Voices for Life : January 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Ancient Pagan Ritual of Child Sacrifice Still Practiced Today by Planned Parenthood

What's the difference between the ancient pagan ritual of child sacrifice and modern day aborting babies in the womb? There is none.

Terry Noble
Voices for the Unborn

"Almost all of us would cringe at thought of sacrificing a person’s life for the purpose of appeasing the gods. Modern society associates the phrase “human sacrifice” with brutal, demonic, or satanic rituals. However, cultures that are considered by scholars to be highly civilized, affluent, and advanced considered human sacrifice a normal part of life." Excerpt from 10 Ancient Cultures Who Practiced Human Sacrifices

Planned Parenthood has become the foremost advocate for killing unborn babies. These tiny victims are sacrificed on the altar of the gods of self interests, career, convenience and materialism. Also, many women are pressured to abort their unborn baby by their boyfriend, husband, family and friends. Planned Parenthood welcomes pregnant women with offering their 'best' solution to their unwanted or crisis pregnancy....abortion.

"They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord had commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood." Psalm 106:34-38

Moloch: Canaanite Ancient Pagan God
of Child Sacrifice

The 12th-century Rashi, [Rabbi] commenting on Jeremiah 7:31 stated:

"Tophet is Moloch, which was made of brass; and they heated him from his lower parts; and his hands being stretched out, and made hot, they put the child between his hands, and it was burnt; when it vehemently cried out; but the priests beat a drum, that the father might not hear the voice of his son, and his heart might not be moved."

The cries of babies in the womb may never be heard by the abortionist, but their cries reach the heart of their Creator who loves them as they die in excruciating pain.
It's been said man cannot legislate morality. The Roe v. Wade decision 'legislated' immorality. This decision has lead to the killing of over 60 million unborn children and counting.

We are on a slippery slope into a bottomless pit of inhumanity. Down syndrome infants, disabled infants and adults, mentally ill and frail elderly now join unborn babies as targets of godless members of the medical community that vowed to 'first do no harm'. Read Doctor's death sentence by starvation for newborn infant. When man becomes God and determines who should live and who should die, we are all at risk.

"Choice" has replaced God and His laws with moral relativism. For Planned Parenthood and those who support abortion, God's laws are irrelevant. They ignore His precepts at their own peril. Like ancient pagan civilizations who no longer exist, Planned Parenthood and all who perform and support abortion have sealed their own fate.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness..." Isaiah 5:20

Those who support the sanctity of life are on the side of Truth, the Creator of all life, the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who support the abominable practice of abortion are on Satan's side, the father of lies who comes to "steal, kill and destroy." Without accepting Christ as their Savior and sincere repentance for their sins, there is no hope of redemption for their souls.

Through prayer, fasting, public witness and perseverance we will prevail against the forces of darkness. Pray for moms to choose life for their babies, pray for abortionists and staff to leave the abortion industry and pray for an end to abortion in our land.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God..." 2 Cor 10-4

Virginia Governor Justifies Infanticide

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on remarks made today by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam:

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, following the lead of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, is not content to promote the killing of children in the womb through term. He wants, as Cuomo has already sanctioned, the killing of children who survive an abortion.

When asked about a bill by Democrat Kathy Tran that would allow women going into labor to abort their child, Northam said he was just fine with that.

"If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."

It is so thoughtful of Gov. Northam to assure us that the baby would be "kept comfortable" before they put him down or let him die.

Here's an early 19th century analogy.

"The slave would be resuscitated if that's what the master and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between lawmakers and the owner."

The Democratic Party is fast becoming the party of death. Every Democrat running for president, including those who may run, should be asked whether they agree with Northam. This is a defining moment. They should also be asked who else they think does not merit the most basic of human rights.

The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

Motivated by the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, the Catholic League works to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened. For more information, please use this link.

Pennsylvania Action Alert! Help Us Stop Taxpayer Funding of Abortion!

by Maria Gallagher, Legislator Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

With abortions at record low levels in Pennsylvania, it is clear that demand for abortion is declining. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that abortion facilities want to find a way to increase their clientele.

As a result, fifteen of the seventeen abortion centers in Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit, seeking to end Pennsylvania’s long-standing ban on Medicaid abortions. They want to overturn a 1985 state Supreme Court ruling which affirmed the Medicaid abortion ban as Constitutional.

Decades after that Supreme Court ruling, nothing has changed–except the desperation of abortion businesses to prop up their sagging industry.

Continue reading post here

Please sign our new petition demanding that elected officials prevent taxpayer funding of abortion.

You can sign the petition by clicking here.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide. As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children. For more information on the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, please use this link.

What Will Happen to Brigham’s New Jersey Abortion Clinics Now that His Medical Director’s License Is Revoked?

By Cheryl Sullenger
Operation Rescue

Trenton, NJ – The fate of seven New Jersey abortion facilities affiliated with the disgraced abortionist Steven Chase Brigham hang in the balance without a licensed physician to claim ownership of the troubled abortion chain as required by state law.

An initial decision dated January 25, 2019, from an Administrative Law Judge Thomas R. Betancourt has ordered the long-awaited revocation of 82-year old Vikram Kaji’s medical license based on his history of heart disease, stroke depression, and cognitive impairment due to a diagnosis of dementia. He also has some loss of dexterity in his dominate right hand.

During Kaji’s administrative hearing held on September 26-27, 2018, Judge Betancourt noted that at times Kaji seemed confused and could not list the seven abortion clinics that he worked at, much less the nine total clinics he is said to oversee. The judge also noted that during one day of the hearing, Kaji arrived late and seemed confused about where he should sit, then fell asleep during testimony from one of the witnesses.

Continue reading to find out why this latest decision should close seven abortion clinics in New Jersey.

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Operation Rescue is now headquartered in a former abortion clinic that it bought and closed in 2006. From there, Operation Rescue launches its innovative new strategies across the nation, exposing and closing abortion clinics through peaceful, legal means. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to stop abortion and ultimately restore legal personhood to the pre-born in obedience to biblical mandates. For more information or to make a d onation to help them with their work, please use this link.

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link. Follow us on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and on MeWe. Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna: Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available. Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Bishop Shanahan High School Receives National Honor from Students for Life of America

The following is an article from CatholicPhilly.com regarding Bishop Shanahan High School receiving a national honor from Students for Life of America during their east Coast Conference:

Many good things happened in Washington, D.C., surrounding the Jan. 18 March for Life, although mainstream media focused on an incident where a group of kids from Covington, Kentucky were thrown under the bus.

A local positive example happened the next day when the students from Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown accepted the National High School of the Year award from Students for Life of America (SFLA). That’s quite an honor considering SFLA has more than 1,200 high school and college chapters nationwide.

Along with the award the Shanahan SFLA group received $1,000 to assist it in its mission.

“This is an amazing group and they are working really hard to impact the culture of their school,” said Liana Hollendonner, the Mid-Atlantic regional coordinator for SFLA. “They are positive and articulate.”

Probably no one knows that better than Joe Aquilante, a theology teacher at Shanahan for 21 years and moderator of the school’s pro-life group for the past 18 years. At this time there are about 160 students in the SFLA Chapter.

“My job is to take the gifts of the kids and help them to develop them,” he said. “The leadership of this year has been fostered by past leaders. Students for Life has energized youth in a way nothing else has. The younger generation is getting involved, fighting for life.”

Mary Taylor, a senior and president of SFLA at Shanahan, is only in her second year at the school.

“I’ve always been pro-life,” she said, adding at her previous public high school she was in the minority but that is not the case at Shanahan. “I was raised Catholic and know killing anyone is wrong,” she said.

Over the years she has heard about girls getting an abortion but never really personally knew one who did.

Mary personally believes it is her generation that will end abortion or at least overturn Roe v. Wade as national law and return it to the states, and the more permissive laws passed in New York and proposed elsewhere are a sign others believe this too.

The strength of the pro-life movement at Shanahan was really exhibited during the March for Life.

“We had three buses that went,” Mary said. “We probably could have had a fourth. I was really surprised by the number of people who wanted to go.”

During their time in Washington, “we didn’t have any problems at all,” she said. “I feel awful about what happened to the kids (from Covington) and it was really unfair. I saw the one boy on television, and he was so respectful.”

Michael Prieto, also a senior, is vice president of SFLA at Shanahan and has been a member since his freshman year.

“I’ve always felt a call to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” he said. “The Pro-Life Club is a great way to do this. The pro-life movement is definitely huge in our school. I think most of the kids understand what we are trying to do.”

Even outside of the school Michael has not experienced much opposition, other than counter protesters at times when members give witness outside abortion clinics.

“But I was very surprised when we were chosen as National High School of the Year,” Michael said. “It shows people are recognizing what we are doing here.”

At this time all of the archdiocesan high schools have SFLA groups. Others that sent delegates to the meeting in Maryland include John W. Hallahan, West Catholic Prep, St. Hubert and Cardinal O’Hara.

A Timely Reflection on this Past Sunday's Reading: We Are All Equal

by Mickey Kelly

Many Catholics heard a powerful reading from St. Paul to the Church of Corinth, just days following his conversion. It was heard on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and days following the Roe v Wade anniversary; plus days before the anniversary of the passing of the 13th amendment that freed African Americans from slavery.

Here's the reading in its entirety:

Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many.
If a foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, "
it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
Or if an ear should say,
"Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body, "

it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?
If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
But as it is, God placed the parts,
each one of them, in the body as he intended.
If they were all one part, where would the body be?
But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I do not need you, "
nor again the head to the feet, "I do not need you."
Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are all the more necessary,
and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable
we surround with greater honor,
and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety,
whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.
But God has so constructed the body
as to give greater honor to a part that is without it,
so that there may be no division in the body,
but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it;
if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.

Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the church
to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

After listening to some commentaries and homilies centered around the reading, I'm just blown away at how God has a sense of humor and his timing. Here's why:

January is another month in the calendar year that is set aside for pro-life. As a history buff, I am appalled at how history tends to repeat itself. The readings discussed how we are one body and that no one is superior than the other. Sadly, it has resulted in genocide, especially in the last century. Take for example that January 27th marks the anniversary of when Auschwitz was liberated. A priest shared how he visited the death camp and he noticed across the way homes. At first, he thought they were recently built. However, the guide told him that the homes existed around the time the killings took place. Despite the concerns of the smoke coming out of the camp, the SS told the residents to pretend like nothing was happening.

January 22nd marked the anniversary when 7 men on the Supreme Court of the United States decided abortion is legal across the country. (Who said men cannot have an opinion?) Since the decision handed down by the highest court, 61 million babies have been sacrificed in the name of so called Women's Rights, Comfort, and Inconvenience. A majority of the abortions have been done on African Americans, yet they are pawns to a political party that has a long history of immorality, enslavement, slavery, theft, and even racism. No child is an inconvenience. The child in the mother's womb is just as wonderfully made as the homeless person, disabled veteran, the mentally challenged person, the senior citizen who fought in WW2, and even the immigrant or refugee.

January 31st marks the anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment. The amendment, passed by a 2/3 majority in congress (mostly Republicans), clearly states that: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Unfortunately, African Americans are enslaved by the abortion lobby and an unborn black baby is more likely to be killed by abortion than gun violence, AIDS, and a member of the KKK.

What To Do?

We must take action. The best way is to acknowledge the fact that we are all human. Days following the March for Life, there was a video that surfaced about the young boys being taunted by Nathan Phillips, a so called "Vietnam Veteran." There were counter demonstrations that took place before, during, and after the March for Life. Phillips led an indigenous march for his fellow Native Americans. Originally, the videos on CNN and other outlets from the lame-stream media made everyone jump to conclusions and blame the students. However, when more videos surfaced to destroy the fake news narrative, there was not a single bystander that stepped in and acknowledged the fact that "we are all human." Meanwhile, those additional videos proved their innocence and apologies have poured in. It is sad to see how alarming that we must be reminded that we are all human. No matter what race, creed, or ethnicity, we are all wonderfully made by God. We have forgotten that each of us are created by God and have a purpose in this mortal life. Yes, we have people who sin against him, but we are called to love the person who sins and judge their actions. The first way to show love to the sinner is to pray. I believe the power of prayer unleashes love.

As a regular participant in the pro-life prayer vigils, I have seen how desolate and cold it can be. The escorts thinking they are doing what is right, yet in God's eye, they are doing wrong. They ignore you when you try to remind them of how they are a part of the problem with the abortion. We must continue to plant the seeds for their conversion with prayer and love. It is a challenge to get them thinking, but we must be more vocal about it.

I believe we need to be more vocal about what is happening in our society. We cannot stand and watch as human life is being attacked from womb to tomb. We may be told to "shut the bleep up", "Who cares", among other things, but we need to make enough noise to get people thinking. Without having a conversation about abortion, how are people going to think? We must be like the summer soldiers and sunshine patriots coming together to persevere in the fight to restore humanity. Marines have a motto that goes back to WW1 that goes, "Retreat Hell". We cannot give away an inch, but we must stand like a tree and hold onto our moral ground. If Marines can defend the Argonne Forest, then we have a reason to defend all life from womb to tomb.

I also want to mention that Martin Luther King Jr.'s 90th birthday. King had a dream that all of God's children will be holding hands together. I believe that time is now. We all must stand together against adversity and proclaim the Gospel of Life to all people.

Pennsylvania Action Alert: Lawmakers Want to Take Away our Right to Vote for Judges

Maria Gallagher, Legislator Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

Unfortunately, Pennsylvania lawmakers have resurrected a dangerous plan that would take away our right to vote for judges for appellate courts. The proposed bill would mean that a pro-abortion Governor would be given the power to appoint judges.

Please call and email your state representative with this urgent message: “I don’t want my right to vote for judges to be taken away. Please oppose so-called merit selection of judges legislation.”

If you don’t know who your state representative is, or you need contact information, please click here.

Please note: The bill does not have a bill number yet, but a co-sponsorship memo for the bill is being circulated by Rep. Paul Schemel.

Thank you so much for your help!

Students for Life to Host Leadership Workshop on Feb 16 at Villanova University

Liana Hollendonner, Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator
Students for Life

Save the Date! We are only a few weeks away from the Students for Life of America 2019 Philadelphia Leadership Workshop! All Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey high school and college students are welcome to join in a day of inspiring pro-life presentations, workshops to develop students’ activism skills, and networking with other pro-life students. Check out the details and click here to register today!

When: Saturday, February 16, 2019 from 10:00 A.M. – 5:30 P.M.

Where: The workshop will be held at Villanova Room, Connelly Center at Villanova University, 800 East Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania. (map)

Cost: $15/Student (Includes meals)

*Scholarships available upon request. Email lhollendonner@studentsforlife.org

Speakers:

Dr. Monique Ruberu- Pro-Life OBGYN and author
Liana Hollendonner – Students for Life of America
Stephanie Schmitt – Students for Life of America
Brooke McDowell, AlphaCare of Philadelphia
Sarah Portis, AlphaCare of Philadelphia

Spread the word and register today at:

For questions, contact Liana Hollendonner: LHollendonner@studentsforlife.org

I'm looking forward to seeing you at the Philadelphia Leadership Workshop!

Students for Life of America exists to recruit, train, and mobilize the Pro-Life Generation to abolish abortion. For more information, please use this link.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Roe v. Wade: Through a Daughter’s Eyes

Through my daughter’s eyes, I view Roe as a monumentally unjust historic event which has decimated her generation.

Maria V. Gallagher and Daughter

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
PA Pro-Life Federation
National Right to Life

Editor’s note. This appears in the current digital edition of National Right to Life News. Please share this story and the entire contents of the 48-page issue with your pro-life family and friends.We all look at life from different perspectives. This is also true when we consider Roe v. Wade, the abominable Supreme Court ruling which has led to the deaths of more than 60 million preborn babies.

I look at Roe from the viewpoint of a daughter and as a mother of a daughter. At the time that my mother became pregnant with me, she and my father were facing financial ruin. My father had lost his job and, during the course of her pregnancy, my mother would be fired for the “offense” of being pregnant. The pressures my parents faced must have been tremendous.

If Roe had been the law of the land at that time, could I have been a statistic? Could my mother, in desperation, have turned to an abortionist during the depths of her heartache?

Thankfully, back in those days, the law protected me.

As it turned out, I was too young to be aware of the High Court’s cataclysmic decision back in 1973. And yet, perhaps, I saw the effects.

In my elementary school, it seemed the classes were smaller for the children younger than I. When I went to a store in a mall to make a purchase, I felt that I was not being given the respect I deserved, even though I was very young.

The fact is, the reverberations of Roe, like a pebble in a pond, could be felt well beyond the initial point of impact. I felt it at school and in my neighborhood—even if I could not trace its cause.

By the time I reached high school, I faced an abortion-saturated society. Rumors flew through the corridors of our school of students who had had one. Growing up during those times meant realizing that a terrible atrocity had been legalized and was taking place, perhaps thousands of times a year, in my hometown.

Thankfully, by the time I was blessed with my beautiful daughter, I had been volunteering in the pro-life movement for quite some time. So I knew the importance of raising her with a pro-life perspective.

When she was about six years old, she looked with wonder at a display of soft-touch fetal models at a pro-life educational display at a church festival. She lovingly held the realistic depictions of preborn babies at various stages of development. As we left the display, she insisted on running back a second time so she could catch another glimpse.

Continue reading story here

Catholic Bishop: “I Would Excommunicate Any Catholic Legislator” Who Voted for Abortions Up to Birth

By Micaiah Bilger
Life News

A Tennessee Catholic bishop said he would excommunicate any Catholic politician who advocated for abortion on demand as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did last week.

Knoxville Bishop Rick Stika said Cuomo’s pro-abortion lobbying is “so hideous and vile” that excommunication is warranted, the AP reports.

Last week, the New York governor, who claims to be Catholic, signed a radical pro-abortion law to legalize the killing of unborn babies for basically any reason up to birth.

It allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to 24 weeks and up to birth for “health” reasons, a broad category that includes basically anything. It redefines a “person” as “a human being who has been born and is alive,” and describes abortion as a “fundamental right.” The law also removes state protections for infants born alive in botched abortions.

In celebration, Cuomo ordered that state landmarks be lit pink to celebrate abortion on demand.

“Excommunication is to be not a punishment but to bring the person back into the Church. It’s like medicine for them,” Stika continued. “But this vote is so hideous and vile that it warrants the act.”

Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, Texas also condemned pro-abortion lawmakers for celebrating the pro-abortion law, calling it a “scene from Hell,”CNS News reports.

“Woe to those who ignore the sanctity of life, they reap the whirlwind of Hell,” Strickland wrote on Twitter. “Stand against this holocaust in every way you can.”

Bishop Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles also described the pro-abortion celebration scene as “the chattering of demons.”

However, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan is reluctant to act. He said he has been receiving “wheelbarrow” loads of letters every day calling for Cuomo’s excommunication. However, he argued that the action would be “counterproductive” because Cuomo would not care – the governor “brags” about his pro-abortion record.

Dolan told Fox and Friends: “We have a governor that brags about it. We have a governor that uses his dissent from Church teaching as applause lines. We have a governor that takes quotes from Pope Francis out of context to draw an artificial cleavage between the bishops in New York and the Holy Father himself. He’s not going to be moved by this. So what would be the use?”

Polls indicate the new law is radically out of touch with most Americans’ views on abortion.

New York lawmakers also are considering a bill to legalize assisted suicide this winter.

Website: Life News

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link. Follow us on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and on MeWe. Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

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