Guide to Informed Choices
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destroy a human... The late politician Robert Casey said, "A 1990 Gallup poll found that 77% of Americans polled said abortion was the taking of human life. I agree, and believe that taking the life on an innocent child is unjust." 260
If you count yourself as one of the 23% not mentioned, turn to Reason #2: We know when life begins .
person? This is probably the main argument used by pro-choicers. They claim that, although abortion may take life, the fetus is not a person yet. To debate their argument, see
Reason #11: A fetus is a human, and humans are persons .
Even if it was, an abortion is no T
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accident. Does it matter what the intent is? Whatever the intent, life is still taken. Although a good intention is preferable to someone who has a murderous desire, ending someone's life is still, well, ending someone's life.
Do we have the right to kill? So the question that remains is, do you believe that killing is wrong? I would hope for 99% of you, the answer is pretty clear. If you are interested in this further, turn to Reason #56: Abortion is playing God .
Reason #26 ―Whether you justify
the decision or not, there‘s no doubt it involves killing.‖ Reason #27 Women know
that abortion kills a baby
As women, we know what abortion is believe that, deep down, all women have an inner sense, even subconscious, of what it means to be pregnant, and it means that you are carrying a child. Pregnancy is not about carrying around a glob of inert pregnancy tissue — it‘s about carrying your baby. The advice against drinking and smoking while pregnant is not aimed at protecting your ―uterine tissue‖ — it is aimed at protecting your baby
.
Confessions from pro-choice literature ―Women don‘t like to do abortions… for moral reasons…Sometimes our women doctors become pregnant themselves, which upsets the patients. At the same time, if a woman is carrying a baby, she doesn‘t like to abort someone else‘s. We have much more trouble keeping women doctors on the staff than men.‖ 261
—Edward Eichner, Preterm abortion clinic I
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Pregnant women don‘t go about with T- shirts boasting ―pregnancy cells on board‖ — it‘s ―baby on board‖! When women break down and start sobbing during an abortion or thereafter, they‘re not crying because some uterine tissue was evacuated from their body — they are crying because they have had their growing baby‘s life ended.
Desperate words from desperate women How would you feel if you felt you had no choice but also felt that abortion was wrong? Perhaps you might feel like one of these women. What can be more desperate than a woman who knows she is killing her child, but pays for it anyhow?
Still, I did it, I killed my baby. —Eva
The ―counselor,‖ who was in the room with me asked me what was wrong and why I was shaking. All I could say was, ― MY BABY
!‖ She then said, ―Well, if you believe what I do, then it‘s just tissue…it‘s not a baby‖... I was so ashamed and embarrassed. After all, I killed my baby. I tried killing myself several times to no avail.
—Donniel
Would I take this pill and kill my baby or would I do the right thing and give my baby a chance? After all, he/she had done nothing to me... I wanted to die. I wanted to die like my baby would have to die! I didn‘t deserve to be here! …I got in the bed and shut the curtains around me. I didn‘t want noone to see this hideous monster who partly killed her baby already… I started crying uncontrollably, praying to God for forgiveness and to look after my baby, which I had never given a chance to live. I had to lay down for 1 hour. I laid there crying the whole time. W HAT HAD I DONE ? I
HAD MURDERED SOMEBODY .
I WAS A
MURDERER , A KILLER , A MONSTER !
HAD KILLED MY OWN BABY !
DESERVED TO DIE FOR THIS
! —Haley
I wanted to tell someone so bad. I hurt so badly. Taylor was then only 5 months old and still very much a baby. I would look at her and want to cry. She was so beautiful and I knew that my other baby would have been too. I think about him often. Sometimes I make it a few days without thinking about it, but it is not often. Taylor turned one last month and is no longer the baby she used to be. I think about it more because it should be almost time to welcome my new little one into the world, but he is not here. I am not pregnant. I killed my baby. —Violet
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What would drive a woman to go against her deepest feelings? Like a cornered cat, fighting for her survival in the alley of despair, she knows nothing of the doors and window of help and opportunity. Yet, should she choose life there is a place where the sun shines and the grass is green. If only she knew the beauties that await her and her child. (See Reason #19 to find out more about the doors and windows of opportunity.)
Okay, maybe not all women
know ―For some reason it never entered my mind that with an abortion she would have to die. I never wanted my baby to die; I only wanted to get rid of my ‗problem.‘ ‖ 262
—―Nancyjo,‖ Aborted Women: Silent No More
Reason #27 ―Deep inside your heart you know what abortion does‖ Reason #28 God will forgive, but there are still consequences
Your motive counts I have had more than one abortion and don't regret it at all… My Christian faith tells me that if it was indeed a sin, that God will forgive me. 263
I‘mNotSorry.net
mportant disclaimer: This section does not seek to judge anyone who has had an abortion. Rather, it seeks to bring some rational thought to the ‗God will forgive line‘ that some abortion clinics actually use to sell abortions. If you‘ve already had an abortion, check the end of this book for resources for counseling and healing. Do I believe that God is forgiving? Absolutely. I believe that all things can be forgiven; otherwise there would be no hope for the human race, and there is hope. However, there are some key points to understand. Some abortion clinics use God‘s forgiveness to promote abortions to women I
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who are feeling the pricks of their conscience. To the religious-minded one clinic actually says, "Do you think there are any things God considers completely unforgivable?" 264 Well, of course not — but how can you expect forgiveness for something that you are still intending to do? It is like a murderer saying, ―Well, forgive me God because I‘m planning on killing someone soon.‖ Forgiveness comes from abandoning sin, not just asking for it and continuing in sin. So, you say, does that mean I can ask for forgiveness once the abortion is over, then? Well, motive is important too. What‘s in your heart? We all know you can ask someone‘s forgiveness and not really mean it; or you can honestly feel real regret and wish you hadn‘t done it. But if you know that you are going to ask God for forgiveness afterwards — if you know you are going to honestly regret it and feel sorry — shouldn‘t you just stop right here and now? I think that abortion clinics are guilty of using God‘s forgiveness to promote sin. One oddly sad comment credited to a clinic worker at an abortion clinic is, ―God forgives me, whatever I do.‖ 265
Apparently God‘s forgiveness is an out for all sins past, present and future. Yet, it doesn‘t quite work like that. We must not only confess our sin and ask forgiveness, but also change our ways and make amends for our past.
What‘s in your heart? ―If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?‖ —Prov. 24:12 (KJV)
In response to the FAQ, ―My religion teaches that abortion is a sin,‖ one Maryland abortion clinic offers, ―Whatever your religion, it's likely that they also teach that God is forgiving and merciful. As humans, we are meant to make mistakes. We believe God forgives us for them and helps us learn from them as well.‖ 266
So, let me get this straight — it‘s okay to do something wrong because God will forgive…and you are ‗meant‘ to sin anyway so, why not do what‘s easiest? After all, if we sin, God will help us learn from that too, right? Of course, this makes as much sense as telling a rapist that human nature makes mistakes and as long as he learns from doing it, it‘s really an okay thing to do. The availability of God‘s forgiveness is not a ‗get out of jail free‘ card, and I should note that this applies to the father of the child as well as the mother. Even if God expects that we will make mistakes, one ‗mistake‘ (pregnancy) need not lead to
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another (abortion). The idea of consequences is not new. The Bible teaches ―You reap what you sow.‖ Science states ―For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction‖ (the principle of cause and effect). Buddhists call this return of your actions karma. Native American tribes see it as the web of life that connects and influences us all. Here is that same idea in Bible verses.
First Principle -We have choices "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. —1 Corinthians 10:23
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. —Galatians 6:8
Second Principle - We reap what we sow For every man shall bear his own burden… Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. —Galatians 6:5, 7 (KJV)
Third Principle - Good choices lead to good results Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Mathew 5: 7
Give, and it will be given to you… —Luke 6:38
He who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. —Proverbs 11:18
Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
—Isaiah 3:10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest. —Galatians 6:9
Fourth Principle - Bad choices lead to bad results Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. —Genesis 9:6
As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. —Job 4:8
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F or they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: —Hosea 8:7 (KJV)
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them…. I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. —Matthew 5:17, 26
What do you do if you‘ve made bad choices?
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!... —Isaiah 1:16-17
Are these the consequences of abortion? ―Give them, O L ORD —
Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that are dry.‖ —Hosea 9:14
Fifth Principle - We are accountable to God For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. —Hebrews 4:12-13
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. —Romans 2:13
Sixth Principle - God is just I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
—Revelation 2:23 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. —Revelation 20:12
Seventh Principle - God is merciful But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
—Ephesians 2:4-5
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The L ORD has heard my cry for mercy; the L ORD
accepts my prayer. —Psalm 6:9
Personal experiences of consequences ‘d like to share with you now the personal experiences some women have had with consequences.
When I was 16 years old I killed a baby, and I kept it a secret for more than 20 years. When I was 16 years old I got pregnant and had an abortion. The result of my choices was a series of consequences that I could never have imagined… Every woman who has had an abortion has a story that is personal to them. But I am here to say that not one can escape from the emotional devastation that follows. Though it may be unrealized and the dots may not be connected, it permeates your soul and spills out all over your life. —Adena
The repercussions affected me in every possible way. Emotionally, physically, psychologically, developmentally and
spiritually. I hated what I did and ran from the truth for years, but it was always there tapping me on the shoulder. I felt like a hypocrite. I was a hypocrite and I was selfish. I took my baby‘s life because it would mess up my plans, and that decision literally had life-altering consequences for me and my unborn child. —Yoli No one told me that while I was having life suctioned out of my body that I was creating emotional and spiritual calamity for myself. This was supposed to take care of the problem, but instead it created more problems than I ever could have imagined — physical, emotional and spiritual problems that eventually brought me to my knees. I was a dead man walking for many years. God will restore those that are repentant and He forgives sin, but there are always consequences. —Becky
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. —Deuteronomy 30:19
Reason #28 ―God is totally forgiving but there are still consequences that you have to face‖ I
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Reason #29 Abortion may affect your future fertility
Abortion clinics will not admit it ome abortion clinics swear an abortion will in no way impact on your future fertility: ―An abortion now will in no way prevent you from getting pregnant again and delivering healthy babies.‖ 267
Yet women who have had abortions sometimes do experience problems. In this section we discuss fertility from women's personal stories — their problems with getting pregnant and how abortion has affected their ability to mother their current children. We will look at both the physical and emotional aspects. For more on the risks from a strictly medical point of view, turn to Reason #30: Abortion carries risks .
What would you say? ome
physical and
emotional consequences, according to
the following women:
When it took me an additional 11 years to get pregnant again, I knew that my abortion was a considering factor. — Kathy
Having an abortion ruined my life. Let me back up. Having an abortion ended my baby‘s life and then it ruined mine. I killed the only baby I would ever have. —Yoli
I would be due in about a month. I went baby clothes shopping yesterday for my sister-in-law‘s baby who is due in about a month and a half. Every single item I picked up I did not visualize her baby in, but mine. —Violet
Mike and I eventually married and decided it was time to have a baby. I was scared to death of the idea, but Mike really wanted to be a father. I was afraid I might hurt the baby or kill it accidentally. I didn‘t deserve to have a baby. I was afraid that maybe I wouldn‘t even like it. You see, after the abortion I developed an aversion to babies, and I would try to avoid them at all cost. I never went to baby showers, and if I saw someone coming toward me with a baby, I dodged the whole situation pretty quickly.
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—Carol
S S
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Later in life, two decades later, I miscarried twins. Miscarriage is common Yüklə 4,63 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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