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.

Monday, November 30, 2015

TOMORROW is Giving Tuesday - Please help us save women and babies in China!

Women's Rights Without Frontiers | Forced Abortion Is Not A Choice | www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org

We’ve Received $5000 in Matching Funds!
We need $50,000 to continue our work!

Dear Friends:

In this season of giving, please remember the women and babies of China, who are still enduring conditions that are beyond imagination. At this moment, there are women in China who have gotten pregnant without a “birth permit” and are in danger of being dragged away for a forced abortion, up to the ninth month of pregnancy. Baby girls in China are in danger of selective abortion and abandonment.

You may have heard that China has “abandoned” its One Child Policy. This is not true.
Regarding the new Two-Child Policy, blind activist Chen Guangcheng tweeted, “This is nothing to be happy about. First the (Chinese government) would kill any baby after one. Now they will kill any baby after two.”

The legacy of the One-Child Policy: Liu Dan died after being forcibly aborted at nine months

The brutality continues. This October Women’s Rights Without Frontiers partnered with The Heritage Foundation in co-hosting a powerful event to expose the truth of China’s One Child Policy. Representative Chris Smith, blind activist Chen Guangcheng, and Women’s Rights Without Frontiers President Reggie Littlejohn joined forces to expose the atrocities of forced abortion and gendercide in China. We talked about women like Feng Jianmei, who was forcibly aborted at 7 months. China reports that it has 13 million abortions a year. That’s 35,000 a day, or almost 1500 an hour. The brutality of China’s forced abortion policy is repeated thousands of times every day.

Baby girl rescued from toilet, Beijing August 2015

Meanwhile, China leads the world in the sex-selective abortion of baby girls. Our Save a Girl campaign is saving the lives of baby girls at risk of being aborted or abandoned because of son preference in China!

Through our network of on-the-ground fieldworkers, we are able to reach women who are pregnant with or who have just given birth to a girl, and are being pressured to abort or abandon her. We offer these mothers encouragement and a monthly stipend for a year, empowering them to keep their daughters. We have an overwhelming success rate and have saved 200 precious babies through this campaign.

This girl is one of 200 babies saved by our “Save a Girl”
Campaign.

Reggie Littlejohn and Anni Zhang in Yosemite, August 2015

We also rescued Zhang Anni, the persecuted daughter of dissident Zhang Lin. She was called “the youngest prisoner of conscience in China,” as she was kidnapped out of her elementary school at age 10 and detained overnight. The Chinese government persecuted Anni in an attempt to silence her heroic father. We raised the visibility of Anni’s case internationally and then conducted quiet diplomacy to get her out of China. She is now living with my husband and me and we are raising her as our own daughter.

At the U.S. Library of Congress on Capitol Hill in D.C., Reggie addresses attendees of the November 2015 China Forum, sponsored by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers has been called the “leading voice” in the battle against forced abortion and gendercide in China. Indeed, I was astonished and humbled to be named one of the “Top Ten People” of 2013 by Inside the Vatican magazine. We have testified seven times at the U.S. Congress, three times at the European Parliament, twice at the British Parliament, and have briefed the Canadian Parliament, the State Department, the White House, the United Nations and the Vatican. Our efforts have born fruit. Both the European Parliament and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women have issued statements condemning forced abortion. We are unique in having the attention of both the left and the right.

Reggie Littlejohn met Pope Francis in October 2013. She was named one of the “Top 10” People of 2013 by Inside the Vatican magazine.

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers needs your support to continue. We need to raise $50,000.00 to continue our work. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in fighting perhaps the greatest injustice of our age.

The women and babies of China urgently need your help! If you would like to partner with us, please send a check made out to Women’s Rights Without Frontiers to:

Women’s Rights Without Frontiers
1919 Gunston Way
San Jose, CA 95124

WRWF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, California Non-Profit Corporation # 3296236; EIN # 90-0591575EIN. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by U.S. law.

With gratitude,

Reggie Littlejohn, President
Women’s Rights Without Frontiers

YES, I WANT TO HELP END GENDERCIDE AND FORCED ABORTION IN CHINA!

Your donation enables Women’s Rights Without Frontiers to continue to be a voice for the voiceless women and children of China. This huge effort comes at a cost. We need your support. Please give as generously as you can. Every donation makes a difference!

P.O. Box 54401 | San Jose, CA 95154
www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org

LifeNews Pro-Life News Report 11/30/15

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Monday, November 30, 2015

For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Top Stories

• Planned Parenthood CEO Blames Pro-Lifers for Colorado Shooting: They’re “Hateful”
• Shooter at Colorado Planned Parenthood Frazzled in 1st Court Hearing, May Face Death Penalty
• Planned Parenthood Pushes Abortion at Shooting Memorial, Woman Walks Out: “We’re Here to Mourn”
• Former Miss USA Dumps Tim Tebow Because He’s Committed to Abstinence Until Marriage

More Pro-Life News• Hillary Clinton Slams Pro-Lifers After Shooting: Support Planned Parenthood, Don’t Attack It
• After Planned Parenthood Shooting, Ben Carson Says Pro-Life People Use “Hateful Rhetoric”• The View Blames Pro-Lifers for Colorado Shooting: Says Republican “Rhetoric” Responsible
• Media: Pro-Lifers “Inflamed People” and “Created Environment” for Planned Parenthood Shooting
• Carly Fiorina: Blaming Pro-Lifers for Planned Parenthood Shooting is a “Typical Left-Wing Tactic”
• Whether Gun Violence or Abortion Violence, Harming the Innocent is Always Wrong
• Garrett Swasey’s Last Sermon: Our Objective is to Bring Glory to God, Not Ourselves
• The Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooter is Not Pro-Life and Pro-Life People are Not Extremists
• Mike Huckabee: Killing People is Wrong Whether Outside or Inside Planned Parenthood
• Marco Rubio: I Will Never Change My Pro-Life Position Opposing Abortion
• Shooter at Colorado Planned Parenthood Called a “Rambling” Loner, Never Talked About Abortion
• Planned Parenthood Fundraises Off Colorado Shooting, Says Pro-Lifers “Feed Domestic Terrorism”
• Officer Killed During Shooting at Planned Parenthood Was Pro-Life, Co-Pastor at His Church

Planned Parenthood CEO Blames Pro-Lifers for Colorado Shooting: They’re “Hateful”
After using the tragic shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood to fund-raise for her abortion business, Planned Parenthood top brass continued the campaign to blame the actions of a deranged shooter not affiliated with the pro-life movement on pro-life people. Although alleged shooter Robert Lewis Dear reportedly mentioned “baby body parts” when arrested at the scene of the crime, Dear has no connections with the pro-life movement.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/planned-parenthood-ceo-blames-pro-lifers-for-colorado-shooting-theyre-hateful/

Shooter at Colorado Planned Parenthood Frazzled in 1st Court Hearing, May Face Death Penalty
Alleged Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Lewis Dear appeared frazzled in his first court hearing following his arrest. Dear, 57-years-old and residing in Colorado and North Carolina, was arrested at the scene in connection with the violent shooting that claimed the lives of three people, including one police officer and injured 9 others, including multiple officers.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/shooter-at-colorado-planned-parenthood-frazzled-in-1st-court-hearing-may-face-death-penalty/

Planned Parenthood Pushes Abortion at Shooting Memorial, Woman Walks Out: “We’re Here to Mourn”
As our nation grieves for the victims of a crazed shooter at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood on Friday, some of the abortion business’s supporters say it is going too far by politicizing the tragic incident.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/planned-parenthood-pushes-abortion-at-shooting-memorial-woman-walks-out-were-here-to-mourn/

Former Miss USA Dumps Tim Tebow Because He’s Committed to Abstinence Until Marriage
More often lately it seems that people who do the right thing are the ones facing criticism and rejection. This week that person is pro-life athlete Tim Tebow. CBS Tampa Bay reports that Tebow’s girlfriend, the former Miss USA Olivia Culpo, broke up with him because he is saving sex until marriage.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/former-miss-usa-dumps-tim-tebow-because-hes-committed-to-abstinence-until-marriage/

Hillary Clinton Slams Pro-Lifers After Shooting: Support Planned Parenthood, Don’t Attack It
For the second time, pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton used a tragic shooting in Colorado to defend the Planned Parenthood abortion business. On Friday, Clinton sent a tweet exploiting the active shooting before the shooter was apprehended or a motive known to push for support for the abortion business.
Click to Read a t LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/hillary-clinton-slams-pro-lifers-after-shooting-support-planned-parenthood-dont-attack-it/
After Planned Parenthood Shooting, Ben Carson Says Pro-Life People Use “Hateful Rhetoric”
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson may be pro-life, but he appears to have put his foot in his mouth again when it comes to a sensitive topic for the pro-life movement. Fresh from saying that legislation Congress and Florida passed to save the life of Terri Schiavo was “much ado about nothing,” Carson is now saying that the pro-life movement engages in “hateful rhetoric.”
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/after-planned-parenthood-shooting-ben-carson-says-pro-life-people-use-hateful-rhetoric/

The View Blames Pro-Lifers for Colorado Shooting: Says Republican “Rhetoric” Responsible
According to CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin, conservative “rhetoric” “tossed fuel” onto the fire that is the abortion debate. The journalist appeared on The View, Monday, and demanded Republicans be held accountable in the wake of a Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting last week.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/the-view-blames-pro-lifers-for-colorado-shooting-says-republican-rhetoric-responsible/

Media: Pro-Lifers “Inflamed People” and “Created Environment” for Planned Parenthood Shooting
Ruth Marcus has come close to blaming Republicans for the Colorado Springs shootings. Appearing on Jose Diaz-Balart’s MSNBC show today, Washington Post columnist Marcus said that “the Republican candidates . . . have been part of the inflamed and inflammatory rhetoric about Planned Parenthood, about the sale of baby parts, about dismembering live babies . . .
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/media-pro-lifers-inflamed-people-and-created-environment-for-planned-parenthood-shooting/

Carly Fiorina: Blaming Pro-Lifers for Planned Parenthood Shooting is a “Typical Left-Wing Tactic” http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/carly-fiorina-blaming-pro-lifers-for-planned-parenthood-shooting-is-a-typical-left-wing-tactic/

Whether Gun Violence or Abortion Violence, Harming the Innocent is Always Wrong http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/whether-gun-violence-or-abortion-violence-harming-the-innocent-is-always-wrong/

Garrett Swasey’s Last Sermon: Our Objective is to Bring Glory to God, Not Ourselves http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/garrett-swaseys-last-sermon-out-objective-is-to-bring-glory-to-god-not-ourselves/

The Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooter is Not Pro-Life and Pro-Life People are Not Extremists http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/the-colorado-planned-parenthood-shooter-is-not-pro-life-and-pro-life-people-are-not-extremists/

Know a pro-life college student looking for a Spring semester pro-life internship? LifeNews has internships available. Contact mbilger@lifenews.com for details.

Mike Huckabee: Killing People is Wrong Whether Outside or Inside Planned Parenthood http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/mike-huckabee-killing-people-is-wrong-whether-outside-or-inside-planned-parenthood/

Marco Rubio: I Will Never Change My Pro-Life Position Opposing Abortion http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/30/marco-rubio-i-will-never-change-my-pro-life-position-opposing-abortion/
Shooter at Colorado Planned Parenthood Called a “Rambling” Loner, Never Talked About Abortion http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/28/shooter-at-colorado-planned-parenthood-called-a-rambling-loner-never-talked-about-abortion/

Planned Parenthood Fundraises Off Colorado Shooting, Says Pro-Lifers “Feed Domestic Terrorism” http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/28/planned-parenthood-fundraises-off-colorado-shooting-says-pro-lifers-feed-domestic-terrorism/

Officer Killed During Shooting at Planned Parenthood Was Pro-Life, Co-Pastor at His Church http://www.lifenews.com/2015/11/28/officer-killed-during-planned-parenthood-shooting-was-pro-life-co-pastor-at-his-church/

Sunday, November 29, 2015

The First Step in Abolishing Abortion is Repentance

by Fr. Frank Pavone 11/29/2015

Caravaggio (1571-1610), “Mary Magdalene”

When I am asked what I think our first spiritual duty is regarding abortion, I have an answer that surprises most people. Many think I will suggest that prayer is our first spiritual duty. And of course prayer is important. But our very first spiritual duty is repentance.
The first step in abolishing abortion is to examine our own hearts and to repent of the role we each have played in allowing this holocaust to happen.
This is never easy, but with God’s grace it can be done. Advent gives us a perfect time to begin.
In Advent, which means “coming,” we focus on the coming of Christ at the end of time, and then on His first coming at Christmas. Advent is marked by the joy of His coming, but also by the strong warning that we must be prepared for it, as individuals and as a community.
John the Baptizer prepared the people for the coming of Christ by proclaiming repentance, so the Church prepares the world for His second coming by likewise proclaiming, and opening the way, for repentance.
The third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel begins: “In those days, John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Christ’s coming ushers in the final triumph of life over death. The preparation for that coming, therefore, must include repentance from the works of death, including abortion. This repentance includes living with active respect for every human life, and building a society of justice and welcome for the most vulnerable.
We can begin repentance for abortion by renouncing our cowardice, regretting our silence, rejecting our fear of risk and loss, our skewed priorities and attachments. We must own up to the fact that the biggest obstacles in ending abortion are inside of us. They are the lies we tell ourselves, the fears to which we willingly submit, and the pretense of ignorance about what we really have to do next.
Often, when people seek advice about pro-life activity, they ask me what they should do next. I start by telling them that they probably already know. Our sense of uncertainty rarely arises from not knowing what we should do. It arises from not having the courage to do it. We count the cost and don’t want to pay the price. But it is time to take the risk, time to stand up and shout that the world is on fire. It is time to pull the fire alarm and join in the fight.
Promoting justice and human rights is a key element of our Advent preparation. A society that aborts its children is not prepared for the coming of Christ. Individuals who ignore the massive slaughter of tens of millions of babies are not prepared to welcome the God who became a little baby.
Nor are they prepared to welcome the gifts the baby brings. To welcome Christ is to welcome the one who teaches the Gospels, establishes His Church, and brings us the Eucharist and the other sacraments. Some want to welcome Christ only by welcoming the baby, but not staying around long enough to hear what he has to say or receive what he comes to bring.
Advent repentance means we are to accept the teachings of the Church that the newborn infant founded as an adult; utilize the sacrament of penance to receive His forgiveness; accept the grace that enables us to repent of sin; receive Him in the Eucharist faithfully, and let Him work through us to build a society of justice and a culture of life.
And remember: As we repent for our past failures to act, we will come to understand that God will both forgive our failures and enable our victories.