Pro-Life Story & Devotional

Thanks to Mrs. Granados for sending this to me:

Late yesterday afternoon, the e-mails began pouring into my inbox from pro-lifers around the country:

"Have you seen this?"

"They're advertising 40 Days for Life for us!"

"This is the best response Planned Parenthood has to 40 Days for Life? Wow. How pathetic."

"They wouldn't do this if 40 Days for Life wasn't working!"

These comments were attached to forwarded copies of the latest mass e-mail sent out by Planned Parenthood to abortion advocates across the nation. What was all the commotion about?

You guessed it: the growing impact of 40 Days for Life!

The message comes directly from Planned Parenthood's national president, Cecile Richards. She starts off:

"From Aurora to America... The battle to open our clinic in Aurora, Illinois, might be over -- thank you for all your support -- but the war against Planned Parenthood and the women we serve continues. The anti-choice people have just begun their '40 Days for Life' campaign, and you can imagine what that means. Right now, there are picketers outside... more than 80 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country, 24 hours a day for 40 days. They're claiming it's 'the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history.'"

Then Richards rolls out Planned Parenthood's response to 40 Days for Life:

• They created a fictional character named "Emily X" (who is supposed to represent a blend of different Planned Parenthood workers and activists) to post stories online of what it's like to work at the abortion operation.
• They set up a blog to post pictures and videos of 40 Days for Life volunteers (in an apparent attempt to harass and intimidate faithful people).
• They falsely characterize the motivations of 40 Days for Life volunteers.
• They ask abortion advocates to participate in the tired, old "pledge-a-protester" fund raising drive.
• They encourage abortion supporters to come volunteer at Planned Parenthood.
• They beg abortion activists to write notes of encouragement to boost the morale of Planned Parenthood workers during 40 Days for Life.
  

Tragically, the "Emily X" character even reveals the shame and guilt that some Planned Parenthood workers feel about their jobs:

"Last night, my mother-in-law called me at home. She told me that she just read an ad in the local paper about the '40 Days for Life' campaign. She said that she wanted to get involved, she wanted 'to get out and do something about Planned Parenthood.' See, she doesn't know that I'm a doctor at a Planned Parenthood health center. It's a part of my life that I don't share with her."

The bottom line: Planned Parenthood is investing quite a bit of energy in response to 40 Days for Life.

Would they do this if the campaign wasn't hurting their business and tarnishing their public image?

Read this report I just received from a 40 Days for Life location, and YOU decide why Planned Parenthood is so worried...

"Despite today's steady downpour, the sidewalk was full of people praying for LIFE today! What a beautiful sight to see sometimes 20-30 people with umbrellas and raincoats, all united in prayer to bring about conversion of our nation and an end to abortion.

For those of us who have spent years at the Sidewalk all alone, having all of you there today was a miracle!

Tuesday and Fridays are normally killing mornings at the downtown Planned Parenthood, but again today like last Tuesday, we never saw the abortionist arrive. The escorts were getting frustrated at the no-show, looking at their watches frequently.

Last Tuesday, he didn't show up either and appointments had to be rescheduled.

God is answering our prayers, so we PRAISE Him even in the storm. As you go to bed tonight, just think of those good people who will be standing in the cold rain tonight in prayer."

God is certainly bigger than Planned Parenthood's $902 million abortion empire, and with tens of thousands of people praying, fasting, and participating in peaceful vigils outside of Planned Parenthood offices, I believe the abortion giant now realizes that its days are numbered.

One more quick thing -- I just flew back home from an exciting pro-life event in Newark, New Jersey, where I met local 40 Days for Life leaders and volunteers and delivered a 28-minute talk specifically about Planned Parenthood in response to this breaking news.

The audio recording of the presentation has just been uploaded on today's blog posting at http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=22. I hope you take a few minutes to listen, so you can understand the growing importance this campaign has for the future of America.

Here's today's devotional...

40 DAYS FOR LIFE: DAY 18, OCTOBER 13

Daily Devotional by: Fr. Frank Pavone

INTENTION: Pray that God will forgive our nation for inflicting pain on its youngest children
SCRIPTURE: "Pilate...had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers...put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him...Then they led him out to crucify him." -- Mark 15:15-20
REFLECTION: Jesus endured pain for us. In reflecting on his pain, we see again the revelation of the love God has for us. Abortion, too, brings pain to our innocent brothers and sisters -- a pain we cannot imagine or understand. We are not afraid to reflect on that pain, because our Lord has taught us to love them, and to suffer with them. Their pain is yet another reminder that they are truly our brothers and sisters in the one human family. Maybe that's why abortionists themselves often don't allow themselves to think about the pain of these children.

Consider the following exchange that took place in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, between Judge Richard Casey and abortionist Timothy Johnson. (Johnson was testifying in the case National Abortion Federation, et. al. v. Ashcroft, which dealt with the ban on partial-birth abortion. The date was March 31, 2004.):

COURT: If you are all finished let me just ask you a couple questions, Dr. Johnson. I heard you talk a lot today about dismemberment D&E procedure, second trimester; does the fetus feel pain?
WITNESS: I guess I --
COURT: There are studies, I'm told, that says they do. Is that correct?
WITNESS: I'm aware of fetal behavioral studies that have looked at fetal responses to noxious stimuli.
COURT: Does it ever cross your mind when you are doing a dismemberment?
WITNESS: I guess whenever I --
COURT: Simple question, Doctor. Does it cross your mind?
WITNESS: Does the fetus having pain cross your mind?
COURT: Yes.
WITNESS: No.
COURT: Never crossed your mind.
WITNESS: No

PRAYER: Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive our nation for inflicting pain on its youngest children.As we reflect on the pain your Son Jesus Christ endured for us, so we reflect on the pain that abortion causes the unborn

Father, let us never forget. Let our awareness of this tragedy make us all the more string and determined to move forward in our prayer and witness for life, until all pain is swallowed up in the victory of the resurrection.

We pray in Jesus's mighty Name, AMEN.