Congratulations and thank you

Bristol Palin, daughter of Governor Sarah Palin, gave birth to a baby boy, Tripp yesterday. Congratulations to Bristol and Levi, and to the Governor for becoming a grandma.

And heartfelt thanks to the Palin family for leading by example in promoting a culture of life. May their home continue to be filled with love.

Good choice

Here's an uplifting story from earlier this month (MCCL news release):

On Monday, Dec. 8, a newborn baby boy was dropped off at a Fergus Falls hospital in Ottertail Co. As part of Minnesota’s Safe Haven program, newborn babies can be dropped off at any hospital in the state without any questions being asked.

In response to the drop-off, more than 50 families have come forward offering to adopt the newborn and provide the baby a permanent home and family.

"This is exactly the way the drop-off law is supposed to work," stated Scott Fischbach, Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL). "We applaud this mother for her courage in making this life-giving decision for her child...."

Absolutely, that was a courageous decision. I can only imagine the emotions this mother experienced in giving up her baby. In the end, though, not only has she given her baby a chance at a good life, but she has also spared herself a lifetime of heartache and guilt from having terminated his life.

I hope that this woman and child (as well as all of you and your families) are enjoying a wonderful Christmas today.

Welcome!

I guess this can be considered the official launch of "A Voice for the Unborn." It seemed appropriate to start up on Christmas, the anniversary of the most celebrated birth in history.

Below, I've put together a FAQ page to describe in a bit more detail what this site is (will be) all about, but the name describes the mission succinctly. I will be speaking out about right to life issues as they arise locally and nationally with the aim of incrementally changing hearts and minds to understand the horror that is abortion.

Certainly a priority in the weeks and months to come will be exploring and exposing the Freedom of Choice Act, the legislation that President-elect Obama promised would be #1 on his list to get passed after his inauguration, so please stay tuned for that.

Until then, thanks for stopping by, and please come back again and contribute to the debate!

FAQ

Why did you start this journal?

It's simple, really. I am saddened -- and in many cases sickened -– by the way a large fraction of our society views its unborn children as disposable. For example:

"I've got two daughters. 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." – US President-elect Barack Obama

Babies are a blessing, not a punishment. If you don't believe me, then ask any of the two million couples who wish to adopt a child because they cannot have one of their own.

Personally, I am a conservative socially and fiscally, and I believe in limited government. However, I also believe that one necessary function of government is to help those who cannot help themselves, and the unborn is the most vulnerable among them.

Note that the name of this journal is "A Voice for the Unborn," not "The Voice..." I make no claim that my voice is any more important or authoritative than anyone else's, but I do believe every little bit helps.

I believe in my heart that one day, people will look back on our society today with the same disgust that we now have in looking back at, for example, times of slavery. Today's culture of death is at least as immoral and has resulted in a greater number of lives lost. The goal of this journal is to make a dent, even if a small one, toward changing hearts and minds to understand this.


What about the young woman who gets pregnant under terrible circumstances? Don't you care about her?

Absolutely. I am the father of two young daughters, and I pray that the day does not come when either of them is faced with the situation, but I also know that bad things can happen to good people.

I realize that a number of unwanted pregnancies occur as a result not only of youthful indiscretions, but also rape, incest, and other horrors. When considering the woman in such a circumstance, though, it is important to understand the big picture.

At the time, it is understandable for her to think of the baby as an inconvenience or a mistake, and it may not seem fair for her to have to put her body through a very difficult nine months for the sake of a baby that she knows she cannot or will not care for.

The physical and emotional trauma a woman experiences from carrying a pregnancy to term only to give the baby for adoption is minor, however, compared to the toll of the guilt carried for the rest of her life from the knowledge that she has ended a life via abortion.

This is expressed well by Michaelene Fredenburg, the brave young woman who started the website, Abortion Changes You:

"I was completely unprepared for the emotional fallout. I thought the abortion would erase the pregnancy. I thought I could move on with my life. I was wrong.

I experienced periods of intense anger followed by periods of profound sadness.... In addition to grieving the loss of my child, I slowly became aware of how my choice to abort had impacted my family. I was surprised and saddened that my parents, my sister, and even my living children struggled to deal with the loss of a family member through abortion."

What about anti-abortion legislation that doesn't contain exemptions for the life and health of the mother? Isn't that irresponsible?

I believe that the one and only case is which abortion is morally correct is when a pre-viability pregnancy has developed medical complications to the point where the mother's life is at risk. Of course, if the baby is viable (potentially as early as 22 weeks), it should be delivered, not aborted.

Before that time, though, if the mother's life is truly in danger, there are only two outcomes:

Abort the pregnancy, and one life is lost, or

Don't abort the pregnancy, and two lives are lost.

Obviously, it is preferable to lose one life than to lose two.

That said, we must beware legislation that contains language allowing abortion to protect the life or health of the mother. It's the "or health" phrase that can be interpreted so loosely as to provide for abortion at will. "Health" can mean depression, anxiety, or even general discomfort that occurs with every pregnancy. Any legislation written to sneak in this language must be rejected, because it creates too big of a loophole for abortion providers.

So are you some bible-thumping nut, or what?

Not at all. I am a Christian, but the Pro-Life issue for me isn't about promoting a religious agenda –- it's simply about right and wrong. In fact, I will try my best to omit arguments of religious faith from my posts here, and instead keep the discussion rooted in documented facts and scientific data.

One exception to this rule will be the frequent occasions when politicians, for example, on the one hand claim to be good practicing Catholics and claim to believe life begins at conception, but on the other hand still promote the right to choose to end that life. I believe that hypocrisy is worthy of exposure.


Why are you writing under a pseusonym?

In the past, I've written blogs under my own name. I have nothing to hide –- in fact, if you send me an email (see profile), I'd be happy to let you know who I am and tell you more about myself.

Because the focus of this journal is such a polarizing and emotional topic, though, I thought it would be better to keep a low public profile. With my other blogs, I'd occasionally have coworkers come up to me and say, "Hey, I found your blog -– that's cool." I worry that if certain professional contacts stumbled upon this one, though, the reaction wouldn't be as benign, and I don't want to unnecessarily risk alienating anyone professionally because of my personal beliefs and opinions.