The bastards can never get enough of women and children, don't they? Those big, bad bullies.

This poor baby has to be on life support.

Methotrexate, an abortion drug (induces abortion at high doses) which is used at low doses to treat pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis is harmful* to their unborn children. According to this report, methotrexate used in early stage pregnancy may not cause birth defects. An analysis by french doctor Thierry Vial, of Center de Pharmacovigilance in Lyon published in the Journal of Rheumatology finds that "the risk does not seem very great".

Of 19 women who gave birth, 3 gave birth prematurely and others developed physical problems. One child had minor anomalies, including a deformity of the feet and an eyelid angioma. One premature infant had jaundice, and another infant had transient respiratory distress and jaundice.

Guess what? Bush still wins - in Ohio recount.

"Democrat John Kerry did shave a few hundred votes off Bush's victory in the state. An Associated Press count of all 88 counties' unofficial totals shows Bush beating Kerry by 118,457 votes."

"Abortion (right) is a right that ends in sorrow, not celebration"

President Bush, in a statement - on abortion and the role of courts in constitutional democracy:

"Because I think it is improper to ask how a prospective judicial nominee would vote on a specific question, I shall not know how my nominees would rule in the event - an unlikely event - that the court revisits the constitutional foundation of abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade in 1973. However, I will seek judicial nominees disinclined to concoct spurious constitutional mandates for their policy preferences, as I believe the justices did in Roe. On the other hand, the orderly development of constitutional law requires that justices be generally disposed to respect precedents, even dubious ones, if they have been repeatedly reaffirmed for decades.

I believe abortion is wrong, but also that states should have, as they did until Roe, the power to set abortion policy. If states come to conclusions different than mine, so be it. But remember: Were Roe overturned, that would not make abortion illegal; it would merely re-empower states to regulate the practice."

Death toll now stands at 125,000, with Indonesia death toll alone expected to top 400,000.

"The view from the bottom revealed a wash of victims. "One guy had lost the pads of his feet," Caroline said, the flesh hanging off and the blood caked with rock and dirt. Next, they saw a French woman screaming in pain, her legs covered to shield her injuries until someone tried to help her. "From her hamstrings to her buttocks, it was all gone, like a shark bite" .. People used the doors from demolished hotels as makeshift stretchers. J.T. tried to help someone dig a woman lodged face down in the mud. She was dead."


Here's how you can help if you are in Oz.

"If I had not had an abortion, I would have had a child. Period. Not a clump of hair or a bundle of skin cells; not a frog or a puppy or a DVD player; not a carrot or a philodendron. A human child. No matter how much I might have wanted to choose something different, the end result of conception, the meeting of human sperm and human egg, is another human being."

Talk about an excellent post.

Young Australians are more likely than their elders to be against late-term abortions, according to a new poll.

18 to 34-year-olds were most inclined to oppose abortions in the latter stages of pregnancy, and only 15% of Australians support late-term abortion.

Pregnant with twins.

At 67.

Woman gives birth to grandchildren

Surrogate pregnancy produces triplets, by caesarean section.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) today filed an amicus brief on behalf of members of Congress asking a federal appeals court in San Francisco, California to overturn a decision by a federal district court in San Francisco - one of three cases in which a district court declared the national ban on partial-birth abortion unconstitutional. The brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and supports the position of the Department of Justice that the ban is constitutional.

The ACLJ represents 31 members of Congress - all members of the U.S. House of Representatives. They include: Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-TX), Rep. Michael "Mac" Collins (R-GA), Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY), Rep. Jo Ann S. Davis (R-VA), Rep. and Senator-elect Jim DeMint (R-SC), Rep. Jo Ann H. Emerson (R-MO), Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Rep. Melissa A. Hart (R-PA), Rep. Ernest J. Istook, Jr. (R-OK), Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC), Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-ID), Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering, Jr. (R-MS), Rep. Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA), Rep. Jim R. Ryun (R-KS), Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK).

"Partial-birth procedures represent the beachhead of abortion's assault on postnatal life, the bridge between abortion and infanticide," the brief states. "Absent strong legal barriers and vigorous societal condemnation, partial-birth procedures open the way to legal infanticide." The brief contends that the government has a "vital and compelling interest" in preventing the spread of the practice of abortion into infanticide.

Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ says that the ban is needed to put an end to one of the most barbaric and medically useless procedures that targets the most vulnerable among us, the partially born child.

Click here to read the brief.

Wanted to post this earlier, but Blogger's acting up:

Death toll passes 80,000

Update 1414 hrs +8 : Toll nears 100,000

Keep checking Res Publica for the list of places to help and extend your help, plus the list of sites for the latest and most recent information.

Just read this.

(Thanks to JivinJ)

Baby boy found in shopping bag at a clothing recycling centre was born alive, death ruled as homicide.

This is the fifth infancide in NY state this year, by the way.

Because women and their unborn children deserve better.

"Newspapers have been dominated by a small group of vocal women telling politicians to back off. We have been told that the 90,000 or so abortions a year are nothing to be concerned about. Abortion, they tell us, doesn't hurt women. The occasional nasty side effects? Well, they've just been blown out of proportion.

Unfortunately, their rhetoric has been largely successful in silencing debate. This is a shame. Pretending that the high level of abortion.. is fine doesn't do women any favours. When faced with an unplanned pregnancy, many women feel that because of financial hardship, societal expectations or pressure from family and friends, they have no choice but to abort."

Which tree are you?

I'm a Cypress!

December 23 to January 1 ...... Apple Tree
January 2 to January 11 ....... Fir Tree
January 12 to January 24 ...... Elm Tree
January 25 to February 3 ...... Cypress Tree
February 4 to February 8 ...... Poplar Tree
February 9 to February 18 ..... Cedar Tree
February 19 to February 28 .... Pine Tree
March 1 to March 10 ........... Weeping Willow Tree
March 11 to March 20 .......... Lime Tree
March 21 ...................... Oak Tree
March 22 to March 31 .......... Hazelnut Tree
April 1 to April 10 ........... Rowan Tree
April 11 to April 20 .......... Maple Tree
April 21 to April 30 .......... Walnut Tree
May 1 to May 14 ............... Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 .............. Chestnut Tree
May 25 to June 3 .............. Ash Tree
June 4 to June 13 ............. Hornbeam Tree
June 14 to June 23 ............ Fig Tree
June 24 ........................Birch Tree
June 25 to July 4 ............. Apple Tree
July 5 to July 14 ............. Fir Tree
July 15 to July 25 ............ Elm Tree
July 26 to August 4 ........... Cypress Tree
August 5 to August 13 ......... Poplar Tree
August 14 to August 23 ........ Cedar Tree
August 24 to September 2 ...... Pine Tree
September 3 to September 12 ... Weeping Willow Tree
September 13 to September 22 .. Lime Tree
September 23 .................. Olive Tree
September 24 to October 3 ..... Hazelnut Tree
October 4 to October 13 ....... Rowan Tree
October 14 to October 23 ...... Maple Tree
October 24 to November 11 ..... Walnut Tree
November 12 to November 21 .... Chestnut Tree
November 22 to December 1 ..... Ash Tree
December 2 to December 11 ..... Hornbeam Tree
December 12 to December 21 .... Fig Tree
December 22 ....................Beech Tree

Apple Tree, the Love tree

Of slight build, lots of charm, appeal and attraction, pleasant aura, flirtatious, adventurous, sensitive, always in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, scientific talents, lives for today, a carefree philosopher with imagination

Fir Tree, the Mysterious

Extraordinary taste, dignity, cultivated airs, loves anything beautiful,moody, stubborn, tends to egoism but cares for those close to it,rather modest,very ambitious, talented, industrious uncontent lover, many friends,very reliable.

Elm Tree, the Noble-Mindedness

Pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends to not forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, tends to a know-all-attitude and making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor,practical.

Cypress, the Faithfulness

Strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give, happy content, optimistic, needs enough money and acknowledgment, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered, unruly, pedantic and careless.

Poplar, the Uncertainty

Looks very decorative, no self-confident behavior, only courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, artistic nature, good organizer, tends to philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership serious.

Cedar, the Confidence

Of rare beauty, knows how to adapt, likes luxury, of good health not in the least shy,tends to look down on others, self-confident, determined, impatient, wants to impress others, many talents, industrious, healthy, optimism, waiting for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Pine Tree, the Particularity

Loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life, comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but its passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, many disappointments till it finds its ideal, trustworthy, practical.

Weeping Willow, the Melancholy

Beautiful but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but finds sometimes an anchoring partner.

Lime Tree, the Doubt

Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labor, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous,loyal.

Hazelnut Tree, the Extraordinary

Charming, undemanding, very understanding, knows how to make an impression, active fighter for social cause, popular, moody and capricious lover, honest and tolerant partner, precise sense of judgment.

Rowan, the Sensitivity

Full of charm, cheerful, gifted, without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic,passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Maple, Independence of Mind

No ordinary person, full imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-respect, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, many complexes, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Walnut Tree, the Passion

Unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egoistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromises.

Chestnut Tree, the Honesty

Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritate and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

Ash Tree, the Ambition

Uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with its fate, can be egoistic, very reliable and trust- worthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over heart, but takes partnership very serious.

Hornbeam, the good taste

Of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, tends to egoism, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads reasonable, disciplined life, looks for kindness, an emotional partner and acknowledgment, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with her feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very consciencious.

Fig Tree, the Sensibility

Very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a butterfly, good sense of humor, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence.

Oak, robust nature

Courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not love changes, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Birch, the Inspiration

Vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Olive Tree, the Wisdom

Loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Beech, the Creative

Has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialist, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.)

(Hat tip: Amethysta at the Pagan Forum)

The death toll from Sunday's tsunami has risen close to 60,000 according to this report. The destruction leave millions homeless, some missing, and thousand more injured. Tyler and I were at sea (and completely oblivious to what was happening until the next morning) while it happened, and I am glad, and so, so thankful we are where we are, away and safe from it all.

Let us start this day with prayers, for the ones we have lost, the ones who are still missing, for the survivors. Pray for an end to this.

"Each person who died - someone's son. Someone's mother. Someone's friend. Rich, poor, Moslem, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Atheist - each loss hurts. Each loss is a real tragedy. Remember the faces you see in the news. These aren't TV dramas. This is grief and shock and hurt as it really looks, as it really is."
- Susan at Res Publica


p.s. Susan has a list here (check out your local listings) if you'd like to help.

Toddler survives 2 days in tree

Did you know that Mississippi's tough restrictions have actually helped cut the rate of abortion in half? The AP reported that after reaching a peak in 1991 of 8,814, the number dropped to 3,605 in 2002. Activists and researchers on both sides of the debate agree that while there are many factors, strict laws, community pressure and the efforts of pro-life advocates have had a significant impact.

"We don't need to wait for the Supreme Court to outlaw abortion," said Pat Cartrette, executive director of Pro-Life Mississippi. "If we shine the light on the abortionists and the abortion industry, it will self-destruct, and we're seeing that happen (in Mississippi)."

Yes, IT IS in fashion indeed. Or so it seems:

A man has been booked on suspicion of murder for the death of his girlfriend's 18-week-old unborn child.

Police arrested Clifford Watkins, 44, on suspicion of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon after the alleged beating, which occurred in a room at Capitol Hill Inn on Monterey Highway in San Jose, Christmas night.

His girlfriend, whom police would not identify, remained hospitalized in serious condition at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The fetus, a male, was stillborn early Sunday.

Watkins remains jailed without bail in Santa Clara County Jail.

Here's another happy ending:

Sherry was 16 when she became pregnant from a date rape while at a friend's place for a party. Her mother forced her to have an abortion.

"My mother wanted nothing to do with me or me having a baby," said Sherry, whose full name is not being disclosed to protect the identity of her child. "She drove me to a clinic all the way on the other side of Houston just so no one would find out."

"She just dropped me off there. Didn't come in."

Ideology trumps science again

The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer denounces two flawed studies on the risks of oral contraceptives (OC's) and cites it as one more example of ideology trumping science. The authors, whose research is a part of the Women's Health Initiative, erroneously claimed their findings showed that OC's reduce the risk of heart disease and do not raise breast cancer risk. Federal officials announced this week that a statistical reanalysis shows the heart findings to be flawed and the breast cancer findings suspect.

Read more here.

Self magazine attacks CPCs in a two-page article, "The New Pregnancy Scare: Clinics Run by Antichoice Supporters Are Drawing in More Unsuspecting Women Than Ever" in its December issue, accusing CPCs of using "coercive tactics" with their clients. The biased article sparked off a firestorm of criticism from pregnancy centers.

A little off-topic perhaps, but I came across this interesting post which speaks about China's support for genocides in Sudan. Hmm. Talk about financing mass murder.

Then again, it's no surprise, isn't it? .. considering China's coercive population control program which instituted the one-child policy, forcing women to have abortions, coercively sterilizing men and women, and engaging in other human rights abuses such as imprisoning and torturing offenders in forced-labor "reeducation" camps.

(Hat tip: bLogicus)

Dutch butcher proud to have killed four newborns

A doctor whose license was revoked for botching abortions, including leaving fetus parts inside a patient, was arrested on charges he continued to perform the procedures.

Miracles do happen, you know..

You HAVE TO read this amazing testimony, that's all I will say.

"Several weeks later we got the sad news that she had miscarried, but because the baby hadn't come out of her, the doctor recommended a D&C (the same "procedure" used in abortion).

She refused and said she would rather that her body expelled the baby naturally. They grieved for a month, anticipating finding the tiny corpse, and still the baby didn't appear. So she went back to the doctor, and guess what? They heard a heartbeat."

(Thanks to Marla at the Proverbial Wife)

December 26. The weather was lovely today, and we went sailing. The sun is up by the time we reached the marina, a little too warm for my taste, but I went along anyway. Frankly, I couldn't think of a better way to spend a day like this. Chad had the boy on his shoulders, laughing away in delight, the wind in his face. He looked so happy I'm so sad suddenly. Teddy packed the leftovers, with some freshly baked croissants and bread we intend to have for breakfast, which we had on board instead. The sky was bright blue, it was beautiful. We had sparkling juice under the bright sun (I banned alcohol on board and around my babies). Teddy and Chad took turns to entertain Tyler, who was having a lot of fun, as they fished, while I lay in the sun with my book. It was nice to be out in the middle of nowhere, and away from the city madness and burstling crowds. I wish we could just sail away.

It was half past four, the boys all red by the time we docked. My skin was peeling. Argh. We had the fish we caught for dinner. And hot chocolate and mashmellows. And exhausted Tyler fell asleep on the couch as we ate.

You know what I like most about the American (community)? They are not afraid to feel.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

- Hebrews 10:23

Merry Christmas, y'all..

It's Christmas Day. Chad and Teddy arrived, ladened with gifts and good wishes. Tyler and I got lots of presents. I got three cardis (including one with gorgis faux fur trimmings, which my sister went, '..who'd wear fur in broad daylight?'), a nine-inch red pair of spike heels which screamed 'slut', plus some other gorgis, gorgis stuff I don't need. Teddy also got me the garlic covered peanuts which I love from HKG. And Tyler got lots of Baby Gaps and toys, plus a HUGE brand new storage for his toys. We love our presents, and Tyler is screaming in delight, can you hear him now? There's lots of food in the kitchen, lots of merry making and laughter, and there's no way I'm hanging out in here.

Gonna go get stuffed some more, and oh, Chad is getting a video of Tyler crawling and "climbing" the side of the sofa.

Have a blessed Chrismas, everyone..


From our household to yours,

The Management of Birth Story

Illegal abortions rampant in Latin America

Monica Maureira remembers how - as the nurses interrogated her and the doctors lectured her - she watched her hands going transparent from the blood loss. She was 16 years old and was hemorrhaging after having had a clandestine abortion in Chile, a country where abortion is illegal and considered immoral.

"I remember the nurses telling me that if I didn't give them the name of the doctor who gave me the abortion, they would let me bleed to death," Maureira says.

So abortion IS legal in most countries, but guess what? Women still bleed to death (from LEGAL abortions). Women still die.

In it's most recent release, Planned Parenthood says that President Bush uses the holiday weekend to ambush women's rights with the announcement to re-nominate a number of "anti-choice" judicial nominees.

Ambush women's rights?


Jurist says she declined re-nomination to federal bench

.. and here's the list:

Court of Appeals:
Terrence W. Boyle (4th Circuit) (first nominated May 9, 2001)
Priscilla Richman Owen (5th Circuit) (first nominated May 9, 2001)
David W. McKeague (6th Circuit) (first nominated November 8, 2001)
Susan Bieke Neilson (6th Circuit) (first nominated November 8, 2001)
Henry W. Saad (6th Circuit) (first nominated November 8, 2001)
Richard A. Griffin (6th Circuit) (first nominated June 26, 2002)
William H. Pryor (11th Circuit) (first nominated April 9, 2003)
William Gerry Myers, III (9th Circuit) (first nominated May 15, 2003)
Janice Rogers Brown (District of Columbia Circuit) (first nominated July 25, 2003)
Brett M. Kavanaugh (District of Columbia Circuit) (first nominated July 25, 2003)
William James Haynes, II (4th Circuit) (first nominated September 29, 2003)
Thomas B. Griffith (District of Columbia Circuit) (first nominated May 10, 2004)

District Courts:
James C. Dever, III (Eastern District, North Carolina) (first nominated May 22, 2002)
Thomas L. Ludington (Eastern District, Michigan) (first nominated September 12, 2002)
Robert J. Conrad (Western District, North Carolina) (first nominated April 28, 2003)
Daniel P. Ryan (Eastern District, Michigan) (first nominated April 28, 2003)
Peter G. Sheridan (New Jersey) (first nominated November 5, 2003)
Paul A. Crotty (Southern District, New York) (first nominated September 7, 2004)
Sean F. Cox (Eastern District, Michigan) (first nominated September 10, 2004)
J. Michael Seabright (Hawaii) (first nominated September 15, 2004)

It's the wee hours, Christmas eve, and I can't sleep. Tyler is fast asleep in his cot, exhausted and full from his night feed. Somehow, amidst the merriness and the festivities, the heart does feel like this. I don't know if I can't sleep because I'm excited about Christmas, or the people who will be here to spend it with me, or if it's because I'm missing all the people that I'm missing.

Chad arrives tomorrow evening, as will Teddy, and Jules on New Year's eve. Mom and everyone else will be here to cook up a storm and make merry. But somehow something is missing from my life and I don't know what it is.

Toddler scalded, left to die crying

No, I will not say that "unwed pregnancies" are a 'badge of honor'... but rather, "motherhood".

.. perhaps that's what she's trying to say?

"the best thing of all surely being the promised assurance between human beings that what happens to you will happen to me because I share your heartbeat".

State adds penalties for death of unborn; abortion-rights activists see measures as attempt to redefine when life begins

"There's no question these crimes should be punished," said Rachel Laser, senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center. "The question is how to do it. I think these laws exist as a tactic by anti-choice folks to erode the right to choose."

(And NARAL president, Kate Michelman, complained that President Bush is doing "everything in his power to restrict a woman's right to choose.")

Right.

As Rich Lowry - editor of National Review - quipped, "Right to choose what? To have her baby harmed by an assailant?'

"Abortion is a quick fix for women influenced by expectations from society"

My decision is abortion

"December 6, 2004 I found out I was pregnant. It seemed so unreal and shocking that I don't think I ate anything for two days. I'm approximately five to six weeks pregnant... I have decided to have an abortion (I'm not emotionally, financially and mentally ready to raise a child) and I have prayed and asked God to forgive me. We grew up in a very spiritual home in which abortion was spoken against. I will never reveal my decision to my parents or siblings. I am prepared to deal with this situation emotionally. However, I do know that I will never forget this..

I was anxious, tired and starting to feel the symptoms of my pregnancy. I started having second thoughts, but I fought them off. I worked late to get things off of my mind, but I was 95% sure that I wanted to go through with this. To me this felt like a ball and chain weighing me down. I finally told my sister (the one with twins) and she cried on the phone and begged me not to go through with it. My ex-boyfriend brought the money over for the abortion. We talked some more about what the procedure was and how I would probably feel afterwards. He looked really sad and stated that if he was stable; he would help me with the baby, that is, if I really wanted it.

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and I could have sworn that I felt fluttering in my abdomen (maybe it's my imagination). I rub my lower stomach and tell my baby good-bye and I fight off crying. I prayed for a very long time to God and asked him to forgive me for what I'm about to do. I feel a little stronger about my decision and I know that I'm doing what's best for this child..

Once we're at the clinic, there's a ton of women and their friends or significant others there in the same predicament as I am. There are a few women crying silently as they fill out the paperwork. One lady refuses to talk to her boyfriend/husband/whatever while she fills out her paperwork. As I fill out my stack of paper, I find out that my insurance from my job is covering the procedure 100% (go figure). So I debate on whether I give the money back to my ex. Once I go through the registration procedure, I am asked to go downstairs and prepare to take a blood test and other tests. There are even more women downstairs; they're crying, looking sad or commenting on how this is their second or third time at Planned Parenthood (I'm in shock as I listen to this conversation). I take the Rh factor exam and find out that my baby is six weeks old. I look at the screen but refuse to keep a picture. I then go back outside and I text my friend and ask her to come downstairs to keep me company. She comes downstairs and we crack a few jokes or talk about life in general. At this time she admits to me that she had an abortion at 17 years old. I'm shocked, because my friend is religious about being on birth control and she admits that an abortion is something you never forget.

I am then referred to the counselor who talks to me about how I feel. I want to ask her, how does she feel, talking to so many women who makes the decision to have an abortion..

My name is called again and I'm asked to place a pad in my underwear and lie still and wait for the anesthesiologist and doctor. The anesthesiologists comes in and inserts the IV and as he talks to me, the room starts to spin, the doctor comes and the abortion is over in ten minutes. I don't remember anything, other than the cramping and pain that I feel afterwards. I don't even remember putting my underwear on. I'm asked to sit in a wheelchair and I'm wheeled into the recovery room where I'm still feeling dazed and in shock. I can barely lift my head, I feel the sharp pain, but nothing has hit me emotionally, yet. I'm so hungry and cold at the same time. I take 45 minutes to recover and I go out side with friend and I smoke a cigarette. We have to walk about three blocks to get to the car and I pop a piece of gum in my mouth. By the time we get on the expressway, I'm so nauseated I can't even lift my head up. I just lie there with my eyes closed listening to the cars go by. When I get home, all of my friends call to see how I'm doing. I'm still a little woozy, but I'm okay, I pray again and I talk to my ex, before I go to sleep. I do let him know that we can NEVER get back together and that he can NEVER call me again.

.. It's finally a reality that I killed my child, my flesh and blood .. I cried every time I thought about it and especially when I talked to my mom about my nieces and nephew's Christmas gift. This is a niece or nephew that my siblings will never see, a grandchild that my parents will never know and a child that I will never see grow up. "

This girl needs all our prayers, that's all I will say.


(Thanks to JivinJ at JivinJehoshaphat for the link)

Emily at After Abortion links to this post-abortion site:

"I received emails telling me I am courageous. I am not. Brave women bear their children and their responsibilities... But the blackness sets in to remind me that I am not worthy of such a task. I could not do good for my poor child, who died in agony, his neurons developed fully enough to experience the pain, but without the tools we have when fully-grown that help us to cope with it. It makes me want to scream his agony to the world, even as I want desperately to hide from the grief and the knowledge that I brought about this suffering. "


Silent Rain Drops -- The website

Got this in the mail today..


.. a Christmas message from Coldplay!

The world's smallest baby -- born at 26 weeks gestation

*sigh* Another senseless homicide.

Is killing your (pregnant) girlfriend/wife/mistress/lover in fashion or what?

Em is picking me up for a late lunch in a bit. Whee!
(And our babies Tyler and Ken will have to stay home till then. Heh.)

Be back with more. Meanwhile, enjoy the reads!

Today's best of the blog:

Jesusland to invade Roe v. Wade

"It appears the far right is massing troops on the border of Roe v. Wade ."

The border of Roe v. Wade ? I've never even heard of that country. Is that one of those former Soviet republics? And why exactly are we massing troops on its border?

While I'm as eager as any neo-con to find reasons to invade foreign lands, I think that between Afghanistan and Iraq the military is already stretched a bit thin. Seriously, do we really need to be massing troops on another border?

I'm not sure what Roe v. Wade did to provoke a preemptive strike but I hope that Secretary Rumsfeld will do the right thing and abort this operation.

Go read it now!

Some time ago I posted this piece of article in which Sharon Osbourne revealed that she had an abortion when she was 17. Here in this article we look at the long term damaged of her abortion:

"I was two months gone when I realised. I went to my mum and she said, without pausing for breath: 'You have to get rid of it.'

"She told me where the clinic was, then virtually pushed me off. She was so angry. She said I'd got myself in this mess, now she had to get me out.

"But she didn't come. I went alone. I was terrified. It was full of other young girls, and we were all terrified and looking at each other and nobody was saying a bloody word. I howled my way through it, and it was horrible.

"I would never recommend it to anyone because it comes back to haunt you. When I tried to have children, I lost three - I think it was because something had happened to my cervix during the abortion. After three miscarriages, they had to put a stitch in it."

A teen/young adult abstinence site:
Keep your pants on


"Do girls like jerks? It seems like every girl ends up with some guy who'll treat her like sh!t."

More of that here (and SO much more).

(Thanks to Elena at My Domestic Church for the wonderful link)

Parents of Holly Patterson who died last year after complications from the abortion drug RU486 files lawsuit

So I was reading the LDI Boycott List after Ashli's post when this caught my eye:

"David Reardon, Ph.D., director of the Elliot Institute, said at least 50 published studies have shown a higher risk of premature birth and low birth weight delivery among women with a history of abortion. One study found the risk doubles after just one abortion. Multiple abortions increase the risk even more. Reardon said a doubling of risk among an estimated one-fourth of delivering women who have a history of abortion would result in a 25% rise overall.

Rather than changing the website to include the more accurate information, MoD eliminated mention of the risk entirely. "Has it (MoD) updated its website and literature to better prepare American couples to receive adequate prenatal care to avoid premature births when there is a history of induced abortion?" Reardon asked. "No. March of Dimes has instead decided it must try even harder to cover up the abortion link to neonatal deaths and handicaps by removing even the vastly understated risk of premature birth after three or four abortions from their website." "

And this:

"MoD claims it does not take a position on abortion, but every respectable pro-life organization opposes the group due to its acquiescence to a "search and destroy" attitude. The primary objection is over prenatal testing that is done to give women "choices" about bringing a child into the world. "The Pro-Life Movement strongly opposes fetal testing that is done for such reasons," Scott said. "Prenatal testing should be done only for the sake of the unborn child, such as diagnosing problems that can be corrected in the womb or helping parents prepare for the special needs of a disabled child. Any other use is clearly for eugenic purposes."

MoD is just fine with the use of abortion as a "solution" to the "problem" of "imperfect" children. A MoD booklet states: "When a birth defect is diagnosed, genetic counselors provide emotional support and understanding during what can be a very difficult time. If there are decisions to be made - about the pregnancy, the care of a child, having more children, or about the ability of the family to cope with ongoing problems - the parents can make more informed choices with the facts in hand." "

Darn. MoD is clearly not opposed to abortion as a solution to prevent births of "imperfect" children! Needless to say, I HAVE TO remove March of Dimes from our left navigation.

Forgiving abortion

Arnie under fire.

Excuse me, are you a blogger?

Congratulations, darling.. you are now the poster boy for "fecking and abandoning". All thanks to Blogger.

p.s. Do email me your new/recent photograph so that I could upload and post in the gallery. And while we are at it, perhaps I could also have an audio gallery to showcase you in your "most vulnerable state" now that we can audio-blog -- yes, I still keep those endearing voice messages, darling, as psychotic as it may sound now.

Another abandoned baby.

Get this: "As many as 6 million abortions occur in India annually and the number could be higher. The figure is 10 times the official government estimate and is likely so high because residents of the Asian nation consider abortion a method of birth control."

6 million.

That is like twice our population. Imagine that.

Abortionist Malachy Dehenre, who had his license to practice medicine in Alabama suspended for Malpractice, said he is unlikely to commit abortions ever again there or in Mississippi, even if he gets his license back. An Alabama woman died as a result of the abortion he committed on her there last year.

Dehenre, 54, told The Associated Press on Saturday that he will abide by the decision of the Medical Licensure Commission of Alabama. The commission said Dehenre's treatment of four women between 2000 and 2003 was "immoral, unprofessional or dishonorable," saying his conduct was a danger to the women's lives through "gross malpractice." An Alabama woman died 18 hours after receiving a legal abortion from Dehenre in November, 2003. Leigh Ann Stephens Alford, 34, died of a perforated uterus. All three other women hemorrhaged uncontrollably following their legal abortions from Dehenre, necessitating complete hysterectomies.

Communities stunned with the slaying of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, grieved while struggling to understand her grisly death.


And the man I work for laughed: 'Have you seen something awful?
You are so white, suddenly.' And I said nothing.
I saw death in the bare trees, a deprivation.
I could not believe it. Is it so difficult
For the spirit to conceive a face, a mouth?
The letters proceed from these black keys, and these black keys proceed
From my alphabetical fingers, ordering parts,

Parts, bits, cogs, the shining multiples.
I am dying as I sit. I lose a dimension.
Trains roar in my ears, departures, departures!
The silver track of time empties into the distance,
The white sky empties of its promise, like a cup.
These are my feet, these mechanical echoes.
Tap, tap, tap, steel pegs. I am found wanting.

Trust Planned Parenthood to think of something like this.

Unrelated, (but) Susan at Res Publica links to this fascinating TIME article which names President Bush 'Person of the Year'.

but love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

I know where you hide
Alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all

Britain's largest abortion provider and GP face police inquiries over 'unlawful terminations' of healthy pregnant women

Christina at Real Choice writes about the new disturbing trend on violence against pregnant women. The Washington Post in this article notes the death-record data in states across the country documents the killings of 1,367 pregnant women and new mothers since 1990. And mind you, this is only part of the national toll, because no reliable system is in place to track such cases.

Their killings produced only a few local headlines, and then faded, each a seeming aberration in the community where it happened, but across the country in the last decade, hundreds of pregnant women and new mothers have been slain, most if not all of which, by men they knew -- husbands, boyfriends, lovers -- all of whom see the killing, as Christina noted, as a way to avoid fatherhood. Responsibility.

"It seems to me that these guys hope against hope for a miscarriage or an abortion, but when everything else fails, they take the life of the woman to avoid having the baby," notes Jack Levin of Northeastern University.

Pat Brown, a criminal profiler based in Minneapolis said, "Pregnancy at any age, is a huge, life-altering event for both the male and the female.. It is certainly a more dangerous moment in life. You are escalating people's responsibilities and curtailing their freedoms."

For some men, she said, the situation boils down to one set of unadorned facts: "If the woman doesn't want the baby, she can get an abortion. If the guy doesn't want it, he can't do a damn thing about it. He is stuck with a child for the rest of his life, he is stuck with child support for the rest of his life, and he's stuck with that woman for the rest of his life. If she goes away, the problem goes away."

Until recently, many of the cases have gone virtually unstudied, uncounted, untracked. Police agencies across the country do not regularly ask about maternal status when they investigate homicides. And health experts have focused historically on the medical complications of pregnancy -- embolism, hemorrhage, infection -- not on fatal violence.

But these women were slain, 67% with firearms and in their own homes. They all were pregnant, with futures that seemed sure to unfold over many years. Jenny McMechen, 24, was shot in a friend's home in Plainfield, Conn., and Kerry Repp, 29, was shot in her Oregon bedroom, and Tasha Winters, 16, was shot in Indiana the day she told her boyfriend about the baby. Ardena Carter, 24, was found dead in the Georgia woods, and Kathleen Terry, 22, was run over in Idaho, and Melesha Francis, 26, was strangled in New York, and Thelma Jones, 21, was shot sitting on her back steps in Louisiana -- the day her mother ordered a cake for her baby shower.

Is our system flawed? Or is this a social syndrome, a phenomenon that is as consequential as it is poorly understood? You tell me.

Merry Yule!..

Longest night of the year, the turning point when the days shall afterwards grow longer as winter begins its passage into the coming spring. It is, in the Goddess worship, the time when she gives forth again to the birth of the Divine Sun child who shall be both child and eventually lover and father of the next child in the cycle. Winter Solstice for pagans is a time of feasting and the exchanging of gifts, with traditional adornments of a Yule Log, usually of oak, and a combination of mistletoe and holly.

So a merry Yule to all of you and a happy, happy, happy holiday season. Embrace the birth of the sun god and with him the light side of the year, and make merry!

From our household to yours, have a blessed Yule everyone.

Michigan has passed the first legislation in the country supporting colleges and universities that establish offices to aid pregnant and parenting students. Grants would be received from a fund allocated or donated from state and private sources. The Michigan Senate passed the bill 26-8 on Wednesday, December 1, and the House voted 99-0 in support of the legislation on Thursday, December 9.

Meanwhile, Feminists for Life's Serrin Foster says that some university health plans, such as Yale University's, provide coverage for abortion but not for giving birth.

"When students receive positive results on a pregnancy test, campus health clinic staff too often say 'I'm sorry' and automatically refer women to abortion clinics," she went on to say. "Women need to know the rest of their choices, including single parenting, married parenting, and adoption options."

Oh heck, I think Men's News just got hacked!

Interesting fact, although I am not surprised

.. considering how much more often you get blind drunk than we actually met, darling..

Rightio.

The population control arm of the United Nations, UNFPA, and its abortion-pushing allies, most notably International Planned Parenthood, relentlessly press for legalizing abortion with the claim that it is needed to reduce maternal mortality by reducing "unsafe" abortions, particularly in the Developing World.

However, Jeanne Head, R.N., the chief pro-life lobbyist at the United Nations, and herself a former labor and delivery nurse says the reality is quite different from the UNFPA claims. She told LifeSiteNews.com that statistics from the United Nations World Health Organization itself demonstrate that maternal mortality decreases with the overall improvement of national health care and the general health status of women rather than with legalization of abortion. Moreover, UN figures demonstrate that the legalization of abortion can lead to an increase in maternal mortality.

"The legalization of abortion does nothing to solve the underlying problem of poor health care in the developing world," "Women generally at risk because they lack access to a doctor, hospital, or antibiotics before legalization will face those same circumstances after legalization. And if legalization triggers a higher demand for abortion as it has in most countries (as Stanley Henshaw of Planned Parenthood's research arm, the Guttamacher Institute, admits it does), more injured women will compete for those scarce resources."

She explained that even (in the United States), with some of the best medical care in the world, official figures indicate that over 300 women have died from legal abortions since the procedure was legalized nationwide in 1973.

Which is why like I said before, legal doesn't mean safe or lower maternal mortality rates.

Hawaii allows morning after pill without a prescription

Did you know that..

.. the first bike was known as a 'hobbyhorse'?

Bet you don't know that, do you? Hmm. I got that from the back of my Snapple cap.

Today is sleepy Saturday. I fell asleep trying to put Tyler to sleep, ack. The sun is down by the time I woke up, and I woke up to a pair of big round eyes and whiskers over my face. The yummy aroma of Grandaunt's freshly baked cake filled the air.

Darn. I want to do my Christmas shopping. I want to brave the weekend crowd and feel the festive atmosphere. I want to come home with shopping bags ladened on my arms, and filled with gifts. But damn, I have to fall asleep TODAY - of all days.

Abortion for dummies

Have I mentioned that I gave Smelly a bath tonight? My first time in FOUR years -- and I'm SO proud of me.

Bathing Smelly is no easy task because unlike Tyler who loves the water, (Smelly) is very afraid of water. We took more than half an hour to blow-dry his fur, I was beginning to wonder if they were ever gonna dry. Hmph. I'll leave the job to the grooming centre, thank you very much.

Fetus taken from slain woman's womb

A 23-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was killed at her home Thursday and had the fetus cut from her womb.

Update 18/12: 2-day-old baby girl found in Kansas might be missing baby

One step forward or two steps back?

Bills prohibiting abortion in 2005 will do nothing more than fund the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, keeping them fully employed, paid by tax dollars, for years, says Americans United for Life's Clarke Forsythe.

But, but.. I wanna be Batgirl. Darn. Guess I can't fit in the batsuit after all..

Which member of the JLA are you? Wonder Woman With powers granted to her by the Greek gods Diana, princess of the Amazons set out to represent her people to the rest of the world. Even after growing up on an island with no men, she is unphased by being the only female on the team and could even hold her own against the team's most powerful men.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

(I stole this quiz from: Jeremy at Parableman)

Church in Spain rejects court ordered abortion for mentally handicapped woman

There is nothing that justifies this abortion, says the church.

Flawed birth control pill research:

U.S. health officials are warning of flawed research in two major studies that recently suggested birth control pills can reduce the risk of heart disease and have no effect on rates of breast cancer. The research was seen as reputable because it was based on the largest ongoing women's health study in the United States, which monitors 162,000 women for a variety of medical conditions. More details here.

Prayer illuminates the heart and makes it ready to accept suffering: suffering, welcomed with docile abandonment in God, opens the soul to understanding the pain of others.

-- The Pope

Dear Santa

Did you know that Planned Parenthood alone was responsible for nearly 250,000 abortions in the US last year? And this means that (Planned Parenthood) has surgically killed 3.5 million babies since 1970.

3.5 MILLION.

Chinese province banned abortions of more than 14-week-old unborn children.

A miracle in the making:

"When the foetus was about 19 weeks old there were further ultrasounds from a new doctor and Mozz and Sacha learned that their baby would probably have not only a club foot but Down syndrome too. The doctor asked Sacha and Mozz if they wanted the baby aborted. They're both devout Christians -- Mozz is training to be an Anglican minister -- and said no.

"We were willing to love Calvin despite any difficulties he may have had," they say, "but we were so grateful to God for answering our prayers in such an amazing way". "

Some of us would sell our soul just to have a baby, yet others simply leave theirs to die.

The massacred innocent blood stains us all
Who's responsible, you fucking are

Teen to Planned Parenthood: Take your lies and leave

Contraceptive pill increases risk of stroke among migraine sufferers

A meta- analysis of 14 studies has shown that the risk of stroke is increased among women who suffer from migraines and are on oral chemical contraceptives. A group of researchers have discovered a statistical connection between stroke, migraines and the Pill. Three studies in the review have shown that women who have migraines and who take oral contraceptives were up to 8 times more likely to have a stroke than those not taking the pill.

More on the findings here.

Oh wow. My first "hate" mail.

Excerpts:

Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 17:25:49 EST
Subject: God Rant

"Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I'm a strong advocator of that... even when it comes from a holier than thou, high on a pedestal, hymn spewer as yourself... You can go on and on about your god, and the bible, and yadayadayada.... God to me is nothing more than a philosophy by which people measure there pain.... religion is nothing more than a sick tool institutionalized by powerful people who knew it would be in their best interest to convince people that there must be something more beyond then what they have to face every day in their pathetic little lives. I can drone on and on about social order, and the little black book that you hold so dear."

Hymn spewer?

Ack, I don't even own a bible.

Remember Charlotte Wyatt? The baby girl who was born three months premature with massive damage to her brain and vital organs and was the focus of a High Court battle after doctors asked for permission not to resuscitate her if she stopped breathing? Well, her parents, Darren and Debbie Wyatt, have made a complaint to the police against St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth, that the hospital is now administering drugs to the seriously ill baby to hasten her death.

Wow.

There's many more of us out there, y'know.. many more brave souls who's willing to choose the road less traveled. I think they should be lauded and not judged. Because hell, it takes a lot of courage to do this. Still, society can be so cruel sometimes.

(Thanks to Emily at After Abortion for the link)

What makes you think I'm so rich that you can steal my heart and it won't mean a thing?

Sometimes I wish I could walk around with a Handle with Care sign stuck to my forehead. Sometimes I wish there were a way to let people know that just because I live in a world without rules, and in a life that is lawless, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt so bad the morning after... Certainly deceit and treachery in both romantic and political relationship is nothing new, but at one time, it was bad, callous, and cold to hurt somebody.

If one can be a father and assume no obligations, it follows that one can be a boyfriend and do nothing at all. Pretty soon you can add friend, acquaintance, coworker and just about anyone else to the long list of people who seem to be a big part of your life, though there is no code of conduct that they must adhere to. Pretty soon, it seems unreasonable to be bothered or outraged by much of anything, because, well, what did you expect?

How's this for our mission statement?

"Birth Story.. changing the world one person at a time"

Yes?

Tyler turns forty-eight weeks today!

Who says the Dutch are heartless?

Well, at least I know Tulip is.

Chinese abortion outcry saves life of prisoner

Another botched abortion.

"In May 2003, twenty-four year old Pinky Mishra sought an abortion from a local Marie Stopes abortion business. She and her husband, a driver, live on little and already had two children at the time. The couple believed abortion was their only solution.

Pinky underwent an abortion and a sterilization procedure on May 8 and returned for a followup visit on May 22. The abortion business examined her, prescribed followup drugs, and issued a certificate indicating the abortion had been successful.

She returned again to the Marie Stopes abortion center two days later and an ultrasound revealed the abortion had failed and she was pregnant with twins."

Scott Peterson gets death penalty in the double murder of his wife Laci and unborn son, Conner

Thank God for the Unborn Viction of Violence Act.

Maybe I don't believe in fighting violence with violence, but I'll make an exception this time. As Peterson's prosecutors noted, Peterson would enjoy something that Laci and Conner don't - life.

I think the fact that these bastards need to know that they cannot resort to violence, assault just because their wives or girlfriends refuse to have an abortion or if they refuse to take responsibility is a good enough reason.

Surviving abortion:

"My tiny brother and I were both there growing in her womb, until that dreadful day. Before the abortion, we were both alive. Moments later, I was alone"

Whoever loves much, does much

- Thomas a Kempis, "The Imitation of Christ"

Here's one proud abortion clinic worker.

I thought this is interesting
Tracking stress and depression back to the womb

Okay, another bad, nasty, dizzy spell on my way back from the bank I had to enroute. What a drag. I had MacD's hot fudge sundae in the cab, and a hash brown. Bad idea. Ended up sicker that I think I already am. Dying for a couch so that I could lie upside down like a bat. Downing ice tea so that I wouldn't puke. I want coke. Yes, a coke would be nice too. Who invented coke anyway?

Oh boy. I got so sick after lunch today I thought I was gonna die from my nausea. I fell asleep and woke up feeling a lot better, although I still couldn't get any food in, and just in time for Gilmore Girls. Whoever thought I could get sick from the smell? of my mother's cooking?

So it looks like Rory and yummy Dean are getting back together for real (I hope!). Dean told Rory he doesn't want her to be with Jaz. Apparently his marriage to Lindsey is not working and Rory ended up losing her virginity to the guy when he came back to see her at the house, much to Lorelai's -- who kinda walked in on them -- dismay. Oh, Jason came back, and Luke snogged Lorelai by the way..

Hell, I'd love to stay and chat, but my head is spinning again. I think I'm gonna go lie down for a bit before the night feed.

When is a breast-cancer group offensive to women? When it supports abortion, says one breast-cancer advocate.

Eve Sanchez Silver, a two-time breast cancer survivor and Hispanic outreach director for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, found out in September that the organization provided funding to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. She was stunned and disappointed to the point of resignation - from her job, that is.

Longer jail sentence for bastard whose attack killed unborn child

So the bastard punched and kicked the mother in the stomach so viciously the six-month-old fetus bled to death and 12 years is all he gets?

Overturning Roe vs. Wade would be good for the Democrats?

Overturn abortion decision, urge twenty-six Republican congressmen

Twenty-six Republican members of Congress filed a friend-of-the-court brief Thursday requesting that an appeals court overturn the September decision of Nebraska judge Richard Kopf, who ruled that the ban on partial-birth abortion is unconstitutional. The friend-of-the-court brief was filed in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the House members by the American Center for Law and Justice.

"We are supporting the Department of Justice in arguing that Congress not only acted properly in passing the ban, but that such a ban is needed to ensure that partially born children receive the same constitutional rights afforded to all persons," said Jay Sekulow, chief legal counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing the members of Congress.

I could not imagine what kind of mother -- no, PERSON -- could bring herself to do something like this.

Okay, I found this via Jon's Blog via After Abortion:

"It wasn't a fucking tea party"

Pretty riveting if you ask me.

"What makes me angry about the anti-abortion shitheads is that they are denying the freedom of choice for all women. As if our bodies belonged to them. Pro-choice is not an extreme point of view. It is the right to make your own decisions, and the one to have an abortion is not an easy one. The protesters harass women outside of clinics, acting like there is some house party happening up in there. It's not Burke Williams you idiots. We are not going in the building for a "Day of Beauty". No oxygen facials, seaweed detox body wrap, hand and foot fantasy. No kicking back with your homies, bobbing your head to "Nellyville" with a strawberry daquiri in your hand and an iv in your arm, talking 'bout, "I just killed my fetus. How you like me now! Hooo. Hey Shorty - it's NOT your birthday, it's NOT your birthday... Hooo..."

I had an abortion, and you know what? It fucking hurts like hell. The fact that the medical community has not made early termination easier and less painful is just another example of how sexist our country is. You lie in a big room, filled with crying teenage girls, pissed off women in their '20s, someone older like me, reading a Redbook from 1994 and beating myself up at the same time because the rubber broke and I didn't even fucking like that guy in the first place and then occasionally other random thoughts like 'wow, I am going to try to bake that at home', and countless others. We are collectively suffering, because pregnancy feels like there is somebody in there. And for whatever reason, and every reason is the right reason, you can't have a tenant. So you gotta evict. Nothing personal. The doctor sticks a Cuisinart into the upper reaches of your vagina and turns it on Puree. And then you see that the tenant has checked out, leaving you hollowed out and alone, and all you have to show for it is a bloody hole and a recipe for lemon poppy upside down cake. The secret is to shave lemon rind into the batter, but not too much. It will be bitter if you aren't careful. You come out, never wanting to have sex again, feeling sick, bleeding like Theresa Saldana after she got stabbed 52 times, and the protesters have the gall to call you a murderer. Fuck you. Seriously. Fucking fuck you."

Seriously I think that these (women) who defended 'choice' are, in fact, in some form of denial themselves. Lobbyists preached and fiercely defends this 'choice' like it's some bloody rights when in reality they know for themselves that abortion HURTS women, both emotionally and physically, whether they like it or not.

On Bush's victory:

"Those "Christians" that prayed for Bush to win are going to be praying a lot more in the coming four years because they are going to realize that losing this election will not deter anyone from fighting for what is theirs. The future is up for grabs, because the Bush administration and the people who love them haven't a clue what to do next. They think it is some big doofus cowboy homecoming game and The 700 Club are thrusting pompoms in the air on the sidelines. They don't know that this is about life or death. If they did, then they wouldn't have voted for Bush."

Hmm.
Want more? Here.

Arnie for President, anyone?

Forget the tooth fairy..

Still on the subject, new breakthrough reveals that baby teeth provide life giving stem cells. The cells extracted from the pulp of children's milk teeth is slated to be more versatile than embryonic material, as well as more ethically acceptable.

YEAH!

Cord blood eliminates need for embryonic stem cells:

A Toronto scientist says the need for stem cells derived from embryonic babies is completely unnecessary, because stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood can do everything that other stem cells can do.

"There are already animal models for spinal cord injuries and for diabetes. If all these things work out, the potential for the use of these cells is going to be hugely expanded," says Dr Bob Casper,a senior scientist at Mount Sinai Hospital's Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute and one founder of a private donor cord blood cell bank, Insception Biosciences.


Can embryonic stem cells be morally acceptable? writes Joe Carter at The Evangelical Outpost:

"At a recent meeting of the President's Commission on Bioethics, Dr. William B. Hurlbut, a physician from Stanford University and member of the panel, invoked this metaphor as an example of how the "boundaries of our moral concern" protect the human organism:

Right now, and even more in the future, if we don't define these moral boundaries clearly, we're going to impede forward progress in science or many people are going to feel like moral purposes are being violated, moral goods are being violated. We need to do that hard work of defining these boundaries, but I think the meaningful boundary is the integrated human organism at all of its stages... When I looked at the scientific facts - and I didn't come in like some rubber stamp agent of this counsel to do what somebody told me to do - I looked as plainly as I could and I simply could not think - could not agree that the early embryo was, as some scientists are saying, an inchoate clump of cells. It's a living whole human being.

This recognition that human life begins at conception has naturally led Hurlbut to reject the present techniques for acquiring embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Harvesting ESCs requires that human embryos must be "disaggregated and destroyed" violating the inherent dignity of humanity and removing the meaningful boundary that protects the inviolability of the individual.

But Hulburt believes that there is a morally acceptable means for procuring ESCs, a technique known as "altered nuclear transfer". According to the Stanford professor, scientists could inactivate genes necessary for the development of an embryo and then remove the resulting remaining cluster of cells, or teratomas, and restore the inactivated genes in order to produce usable stem cells.

The procedure would occur ab initio, before the "biological artifact" could ever develop into what could properly be called a living being. Such a limited biological entity would be unable to establish "even the most fundamental features of organismal infrastructure" and would be incapable of being used for implantation. In essence, the entity would be more analogous to a tissue culture or a hydatidiform mole than to an embryo."

Read PART II of the article

Is there life after Roe

Tyler bumped his head against the cot while trying to stand up (yes, you heard me) late last night. He's been trying to do that a lot these days although he's still pretty much wobbly at this point. Quite a determined one he is, but he didn't cry. Anyways, paranoid me rushed him to the pediatrician today, just in case, but clearly my worries were unfounded and everything is hunky dory again.

Remind me to child-proof the house this weekend.

Moggy alert:

Uncle Moses just called me to say that he needs to put up his feline companions for adoption. Two kitties and one siamese(sp?) looking for a good, loving home. If anyone know of any good shelter (the SPCA is OUT) or wants to adopt, please drop me a mail, text or TAG!

President Bush on Wednesday signed a bill that includes language protecting hospitals, medical professionals and health insurance providers from being forced or perform or pay for abortions. The measure ensures that state and local governments receiving money from the federal Health and Human Services Department cannot discriminate against health care providers that do not perform abortions, pay for abortions, provide insurance coverage for abortions or refer to agencies that perform abortions. The measure was originally passed by the House of Representatives as a stand-alone bill known as the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) but it never received a Senate vote. Pro-life groups say the measure is necessary because abortion advocates are working feverishly to require hospitals and insurance companies to perform or pay for abortions. Currently, 86% of American hospitals do not allow abortions to be performed.

Mom wants justice for her 8-month-old UNBORN BABY who was killed in a car accident

"Fetus"?

We put up our tree today, yeah! My mom went to the nursery yesterday and got us a neat little tree much to my delight. I thought it looks really great in the far corner of the living area, away from the altar and hopefully out of Tyler's reach. I put the lights, the bells and reindeers and let Tyler put the angel on top. He laughs. He looks delighted when he saw the lights and the colorful ornaments and faux presents underneath the tree. I told him not to touch anything or put them in his mouth and he laughs. He looks so adorable when he laugh his happy laugh.

Well, we could actually be happy, just the two of us.

Speaking of Christmas and the Christmas spirit of giving -- do let Ashli know if you would like to contribute and send something to this family.

"We forget that Christ adopted our human nature from the moment of conception. Christ did not incarnate into a non-human amorphous piece of tissue. It would have been beneath his dignity. He doesn't love tissue. Tissue is not made in God's image and likeness.

God became like us because he loved us; he became an unborn child because he loved the unborn child, like he loves Man at all the stages of his life. In fact, Christ has a special place in his heart for the unborn, as he does for all who are marginalized, weak, poor and vulnerable.

The liberal cannot fathom such a love for the unborn, because to him, he is not an equal. To him, the unborn child cannot live up to a man-made litmus test of "personhood". The child is a blob of tissue, a mere organism, a parasite. His worth is relative to his being able to demonstrate certain capabilities. He must have a heartbeat, or brainwaves, or feel pain, or have consciousness or self-awareness, or some other arbitrarily selected ability, in order to be deemed worthy.

But this is judging with human eyes. In God's mind, the human being's value is intrinsic and independent of any other consideration. From the moment a human being exists, God loves him. There is no performance test required. We may not be able to know who the unborn child is, but God does. God sees his virtues, talents, and future accomplishments. He is a somebody in light of his very existence."

I had dinner with Isabel my editor at the club last evening. There's this new roundtable discussion that she wants me to host, I just don't know if I should accept with Tyler, who's getting quite a handful, and what was happening in the home front right now, but I left, promised to think about it. The money is good as is the opportunity since it involves some major players, I just don't know if I will have the the time for research. Honestly, I'm at a loss. Isabel has been good to me and I don't know if I can turn her down.

Death certificates for abortion

Teen convicted of drowning full-termed baby:

How could she not know she was pregnant? The mind boggles..

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile

Medical tourism with a natal twist:

The Times of India reports that middle-eastern women have been traveling to India for abortions.

Planned Parenthood has done it again!

Addressing what Planned Parenthood considers a deficiency in quantity and quality of sex-education taught by schools, the abortion rights promoter has teamed up with a Canadian television music video channel to produce a sex education "public service announcement" set to debut today.

MuchMusic's "Groovy New Feelings" Broadway-style program features a dancing penis and vagina, "designed to capture the attention of teens and young adults," and to promote "the availability of much-needed direct information resources and dialogue options," according to a MuchMusic press release.

Click here to view -- you need RealPlayer and oh, parental guidance may be necessary for inapproriate lyrics.

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want

"Almost any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Daddy"

I thought this is an interesting perspective:

Fake clinic, real propaganda

"A recent article in Self magazine that described the Bush administration's faith-based initiatives to support crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, really caught my attention. At first glance, support for these centers seems like a great cause; a women who is pregnant, scared and has nowhere else to go can seek counsel, get a free sonogram and weigh her options to end or continue the pregnancy. This is what many unsuspecting women believe when they go to a CPC; however, once inside, the women see that they are not at a family planning center but rather a clinic that attempts to stop pregnant women from having abortions. At these centers, women receive a variety of "counseling" which involves watching videos of aborted babies, very often against the woman's will, promises of financial aid if they keep their baby and religious pamphlets that decry the termination of a pregnancy. A lot of the "facts" that are given to women at these centers about abortions are not only misleading, but many are just downright false.

CPCs go by neutral names such as Crisis Pregnancy Center, Pregnancy Aid, Abortion Advice, Open Door, or Pregnancy Counseling Center. They want to be a woman's first contact when she thinks she might be pregnant, so they can talk her out of considering abortion. You can find a crisis pregnancy center in the phone book under "Abortion Alternatives," right before the section titled "Abortion Providers." There is usually a small disclaimer at the bottom of the page that says that the centers do not provide abortions or referrals, but a woman who is desperate and looking for options in the phone book may not see this tiny box or may be undecided whether or not she wants to remain pregnant. The advertisements placed by most of the CPCs say that they offer free pregnancy tests and counseling without mentioning that they are religious centers with an anti-choice agenda"

My, my. That was brutal.

"It is appalling that anyone -- pro-choice, anti-choice, whatever -- would subject vulnerable women in very precarious mental states to such religious propaganda. It seems as if taxpayer dollars are going to block women's health care. The woman, who is most likely at the center as a last resort, should not be bombarded with frightening images, but rather allowed to make the right decision for herself, whether it be carrying the pregnancy to full term or ending it."

Frightening images? Gee. That is the reality of it, isn't it? To quote Priests for Life -- "America will not reject abortion until America see abortion"

I can't even begin to tell you what it's like to be single, pregnant and abandoned. I wished back then that I had had ready access to pregnancy resources, CPCs - for that matter. Sadly for me, I had to take a detour and find help the hard way.


(Thanks to Seth at CCFL for the links)

*Emphasis added

A New Zealand woman almost died after taking abortion pill bought over the internet. The woman, who took mifepristone, needed urgent hospital help after she began haemorrhaging.

"Her life was endangered - certainly it was potentially fatal. She was admitted to hospital in an extremely distressed state. The hospital staff were also very distressed by it," said Dr Lesley Rothwell, of the Abortion Supervisory Committee.

See? Despite the fact that abortion is legal (in New Zealand, if they met the criterion), women may still for whatever reason, obtain illegal abortions.

Here, sign the petition:

Tiller Report saves baby

Amen to that!

When does a spirit enter a fetus?

"While some faiths oppose abortion unreservedly, others do not. Some Jews and some Protestants have declared that abortion, while not to be taken lightly and not to be used as birth control, is not murder. A resolution adopted by an annual convention of American rabbis has concluded that "Jewish legal literature permits therapeutic abortion" and "We oppose all... legislation which would abridge or circumscribe this right."

In their official statements, abortion-tolerating religions seem to be saying that a fertilized egg has the potential for human life but does not yet have a human soul within its cells.

Exactly, says Rabbi Tracee Rosen of Congregation Kol Ami. Rabbi Rosen says she doesn't know how people can have a religious debate on abortion without talking about "ensoulment". The current discussion in Judaism, she says, is whether the soul enters the fetus at the time it becomes viable (able to survive outside the mother's body) or at birth.

The Catholic Church believes the soul enters the body at conception. Some people of other faiths, even those who are against abortion, have no opinion about the soul of a fetus.

Pastor Rodger Russell of Holladay Baptist Church didn't want to speak for his entire church, only for himself, when he said abortion should be outlawed. Still, the Rev. Russell says, "we don't talk about a soul" when talking about abortion. Southern Baptists, instead, simply say that "life begins at conception".

Deciding when a soul enters the body is beside the point, says Dr. Joseph Stanford, who is LDS and head of the Health Research Center at the University of Utah's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. At the moment of conception, "biologically it is indisputable that there is a human entity that, given the proper environment, has the potential for further growth and development. This is a human life, a unique, living, human entity".

If you don't mention ensoulment, though, then you haven't read Exodus 21:22, Rabbi Rosen says. That verse says the punishment for pushing a pregnant woman and causing a miscarriage shall be decided by the woman's husband. Which means, says the rabbi, that the loss of a fetus is a civil matter. On the other hand, the death of a mother would be murder and would demand "a life for a life".

Before the fetus has a soul, Jewish theology says, it is a limb on the mother's body. Rabbi Rosen says, "From that perspective, an abortion is about as morally charged as having a nose job or any other elective surgery." The fact that abortion is much more morally charged than a nose job tells her that the debate, in this country, is about a soul after all."

I spent most part of the day sleeping today. Tyler have had some trouble sleeping, and I have been up all night playing with him. Mom offered to watch him while I try to get some sleep, and chill in front of the tube. They have been out since the last couple of hours, and I am missing him already.

Speaking of TV, I love today's episode of Gilmore Girls. Rory got bumped on a "date" grandma arranged and ended up with ex-boyfriend Dean, who is now married to an old schoolmate of Rory. Rory were just asking about his marriage and how he could be out with her when bad boy Jaz appeared to whisk her away with him. Very annoying. Thank the gods she didn't want to go with him, I hope she gets back with Dean instead which looks like she will. Lorelai got a date with Luke after this beautiful wedding I find myself wishing it was mine. I know, I know. We women have been planning our whole life for our special day, only to find ourselves getting bumped or dumped by the ones whom we gave ourselves to. Such is life, and I stand by my views when I said that true love, unconditional love exist only with God.

And speaking of TV shows-- this week's episode of The O.C. should be interesting.. I haven't been following for a while now, but I did managed to catch this week's trailer...

"She's having a fetus"

You HAVE TO read this one..

(Thanks to Joe Carter at The Evangelical Outpost)

Culture degraded and women still die

New Scottish research has again supported the position of the pro-life movement with the 'discovery' that wide availability of the Morning-After pill does nothing to reduce the rate of abortion.

"Abortion is a quick fix for women influenced by expectations from society"

20-year-old UW-Madison student took on two much older, academically distinguished professors Wednesday night in a debate about reproductive choice.

Ashamed that their 16-year-old - who is not married and has gotten herself pregnant - Malaysian sisters forced the teenager to have an abortion, during which she was, five-months pregnant with twins.

Here is Part 3 of Fr. Frank Pavone's article on the abortion/child abuse link.

So Scott Peterson's father took the stand Wednesday to plead for his son's life. Interesting how the defense painted him as the ideal person -- they seemed to think that "this is a life worth saving". Funny that. After all, I don't reckon the bastard even flinched when he took his pregnant wife's life.

I am not for or against the death penalty, but I personally think death would have been too easy for him.

"Uneventful D&C" they said.

(Thanks, Christina)

I don't care if you think I'm a zealot. If 'too much' is too much for you. But I'll be damn if I let some funny-haired gherkin stop me from doing what I'm doing. :BG:

Thanks, Ashli

Sharon Osbourne reveals that she had an abortion as a teenager

Sharon Osbourne has revealed that she tries not to pass judgments on her three children when they do something wrong because she herself was a very wild child.

She recently revealed that she had an abortion when she was all of 17 after she got pregnant on sleeping with a man after a drunken binge, reports Female First.

"I would drink so much I would wake up to countless men whose names I don't even know. I had an abortion at 17, before I met Ozzy. I didn't want to, but I did," the report quoted her as saying.

"I would never tell my children how they should live their lives," she added.


And I thought I was promiscuous. :)

Bioethics Journal Charges Lancet, Scientific Community with Cancer Cover Up / CBS and Associated Press, Nevertheless, Represent Lancet Article as Authoritative

Associated Press and other media distor Roe vs. Wade and public opinion on abortion policy

The AP reported yesterday (November 28, 2004) that in an AP-sponsored poll by Ipsos-Public Affairs (Nov. 19-21), 59% of respondents said they thought President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who would uphold Roe v. Wade, while 31% wanted nominees who would overturn Roe. However, these results were obtained only after respondents were first presented by the pollster with the erroneous summary that Roe v. Wade made abortion legal "in the first three months of pregnancy".

Douglas Johnson, NRLC Legislative Director says, "It is way past time for the news media to stop distorting the real terms of Roe v. Wade. Today's AP story is another example of the news media using two forms of distortion to paint a greatly exaggerated picture of public support for the Supreme Court's abortion policy -- first by minimizing the actual scope of the Roe v. Wade ruling, and second by distorting what it would mean to 'overturn' Roe."

"The AP story used both devices. First, the AP's pollster described a mythical Roe v. Wade. Second, the interpretative story -- like countless earlier stories in major news media -- implied that overturning Roe v. Wade would be contrary to having abortion 'legal in at least some cases.'

"These distortions greatly stack the deck. The real Roe v. Wade allows absolutely no limits on reasons for abortion until nearly six months into pregnancy -- which is a policy that is supported by, at most, 20% of the public. Poll after poll shows that 70 to 80% of Americans say they favor limitations on abortion that are not permitted under the real Roe v. Wade. In order to permit these limits to be enacted, Roe v. Wade must be changed by the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the effect would be to allow elected lawmakers to place limits on abortion, including a ban on partial-birth abortion.

"The public deserves from the news media not the continued propagation of discredited myths, but a more candid discussion of the effects of Roe and the legal effects of changing Roe."