2/10/2010
‘My mind was racing, my heart was beating so fast. Then all of a sudden it was over. In a blink of an eye. I just saw the baby just literally, crumble
Abby Johnson is one of our speakers for this year’s Bishop’s Annual Catholic Pro-life Dinner on April 10. Get your tickets for the dinner at Catholic Pro-Life Committee’s Bishop's Dinner page!

The volume is really low on this, so you’ll need to turn your speakers up all the way. It’s worth the effort to hear Abby’s testimony.



This is what Abby Johnson saw in the sonogram when she realized the “tissue” inside the mother’s belly was really a small living human. The background music is unfortunate or fortunate, depending on how you feel about 80’s pop phenomenon Boy George, but the images themselves really got to me.

CPLC sidewalk counselor story: A day at Routh street abortion center
From the front lines of Dallas’ Routh street abortion center, brought to you by one of our faithful sidewalk counselors, Rebecca Thompson.

"Routh Street.
It looked as if the abortion clinic was not going to be open today, like last week. The puddles in the alley were left frozen from yesterday's rain. There were so few cars (a handful of staff) in the parking lot and one client, who left. Kenneth (found out later) was stuck in traffic on I-35 (4 down to 1 lane). I guess the ice. Joanne's telephone was out. So, I waited in the White Rose office for phone calls, prayed the rosary and listened while Debbi counseled encouraged an abortion minded woman who called. (She thought she was calling an abortion center.) White Rose helped 3,000 women last year. Three thousand. Debbi said much of their work is on the phone. So she must say what she says, and ask what she asks... a lot.

The center smelled mmm spicy... clean. The mom on the phone would have to drive from Tyler (about 2 or 2 1/2 hours away). Debbi offered bribery: gas reimbursement. (That's service!) Seems like the woman agreed to make the appointment. Before the day got really started, Debbi took Holy Water and dabbed all the door knobs with it, making the sign of the cross. The water was from Lourdes. It felt oily to me. That was the scent I had smelled earlier. Well, maybe Our Lady of Lourdes was hanging out at White Rose today. I think she was.

Outside again, Kenneth had arrived. Routh Street was up and operating at full force. ugh. A woman stopped her car outside the entrance. She was alone and had an appointment. Free sonogram pregnancy test services other options were offered (I didn't mention the possibility of gas money), and couldn't understand why she was determined to keep her Routh appointment. She promised she would come to White Rose when finished with the appointment. I believed she would; but she was warned that fear buttons would be pushed. They were. She emerged some hours later looking slightly despondent. Worried. Quiet. I walked with her up the stairs to the White Rose waiting room trying to engage her in conversation. Not so successful. She wasn't sure from the Routh pregnancy test if she was having a girl or a boy.

Debbi was soon to be available. So we sat there in the waiting room... waiting. She was fighting back tears. A box of tissues in hand, she went with Debbi.

Back on the street, lots of cars... in and out. The alley still had frozen spots. Seems like everyone shows up all at one time at this abortion clinic. It's hard to keep track of everyone. Prayer support arrived. Two women regularly drive from Waxahachie once a month (Thank you Holy Almighty God for these two women) to pray for a few hours. That pilgrimage (from the South) is the same interstate that Kenneth drives (from the North), each about a 40-50 minute drive. (They all pay their own gas.) And there were a couple of other turn-aways... couples leaving smiling... not aborting.

Kenneth and I stuck around about an hour or so longer than usual. We were about to call it a day... out of White Rose Clinic came the beautiful (now smiling) mother. No tears. No despondency. Glowing. She is 20 1/2 weeks pregnant... a baby girl!! She has another child too, a man who wants to marry her and be the father for both children. (Thank you Holy Almighty God!) She is happy hopeful... expectant and looking forward to all the graces God is bringing into her life. We were giving receiving hugs, congratulations, thanks and laughter. And I sort of think (for just a split second as typing this) that I could smell very so lightly that spicy clean scent. Thank you Our Lady of Lourdes for your intercessions and for your Motherly Love for all of God's children."
2/05/2010
In his own words: Tim Tebow on ‘Celebrating Family, Celebrating Life’
Via LifeNews.com
Mobile, AL (LifeNews.com) -- College football superstar Tim Tebow defended a Super Bowl commercial Focus on the Family has filmed that is generating national attention. Tebow confirmed the commercial will focus on pro-life values and tell the story of how his mother decided against an abortion.

After the Senior Bowl practice on Wednesday, Tebow admitted he was surprised at the growing attention the Super Bowl commercial is receiving.

“I definitely didn't think it would have this much hype,” Tebow said, according to an Orlando Sentinel report. “It’s something I believe in and I'll stand up for.”

Tebow would not give any spoilers about the content of the ad -- which Focus on the Family has confirmed will run with the message "Celebrating Family, Celebrating Life" -- but confirmed it would share his mother's story.

“I don't think it’s anything that’s negative or anything like that,” Tebow said, according to the newspaper. “It’s a good time and place. There are a lot of people watching. It’s a great opportunity to show something very happy and a special story and my mom fighting for me. There are a lot of great things in that.”
Heartache: Focus on the Family finds unexpected defenders as ‘pro-choice’ advocates turn on their own
Focus on the Family is finding unexpected defenders after getting behind a $2 million pro-life ad featuring college football super star Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam.

NOW (National Organization for Women), NARAL Pro-Choice America and a handful of other supposed “women’s rights” groups have been waging a war against CBS, Focus on the Family and the Tebow family for what they think is an abhorrence on society—a woman talking about how she chose to have a baby when the doctors told her she should get an abortion. That offensive baby was, of course, Heisman winner Tim Tebow.

“Pro-choice” advocates are turning on their own as they disagree with their extreme members who view abortion as the only noble “choice.”

"Tebow's Super Bowl ad isn't intolerant; its critics are"
The Washington Post
By Sally Jenkins

“I'm pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I've heard in the past week, I'll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the ‘National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time’…

…Pam Tebow and her son feel good enough about that choice to want to tell people about it. Only, NOW says they shouldn't be allowed to. Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikinis selling beer is the right one. I would like to meet the genius at NOW who made that decision. On second thought, no, I wouldn't….”
Read the whole article from The Washington Post.

Chuck Plunkett at the Denver Post writes a compelling column about his experience with his own mother making a choice very similar to Pam Tebow.

"Nothing wrong with Tebow TV ad"
The Denver Post
By Chuck Plunkett

“I'm an agnostic who supports a woman's right to choose and not given to feeling protective of Focus on the Family. But in this case, I think the Christian ministry is being bullied…”

Read the whole article from The Denver Post.

Even on Facebook, a fan is questioning PP’s method over on the Planned Parenthood of North Texas Facebook Fan Page.

“I hate 'em all too - Tebow, FotF, CBS, the whole lot of 'em - but I don't think we should advocate that they pull ads just because we don't like them. Yes, I know they're hypocrites for not airing the Disciples of Christ ad, but it's still their choice. All sides trying to bully everyone into showing only what they like or agree with isn't working. It doesn’t accomplish anything but more self-censoring and stupid regulations and rules. It’s their decision. Fine. Air it. I just won’t watch it, or CBS. I’ll try to avoid buying crap from their sponsors, and so on.” . It doesn't accomplish anything but more self-censoring and stupid regulations and rules. It's their decision. Fine. Air it. I just won't watch it, or CBS. I'll try to avoid buying crap from their sponsors, and so on.
January 26 at 1:13pm
--Jennifer G.

In response to this post:
Planned Parenthood of North Texas Here's a link to sign a petition to tell CBS to pull the anti-choice ad from the super bowl.It doesn't accomplish anything but more self-censoring and stupid regulations and rules. It's their decision. Fine. Air it. I just won't watch it, or CBS. I'll try to avoid buying crap from their sponsors, and so on.

Demand CBS Pull Anti-Choice Superbowl Ad - The Petition Site
www.thepetitionsite.com
7,800+ petition signatures: Demand that CBS pull the anti-choice Superbowl ad produced by Focus on the Family.
January 26 at 12:37pm · View Feedback (4) Hide Feedback (4) · Share


All of this conversation before anyone even sees the acutal ad. Wow. Can't wait to see what happens next week. Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday!
Video Highlights: Tim Tebow, Focus on the Family and Super Bowl XLIV
By now, the buzz around the 30-second pro-life Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad featuring Heisman winner Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam, has spread well beyond the pro-life community. New stories and interviews are popping up online every day. Here are some of the video highlights.

The old guard takes offense
Remember: this is an ad that no one, including Gloria Allred has even seen, yet.



There are so many things I could say about this. Pretty much every word that comes out of Gloria Allred’s mouth is a distortion of truth, irrelevant to the conversation or a flat out lie. I’m glad Megyn Kelly calls her out during this interview.

I know that Allred is a high-profile lawyer currently representing one of Tiger Woods’ mistresses, but what gives her the right to tell people in a free market society what they must or must not run in their ad that they bought with their $2 million? It would be different if the content was sexually explicit (inappropriate for children) or vulgar in some obvious demeaning way, but this is Focus on the Family. That’s just not what they do.

This is the United States of America, Gloria baby. Free speech is what we’re all about. You’re allowed to promote your rhetoric without so much as a shred of actual evidence to back any of it up, and nobody has silenced you in 30 years. So, why are you in such a tizzy about one woman telling her story?

The ad is only 30 seconds long. If you don’t want to watch it, take a bathroom break. Go get some nachos. Don’t try to pressure a network station to pull the ad so that everyone else who wants to watch won’t get the opportunity.

Planned Parenthood’s response



Hot Air had some good commentary about a lack of willing high-profile sports figures to take up Planned Parenthood’s cause, so you can read there if you’re interested.

This ad is so vague that if you didn’t know it was from the world’s largest abortion provider, it could pass for a “The More You Know: spend more special time with your daughter” public service announcement.

Since Planned Parenthood is notorious for leaving facts out of their public statements, I’m going to give Sean James and Al Joyner the benefit of the doubt and assume they don’t really know what they’re throwing their weight behind. I would hate to think that these two super star dads would support their daughters killing their potential grandchildren, not to mention increasing their chances at developing aggressive breast cancer, pumping themselves full of harmful contraceptive hormones and potentially dying at the hand of a legal abortionist.

“We celebrate family by supporting our mothers, by supporting our daughters, by trusting women.” By killing their offspring and your future family members? Yeah Joyner, that sounds like a real celebration to me—in crazy logic world.

I thought we celebrate families by protecting the people we love and celebrating life in times of crisis. But hey, that’s just me. Apparently it’s different over at the James and Joyner households.

How it all got started
Focus on the Family lays out the back story on the Tebow ad and talks about the fire storm of reaction as the ad takes on a life of its own. At 15:30 minutes, the video is kind of long, but if you have the time, it shows how God takes control of a situation if you have a little faith in a big vision.

Watch this on a larger screen here.