position? And, for the children coming into the world in greater numbers? Their lives are just as sacred to God as mine, or yours. Being pro life does not stop at birth. I do not honestly believe we will ever go back to a complete prohibition. That still leaves the second, and most important question. At what point does this new human life, with its own distinct DNA, get protection for the unalienable Rights we tout as one of the founding principles of this United States of America? 

Women are in charge of their own bodies. I agree. I believe every capable adult is in charge of their own bodies. I think, as long as it does not infringe on someone else, all adults have the right to make their own choices. How I might perceive those choices is irrelevant. It is their life. But, if I were to try to hide behind any of the nice sounding euphemisms used by those who deem themselves "pro-choice" rather than "OK with abortion," then I would be a hypocrite, and not following one of my signature poems. If I cannot even publicly say I am against killing babies, especially beyond the stage when they are capable of surviving outside of the womb, then my very actions, or lack thereof, declare I am OK with abortion. I am not. And yes, for those who like to challenge the whole concept of someone being "pro-life," the same applies to the death penalty, war, and allowing children to suffer in miserable circumstances after they are born. The life I have committed to includes actions based on my beliefs on all of those "pro-life" issues. Otherwise, my beliefs are meaningless. For others who call themselves Christians, I have a simple question. What do you believe Jesus would have you do? If you are unsure, you might consider participating in the In His Steps Discipleship Development Program offered by the Teaching & Sharing Centers. More information can be found here, and on the www.tscenters.org website. 

As with some of the above, the below items have been saved over the last few years from an abundance of emails and newsletters received. I felt them worthy of sharing. I am making another exception, and placing the following link, which appears in my links pages, here as well. The link at the top of this page was added in August 2022, also as an exception to keeping links separate. 

"To many African-Americans . . . abortion cannot be debated without considering the quality of urban schools. Or the disproportionately high unemployment rate in black communities. Or the significant racial disparities in health care." (www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/us/black-abortion-missouri) 

What Abortion Really Is
whatabortionreallyis.com

As many of you know or can at least tell by my Facebook page, I am not one to “post” much and generally consider myself a non-Facebooker. Since first learning about the new legislative laws being passed on abortion in New York, I was immediately reminded of a wise friend’s words, to me, 5 years ago as she urged me to make “my story” public. She stated that prior to hearing about my experience, she knew very little about what actually happens in an abortion and believed that most people do not understand and likely do not even think much about the actual abortive procedure. 

She strongly felt that everyone should be made aware of what actually happens in an abortion and that only through education can there be change. At the time, I shrugged it off. I did not grow up in the United States and try to stay out of politics and social media as much as possible. But I do have a story: a story that still makes me feel sick and want to cry, 8 years later. I am not sure it will make a difference or even be read by more than just my family and friends, but that is no reason to not speak out. 

I was in my third year of medical school in Beer Sheva, Israel and was excited to be starting my obstetrician and gynecology rotation at Soroka Medical Center. One day, we were told that we would be rotating through several clinical exam rooms to experience the various “fields” of OB/GYN. 

I was switching with my classmates to enter a room where a “procedure” was taking place. There was a pregnant lady lying on a standard OB/ GYN exam bed who was apparently consciously sedated. Next to her was an ultrasound machine and I smiled as I saw a baby about 17 weeks gestation floating peacefully in its amniotic sack, it’s tiny heart beat flickering on the monitor screen. 

I still had no idea what the “procedure” was until suddenly I saw a long pointed object come into the triangular view of the ultrasound monitor and I watched in horror as the “tool” suddenly jabbed straight at the little baby. The baby immediately jolted violently as it reacted to the pain of the stab. I could not move: I felt paralyzed, dumbfounded. I remember thinking, “This mother needs to wake up and see what they are doing to her baby! She needs to know!” 

The stabs kept coming and the baby continued to reel, its little arms and legs flailing and punching in the amniotic fluid as it fought to survive. It felt like an eternity but finally the movement stopped. The stabs kept coming, but the life was gone and the struggle was over. The little hands that only moments earlier seemed to wave at me from the ultrasound monitor were severed off! 

Bit by bit, the baby was cut into indistinguishable pieces of tissue and the skull was crushed. Next came the vacuum, and as the doctor who performed the “procedure” pulled out the pieces of conception, I heard him chuckle. He turned to us, and with a grin I will never forget, he held up one of those tiny, perfect hands with forceps and reached it out to each of us saying, “high five, high five,” and laughed each time! I looked at him with disbelief! 

After my shock wore off I asked why the mother had chosen to have an abortion and he replied with a shrug that he was not sure, but said if he remembered right, she had possibly been exposed to a varicella zoster (the chicken pox), and therefore wanted an abortion. He shrugged again, then under his breath, he said, “you know, everyone needs their excuse,” and left the room. 

I have no idea what that young mother was going through or her reasons for wanting an abortion. I have no idea what she was told about abortion or if she had the procedure explained to her in any detail. I do not write this to judge or condemn this mother or any other mother. I only want to create awareness because I want to believe that if that mother was awake and was able to see her little baby waving to her from the monitor—if she saw the long “tool” and knew that was about to stab her baby to pieces—that she would never have chosen to abort her baby. 

I understand this is not always the way babies are aborted, and often, at earlier gestations, chemicals are used. You could argue that chemicals are a more humane way, but even Hitler used “humaneness” to calmly kill Jews in gas chambers. The arguments about when a life is a life are meaningless to me: that day I witnessed a baby literally fighting for its life, reacting to the jabs of death just like any “live” person would. 

I do not claim to be political. I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican, as I do not like to be boxed in to any belief system and instead prefer to form my own. On one hand I am entirely against abortion in any form (with the exception of the extremely rare cases that you can ask me about), yet I also strongly believe in the necessity of social service programs to help that mother and her new baby. More than anything, I am prolife and believe that the little baby I saw stabbed to death that day had a right to say no! 

P.S. Varicella-zoster is a “TORCH” infection and could potentially cause harm to a baby in utero. If the mother had actually contracted the virus— not just been exposed—there would have been about a 0.5-2% chance of the baby having birth defects. 

Summer 2022 | Right to Life of Michigan News | 9

PEOPLE SHOCKED BY THE ABORTION STATUS QUO

In recent days, pro-abortion legislation has passed in New York, failed in Virginia, and has been promised to be signed into law by Rhode Island’s governor. These bills have several things in common.  

First, each bill has generated shock and outrage among many people. Second, the main part of each bill is to legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Third, each bill really doesn’t change anything. 

Many Americans have heard of Roe v. Wade. Few understand what the case said and how it functions. Very few have ever heard of Doe v. Bolton, its companion case decided on the same day, January 22, 1973. Roe says you can restrict late-term abortions, as long as you leave an exception for “health.” Doe defines “health” to mean practically anything. So, states can restrict late-term abortions as long as they allow them for any reason. 

This jurisprudential sleight-of-hand is by design. Numerous institutions have utterly failed the American people in educating them about abortion as a policy issue. That list includes our schools, universities, law schools, media outlets, and our political class on both sides of the aisle. Of all people, it took Donald Trump to correctly bring up the radical position of abortion advocates during a presidential debate. 

With this in mind, it should be no surprise people are shocked to learn that abortion advocates believe an unborn child has zero moral worth. People outraged by the New York bill have practically never been told abortion-on-demand through all nine months of pregnancy has been the law of the land for 46 years. 

It also should be no surprise abortion advocates in Michigan also want to make sure abortion-on-demand is protected in actual law in preparation for Roe v. Wade to be finally overturned. Newly-elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer made a promise in her primary campaign do to what New York did. Will anyone have the good sense to ask her exactly why she believes abortion a day before birth should be legal? How many people in Michigan know what her position is? 

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam got into hot water yesterday by stating disabled infants born alive can be left to die. His position is nothing new. The Baby Doe case from Indiana in 1982 involved parents letting their child with Down syndrome die rather than perform a relatively non-risky surgery to fix his throat. President Barack Obama vocally opposed a version of the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois, after evidence was revealed of children born alive and left to die in Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. During the 1996 debate on legislation to end the heinous partial-birth abortion procedure, then U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer said, “I think when you bring your baby home, when your baby is born—and there is no such thing as partial birth—the baby belongs to your family and has all the rights.”  

HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT INFANTICIDE

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's career lingers on, as does the effect of his comments suggesting that parents and doctors can simply decide to end the life of a child after birth if the woman goes into labor before her abortion. 

We have addressed the situation of infants who survive botched abortions in Michigan. Our 2002 Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) goes further than current federal law, requiring the abortionist to seek an immediate emergency transfer to a hospital. 

There is currently an effort to update the federal BAIPA, which states that children born after botched abortions are considered persons under every United States law. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would add specific requirements that a child born alive after a botched abortion be treated with the same level of care as a premature infant born at the same stage of pregnancy, and that the child be transported to a hospital for proper care. 

If you do not spell out every inch of a law, Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities will take a mile every time. To many abortion supporters, a child who survives a botched abortion was targeted for death and is no human being at all. 

Many states do not have born-alive protections like Michigan. States with pro-abortion legislative majorities are moving to remove any prolife law they can in preparation for a potential reversal of Roe v. Wade. 

These laws can have numerous other side effects that should make even the average "pro-choice" person recoil. 

A case in New York from a few days ago provides a perfect example; a prosecutor had to withdraw one charge against a man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend. The prosecutor was never told by the mainstream media that New York's new law means he has to treat the victim's child as nonexistent. Even killing the girlfriend's pet would have added a criminal charge in New York. 

Our society has accepted a double standard in how we treat the disabled even after birth. We know of situations where children were denied care because they were deemed unworthy of life, or parents were not even told treatments exist to help their children live. 

These issues should not be difficult. The original federal BAIPA was passed by unanimous consent by the U.S. Senate; they did not need to even take a vote. Senator Debbie Stabenow was among those who did not object. Now, the effort to add specific protections in light of this new embrace of infanticide was blocked from receiving unanimous consent by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). 

BORN ALIVE ACT FILIBUSTERED IN US SENATE

During the 1996 partial-birth abortion debate, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer said babies don't receive human rights until they come home from the hospital. Last night, 44 U.S. Senators affirmed that as their position on when life begins. 

That list includes our two Michigan senators, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow. 

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act(S. 311) would require that a baby born alive after a botched abortion must be afforded “the same degree” of care that would apply “to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” including transportation to a hospital. 

The 2002 federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act lacks specific legal protections for children who survive botched abortions. That bill passed the U.S. Senate unanimously. 

Before the vote, several senators criticized the bill by saying medical decisions should be between a woman and her doctor, especially focusing their arguments on sick or disabled children. 

Prolife people see no difference between taking the life of a child an hour before birth or an hour after birth; both are wrong. Many abortion supporters will admit abortion kills a human being, but say it's justified because a woman has complete control over her body. Last night's vote about treating children outside the womb exposes that argument as an excuse. Those 44 senators agree that there is no difference between taking the life of a child an hour before birth or an hour after birth; they are for it. They are frankly admitting that abortion is not about women's rights; it's a right to a dead baby. 

The logic of abortion demands we dehumanize our own children by suggesting that some lives are unworthy of life. It's foolish to believe that logic doesn't ultimately extend to infanticide, and eventually to an embrace of euthanasia for adults. 

Three Democratic senators and one pro-abortion Republican opposed the filibuster. Every senator filibustering the bill is a Democrat. Not too long ago, many elected Democrats were prolife. Today, the abortion industry has captured the party's leadership, purging almost everyone who doesn't agree with abortion up to and even after the moment of birth. 

A significant portion of Democratic voters believe late-term abortions should be banned. However, the party's national leadership goes way beyond 20 weeks; they are committed to seeing no evil about infanticides in abortion facilities. 

Infants who survive botched abortions deserve equal treatment, not the death they were originally marked for. 

MORE PEOPLE MUST KNOW

We always face an uphill battle when it comes to educating people. We can never rely on cultural forces getting outraged about infanticide in the way they were outraged at a teen at the March for Life wearing a Make America Great Again hat. Even academia looks the other way; Peter Singer is a prominent infanticide advocate on the faculty of a elite institution in Princeton's University Center for Human Values. 

MISSING WOMEN'S HISTORY

Women’s history month was instituted to celebrate the important role women have had in building history. This month celebrates women who have made famous impacts in fighting for justice and equality like Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman, as well as the many unrecognized efforts of women throughout history whose names are unknown. 

During this month, we cannot forget the group of women who have been by far the most unrecognized and undervalued in all of history: the nearly 30 million women in America whose lives were taken from them in the womb since 1973. 

Many speak about abortion as if it liberates women. In reality, abortion is a tool for discriminating against women. According to one estimate, more than 160 million women around the globe were denied the chance to impact the world because of sex-selection abortions and infanticides in recent decades. Women's organizations should be outraged; it's alarmingly unjust that tens of millions of women’s lives ended simply because they were female instead of male. 

(The original email had a "Full Story " link following the above excerpt)

TARGETED ABORTIONS

Abortion is a powerful force for dehumanization and discrimination. It ends the lives of nearly 1 million children in the womb in the United States every year. Abortion declares that the value of a group of human beings is purely subjective; it’s all up to personal opinion. Once you declare one group of human beings as unpersons, it becomes easier to change that arbitrary line of who counts as a person. 

Children with disabilities or health conditions are a prime target for abortion. Many see their lives as less valuable, and thus see the children as less valuable themselves. While the word "eugenics" may be unpopular to speak, our society has largely embraced the logic behind it. 

DISMEMBERMENT BAN ON HOUSE & SENATE FLOOR, WAITING FOR FINAL VOTES

Today, the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5 to 2 in favor of our bills to ban dismemberment abortions in Michigan. 

On Tuesday, May 7, identical bills were passed on by a 7 to 5 vote in the Michigan House Judiciary Committee. 

House Bills 4320 & 4321 and Senate Bills 229 & 330 would add dismemberment abortions to our state's ban on partial-birth abortions. They are now on the floor of the full Michigan House and Senate waiting for a final vote. 

Throughout the committee hearings, abortion supporters wanted to discuss everything except for the dismemberment procedure itself. When asked to describe the procedure, one abortionist said the "parts" of the fetus were removed—she could not bring herself to say "arms" or "legs." 

While abortionists may try to hide behind lab coats and vague euphemisms like "D&E abortion," they can't hide the reality of a dismemberment abortion. Of all people, retired pro-abortion U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has given the best description of dismemberment abortion we've seen. These descriptions come from his opinions on partial-birth abortion bans in Gonzales v. Carhart (2007) and Stenberg v. Carhart (2000). 

In Gonzales, Justice Kennedy wrote, “The doctor grips a fetal part with the forceps and pulls it back through the cervix and vagina, continuing to pull even after meeting resistance from the cervix. The friction causes the fetus to tear apart. For example, a leg might be ripped off the fetus as it is pulled through the cervix and out of the woman.” 

In Stenberg, Justice Kennedy wrote, “The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn limb from limb. The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off.” 

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE AND OUR RIGHT TO LIFE

Tomorrow is Independence Day! America's independence began with a bold claim: 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." 

We enjoy certain rights because we are human, not just because they are good or a government allows it. This bold claim asserts that these rights are self-evident and unalienable, meaning they always have been and always will be true—no matter what is done to obscure or trample upon them. The claim goes further: 

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 

You could say these claims are America's mission statement. Our government derives its authority not from a king or force of arms, but from the citizens. That authority's purpose is to protect and defend our rights, which are given to us by our Creator. 

Thomas Jefferson, the author of our Declaration of Independence, said it another way in a letter in 1809: "The care of human life & happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

Jefferson may have been writing about avoiding war and conquest, but his words should encourage those of us in the prolife movement. Our mission is to convince our fellow Americans to end our war on the unborn child—a war with nearly 60 million dead and many more casualties for the women and men involved in abortion. 

Right to Life of Michigan News

Barbara Listing — September 2019

Dear Lifesaver,

It’s a Sunday afternoon. You decide to take in a matinee. You walk off the street into a dark theater. Instantly, you stop dead in your tracks. You’re stunned! 

The stark reality of the darkness has overwhelmed you. But within just mere seconds, your eyes begin to adjust. With ease you safely navigate to your seat. 

You’ve gotten used to the darkness! 

This is exactly what has happened in our culture when it comes to the abortion issue. At first, abortion stopped America dead in her tracks. Our fellow citizens were stunned by the darkness. The evil. 

But not anymore! We’ve gotten used to it. 

Statistics tell us one in every four women today have had an experience with abortion. Then there’s the fathers, the friends, the parents, counselors at school and the list goes on and on. 

As America continues to stumble around in the dark, the consequences have been absolutely devastating. After nearly five decades the results of the abortion mentality are “now showing:” 

Relationships - The divorce rate, the breakup of the family, the number of single parent households and child abuse all at unacceptable levels! 

Responsibility - We’re now a society which avoids taking responsibility at all cost. We are always looking for the “quick fix” to our problems. 

Depression and despondency - Have you noticed how negative and pessimistic our society has become? We’ve even reached the point where many “do not want to bring a child into this world.” 

The slippery slope - Infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide are now widely embraced. Even though we talk a good game, the disabled—especially disabled children—are considered of lesser value in our society. 

Violence - We live in a very dangerous world. Violence inside and outside the womb is more prevalent than ever before. No surprise. We have slaughtered more than 59 million innocent children since 1973. 

Just a few weeks ago, our nation was rocked by two mass shootings just 13 hours apart. First in El Paso, Texas. Then in Dayton, Ohio. A total of 31 dead and dozens more wounded. 

Our entire nation was grappling with the question, “why?” How can this kind of thing ever happen? 

If you ask me, the answer came out of a courtroom in Los Angeles a number of years back. A notorious gang leader was on trial for murder. He answered the question “why” when he said this: 

“You adults whack ‘em in the womb. We wait until they hit the streets.”

Tragically, we have lost our respect and reverence for human life. Instead, life has become cheap. Disposable. In the eyes of many, the dignity of the human person is no longer of paramount concern. 

But this is where you and I come in. We have the solution. We know how to dispel the darkness. The darkness always has to yield to the light. The two cannot coexist! 

You and I are agents of the light . . . . 

Our love and concern for the unborn is “now showing.” Everything about the abortion issue is shrouded in secrecy and darkness. But our commitment to the unborn child is “now showing!” We are going to show up in every corner of this state to drive out the darkness. 

BELGIAN DOCTORS CLEARED AFTER KILLING DEPRESSED PATIENT

A disturbing case out of Belgium highlights how the culture of death is never satisfied with the status quo. 

Three doctors were responsible for giving a lethal injection to a 38-year old Belgian woman. The woman said she was depressed. In Belgium, the law allows doctors to euthanize people deemed to have incurable illnesses, even if that illness is psychological in nature and calls into question the ability of the patient to be of sound mind. 

The woman's family objected to her being pushed into killing herself, and sought to bring charges against the doctors responsible. Her sisters allege the woman was sad because of a recently broken relationship, and had not sought mental health treatments in years. The jury decided the three doctors did nothing illegal, and cleared them of all charges. Media coverage said the courtroom cheered the verdict. 

The culture of death is not done with you if you manage to make it home from the hospital after your birth. 

While abortion claims far more lives than euthanasia, yourself and everyone you know is threatened by euthanasia, doctor-prescribed suicide, and the mindset they further. It doesn't matter who you are, or who you know; it can happen to you. Believing the medical system is going to listen to you when you say you want to live is not good enough. 

RIGHT TO LIFE RESOURCES: A TRAGIC FIGURE

This is a statistic that should leap off of the page. It should be discussed every month, not just February--perhaps even every day. Abortion has taken more Black lives since 1973 than EVERY SINGLE CAUSE OF DEATH COMBINED. The total numbers are not even close. It's only because of reductions in the abortion rate that the numbers are comparable in recent years. So much Black history has gone unwritten so that Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses can continue their high volume of sales.  

A tragedy can't be addressed if we can't identify it by name.  

(The original email had a "Black Abortions by the Numbers " link following the above excerpt)

BLOOMBERG SPENDS HIS WAY IN

Backed by a large personal fortune and advertising campaign, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg has entered the presidential race. Though previously a Republican, Bloomberg is running as a Democrat. His position on abortion is the same as the other Democratic presidential contenders. He and his foundation have donated millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood. 

The prolife movement doesn't have billions of dollars to run ad campaigns, or a Warren Buffett, or a Bill Gates, or a George Soros, or a Ted Turner, or the Rockefellers; the list goes on, and on, and on. Even so, here we are, 47 years after tons of predictions that prolife views would fade away after Roe v. Wade and the unborn child would be utterly forgotten. 

U.S. SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN LOUISIANA ABORTION CLINIC REGULATIONS

Today, 5 U.S. Supreme Court justices agreed Louisiana's abortion clinic regulations do not violate the U.S. Constitution. However, by a 5 to 4 vote, the Court struck down those perfectly acceptable rules in June Medical Services v. Russo. 

Louisiana's law is as clear as can be. Louisiana requires ambulatory surgical facilities to obtain admitting privileges at local hospitals. Louisiana classifies abortion facilities as ambulatory surgical facilities, since they provide same-day surgical services. Simple, right? 

However, for the four pro-abortion Supreme Court justices, abortion facilities are above the law; it does not matter what the Constitution says. Today, they found a surprising apologist in Chief Justice John Roberts. 

Roberts starts his opinion on the case by expressly siding with Louisiana and suggesting their law is perfectly fine according to the U.S. Constitution. However, he then suggests that because the Supreme Court recently decided a similar Texas case in 2016, Whole Women's Health v. Hellerstedt, he had to go along with the wrong decision. 

There are many ways to express our EXTREME disappointment. Chief Justice John Roberts would rather be consistently wrong than constitutionally right. Pro-abortion judges are playing by Calvinball rules they make up as they go, and the Chief Justice decided to play by their rules rather than the document he is sworn to defend. Abortionists can apparently harm an infinite number of women through botched abortions and never be held to the same standards as the medical clinics they portray themselves to be. 

(The original email had a "read the opinions" link following the above excerpt)

Barbara Listing — July 2020

Dear Lifesaver, 

Have you noticed? 

For weeks, the American flag was flying at half-mast from coast to coast. Local, state, and federal government buildings, schools, churches, businesses, along with private citizens participated. 

So did we. 

Even though the exact origin of this tradition is a little unclear, flying the flag at half-mast has become an important symbolic gesture of national mourning or remembrance. 

For decades, lowering the American flag to half-mast was an informal gesture. Then in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Proclamation 3044 establishing rules and regulations for this long-standing tradition. 

Today, most Americans recognize that our flag has been at half-mast in remembrance of the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. And rightly so! Tens of thousands of our fellow Americans have lost their lives to this deadly virus. 

Indeed, this has been an appropriate time for national mourning. 

NONESSENTIAL?

In every newsletter I send your way, I do my very best to convey an upbeat, positive, can-do attitude. I hope you’ve noticed. But I must be honest with you . . . I’m very concerned. I’m very concerned about America. I’m very concerned about this country which we love so dearly.

COVID-19 was a major crisis. No doubt about it! But so was the way it was handled — not only here in Michigan, but in many other parts of the country as well. 

We totally crashed our economy even in places with no reported cases of coronavirus. This destroyed lives and livelihoods! You could go to Walmart and shop with everyone else, but if you were a senior in high school, your once in a lifetime graduation ceremony was canceled! Liquor stores were open, but churches were closed! 

The Governor shut down our life-saving operation on March 26th. We were deemed “nonessential.” Pregnancy crisis centers throughout the state were also closed. Yet, Governor Whitmer kept abortion clinics open and operating at full tilt, claiming that abortion was “life-sustaining.” 

As this newsletter went to print, the official COVID-19 death toll in Michigan was 5,711. A conservative estimate of the death toll in the womb, in Michigan, during this same time period was 12,134. 

According to our radically pro-abortion governor, COVID-19 was “an unprecedented threat to our public health,” while abortion on demand was “life-sustaining.” 

NO RESPECT

Just as things were beginning to return to normal, George Floyd was tragically killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The reason Mr. Floyd lost his life is the same reason why an unborn child is destroyed in the womb: a lack of respect for the dignity and the sanctity of human life. 

You know what happened next . . . the country exploded in protest. At first, most gatherings were peaceful. But soon looting and rioting took center stage, spreading like wildfire to over 100 major cities across America. 

Once more, we saw a lack of respect for human life take a deadly toll. Police officers were shot or beaten in the line of duty. Ordinary citizens were violently attacked and left for dead in the middle of the street. Criminals plowed their cars into crowds of people. 

Rioters even attacked a disabled woman in a wheelchair. They claimed she “deserved it.” Local police did nothing, having been ordered to “stand down.” 

In St. Louis, thugs killed a retired Black police captain because they wanted to steal some second hand TVs out of a pawn shop! In a Wisconsin city, officials refused to arrest rioters, but insisted on handing out fines to churches with more than 50 worshipers! 

Again, we were eyewitnesses as deadly situations were mismanaged. Politicians and so called “leaders” made excuses for chaos and mayhem in the streets. The liberal media provided cover by calling looters, rioters and murderers “protestors.” 

EVERYONE INCLUDED

No doubt about it, we desperately need to address the racial divide in America. Hopefully, recent events will help advance that discussion. But this is also a good time to raise a very important question as it relates to racism: what about innocent Black children in the womb?

Abortion continues to decimate the African-American community. While Michigan’s population is 14% Black, 51.1% of all abortions were performed on African-American woman according to the latest annual statistics.

Black babies are almost 3 times more likely to be aborted than White babies. Nationwide, since 1973 abortion has killed more Black Americans than aids, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, violent crimes, and every other cause of death combined!

So why are Black unborn children left completely out of this discussion? If “Black Lives Matter” shouldn’t that include Black children in the womb? Where is the congressional Black caucus? Where is the NAACP? Where is the liberal media? Where is Hollywood? Where is Al Sharpton? Where is Jesse Jackson?

The death of Mr. Floyd is an unspeakable tragedy! But the hypocrisy staggers the imagination!

The greatest challenge is that society has failed to acknowledge this crisis even exists in the Black community. You cannot address a problem which has not been identified. That is why we are constantly cutting through rhetoric to expose reality.

Pregnancy centers, especially in Detroit, rarely get the attention they deserve for their heroic work, which includes help after the baby is born. They are most often staffed by volunteers and run entirely on donations. I am very proud of the fact that we are actively supporting the life-saving work of seven of these centers in inner city areas. Decisive action in a deadly situation!

Redemption for Nick Sandmann

On Tuesday night, prolife teen Nick Sandmann had a recorded speech play during the Republican National Convention.

Nick was the victim of a quickly-engineered media smear campaign following the 2019 March for Life. His crime? Standing still and trying to de-escalate a situation while one adult walked up to him, banging a drum in his face — while other adults nearby hurled bigoted epithets and insults at his fellow students.

Video clips and pictures were quickly spread around by major media outlets, and a narrative was created that Nick and his fellow students set upon an elderly man, smugly grinning as they prevented his peaceful march to the Lincoln Memorial. The media crossed the line from reporting into annihilating his character through ritualistic denunciation.

Following this vicious campaign directed at a minor teen, the full video evidence began to emerge, and many commentators from all sides of the political aisle were forced to apologize for their mad rush to ruin the life of a quiet teen in a red hat.

Nick has pursued lawsuits against major media outlets for their defamatory coverage, and already the Washington Post and CNN have settled them.

Repeating the same mistakes over again — with no hint of remorse — some political commentators took to the airwaves to denounce and insult Nick following his speech. 

Right to Life of Michigan News

Barbara Listing — August 2021

Dear Lifesaver,

On June 5th, Richard Scott William Hutchinson was caught on camera totally demolishing his first birthday cake. This adorable little boy and his loving family had an awful lot to celebrate! 

In just one year, Richard has established himself as quite the overachiever. 

For one thing, even before his first birthday, he was recognized by Guinness World Records. But that’s not even Richard’s greatest achievement. His greatest accomplishment is survival! 

Richard was born 131 days premature. He only weighed 11.9 ounces! A loaf of bread outweighed him. Guinness World Records named Richard as the “World’s Most Premature Baby to Survive.” 

The neonatology team at Children’s Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis, sat Richard’s parents down immediately after his early arrival. They gave Richard “. . . a 0% chance of survival . . .” 

That’s nada, not, zero! 

Due to COVID, Richard’s parents were unable to stay overnight with him at the hospital, forcing them to travel daily from their home in western Wisconsin. 

Richard’s dad said this, “We made sure we were there to give him support. I think that helped him get through this because he knew he could count on us.” 

After more than six months in the hospital, Richard went home! In his wake: grateful parents, an adoring fan club at the hospital in Minneapolis and a Guinness World Record! 

The implications of a story like this are absolutely profound:

But you and I must face reality. There are little Richards being aborted every single day . . . right in our own backyard. We have Michigan hospitals who will abort a child like this on the third floor. Yet, at the same time, up on the fifth floor, they will go to heroic efforts to save a child at the same age of gestation. 

I know you agree: that does not make any sense!

Little Richard’s story has all the “ingredients” you and I will need for success. Courage, determination, and a fighting spirit to overcome all odds. All these ingredients are necessary, on a daily basis, if we are ever to restore full legal protection to the little Richards of this world.

As I close, here’s what you need to know:

I hope that little Richard’s story has been an inspiration to you. This is a perfect opportunity to recommit ourselves to the monumental task at hand. We need to pray harder. We need to dig deeper. We need to redouble our efforts to rescue these innocent children.

I was deeply moved by what Richard’s dad had to say when interviewed by Guinness World Records, “. . . he knew he could count on us.”

I see abortion much like I see divorce, and war. They are not real solutions, only last ditch alternatives when we have failed to find a real solution. Even some of our greatest generals have said as much about war. Peace Pilgrim saw war as a sign of our immaturity. 

_______

I do know you cannot legislate morality, any more than you can force someone to believe something they do not.  But, we do not allow people to ignore red lights, and stop signs, even if there is no one else approaching the intersection at the time. Just deciding, and making a law, we will all drive on the right side of the road has a moral dynamic to it. In some countries they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, according to us. But, that is simply because they decided, as a culture, that the left was right, and the right was "wrong." Yet, the legislation still makes it less of a life and death issue every time you get into a vehicle, there or here. (I included this mostly because I just liked the flow of the words.) 

_______

The based on actual events movie Heaven Is For Real was a turning point. When does a baby get to have rights here, if it exists eternally as a person even before it is born into this world? 

Quoted from you'll get through this by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, 2013, Billy Graham Library Selection 2020 ), chapter 13, 137-138.

Colton Burpo was only four years old when he survived an emergency appendectomy. His parents were overjoyed at his survival. But they were stunned at his stories. Over the next few months Colton talked of his visit to heaven. He described exactly what his parents were doing during the surgery and told stories of people he had met in heaven—people he had never met on earth or been told about. In the book Heaven Is for Real, Colton’s father relates the moment that the four-year-old boy told his mom, “You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?” 

The parents had never mentioned the miscarriage to their son. He was too young to process it. Emotion filled his mother’s face. 

“Who told you I had a baby die in my tummy?” Sonja said, her tone serious. 

“She did, Mommy. She said she died in your tummy.” . . . 

A bit nervously, Colton . . . faced his mom again, this time more warily. “It’s okay, Mommy,” he said. “She’s okay. God adopted her.” 

Sonja slid off the couch and knelt down in front of Colton so that she could look him in the eyes. “Don’t you mean Jesus adopted her?” she said. 

“No, Mommy. His Dad did!” . . . 

Sonja’s eyes lit up, and she asked, “What was her name? What was the little girl’s name?” 

. . . “She doesn’t have a name. You guys didn’t name her.” 

The parents were stunned. There is no way Colton would have known this. 

But he had one more memory. He shared it before he went out to play: “Yeah, she said she just can’t wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven.” 

Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), 94–96.

_______

New information: Miscarriages are shown in the abortion statistics, because medically that is how they are classified when the remains of the baby are removed. It does not change much in what I have said over the years except for raw numbers. More than half of all medical procedures listed as abortions would have to involve natural miscarriages before abortion would move to second place behind heart disease, or cancer, as the leading cause of death in the United States. You would think, considering the negative volatile stigma of the word abortion in our culture, that the medical profession could come up with a term to differentiate between a natural death, and one where a baby is willfully killed by choice. Of course, all of this is about numbers. For me, even one child denied life by human choice is one too many. I see that as God's realm. 

_______

I have never claimed to have Truth with a capital T, but I do seek it wherever it leads. I will continue to do so, but I am tired of participating amidst the loudness of our culture's "discussions." In our win or lose culture (compete and compare), even those seeking the truth "on their side," often have no interest seeing any truth of the other perspectives.   

_______

I am not the creator of the universe. I am not even the creator of myself. I do believe I am a co-creator of how my life plays out. Based on my thoughts and choices, I believe I play a significant role in my consequences, good or bad. 

_______

I know there have been throughout world history, and still remain in some countries, cultures that saw children as nothing more than property, with no inherent rights of their own. Early Christians became known for their retrieval of babies others had abandoned at the town dump. They did not fight anything politically because they themselves were among the persecuted. They simply took them in as their own, caring for, and guiding them into an eventual adulthood. 

_______

There is a large gap of possibilities between no abortion is legal, and all abortions are legal even up to the moment of birth (and beyond). Yet, our culture gets so caught up in who is going to "win" a discussion, liberal and conservatives alike have a sort of blindness infused by the compete and compare model of living we endorse in our country.

_______

He was born three months prior to a normal due date when his twin brother died in the womb and doctors deemed his life to be in peril. An extraordinary effort to save the baby became paramount. No one argued over whether he was a legitimate human being yet, or why you would commit so many resources to a, deemed by many, "non-person." 

_______

You cannot legislate morality. I agree. However, we legislate making moral choices all of time. We do not allow the killing of a two year old, regardless of how "terrible" that age might be called. Nor are you allowed to discard a four year old no matter how many constant questions they might be trying your patience with. And, that rebellious teenager? Even though I refer to those years as the "dark ages," we do not allow dark age remedies for the situation. 

_______

It would seem that, from the beginning of human existence, our egos have lead us into choices of trying to usurp God's role. We apparently still wish to play God, especially if we do not believe there is a Real One. Such choices have most often lead to our own peril, and a destructiveness far exceeding the boundaries of whatever was the original choice we made. It was God who granted us the ability to choose to ignore even the Designer in our journey. Therefore, it is not outside the boundaries of the gift. But, I cannot see any wisdom in excluding the One with the greatest knowledge from guiding me all along the way. 

_______

Killing a baby who could survive outside of the womb with proper medical care, under the guise of protecting someone's rights, is barbarically wrong in my book. All of the slick rhetoric and slogans in the world cannot make it look any different for me. It would take a revelation directly from God, the Creator of the universe, telling me it was no big deal, and that I can detach emotionally from perceiving it as a horrific choice by a group of people deluding themselves. And still I would be perplexed, even in my silence. 

_______

At what point does the baby have rights? Including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in this country of choices? I am in general agreement with the statement "you cannot legislate morality." Yet, we do it all of the time. We have laws against killing your two year old in spite of that year having achieved the designation as "the terrible twos." Nor are you allowed to kill a four year old who can "why" you to death. In so many areas we legislate morality. No matter how much your neighbor's dog barking bothers you, it is illegal to take a gun and shoot it while it is outside in its own backyard. Parents are not allowed to kill teenagers, though many threaten to. You cannot simply kill someone bullying you, verbally or otherwise. You are not allowed to kill classmates, co-workers, or complete strangers, no matter how much you feel mistreated. You cannot crash people out of your way with your big sturdy vehicle because they are an inconvenience. People still do these things, of course, because there is no absolute way to legislate morality. But, in a civilized culture, or any culture, "moral" rules are created. And, there are consequences for breaking them. 

_______

With all the issues facing us, friends and family have often criticized me for being so focused on abortion. However, I have tried to explain that I do not see it as one issue among many. I see it as THE ISSUE, the core issue facing our culture, and country. Let me explain it this way:

If a friend of mine asked be to come over because he had so many issues to deal with it was beyond overwhelming, and halfway down the basement stairs I could see over half a foot of water covering the entire basement floor with feces, among other things, floating in and on the water, when my friend began to list the issues of carpeting, walls, furniture, ruined goods, removing water, cleaning it all, and a whole litany of lesser issues, I would feel inclined to suggest the core issue to be addressed is plumbing and drain related. The rest will not really ever be solved unless whatever blockage is causing all this backup of water is resolved. Trying to fix the other stuff first is pointless. 

So, how does that relate? First, abortion tells us how much we value life. If we show no respect for life right from the start, why are we surprised when other lack of respect for life issues plague our society? And second, if we are going to thumb our nose at the Creator of a universe, and usurp His role saying who lives, or when they die, that is shaky ground to stand on. Telling God we are going to take over for Him is always a dangerous road to travel. I cannot create a universe. Can you?