DEACON FOR LIFE

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Should Prison Ministry Include Praying for Abortionists?

Pro-Life Action League Issues Call to Action During Lent

Media contact: Tom Ciesielka, 312.422.1333, tc@tcpr.net

(February 20, 2015 – Chicago) Abortionists locked up in prison for murder, sex abuse, and fraud—this is the end result of human justice. According to the Pro-Life Action League, however, the story does not end there.

This week, the Lenten season began. During this 40-day period of reflection for Christians worldwide, the Pro-Life Action League is asking for prayer on behalf on three abortionists jailed for their crimes.

This trio of criminal abortionists includes:

Brian Finkel, who is serving a 35-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing patients at his Phoenix, Arizona abortion clinic.
Kermit Gosnell, who is serving life without parole for the murder of three babies he stabbed in the neck after they survived his abortion procedures in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Naresh Patel, who was indicted for fraud and racketeering and is awaiting trial after being caught in a sting operation trying to sell abortions to women who were not pregnant at his Oklahoma abortion clinic.

Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League, admits it can be difficult to pray for these men. Their crimes are heinous. But Scheidler cites the Biblical model of Jesus, whose words, “I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:36), are the foundation of prison ministry. He believes that ministry must also go further, taking to heart another directive from scripture: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). These words of Jesus remind people of faith that even these men can repent of their wrongdoing and be converted to a life that respects and values others.

“These men,” Scheidler explains, “are the enemies of all the women they exploited, of all the babies they killed, and of all who honor the sanctity of human life. Yet, if we don’t pray for them, who will?”

Read more about the Pro-Life Action League’s Lenten campaign, here [http://plal.org/hotline/2015/lent2015/].

About the Pro-Life Action League
The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joe Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving babies from abortion through direct action. Not content to await a political or judicial solution to abortion, the League seeks to stop the killing of unborn children right now through all available peaceful means, including public protest, sidewalk counseling, education, youth outreach, and national leadership. www.prolifeaction.org