Not Good Enough

Today, pro-life democrats in the US Senate agreed to a health care bill that will allow federal dollars to subsidize abortion. I had hoped in particular that Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., would have the intestinal fortitude in the senate that Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., had in the house. Stupak's amendment to the house version does not allow any federal funds to pay for elective abortions...period. The agreement that Nelson conceded to, however, allows states to decide whether or not federally funded health plans will pay for elective abortions. It also claims to "segregate" funds that are paid by the insured from funds provided by the federal government, only allowing the private funds to pay for abortion.

These differences may be intricate, but they are important. Let's say, for example, that my neighbor comes over and asks for me to pay for her abortion. I say that I'm opposed to abortion and decline to pay her anything. She replies, "That's fine. I have a car payment due which happens to be the same cost as the abortion. Why don't you make my car payment for me so that I can pay for my own abortion?" Needless to say, I'm still not going to give her a dime, because at the end of the day, it's an accounting gimmick. If I give her the money, I'm paying for her abortion.

Likewise, if federally subsidized health insurance pays for an abortion, it really doesn't matter where the money came from on paper. All the abortionist knows is that he got money from Uncle Sam to pay for an abortion. This will likely result in an increase in abortions across America.

There is another problem with the senate version. If you live in a liberal state that votes to approve federal funds for abortion, you no longer have any say in the matter. Dollars will be taken from you to pay for the destruction of innocent human life.

Stupak is maintaining his stand and says that the senate compromise is not enough. At least now we know where to go to find pro-life democrats who are true to their convictions and where to find those who merely give lip service to the rights of the preborn.

Take the Survey

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission has a poll on their site in which you can help compile the list of the year’s "top 10 most egregious acts of anti-Christian defamation, discrimination and persecution in America."

You'll be surprised when you see just how long and how legitimate the list is...all in 2009.

The link is HERE.

I Couldn't Help But Notice

I bought a new prayer journal this past January. It's my "black book." This past year, I have written down my petitions and checked off the evident answers to prayer. I noticed this morning that I have five adults whose names were entered with the petition "salvation" who have accepted Christ this year. I have baptized four of them and will soon baptize the fifth.

Sometimes, we fail to see God's answers to our prayers because we fail to write them down and keep track. Let me encourage you to keep a prayer journal and see, over time, how powerfully God works through prayer.

Senators, It's Your Turn

Pro-life democratic members of the House of Representatives made sure that the health care bill they sent to the senate eliminates federal funding of abortions. Now it's time for the pro-life democratic senators to follow suit. A senator like Casey from Pennsylvania or Nelson from Nebraska...one is all it would take to ensure that federal funding be removed prior to acceptance. Even Harry Reid claims to be pro-life, though his voting record is pretty much 50-50 on the sanctity of life. (National Right to Life gives him a 50% rating.) Now is the time to ask these men to stand up for what they already claim to believe...that every preborn child's life is worthy of protection and we should NOT force taxpayers to financially support abortion.

Thank You Pro-Life Democrats

While we do not know what the Senate will do to the health care bill passed by the House this past weekend, we do know that it appears that any bill coming out of Congress will, in fact, be abortion neutral. This is so, thanks to sixty-four pro-life democrats who stood up to the extreme left wing of their own party and to Speaker Pelosi and said, "John Q. Taxpayer will not be forced to pay for abortions." Consider that number for a moment. We rarely get to see any kind of up or down vote on the issue of abortion, so when we do, it is very significant. That number represents one fourth of all democrats in the House of Representatives!

Personally, I'm not a democrat, but I long to see a majority of democrats be pro-life. With this vote, I'm starting to think we're halfway there! Let's pray that the day will come when both parties contain respect for the sanctity of life as part of their platform.

The Power of a Picture

The direcor of a Planned Parenthood facility resigned after actually watching an abrtion for the first time. She even joined a pro-life group in praying for the facility.

Abby Johnson said that she first became disillusioned with the process when she received pressure from the organization to increase profits by performing more abortions.

"Every meeting that we had was, 'We don't have enough money, we don't have enough money — we've got to keep these abortions coming,'" Johnson told FoxNews.com. "It's a very lucrative business and that's why they want to increase numbers."

Actually seeing an abortion on the ultrasound sealed the deal. She called it an immediate "conversion."

Planned Parenthood's response? They are suing Johnson to keep her quiet about their practices!

Those who work in Crisis Pregnancy ministries attest that the best information to give an abortion-minded mother is a picture of the life God has created inside of her. Once they see their chid's heartbeat, they will not need a textbook to interpret it for them. Nor will they believe the abortionist who calls it "potential life" or a "blob of tissue." The pictures do not lie. Those who fight legislation requiring such information be shown to women prior to an abortion do not have the mother's best interests at heart.

Where Does It End?

A report out today states that in the UK, a premature baby was left to die after doctors refused to resuscitate a child born at 21 weeks. UK guidelines state that only after 22 weeks does a child's life warrant the expensive measures required to save him/her.

I have said for some time that if life is not sacred from beginning to end, then the question must then follow, "When does a human life become worthy of protection?" The groundwork has been laid in England that a life is worthy only if it will not pose too much of a burden upon the rest of society.

Eventually, this reasoning will be taken to its logical conclusion. If a child born at 21 weeks should not receive medical care because the costs (along with the possibility of disability) will be great, then what about the four year old child with cerebral palsy? Why should government spend money that could go to entitlements on someone who will never be able to "give back?" Next, we must ask, just how disabled do you have to be before we decide that you are not doing your part and should be eliminated at worst, or denied medical treatments at best?