Pro-Life Page
Pope Francis encouraged Catholics in Africa to reject abortion and treat children as a blessing on Thursday in Kenya.
“We are also called to resist practices which foster arrogance in men, hurt or demean women, and threaten the life of the innocent unborn,” the pontiff said during a Mass at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, according to the BBC.
He encouraged young people to stand up for the sanctity of every human life by shaping “a society which is ever more just, inclusive and respectful of human dignity.” He added that they “should reject everything that leads to prejudice and discrimination.”
Pope Francis told the crowd: “Our faith in God’s word calls us to support families in their mission in society, to accept children as a blessing for our world, and to defend the dignity of each man and woman, for all of us are brothers and sisters in the one human family.”
The pope’s words came to a country that has been targeted by abortion advocates in recent years. Though its ambassador to the United Nations strongly denounced abortion earlier this year, Kenya has been pushed to expand abortion by the UN and the Obama Administration.
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Pope Francis has been emphasizing the sanctity of human consistently during his visits across the world. When he came to the U.S. in September, the pope admonished members of Congress to “defend life at every stage of development.”
“The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development,” he told U.S. Congress. “I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity.”
Los Angeles (AFP) - A social media campaign launched by three US activists to denounce the stigma surrounding abortion has gone viral as women have shared their experiences, though pro-life campaigners have hit back.
The hashtag "#ShoutYourAbortion" was started on Twitter over the weekend after the US House of Representatives voted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest women's health care ser vices provider, as Republicans pushed for a probe of the organization.
Lindy West, Amelia Bonow and Kimberly Morrison said they began the campaign in a bid to encourage women to reclaim the conversation about abortion.
Bonow shared her own story on Facebook along with the hashtag and since then thousands of women across the globe have detailed their experience.
"I had an abortion at Planned Parenthood last year and it was a great experience," Bonow, who lives in Seattle, told AFP. "Not only am I not ashamed, but I know I'm incredibly lucky to have access to this choice and we need to keep it that way."
West also recounted her abortion experience on Facebook, saying she had no regrets.
"I set up #ShoutYourAbortion because I am not sorry and I will not whisper," she wrote on Twitter.
Tens of thousands of women were thought to have shared similar stories with the hashtag, based on web analytics sites.
But some, who believe abortion is tantamount to murder, have lashed out at the women.
"I'm sure the babies would love to participate in the #ShoutYourAbortion campaign, but they've been murdered and sold for parts," wrote blogger Matt Walsh on Twitter.
Abortion is a hot-button issue in the United States and the latest debate comes as Pope Francis begins a historic visit to the country, during which he will address Congress.
The pontiff tackled the prickly issue ahead of his visit telling priests that they could forgive women the "sin of abortion" if they express remorse.
Just hours before his arrival to Washington, Republican senators tried and failed to break a filibuster on legislation banning late-term abortions.
The controversy over Planned Parenthood erupted after a series of secretly recorded videos were released showing top members of the organization discussing in graphic detail the use of fetal tissue for research.
The House of Representatives stripped the group of federal funding for one year pending a congressional probe.
http://news.yahoo.com/shoutyourabortion-campaign-explodes-social-media-…;
NFL fullback Evan Rodriguez and his wife Olivia are expecting a little girl in December, who has a rare birth defect,anencephaly. The couple has been speaking out about the diagnosis and their decision to keep their baby girl despite the fact that she will not survive long after birth due to the condition.
Doctors informed the couple early in the pregnancy that the baby will be born missing parts of her brain and skull and would live only for a few days, maybe only a few hours.
Evan Rodriguez told ABCAction News that the doctor told him and his wife that they could “either terminate it or move forward with the process.”
The couple said they relied on their faith to help decide how they were going to proceed.
“I prayed to God like I wanted to make the right decision,” Evan said.
Olivia Rodriguez said she asked God, “Show me what it is that you want to do through all of this. What’s the good to come out of it?”
“We decided to continue with the process because we felt like, who are we to determine a baby’s life? So, we are going to leave it in God’s hands,” Evan said.
Olivia added that they would do “anything we can do to be able to make the best out of her life.”
They’ve named their little girl Layla Sky because, Evan says, “I always zone out and look at the sky and wonder what else is out there.”
Evan told ABC Action News that he knows he will see Layla Sky again someday too.
“She’ll be waiting up there saying ‘daddy,’” he said. “So, there’s a time and place for everything.”
The couple has been working to raise awareness of anencephaly. Evan donned a Layla Sky towel at every practice while he was still playing with the Buccaneers.
“It felt like it was our job to let other people know about this,” Evan said.
The hashtag Fight for Layla Sky is spreading on Facebook and Twitter. They are celebrating Layla’s life and raising awareness of things pregnant women can do to prevent anencephaly such as taking a daily multivitamin with folic acid.
“Most [of] the time we plan on teaching our child about the world, never expecting you have to teach the world about your child,” Olivia recently posted on Facebook.
According to the CDC, about 1 in every 4,859 babies in the United States will be born with anencephaly.
h/t ABC Action News
By Rosa Nguyen Globe Correspondent June 29, 2015
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/06/28/pro-life-activists-rally-b…
Cori Connor-Morse stood among the white columns of Parkman Bandstand, voice quavering as she recounted the loss of her unborn child.
“My baby should not be in heaven. My baby should be all grown up and living his life here, with us, as it was intended by our creator,” Connor-Morse said, recalling the abortion she had and the regret she later felt.
A crowd of about 600 abortion opponents rallied around her Sunday, huddling under umbrellas as they shouted their support. The rally and subsequent Massachusetts March For Life, sponsored by walkers’ family and friends, raised money for 16 pregnancy resource centers across the state, including Operation Rescue in Boston and New Women’s Center Inc., in Springfield.
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, was among several speakers who addressed the crowd.
Waving signs and tambourines as they were pelted by rain, the activists looped 2 miles around the Boston Common and the Public Garden, pausing for a moment of silence at the State House.
Anne Fox, president of Massachusetts Citizens For Life, said, “1.2 million babies have been aborted in Massachusetts since Roe v. Wade in 1973. That’s a lot of deaths.”
State Representative James Lyons of Andover, who attended the march, said the Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion 40 years ago, was a mistake.
“We have a responsibility to protect human life,” Lyons said.
Four bills addressing abortion are being considered by state legislators, march organizers said. Their policies include more health regulations in abortion clinics, they said, options that allow taxpayers to fund Baby Safe Havens instead of abortion clinics, banning abortions of fetuses who can feel pain 20 weeks after conception, and banning partial-birth abortions, which occur while the fetus is being born.
The Rev. Matt Williams, director of Faith Formation in the Archdiocese of Boston, said the law classifies the murder of a pregnant woman as a double murder but doesn’t classify abortion as a criminal act.
“All men are created equal. All life is sacred and deserves to be protected under the Constitution,” Williams said. “There are 7 billion people, but no one has your fingerprints. You are unique.”
Kelley McCormick, who emceed the rally, also emphasized unborn children’s constitutional rights.
“The Constitution promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” she said. “If you don’t get a chance at life, then you don’t get an opportunity for liberty and happiness.”
Standing in front of the State House, children, parents, and Franciscan nuns prayed, chanting, “I believe that we vote life.”
Kimberlyn Santana, 13, wore a trash bag over her clothes as she marched, a star-speckled tapestry of the Lady of Guadalupe draped, cape-like, across her shoulders.
“Life before you’re out of the womb is important,” Kimberlyn said. “The child that was in your womb could have been an amazing person.”
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood officials could not be reached for comment.