With the disruption of the past few weeks, it can be easy to forget what day it is, so let us do you a favor by reminding you that tomorrow is April Fools’ Day, that delightful day dedicated to pranks and jokes. Unfortunately, it is no joke that tomorrow the Saint Paul City Council is introducing a counseling ban that would prohibit licensed therapists from helping their clients explore all options to address questions over sexual orientation.Due to the remote nature of this meeting, the public is able to listen, but not to commentand voice their concerns over the proposal.
In a very short time,the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S.has upendedeveryone’s daily lives. In addition to the spread of the virus itself and over 1,000 deaths in the United States so far, many are out of work and facing economic uncertainty. Graduations, recitals, sporting events, church services, weddings, and even funerals have been postponed, rescheduled, or moved to live-stream. We should grieve the human cost of this pandemic, as well asthe losses and disappointments that have come about as collateral damage. But in the midst of grief, let’s also look for the gospel opportunities that have come about during this time.
God is doing more in any one moment than any of us could possibly imagine.As our nation respondsto COVID-19, let us remember who is in control and continue to put our trust in him. God has shown his faithfulness to his people since the very beginning. We know we can trust him to bring us through this.
Pandemics and economic uncertainty shatter our delusionsof self-sufficiency by reminding us that we are not in control. As believers, this causes us to turn to God in faith, trusting in him as our provider and protector, but in an increasingly secular society, many of our neighbors do not know this hope, so now more than ever we should be reaching out and proclaiming the gospel. Times of crisis create gospel opportunities asthe body of Christ mobilizes to minister to the material and spiritual needs of the people around us. We should make the most of this time, offering God’s eternal truth to a world in crisis.
Times of crisis often bring what we really believe to the surface. Our actions in the midst of an emergency tend to reveal where our priorities lie and what is most valuable to us, and it is in these moments that treasuring human life proves essential because it is those who are most vulnerable who are at risk. To be pro-life is to care for all of life, from conception until natural death. It is to see that the worth of every individual is rooted in the fact that they are stamped with the image of our Creator, and created and loved by him. Because every life is valuable, every individual ought to be treated with care and dignity, regardless of their age or ability. When we value life, we are willing to inconvenience ourselves for the sake of the people around us.
In the past week, we’ve seen communities mobilize to protect those who are at high risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19. Grocery stores are setting aside designated times for elderly and at-risk shoppers, while churches and communities are mobilizing to meet needs that have arisen in the past week.
Tragically, our society isn’t always consistent in its care for the most vulnerable. Shortly after Oregon began to see confirmed cases of COVID-19, they moved to inform the publicof how to protect older adults during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ironically, Oregon has also led the charge in pushing increasingly lax Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) legislation. Assisted suicidehas been legal in Oregon since 1997, and the state has recently been chipping away at the few protections that were in place. Oregon isn’t alone in this, as an increasing number of states have legalized assisted suicide in recent years.
Nearly a year after her daughter went missing, the mother of a 15-year-old was notified by a friend that pornographic photographs and videos of her missing daughter had begun to appear online. Her daughter was alive and being trafficked and abused by a man twice her age. The discovery led to the child’s rescue, but not before her abuser impregnated her and forced her to have an abortion and had uploaded 58 separate videos of her being raped and abused onto Pornhub to be consumed for other people’s sexual enjoyment.
When the news of her exploitation and rescue first broke, Pornhub tweeted that the victim had been a verified user, before quickly deleting the tweet when they realized that they had admitted to being complicit in her abuse. Their attempt to save face does nothing to change the fact that this is not an isolated incident.Other abuse survivors have come forward to point out Pornhub’srole in perpetuating their suffering,and a recentlawsuit exposed and shut down a popular channel featured on Pornhub that was illegally produced by means of coercion and deception. Even after the settlement, Pornhub has continued to circulate the videos.
“You’re not really pro-life, you’re just pro-birth! You don’t care about women, you just want to control their bodies!” Chances are if you’ve spoken with someone who supports abortion you’ve heard some iteration of the above. Is it true that the pro-life movement only cares about life inside the womb? There are plenty of ways that pro-life individuals actively care for life inside and outside of the womb, but for a moment, let’s focus on one particular way that the pro-life movement cares for women and their children both during and after pregnancy: pregnancy resource centers. Pregnancy resource centers, or PRCs, offer compassionate care to women in need of resources and support. In many ways, they are the hands and feet of the pro-life movement, caring for women during and after pregnancy, and offering counseling and supportto post-abortive women. And yet, despite the good that pregnancy resource centers do in their communities, abortion activists increasingly target them, harassing them and falsely labeling them as “fake clinics.” So let’s take a look at the truth about pregnancy resource centers.
Pregnancy resource centers are non-profits that provide resources to women who are experiencing unplanned pregnancies. In the three largest networks there are over 2,300 centers serving over 1.9 million women every year. As well as equipping women with the truth about abortion, these pro-life centers also offer adoption resources, parenting classes, and supplies such as diapers, formula, and clothing. Additionally, some, but not all, offer medical services. Those that do not offer them do not pretend that they do. Pro-life pregnancy resource centers also state on their websites, as well as in their interactions with clients, that they do not perform or refer for abortions.
The abortion industry consistently fails vulnerable women, disregarding their needs and even their safety as they put their bottom line above human life and dignity. As The Public Discourse has pointed out, while pregnancy resource centers will invest significant time and resources into serving abortion-minded women, abortion activists do not offer the same kind of support to women who do not want to abort. When a woman walks through the doors of an abortion facility, the staff typically have a financial interest in persuading her to abort her child, and often offer very little support if she does not. A PRC, on the other hand, will pour resources into women who need help, including post-abortive women who have been harmed by the abortion industry.
On March 4th, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, June Medical Services v. Russo, a case that could affect abortion laws across the country. Renee Carlson, General Counsel of True North Legal (TNL), a legal initiative in partnership with the MFC, was present in the courtroom for oral arguments. TNL also filed an amicus brief to weigh in on this case. “At True North Legal, we’re working to make sure that every woman and child in the state of Minnesota is safe from abortion, and that our legislature and courts in Minnesota follow the dictates of the highest court.” said Carlson in a video taken in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
This case is so significant that the general public was camping out on the sidewalk outside of the Supreme Court for days prior, in hopes of getting a seat inside of the Court room. The June Medical Services case presents a constitutional challenge to a law that was passed in Louisiana, which simply requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges to hospitals within thirty miles of a facility where an abortion takes place. This law was passed to ensure the safety of women and children who are often victims of unsafe abortion practices. Many brave women shared their stories on the steps in front of the United States Supreme Court – stories of medical abandonment by abortion providers following medical complications. Abortion always kills a child, and often hurts a woman. That’s why laws like the one passed in Louisiana are critical for protecting women and children. Although we’re a long way from Louisiana, we believe strongly that this case could have significant legal implications in the fight to end abortion.
