4/22/2008
The Mercy Pope John Paul II
From the Director of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee's Abortion AfterCare-Healing Ministry, Caryn Stevens. Caryn responds to Pope Benedict's address to a Vatican conference on the after-effects of abortion and divorce:

Pope John Paul II, the Great Mercy Pope, reached out to post-abortive people in paragraph 99 of Evangelium Vitae, urging them to not give in to despair, to "not lose hope." John Paul the Great encouraged those who had abortions to face what they had done, with honesty and understanding, and to ask for God's forgiveness and peace. He invited them to come back home!

Then, he says something so radical, at least to those who made the grave mistake of abortion . . . he says that "as a result of our own painful experience, you can be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life." I remember when I first read these beautiful words in the Abortion AfterCare-Healing brochure; I could hardly believe what I was reading! Not only could those of us who traveled down this tragic path be forgiven, but we could be among those who now fight for LIFE! We could stand with pro-lifers without being viewed as hyprocrites or outsiders. We who have sinned can be forgiven AND can now speak up for the unborn, and bring healing to our wounded sisters and brothers.

Now, Pope Benedict XVI is reaching out to the post-abortive, but this time, the focus is on the Church. He states that "the Catholic Church has an obligation to minister to women who have victimized by abortion." He says that "the Gospel of love and life is also always the Gospel of mercy . . ." The Pope of Charity and Hope directs the Church, you and me, to reach out and minister to those hurting from abortion, and to understand how abortion devastates women, men, families and societies. He tells us that abortion leaves an "unhealed wound" in the souls of the post-abortive, that millions of women are left "physically, emotionally and spiritually wounded" after abortion, and that "Catholics must reach out to them."

Certainly, the woman or man who has experienced abortion can witness to its devastation and ill effects. It is these sisters and brothers, once healed, who can help reach out to the suffering and take up the Pope's directive with a deep sense of conviction and passion. However, Pope Benedict challenges the whole Church to step up and take action to help these "walking wounded," to understand the deep scar that abortion has left on society, and to help those suffering from abortion to become the new defenders of LIFE!

Abortion affects us ALL, not just those who participate in it. We must work together as a Church to bring the message of healing and hope to the post-abortive if we truly want peace in the world and an end to the evil that is abortion.

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Written at 1:50 PM by Andrew Smith.
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8/17/2007
I Hope I Never Calm Down!
Sheila Harper runs a bible-based post-abortion healing ministry called "SaveOne" and sends out monthly updates about the work of her organization.

Last months commentary she sent out hits the nail on the head about the disconnect people have with respect to the anger people are exerting about people abusing dogs and how they have no anger about people killing people.

We reprint, with Sheila's permission, the full text of her letter.

By the way, the next time someone tells you that pro-lifers are all about men telling women what to do, check out the "Meet the Staff" page of Save One and see for yourself who is telling women what to do.

August 15, 2007

Dear Friends of SaveOne,

My blood pressure is through the roof, my hands are shaking, and my head hurts. I’m so mad. I know many of you have seen Senator Robert Byrd on the senate floor with fist pounding on the podium yelling the words, “Barbaric, barbaric!” in response to the dog-fighting allegations against pro-football player Michael Vick. He’s right; dog fighting is horrific. But what angers me is that the liberal senators who vote to keep abortion legal are not screaming these same words against this barbaric practice. How can he and countless numbers of other congressmen and women stand in front of the American people and get so emotional over dogs, but yet do nothing to end the barbaric practice of legally killing unborn children?

My other question is, when are we as a society going to get sick of this self-righteous arrogance? Our mandate from the United States Constitution tells us that EVERY person has the right to life, yet we continually bring people into office that vote directly against all that we stand for and all that we were liberated for.

It doesn’t help that I just finished reading the book, “Unprotected” authored by Anonymous, M.D. This book is the truth written by an Ivy League college psychiatrist that felt if she signed her name to the book her job would be in jeopardy. In this book she reveals how political correctness in her profession is endangering students. One of the truths she discusses is the fact that her profession refuses to recognize post-abortion syndrome as a true Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or actually, a syndrome/disorder at all. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’s definition has been loosened over the years to include any type of trauma “outside the range of natural human experience”. This includes hurricanes, child abuse, bullying, and harassment, and even encompasses insensitive obstetric care. But this brave doctor has a quote that I think is genius. She goes on to say, “Will someone please explain to me, why does psychology, in its quest to identify and counsel every victim of possi ble child abuse, sexual harassment, or hurricanes, leave no stone unturned, and then go berserk at the suggestion that maybe, maybe, some---not all, but some---women and men hurt for a long, long time after abortion, and they too need our help? Will someone help me understand why seeing your home destroyed by water automatically places you at risk for a psychiatric disorder, but having your pregnant uterus emptied by “gentle suction,” or flushing your fetus down the toilet, well, that brings relief?”

I am by no means making light of seeing homes destroyed by water, but rather bringing awareness to the fact that these liberal congressmen and women, as well as the American Psychological Association, do not recognize the plight abortion has caused to individuals in our country and around our world. Abortion has left millions dead, and walking dead, in its wake.

Following is a quote from Senator Robert Byrd (D) W.Va. in that same speech referenced above.

“I am confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt.”

If Senator Byrd is confident that people who dog-fight are going to hell, then I’M confident of another group of people who have their seat reserved in the lake of fire; the abortionists who every day tear children from their mother’s wombs and leave the survivors to fend for themselves.

So, my blood is boiling now and it will be awhile after I’m through writing this month’s letter that I will calm down. No, I take that back, I hope I never calm down! But one thing I know for sure is that at SaveOne our passion to fight for this cause will not die. Our passion is only stoked by these ludicrous words we hear. Please get as sick of this as we are and come fight with us. We need you!

I know this month’s letter is quite strong, but I do not apologize. I will never back down or be quiet about this until abortion is banned from the east to the west, and the north to the south.

May God have mercy on America,

Sheila Harper
SaveOne
Founder & President

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Written at 12:10 PM by Andrew Smith.
1 comments
4/01/2007
Is an abortion clinic a place of prayer?
Should Christians pray in front of abortion clinics? Of course they should. As a matter of fact, we know that the more people do pray in front of abortion clinics, the less abortions actually are committed.

The Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, on the other hand, is a group that promotes abortion as a form of spirituality.

Yes, let me say that again. The Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is a group that promotes abortion as a form of spirituality. Abortion clinics, by default then, are places of prayer or even houses of worship.

If you don't believe me, then read through this informative essay written by their executive director, the Reverend Rebecca Turner.

There's much to go though here, but we'll keep it short. Reverend Turner spends much of her essay trying to convince you that abortion is OK, it is certainly not sinful (“I believe that God is always forgiving, and that there is nothing you can do to separate yourself from the love of God"), and that if a women had a problem dealing with her abortion afterwards, the reason is that she had some kind of spiritual defunct beforehand. Certainly, it has nothing to do with the abortion itself.

If that is so, and if abortion is no big deal, then why is Reverend Turner also on the board of the St. Louis Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership, a group that tries to prevent teen pregnancy? Maybe she does sense that there is something wrong with abortion and that it needs to be prevented and yet, is unable to bring herself to admit it.

But the answer to the question is no, abortion clinics are not a place of prayer. It is quite the opposite. People do not go to them seeking spirituality, they go seeking a solution to a problem that has brought them to consider destroying the life inside of them. That is not a women exercising "healthy spirituality." That is a women exercising spiritual death, and a huge part of the recovery process after an abortion is admitting what they know deep inside to be true, that they were the cause of the death of their child.

Once that is accomplished, then a women (or a man) can truly heal. To ask them to do otherwise only contributes to the problems they already don't know how to overcome.

If you know of anyone who has suffered from an abortion, please let them know that God does love them and wants them to heal, and that there is a time tested way for that to effectively happen. They can contact our After Abortion Care Healing program at 214-544-CARE (2273) (Dallas), 817-923-4757 (Ft. Worth) or 972-679-4760 (Spanish) and receive free, confidential assistance.

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Written at 10:54 PM by Andrew Smith.
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3/14/2007
Glorified Sickness
There really is no way to make abortion seem like a normal thing, no matter how hard you try.

Planned Parenthood discovered this a few years back when they introduced a t-shirt with the message "I had an abortion" on it. The shirt raised a fire of controversy and even some Planned Parenthood affiliates though it was wrong to do. The shirts do not seem to be available any longer.

So, up steps another pro-abortion group trying to make abortion seem somehow less shameful and more legitimate. Exhale has produced a line of e-greeting cards to send to someone you know who has had an abortion and is suffering.

The cards are ridiculous and even mock religion, indicating that God would have supported the decision to have an abortion.

I have a better idea for women who are suffering from a past abortion. Rather than send them a e-card that only further solidifies a decision they know deep in their hearts was the wrong thing to do, have them call a post-abortion healing number, such as 214-544-CARE (2273) in Dallas or 817-923-4757 in Fort Worth.

We will be holding a healing retreat April 20-22, 2007 here in Dallas. Men and women who have suffered from abortion can attend and receive the help they needed in overcoming their pain. All inquiries are kept confidential.

In supporting women, we need to make sure that we fix problems instead of making them worse.

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Written at 10:08 AM by Andrew Smith.
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