As I pulled into the parking garage something felt familiar. I walked into the front door of the hotel and received my name tag. I stared at the large doors that shielded the entrance to the ballroom. It was familiar, too. I walked to my assigned table and looked around the large room full of votive candles and white table linens, all familiar to me.
I sat down at my table and heard the excited chatter around the room. Hugs are exchanged, people reminisce about their families, and they’re talking about work. Yes, that is familiar. The event begins and dinner is served, chicken. Unfortunately, that is very familiar. It’s time for me to give my keynote speech.
I stand on the stage and look out at the crowd. I have been in this room before. Just four years ago, I sat in this room. I was listening to keynote speeches for the Planned Parenthood Annual Conference. I listened and cheered as we were given strategies to increase our abortion numbers. I cried as I listened to Dr. George Tiller recount story after story of how he had been threatened by “anti-choicers.” I clapped as awards were given.
I felt a sense of pride as I watched abortion doctors present their strategies on abortion techniques. I participated in this. I was a fighter, a fighter for women’s rights, a defender of women.
Now, I sit here in this same room and listen as women stand and talk about how their lives were ruined by abortion. I look at the faces of babies whose lives were saved because these “anti-choicers” cared about them and wanted the very best for their lives. Their lives, the very thing I worked so hard to take away. I am still a defender of women, but now, I also defend their children.
I left Planned Parenthood on October 6, 2009. It’s an important day for me. It’s the day my life changed, the day I became new again.
I have noticed many familiar things on this side “of the fence.” I attend pro-life events and see the familiar pro-choice protesters. However, this time, I am inside the building, instead of outside with a homemade sign. I see women going into abortion clinics with the same, familiar burdensome look on their faces.
Now, instead of counseling them on the reason they should have an abortion, I am counseling them from the sidewalk on the reason abortion is not the best choice for them. There are so many familiar things, except for one. That thing is unity.
When I worked at Planned Parenthood, I was subscribed to most of the pro-life national group listserv’s. Every day, emails would flood in stating things like, “this idea was going to be the one to take down the abortion industry.” Then another would come, “No, this is the best idea!”
All of would just sit back and laugh. “These pro-lifers will never get it together,” we would say. “They expect to take down our industry when they can’t even all get on the same page!” We would read these emails and feel very secure in our employment. We will never be taken down, we are too big, we are everywhere, we are in their schools, in their churches, and in their communities. They can’t stop us. We would giggle with pride. We were united in our common cause. We would keep abortion legal at any cost.
This is how it was for eight years of my life. I loved my co-workers. I loved the cause I stood for. I’ve never known that type of unity. To be a part of something like that was exhilarating. We fought together, supported each other, stood together… always.
When I left Planned Parenthood, I was honestly worried about leaving that sense of community behind. Would I ever fit into a group like that again? Surely I would. We are talking about the pro-life movement, the “Christian” movement. Christians love each other! They support each other! We will now work together to support women and their children. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how wonderful it was going to be. Well, I’m still imagining.
I have to sit back and laugh. When I worked at Planned Parenthood I would receive death threats from “pro-lifers.” Now, that I am out I still receive death threats from “pro-lifers.” I’m not sure what they want from me. They didn’t like it when I was in, they don’t like it now that I am out.
I watch groups bicker over which legislation is the “best.” I have seen pro-life groups and initiatives be sabotaged by other pro-life groups. If one pro-life person doesn’t agree with another pro-lifer’s opinion, then they have “lost respect for you.” I see an incredible amount of division within the Protestant/Catholic pro-life community.
I have been uninvited from pro-life events as a speaker because I am now Catholic. Today, I witnessed a pro-life person on Facebook ridiculing those who call themselves “abortion abolitionists” simply because he doesn’t believe some of us are worthy of the title. I hear constant condescension because I am “so new” to the movement and obviously don’t know what I am talking about, unless they agree with me, then I know SO MUCH about what we should be doing.
Why all the infighting? Aren’t we all fighting for a common cause? It seems like we aren’t. It seems like we are fighting against each other. And, at whose expense? The unborn.
I have always been a love me or hate me kind of gal. I am overly passionate. I was overly passionate about abortion rights… and now, I am even more so about the unborn and their mothers. I spent eight years of my life deceiving myself and allowing myself to be deceived, and more devastating, deceiving others.
I know I am sometimes hard to handle. My mom would say that I’ve been like that since I was born. While I appreciate the fact that many do not agree with me and others on many issues, does that mean that it’s necessary to tear each other down? Why do we do this so often in the pro-life movement?
Please understand that I am not talking about accountability. Accountability is very important. Romans 16:17-18 talks about this. There will be false prophets, those that come to destroy. We must divide from them. There are certainly those in the pro-life movement. There are organizations that seem to have no real desire to end abortion. We must divide from them.
There are organizations who promote violence as a means to end abortion. We must divide from them. There are organizations that seek to destroy anyone who doesn’t agree with their ideas. We must divide from them.
All of the pieces of our pro-life puzzle have come together. We have solid legislative efforts to end abortion. We have thousands of pregnancy centers to help women and families who are experiencing a crisis pregnancy. We have peaceful activists out on the sidewalks witnessing to women walking into abortion clinics. We now have an outreach to abortion clinic workers. The pieces are there, but can we work together to end this atrocity?
You may not like my approach, and I may not like yours, but I will support you if you are trying to save the unborn through peaceful means. We don’t always have to agree, but we should always pray for each other, we should always build one another up. We should always unite for the unborn.
I look forward to the day when I can look upon the pro-life movement and say joyfully, “Yes, this unity feels familiar.”
While sobering, this is a great article on the way things stand. You have been a huge gift to the pro-life movement and have undergone a great deal of persecution from it – I bless you Abby! I bless you with strength, peace, and the grace to do what you are doing. I pray for wisdom and discernment for you, for protection from the enemy and for you to know the Lord more and more intimately and to know the heighth and breadth and length and depth of His love for you!
So often, the different christian churches fight with each other and it has become almost a habit to look for differences and use them as a wedge. I see that it has spilled over into the prolife movement as well. We need to realize that none of us are perfect, but when we work for the good of our God, that goal should minimize our differences and faults and we need to keep our focus on the task at hand! Thanks for all you do Abbey, you are truly an inspiration!
Abby, there are many of us out there that can’t speak out, but get energy from your posts and your work, we serve on boards, work at pregnancy centers, encourage young mothers that are raising their babies, we can’t always give the time that you do, but we are out there saying, yes, Lord, yes, please don’t give up, we are praying for you, don’t let the negative few rule over the postive many. God bless you!
I agree Michele. Keep up your passion for the unborn Abby, they need you too!
We are with you. I just finished reading your book. As one one prolife site says, if it’s not done in prayer first, with humility, praying that the Holy Spirit fill the hearts of all involved, then it is being done for the wrong reasons. There is much ego out there. I think everything has to start and end with God.
“Divide and conquer.” If the enemy can destroy us from within, then we will have no energy to continue our cause. Death threats?? Seriously? You told me this at the banquet in Minneapolis and I just cried. It shook me to the core. As I was driving home that night, the Lord reminded me that it was actually the established religious organization of the day that tortured and crucified Him. You, Abby, may be new to the pro-life movement, but you are not new to the spiritual battle that takes place for those little babies. Your knowledge of the enemy’s tactics, and by “enemy” I mean the enemy of our souls and not Planned parenthood, that specific knowledge is what propels you forward. Few have been on both sides of the “fence”, and I imagine those that have are migthtier and smarter than the rest of us. I will continue to pray for those that work in the abortion industry because you are a living, walking, talking example of an answer to that specific prayer. I pray the Lord will continue to protect you and your loved ones continuely. God bless you, Abby!P.S. Did you know (of course you know), that there are federal laws in place to protect the eggs of endagered birds in America because they have the POTENTIAL to become said bird, yet those same protections do not apply to babies in the womb. I had one pro-choice advocate argue that this is because humans are not endagered. My argument was that the government acknowledged that the egg of the bird represented potential, which logic should dictate that the human embryo should also be protected because it also represents the potential to become fully human. If you have time to respond, what are your thoughts? How do I answer the “humans-are-not-endagered” argument?
I had no idea about the bird eggs; thank you so much for that insight! I always try to look for information like this to help strengthen my pro-life arguments to hopefully convert those who are pro-choice, along with paying of course! Thank you so much Melissa, and God bless you!
Abby, i am super happy you are with us. Honestly i look for people like you to relate to. I am super passionately pro life but i am not churchy enough. Im protestant, love my catholic pro lifers and look up to their solid foundation in that belief. I dont agree with everything in that religion, but we both have that heart knowledge that babies are a gift from God. I connect with this blog thought so well. Thanks for caring, sharing, and know this side needs you whether those others want to admit it or not. You are a light!
At the end of the day, the phrase “there is more than one way to skin a cat” comes to mind.
While we all have our opinions of the best approach (usually coming from our experiences and what we have seen work, what converted us, etc.) we should appreciate that there are people who are doing things differently because that different methodology will attract, resonate with and convert a different “type” of person.
We should embrace those differences (as long as they are being carried out peacefully, of course) because no one person could attract every other person.
Keep doing what you are doing!! Keep encouraging unity!!
You have a friend in me…. I am often saddened by this very thing in all areas of the church. Keep on keeping on. Your work matters, your voice matters. Praying for your strength.
Your ascent into the spotlight so quickly has caused others to envy your spiritual welfare – which is in it’s core -a blasphemy to the Holy Spirit – the unforgivable sin mentioned in Luke 12:8-12.
Keep on fighting the good fight, Abby. We are praying for you always. I might even have an abortion worker coming out soon. Please pray for that to happen.
While envy is a sin against the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin, which Scripture calls Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is final impenitence. Final impenitence consists of hardening your heart completely so that you die refusing to repent of your sins.
Hi Abby! I just read your book a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I am in total agreement with this post and have the same thoughts. I am Catholic, a convert as well, and just got involved in the administrative aspect of 40 Days for Life. I feel as though this amazing organization is unifying the Pro Life Movement more than most I’ve seen because it is so peaceful and loving. I do have a difficult time with the dead baby picture approach, sorry. And I have shared my views with Jack Ames, a wonderful man who is in the business of saving as many babies on a daily basis as he can. And he thinks those pictures are effective. I was even more convinced they don’t work as well as other approaches after reading your book. But I talk to him personally and love those people anyway because of their pure hearts. I also just went through this same realization when I started helping at a Pregnancy Center that is run by Protestants. A Catholic Church right down the street is spreading rumors about this clinics support of contraception, which they don’t!! But one man actually believes it and talked the Knights of Columbus out of helping them get an ultrasound machine. And, he talks Catholic run pregnancy centers out of referring patients to this clinic which is the only one for miles that has an ultrasound machine. I was incensed!!! 7 mothers out of 10 say no to abortion when they see an ultrasound in our area. Only 3 say yes after they’ve been counseled without one. So, because of infighting, we are losing 4 babies that could have lived. Love is always the solution so I have to be prudent and loving when I approach these people even though I want to shake them and ask them what in the world they are thinking!!!!! I know there are Pro Life organizations that only support legislation that says no to ALL abortion and refuse to get behind the rape and incest and life of the mother clause. I say we have to start somewhere. But without the love, we will be no better than those we oppose. Love for every life that is lost to abortion. Those babies should be our goal, always, not bickering and division. I once talked to an older gentleman who was holding up a dead baby parts poster at the Pro Life March. I told him I really didn’t think those posters belonged here because we were all on the same side and I felt very bad for the women I had just heard speak, the “I regret my abortion” group. He said, right to my face…”those women should be shot….”!! I started freaking out and asking him where in the heck was his Jesus heart of love and mercy!!! You are so right and I’m not sure what the answer is…accept for us to lead the way and keep loving all those we come across who just don’t get that it’s all about the babies, not us and our silly pride. I hope you will write another book. God Bless you and don’t give up the fight. The tabernacle will always be our greatest source of strength and peace and the Blessed Mother will give us the love and courage we need on a daily basis to see beyond the actions of the dividers and love them anyway. God Bless you!!!!
Abby, at first I felt like I had no idea what you were talking about! Sure, there are some crazies in the pro-life movement that we distance ourselves from but I’ve always found my local pro-life community to be wonderfully unified. THEN I remember when I was in college at a liberal university, president of Collegians for Life. I remember how hard it was to get any of the larger local pro-life organizations to even recognize our presence or help us out. I tried to get an unpaid internship at our amazing crisis pregnancy clinic and was flat out denied. It was as if no one trusted us because we must have had some hidden agenda. We still promoted their organizations though we had no support from them. Now, with a new director at the CPC and 5 years after I’ve graduated they are FINALLY meeting with my old group to see how they can work together and get the CPC known on campus. It’s about time! I think I understand where you are coming from and I can’t believe anyone would threaten you. I don’t know you personally and I don’t feel like I need to agree with you on every subject. What I do know is you’ve seen the worst of it and probably know the truth better than any of us. Keep up your good work ~ your reward is waiting for you in Heaven!
Abby, great post. So in line with recent conversations I have. Yesterday, on the sidewalks, my 40 Days for Life team was talking about unity. The 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade is coming up. 40 years, like 40 days, is a scripturally Significant number. We need a Plan, we need to turn the narrative of women’s health around, to get out the information on how women’s lives are unhappier than ever since sex was divorced from relationship, with abortion as the guarantor of non-intimacy as a standard.
We need a Pro- life Summit , a gathering of all pro-life organizations and leaders with the idea of making a united effort and A Plan. Take back the women’s health narrative.
My group will be meeting after 40 DFL concludes to prayerfully consider how to make this a reality. Who wants to see this happen? Who wants to end the infighting and come up with a unified Plan and strategy? Not completely absorbed into one big group- but an intentional alliance in the best sense of the word . Who’s in, even tentatively?
Hi Rae, Hi Abby,
Yes, we need to be unified if we want to make more impact. I think you have a good idea Rae, an alliance of sorts. There are so many organizations, why so many? Who will head up an alliance? Maybe each one who believes in this can find a group who’s interested in uniting the local groups and eventually all those interested will find each other…I think maybe Voices for the Voiceless here in AZ is standing for unity https://www.facebook.com/VoicesForTheVoiceless?ref=stream
You are right on, Abby. Thank you so much for all you do.
I agree with the ladies above. I’m praying for you Abby. I’m praying for the movement and praying for those innocent babies. I want this deception to be uncovered & for them to have a chance. Blessing Abby! Keep on in The Lord!
I totally agree with you Abby! I love everything you are doing for proLife and I am very happy you are for saving babies lives now. I have your book and I am so greatful your eyes have been opend! I don’t understand why we have some prolife who are angry and hateful towards other prolife. I had always assumed they must be prochoice pretending to be prolife just to screw around with us… Whatever the case may be, keep fighting girl because you’ve told first accounts of your realization and some of those accounts I never knew before…
Abby, the division throughout the Christian community, even beyond the subject of abortion, is heartbreaking. But, the divisions have been there from the beginning. Many of Paul’s letters deal specificity with the disagreements and division within the churches. We know that Satan is the author of this confusion and infighting. If only we Christians would truly band together. What power we would have in this nation.
I love that you are passionate. Those babies need that. God made you that way for a reason. Perhaps because the abortion is such an ingrained idea in this nation. We need someone with a strong and loving voice to stand up and speak for all of us. You definitely speak for me. Please don’t stop!
Abby,
I’m reminded of Ephesians 6 where St. Paul says “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness…” He is attempting to truly divide the pro-lifers because we work against him. The other side is (I would definitely say unknowningly) doing his work so he needs them united. So we have to pray, and pray fervently for one another and the work that you do because you are calling people out of that industry and into the light that brings life. Keep up the good work and remember; if you were not doing the Lord’s work Satan would not be so “hell bent” on keeping you from it.
Thank you so much for writing this. As Jesus said if they are not against us they are with us – and I think this applies here. Its a black and white answer as to if abortion is wrong (and it most definitely is!) but how we fix our Culture of Death has many answers and we must work together to all promote a new Culture of Life! Keep up the good work. I loved your book (read it and cried and was inspired) and support you 100%. Praying with you and fighting (peacefully) for the protection of all life conception until natural death!
Ever hear of The Guiding Star Project??!?!? 🙂
http://theguidingstarproject.com/about-us/our-mission
The plan is ready to go, now to get these groups, OUR movement lined up to effectively work together. We need these complementary centers. We need a united approach NOW!
Let’s talk again soon Abby. We’re so much stronger together!
Abby, I was raised Catholic, and am today following in Biblical Christianity. I am your sister in Christ and fighting beside you in this fight for unity and for women and their children. Seeing so many “Catholics for Choice” and “Catholics for Obama” in recent months, I can honestly say it is uplifting to see someone practicing truth in their Catholic faith by honoring the doctrine and teachings within Catholicism. In a time when there are many examples of people making Catholicism look bad, you represent it with light and dignity. I know what you mean about the absence of unity within this fight. Being torn is part of what we sign up for in this movement, but it should not come from within. Please keep holding your head up high and encouraging those who are willing to go the distance with you. We need you!!!
Abby, when you were in the pro-abortion movement, you were united in the celebration of death and darkness. To stay unified was easy, because there was no reason for Satan to put division among you. You were already doing his bidding, even if the majority of you didn’t even know it. The pro-life movement is different in that Satan hates it and everyone involved in it. He wants it gone, and he’ll do whatever he can to make it go away. He will cause division and hatred within it in order to bring it down. Now, I believe with all my heart and soul that although, small battles within this worthy and just pro-life cause will be lost, God will win this war…hopefully sooner than later! Certainly, we must work to always restore unity among us, as there is strength in numbers, and we get this strength from the Lord. There is nothing stronger than that. But, it is a battle…a battle that must be fought and cannot be abandoned. You and many like you are fighting on the front lines. Thank you for all you do! Please don’t get discouraged!!! There are so many of us praying for you every day!
I totally understand that. But it doesn’t make what we do to each other in this movement “okay.” The problem is that we KNOW it is Satan who comes to divide us and yet we continue to fall for it!!!
I totally agree with the idea that it’s a waste of time to engage in infighting, but by writing about it, I find your further the infighting. I prefer to keep moving forward. So long as the individual isn’t actually promoting or committing violence, I consider him a fellow traveller.
Abby thank you for your post. I would like you to consider looking at this from a different light. Actually two different lights.
First notice how strangers are cordial to each other but friends are often mean to each other. Their meanness is a sign of an underlying unity between them.
Another way to look at this is that groups of people who have no or little moral center can easily unite for a common purpose and not have issues for how their goal is accomplished as long as it gets accomplished. But people who do have strong moral values can disagree and even fight over the means to the end because the means does matter to them as much as the end. Therefore the fighting is a sign of the underlying moral drive.
Ohhhhhh, do I have stories about the attitude some people in the pro-life movement have towards GLBT people. I finally stopped reading Jill Stanek’s site after comment section after comment section descended into non sequiturs about “male and female He created them” and Sodom and Leviticus. The last straw was when Gerard Nadal – who, mind you, is a doctor – referred to the GLBT community as “a murderous people.” That was IT. I spent years on that site telling people, “Seriously, this is a distraction, now stop spreading harmful stereotypes and get back to saving babies,” but apparently feeling self-righteous held more allure for some of them. I don’t deserve to be treated that way. It was starting to feel like trying to save an abusive relationship.
(I should add that I also encountered and received support from several very nice people there. Unfortunately, they weren’t enough to outweigh the unbridled venom.)
It’s probably because I live in Minnesota and not, say, the Bible Belt, but I find it almost incomprehensibly bizarre that there are Protestant/Catholic divisions in the pro-life community. In my mind, Protestants v. Catholics is the stuff of AP US History. If pro-life Christians can’t stop picking at each other, how the heck do the “pickers” expect to be able to work with anyone?!
Keep up the good work, even when people drive you nuts. The check to ATTWN with the Halloween sticker on the envelope that you’re going to get in the mail soon is from me.
Sorry Marauder. Some of us are still on the site trying to get people to see reason on that issue. It might be easier for me because I am not LGBT, so it doesn’t personally reject me to have those arguments. I hope you are well and thank you for fighting for pro-life
God bless you in your very important work! He has called you, and He is using you. I have followed your story with great interest, and we pray for you! Congrats on the new little one!
[…] Abby Johnson stresses the need for greater unity in the pro-life movement, contrasting it to the unity she felt among supporters of abortion when she worked for Planned Parenthood. […]
I have to say I think the opposite of Abby re: Protestants and Catholics and the pro-life movement.
I have found the pro-life very unifying and ecumenical. As a Protestant I’ve never felt ostracized by Catholics, who make up the larger percentage of pro-life activists. I’ve even received an award from the Association of Catholic Publishers (http://www.forministry.com/USILRCATHACPAC/09.dsp). I’ve even spoken at a Catholic Church during homily (which i was later told was a no-no, but hey, the pastor asked me!). Catholics tell me they want me to mention I’m Protestant at their events so the group doesn’t think I’m just another one of them preaching to the choir.
Love you still, Abbs! 🙂
Jill, I think that’s because you are Protestant. I don’t know many Catholics who are anti-Protestant…but I know tons of Protestants and Evangelicals who are anti-Catholic. They don’t think we are Christians. That is why I have been uninvited from events. I get told all the time by pro-life anti-Catholics that I am going to hell now because I am Catholic.
Yes, during the Homily, only a bishop, presbyter or deacon may speak from the pulpit. The pastor does not have the authority to dispense this rule. Catholic parishes are not autonomous, and each pastor is subject to his bishop, just as the deacons and the other presbyters (if any) are subject to the pastor.
Dear Abby,
You are so right, we must act with love and respect for one another as fellow human beings, fellow citizens, fellow Christians.
I for one love and admire your passion for this cause!
I went to this site, hoping to find a positive message from someone who’d been there & seen all the devastation abortion causes the women who go through it, so that I could send that to a young lady I’m reaching out to, but no. I’ve never been in on anything inside the abortion fight, so I have no idea what you face. It saddens me greatly that the fight inside the ranks is what’s being publicized. I feel I’m to post these verses as a reminder, that the enemy has been at this goading since Christ Himself was on earth, and what He spoke into the hearts of those involved. . . .Matthew 7:1-2
[Judging Others ] “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:37 [Judging Others ] “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
And Paul was very similar in circumstances to you, Abby, since he came to Christ from the ranks of those who’d been his persecutors. He was feared by the early believers, and he had to prove himself over & over.
I pray that there will be someone who can rally the ranks to bring the army together to bring this fight for life to victory. It breaks my heart that innocent babies are being lost. We were never able to have children, and the adoption process was more than we could endure, so we went childless. I pray that you will be that someone who brings the ranks together.
[…] Abby Johnson stresses the need for greater unity in the pro-life movement, contrasting it to the unity she felt among supporters of abortion when she worked for Planned Parenthood. […]
Last night I heard Abby speak in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I was very impressed by her courage. I was part of two webcasts when Abby first left planned parenthood, I purchased several copies of the book and passed them out amoung my friends.I see the same passion now as I saw then. I will continue to pray for you so you may never get discouraged. We need more people like you. Thank-you so much!
Jim
Hey everyone! I came across this filmmaker, Kenneth DelVechio, and think that his new documentary sends the message that we are all looking to send. Here is some information:
From the Mind of Controversial Filmmaker and
Best Selling Novelists
Kenneth DelVechio
THE LIFE ZONE
Will be release on VOD on December 4, 2012
DVD available on December 11, 2012
Controversial filmmaker, bestselling author and former judge, Kenneth DelVecchio’s pro-life thriller, THE LIFE ZONE will be available on December 4, 2012 on VOD (DVD available on December 11, 2012).
THE LIFE ZONE follows three women have been kidnapped from abortion clinics and held for seven months – until they all give birth. Cutting right down the middle of the hotly debated issue, THE LIFE ZONE examines the topic of abortion from both sides but, as The Los Angeles Times reports, The Life Zone is“a psychological thriller bringing an emphatically anti-abortion slant to the hot-button issue.” “The Colbert Report”adds, “Just like all great horror films, Del Vecchio’s movie has a shocking twist.” And Newsweek/The Daily Beast headlined with “The Life Zone has caused an uproar”.
The movie stars Robert Loggia (Academy Award nominee; Scarface, Big), Lindsey Haun (Broken Bridges, True Blood), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid; Rambo), and Blanche Baker (Emmy winner; Sixteen Candles).
SEE TRAILER HERE: http://www.justiceforallproductions.com/lifezone.php
YOUR COVERAGE IS APPRECIATED. REVIEW SCREENERS ARE AVAILIBLE
Kenneth Del Vecchio (writer/producer) is a critically acclaimed writer/director/producer of over 15 feature films: The Great Fight, The Life Zone, An Affirmative Act, Scavenger Killers, iMurders, Kinky Killers, The Grand Theft, Fake, Snapshot, O.B.A.M Nude, Three Chris’s The Drum Beats Twice, Pride & Loyalty, Alone in the Dark 2 , Tinsel Town, Rules For Men, The Crimson Mask, and Here and There. Author – Best-selling author of national criminal codebook, Code of Criminal Justice: A Practical Guide to the Penal Statutes(Prentice Hall), New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice (New Jersey Law Journal Books), Test Prep Guide to Accompany New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice (New Jersey Law Journal Books), New York Code of Criminal Justice(Prentice Hall) and upcoming works. Novelist – Penned three published fiction novels: The Great Heist (Transit Publishing, 2011, Pride & Loyalty (Bestseller – Commonwealth Publications, 1997), Revelation in the Wilderness (Celebrity Author Contract -Authorhouse, 2000). He is also founder and chairman of Hoboken International Film Festival and publisher of the New Jersey’s daily newspaper, Garden State Journal. He is a Criminal Law Instructor – and owner of The Criminal Law Learning Center and has taught criminal law to over 1,000 police officers and attorneys. As an attorney he has tried over 400 cases and was one of the youngest judges in state history. http://www.JusticeForAllProductions.com. For more information about Kenneth Del Vecchio, including critical reviews, please visitwww.justiceforallproductions.com and http://www.hobokeninternationalfilmfestival.com.
To speak with Mr. Del Vecchio please contact
Springer Associates PR / Joe Trentacosta at 212 354 4660/ joe@springerassociatespr.com
Put another way, pro-abortion President Obama is attempting to thread the needle: embrace abortion with the kind of a zealous passion only Planned Parenthood and NARAL could love all the while pretending it is pro-life Republicans Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan who are the real “zealots.” And it’s hardly surprising that Obama believes he can laud ”reproductive rights” and beat the drums for a phony ”war on women” without paying the price that would be exacted if the electorate understands that Democrats accept any and all abortions up until birth. How often does CNN or the New York Times or the Washington Post call him to account? Never!
The no. 1 straw-man argument of the pro-abortion lobby, Operation Rescue has been unfairly condemned for using the same lines of argumentation and social protest popularized by the civil rights movement — a movement pro-abortion advocates usually extol. Furthermore, Operation Rescue has been grossly misrepresented, presumably to dismiss all pro-life activities as “extremist.” The truth, however, is that just as abolitionists harbored escaped slaves in defiance of the laws before the Civil War, compassionate Europeans hid Jews from the legally sanctioned extermination of the Nazis, and civil rights marchers violated segregation laws, so Operation Rescue members believe their nonviolent, peaceful interventions to protect preborn children are obeying God rather than man (see Acts 4:19). Nonetheless, it needs to be recognized that many of the mainstream pro-life groups do not approve of using civil disobedience and do not identify with Operation Rescue. Thus pro-abortionists cannot fairly cite Operation Rescue as a reason for rejecting the entire pro-life movement.
Thank you so much, and may God bless you immensely and in a special way. I have never seen a photo of an abortion before, even though I’m pro-life, and I was so affected, I felt I could barely breathe, I felt like my life was being sucked out of me. May God have mercy on us, indeed.
Some pro-choice (and even pro-life) advocates have pointed out that some people who believe in capital punishment are also pro-life on the abortion issue. And since capital punishment entails the killing of another human being, these pro-lifers are inconsistent. Some people assume that this inconsistency makes the pro-life position on abortion incorrect. There are several reasons why this belief cannot be justified.
Pro-woman, Pro-life – Stop Abortion My online friend Carolyn Gargaro’s pro-life/anti-abortion page contains her thoughts as a pro-life feminist. In addition to her own writings, she provides an extensive listing of links to other pro-life/anti-abortion Internet resources.
Keep the faith Abby and pro-life movement is growing and with God’s help we will we will win.
Indeed, Pennsylvania sent more abortion-related laws to the Supreme Court than any other state. Shortly after the Roe v. Wade decision, Pennsylvania was among the first states to attempt to restrict Medicaid funding for abortion. This occurred first through administrative action in 1973 then later through legislation enacted in 1974. This legislation was upheld by the Supreme Court in their 1977 Beal v. Doe decision. Later, when pro-life governor Bob Casey signed the Abortion Control Act in 1989, Pennsylvania became among the first states to pass a comprehensive informed-consent bill, which required that women view color photos of fetal development before obtaining an abortion. To this day, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) refers to such informed-consent bills as “Casey-style” legislation.
AbbyThank you for all you are doing! Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.” I am very sorry to hear that you have been threatened, but maybe it is a badge of honor to be threatened in the service of life.
Thank you Abby,I thank God for you and what He is doing in your life and through you. I come from a Catholic then Protestant, then rebellion, and now a daughter of God. I had my son when I was 17 years old, and it was then when I turned back to his loving arms. I am 38 years old now and it has been a journey. I am married to a Wesleyan Pastor and involved in ministry. I pray that God will strengthen you, fill you with much joy and faith to continue on the mission he has called you on. I live in PEI Canada, and God is uniting his “church” as one body, one bride. It is happening. Those who cannot love his brother cannot love God, because love is not in him. Be encouraged. It is a battle in the spiritual realm that we cannot see with our own eyes. The message is clear. Choose life, choose hope and love. Women are made to give life, to speak life, and to nurture and strengthen, in every capacity of life. When women do otherwise, the very DNA of womanhood is changed forever. But Jesus is the Redeemer, I know this myself. Continue to forgive those who do you wrong, it is especially those who are supposed to be loving you, are the ones who hurt us most. They know not what they do, truly, they do not.
Love,
Vicky Wydysh
I use to be completely neutral on topic of abortion, not to mention I was a very complacent Christian. But then I was introduced to the most wonderful church and got saved, but I don’t want to go into too much detail because I barely know where to begin with it! Anyway, I was finally able to ask about abortion with my teen church group, and my youth pastor officially got me to be a pro-lifer when she told me about your Unplanned story. So, I’ve been recently working on a school essay about the wrongness of abortion, and I want it to really get to the hearts of my classmates. I figured a quote from your book would do just the trick. But I can’t find the book in stores where I live, and I can’t afford to buy it online. If its not too much to ask, Abby, would you be willing to send me a few quotes from the book please? Preferably some explaining in detail what you saw on the ultrasound during that life changing abortion you witnessed? I’d really much appreciate it, and I promise to credit you!
In the pro life movement, the argument is simple: murder is bad, m’kay? Who can argue that? No one wants to kill anyone at any time, but for the pro lifers, they measure life as beginning at the moment of conception, which some people debate. However, with this limitation in mind, anything which might disrupt a pregnancy, including an abortion as well as birth control pills which can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting are considered to be wrong. The pro life movement wants to make sure that women are not able to take either of these actions during any stage of pregnancy and only in the most extreme of health situations where the mother’s life is in jeopardy .
#2. The Grand Jury says that Gosnell likely murdered hundreds of viable unborn babies but that they could only charge him with seven; records were missing for the vast majority of those babies aborted alive in the second and third trimester. That there are practically no “late-term” abortions is a talking point that pro-abortionists hold onto like a life preserver. In fact there own statistics tell you otherwise.
In the UN conception, sexual rights (or reproductive rights) involve the right to contraception, the right to a free sexual life (with or without marriage) and the right to abortion, because the largest organizations offering family-planning services to adolescents also offer abortion “services”. Those organizations advise UN.