We live in a world where we're told so frequently that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and their own lifestyle. We're told "to each his own" and anyone who thinks differently is labeled as close-minded and hateful. Is this okay? Is this the way God designed the world?
No, it isn't. God clearly expressed His standard that He expects us to live up to...and by "us" I mean Christians. We are supposed to be a standard that can lead the world to Christ. For more on that standard, read here.
So now, what about the rest of the world? They're supposed to follow the rules, too, right? We need to tell them when they're sinning, right? Wrong.
The Bible is very clear about the fact that we need to hold each other accountable in Matthew 18. However, notice that last line...how are you supposed to treat a pagan? Well, for one, you are supposed to love them. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and replace the word "love" with your name. If each phrase is true, then you're doing a good job of loving others. Notice, it never says to condemn. We are told in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 to mind our own business.
If your unsaved neighbor sells drugs and dressed immodestly, your job is to love them and set a good, godly standard, and leave it at that. If your unsaved cousin is gay, you love them and set a good, godly standard, and leave it at that.
I feel I
should add that if you pick and choose which parts of the Bible you
want to follow, you need to seriously consider your salvation. When
someone has truly accepted Christ and been filled with the Holy Spirit,
they will be convicted of their wrongs and will begin to change. One who
outwardly claims to follow Christ, but inwardly continues to blatantly
choose sin is one who we should avoid. These people are liars and will
try to warp our perceptions of Truth.
In conclusion...yes, right and wrong definitely exist. Matthew 7: 13-14 says “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." So, we can draw from that that there are far more ways to be wrong, than ways to be right. God does not says "to each his own." Psalm 18:30 says that His way is perfect, so it's our job as Christians to study His word and follow His way.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Monday, March 9, 2015
Memory Verse for March 2015
Well, ladies and gents, I am back in the game...I think. I have felt the urge to blog again. My family has needed my time and attention very much in the last 3 1/2 months. My husband and I welcomed our third child to our crazy family, and he's been in the hospital since birth. And not just our local hospital. His condition is so severe, I was flown to UCSF while I was in labor, so that he could receive the care he needed. So, we've been here in San Francisco ever since and have stood by and watched doctors make decisions for our son. It's rough, but it's been an amazing experience and we have been very blessed by it. This experience has inspired the memory verse for this month. Proverbs 3:5 reads...
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
Isn't that beautiful? We can trust Him! In fact we need to trust Him! This world is terrifying and confusing without God. Bad things happen that make no sense to us in our limited understanding, so we need to trust Him to do that's best. We've been doing just that during these last few months, and it has made all the difference in the world!
Remember to follow on Facebook for reminders and word pictures for this month's verse!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
Isn't that beautiful? We can trust Him! In fact we need to trust Him! This world is terrifying and confusing without God. Bad things happen that make no sense to us in our limited understanding, so we need to trust Him to do that's best. We've been doing just that during these last few months, and it has made all the difference in the world!
Remember to follow on Facebook for reminders and word pictures for this month's verse!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Memory Verse for November!
I don't think everyone is going to be happy about the choice of verse for this month, but I am positive it has been placed in my way for a reason. I was once told that if you find a verse repeating itself in your life, God is trying to get your attention. Well, multiple people have quoted this on their own over the past few weeks and the Holy Spirit has definitely convicted me in this area, so I've made it the memory verse for November!
Ready? Philippians 2:14...
"Do everything without complaining or arguing."
I wince when I read that. I like to complain and I love to argue. I'm going to start applying this to my life, one day at a time, with the help of our Lord. I'll start with the first part, and then add in the second.
What wonderful advice! How can we be a light in the world if we're always complaining about what's wrong with it? Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what is wrong rather than on what is right and good? Satan wants to keep us down! Don't let him! I refuse to give him a foothold, so I refuse to complain or argue anymore!
So, you don't have to implement it like myself, but record it to your memory this month! I will post more word pictures to Facebook for you all to refresh you each week!
Ready? Philippians 2:14...
"Do everything without complaining or arguing."
I wince when I read that. I like to complain and I love to argue. I'm going to start applying this to my life, one day at a time, with the help of our Lord. I'll start with the first part, and then add in the second.
What wonderful advice! How can we be a light in the world if we're always complaining about what's wrong with it? Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what is wrong rather than on what is right and good? Satan wants to keep us down! Don't let him! I refuse to give him a foothold, so I refuse to complain or argue anymore!
So, you don't have to implement it like myself, but record it to your memory this month! I will post more word pictures to Facebook for you all to refresh you each week!
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Anxiety
Everyone has some amount of anxiety. Everyone. Whether it's just the occasional butterflies in your tummy, or if you have full blown panic attacks regularly, or anything in between, we all know what it feels like to be anxious. I'm no exception...I know a thing or two about anxiety...hooooo boy!
Aside from some of the traumas I mentioned in my testimony, I struggled with anxiety in my day to day life. I was medicated for quite some time and was one of those individuals that needed Xanax in my purse for those panic attacks that struck whilst driving, at the grocery store, in the middle of church, etc.
Anxiety is scary. It is all-consuming. It is debilitating for some. Some people live in fear of leaving their homes lest they a panic attack sneak up on them in public. They are unpredictable and seemingly without cause.
For me, personally, a panic attack usually started with a tightening in my chest. My heart rate would accelerate and my breathing would soon follow. My mind would begin to race and if I didn't recognize this as the onset of an attack, I would spiral out of control. Without a pill and some positive self-talk, I'd begin struggling to breathe and crying uncontrollably and become so completely terrified that I became totally incapable of any kind of functioning. Forget being a mother when one of these suckers hit! If I did manage to talk myself down, the best I got was a mild state of panic, or as many like to refer to it, a fight-or-flight state. In this case, I was on edge, often seeming angry, until the panic wore off on it's own.
I tell you what, people, that is no way to live.
So, what changed? My perspective did. It was not easy by any means, the process or the decision to embark on the journey. You see, it's more comfortable to say "I have no control over this" than to take responsibility because if you don't have control, then it's not your fault. I thought for a long time that a shrink and a pill were going to be a part of my life forever...something happened to me as an infant and it scarred me with life-long anxiety and there was nothing I could do about it.
God spoke to me through Miss Priscilla Shirer one Monday night at Bible study. She was speaking about the strongholds in our minds that hold us back and how the only way to destroy these mental, emotional, and spiritual strongholds was with spiritual weapons. This wisdom comes from 2 Corinthians 4:10.
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds"
That got me thinking...instead of repeating "I am a good mom. I am a good person. I am safe. There is no reason to be afraid. God loves me, etc" when panic struck, maybe I should be repeating Scripture. Maybe, each morning, instead of writing down something positive I think about myself, I should write down something positive about God, or something positive that God says about me.
Sounds great in theory, but oh my word was it difficult!
You see...Satan does not like when we fight back. He wants us weakened by our own insecurities and our insecurities are a result of our pride. Yes, you read that right. It is prideful to think that we know better than God. That is exactly what we do when we say "I'm not good enough" and He says we are a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). We are prideful when we say "I can't do this" and He has said that we are conquerors (Romans 8:37). We are prideful when we say "I am alone" when He will do it for us (Galatians 2:20).
Satan wants us to be prideful. He wants us to allow these thoughts. Then, when his demons come after us, we are weak, we feel defenseless, and we fall. Yes, I said anxiety is a demonic attack. That sounds like I'm some crazy Pentecostal, I know, but you know how you can tell? An ailment is a demonic attack if it attacks the spiritual life of the sick. A cold is probably not an attack, but depression is. A broken foot is likely not some spiritual destruction, but anxiety is. Etc...etc...etc.
Call me crazy if you'd like, but as soon as I wrapped my head around this, I began to get better. The Bible is full of references to battling demons, so look there first. See how many times we are told of warfare against demons (you can start with James 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Mark 16:17, 1 Peter 5:8, and Ephesians 6:12).
So...how do we use this to fight off anxiety? You learn His word. You study and memorize and repeat His promises in moments of darkness. Scripture is your divine weapon mentioned in 2 Corinthians.You remind yourself that you can do all things through He who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). You pray unceasingly (Philippians 4:6-7). You recognize that He is always with you (Psalm 23:4). Finally, you need to not be afraid of looking or sounding foolish and you tell Satan to go away! You tell him that you are a child of God and you rebuke him in Jesus' name, and then you be still, and let God do His thing (Psalm 46:10).
Just yesterday, I was driving home and I was trying my best to hear the song on the radio rather than the thoughts in my head and my chest began to tighten. You see, my family is in the middle of a move that isn't going very smoothly. I am 31 weeks pregnant. My husband is working 14 hours a day. My kids are a handful, because they can sense all of my stress. I have baby shower today where I'll be the center of attention (something I have anxiety about). And I am dealing with a dozen different doctors right now and travel arrangements for our unborn son who will need heart surgery just after birth. I am an absolute stress-case! It's no wonder my heart rate accelerated; anyone would understand me having a panic attack...life is rough right now! However, as soon as I felt that, I did not accept it. I prayed for deliverance and began reciting Psalm 46:10. The radio began to play Move by MercyMe followed by The One I'm Running To and King of My Heart. As soon as I asked, I was given relief. No pill. No shrink.
Now, it wasn't that easy from the start. When I stopped my therapy and medications over a year ago, I stumbled and I fell a lot, but I kept at it. Changing your thinking is hard, but the Bible tells us to hold every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), and practice makes perfect. It takes time, but if you are willing to put in your effort, and you can trust Him to do His part and change you by the Holy Spirit...you will experience freedom.
And I tell you what, after 22 years of being held down by anxiety...freedom is so, so beautiful!
God is good!
Aside from some of the traumas I mentioned in my testimony, I struggled with anxiety in my day to day life. I was medicated for quite some time and was one of those individuals that needed Xanax in my purse for those panic attacks that struck whilst driving, at the grocery store, in the middle of church, etc.
Anxiety is scary. It is all-consuming. It is debilitating for some. Some people live in fear of leaving their homes lest they a panic attack sneak up on them in public. They are unpredictable and seemingly without cause.
For me, personally, a panic attack usually started with a tightening in my chest. My heart rate would accelerate and my breathing would soon follow. My mind would begin to race and if I didn't recognize this as the onset of an attack, I would spiral out of control. Without a pill and some positive self-talk, I'd begin struggling to breathe and crying uncontrollably and become so completely terrified that I became totally incapable of any kind of functioning. Forget being a mother when one of these suckers hit! If I did manage to talk myself down, the best I got was a mild state of panic, or as many like to refer to it, a fight-or-flight state. In this case, I was on edge, often seeming angry, until the panic wore off on it's own.
I tell you what, people, that is no way to live.
So, what changed? My perspective did. It was not easy by any means, the process or the decision to embark on the journey. You see, it's more comfortable to say "I have no control over this" than to take responsibility because if you don't have control, then it's not your fault. I thought for a long time that a shrink and a pill were going to be a part of my life forever...something happened to me as an infant and it scarred me with life-long anxiety and there was nothing I could do about it.
God spoke to me through Miss Priscilla Shirer one Monday night at Bible study. She was speaking about the strongholds in our minds that hold us back and how the only way to destroy these mental, emotional, and spiritual strongholds was with spiritual weapons. This wisdom comes from 2 Corinthians 4:10.
"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds"
That got me thinking...instead of repeating "I am a good mom. I am a good person. I am safe. There is no reason to be afraid. God loves me, etc" when panic struck, maybe I should be repeating Scripture. Maybe, each morning, instead of writing down something positive I think about myself, I should write down something positive about God, or something positive that God says about me.
Sounds great in theory, but oh my word was it difficult!
You see...Satan does not like when we fight back. He wants us weakened by our own insecurities and our insecurities are a result of our pride. Yes, you read that right. It is prideful to think that we know better than God. That is exactly what we do when we say "I'm not good enough" and He says we are a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). We are prideful when we say "I can't do this" and He has said that we are conquerors (Romans 8:37). We are prideful when we say "I am alone" when He will do it for us (Galatians 2:20).
Satan wants us to be prideful. He wants us to allow these thoughts. Then, when his demons come after us, we are weak, we feel defenseless, and we fall. Yes, I said anxiety is a demonic attack. That sounds like I'm some crazy Pentecostal, I know, but you know how you can tell? An ailment is a demonic attack if it attacks the spiritual life of the sick. A cold is probably not an attack, but depression is. A broken foot is likely not some spiritual destruction, but anxiety is. Etc...etc...etc.
Call me crazy if you'd like, but as soon as I wrapped my head around this, I began to get better. The Bible is full of references to battling demons, so look there first. See how many times we are told of warfare against demons (you can start with James 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Mark 16:17, 1 Peter 5:8, and Ephesians 6:12).
So...how do we use this to fight off anxiety? You learn His word. You study and memorize and repeat His promises in moments of darkness. Scripture is your divine weapon mentioned in 2 Corinthians.You remind yourself that you can do all things through He who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). You pray unceasingly (Philippians 4:6-7). You recognize that He is always with you (Psalm 23:4). Finally, you need to not be afraid of looking or sounding foolish and you tell Satan to go away! You tell him that you are a child of God and you rebuke him in Jesus' name, and then you be still, and let God do His thing (Psalm 46:10).
Just yesterday, I was driving home and I was trying my best to hear the song on the radio rather than the thoughts in my head and my chest began to tighten. You see, my family is in the middle of a move that isn't going very smoothly. I am 31 weeks pregnant. My husband is working 14 hours a day. My kids are a handful, because they can sense all of my stress. I have baby shower today where I'll be the center of attention (something I have anxiety about). And I am dealing with a dozen different doctors right now and travel arrangements for our unborn son who will need heart surgery just after birth. I am an absolute stress-case! It's no wonder my heart rate accelerated; anyone would understand me having a panic attack...life is rough right now! However, as soon as I felt that, I did not accept it. I prayed for deliverance and began reciting Psalm 46:10. The radio began to play Move by MercyMe followed by The One I'm Running To and King of My Heart. As soon as I asked, I was given relief. No pill. No shrink.
Now, it wasn't that easy from the start. When I stopped my therapy and medications over a year ago, I stumbled and I fell a lot, but I kept at it. Changing your thinking is hard, but the Bible tells us to hold every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), and practice makes perfect. It takes time, but if you are willing to put in your effort, and you can trust Him to do His part and change you by the Holy Spirit...you will experience freedom.
And I tell you what, after 22 years of being held down by anxiety...freedom is so, so beautiful!
God is good!
Thursday, October 2, 2014
October memory verse!
So, who managed to memorize Psalm 46:10 last month?
This month I've got a doozy for you. It's a fact we all know, but I think most of the time it fails to resonate within us the way it should. The verse for memorization this month...is Romans 5:8. Yes, I did steal this from my son's Awana handbook! So what is Romans 5:8?
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Do you understand that? While we were still sinners, He died for us! He didn't die for when we got our act together or because we were perfect people. He died for us while we were screw ups! While we were liars and murderers and thieves! How many humans do you know who would love you even at your very worst? They do exist...but there sure aren't many.
Dwell on that this month. I will post word picture on our Facebook page each week to keep it in your head. Think about some of the worst things you've done this month and think about how Christ died for you despite those things and how now, because of that sacrifice, they have been washed away!
This month I've got a doozy for you. It's a fact we all know, but I think most of the time it fails to resonate within us the way it should. The verse for memorization this month...is Romans 5:8. Yes, I did steal this from my son's Awana handbook! So what is Romans 5:8?
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Do you understand that? While we were still sinners, He died for us! He didn't die for when we got our act together or because we were perfect people. He died for us while we were screw ups! While we were liars and murderers and thieves! How many humans do you know who would love you even at your very worst? They do exist...but there sure aren't many.
Dwell on that this month. I will post word picture on our Facebook page each week to keep it in your head. Think about some of the worst things you've done this month and think about how Christ died for you despite those things and how now, because of that sacrifice, they have been washed away!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Memory Verse for September!
My son started Awana a couple of weeks ago, and it has me inspired to memorize verses myself. The best way to grow is through studying His word...so I imagine having some verses in our memory banks will only be that much more helpful, right? So...I have elected to pick a verse each month to share and I will be posting a word picture to our Facebook page once a week to help embed those words in our brains.
So...let's start things off with one that has been showing up in my life over and over...so I'm thinking it's one that He wants me to learn: Psalm 46:10.
"Be still and know that I am God."
Pretty simple, right? But oh, so powerful, too!
What a wonderful reminder that we need to cease our worrying, planning, anger, fear, and let go of our illusion of control and just know that He is God, He is good, and He will never fail and we must obey His perfect will!
Have a wonderful September, watch out for my word pictures, and I will give you a new memory verse come October! God bless!!
So...let's start things off with one that has been showing up in my life over and over...so I'm thinking it's one that He wants me to learn: Psalm 46:10.
"Be still and know that I am God."
Pretty simple, right? But oh, so powerful, too!
What a wonderful reminder that we need to cease our worrying, planning, anger, fear, and let go of our illusion of control and just know that He is God, He is good, and He will never fail and we must obey His perfect will!
Have a wonderful September, watch out for my word pictures, and I will give you a new memory verse come October! God bless!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Abortion. Reputable or repulsive?
Abortion is a pretty touchy subject. It's a political issue. It's a social issue. To many, it's also a moral issue. Some people have no idea where they stand on the issue because so much information is misconstrued to fit the opinion of the informant. So what exactly is an abortion? What methods are used to perform an abortion? Who gets abortions? Can a fetus feel pain? Does the woman feel pain? What are the risks? What are the benefits? These questions will all be answered here. Let's get started, shall we?
What is an abortion?
Well, depending on where you look, you can find many different definitions of "abortion." They all pretty much say the same thing, but with some slight variation. Here are a few examples:
-the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.
-An abortion is when the pregnancy is ended so that it does not result in the birth of a child. Sometimes this is called 'termination of pregnancy
-Abortion means ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother.
-Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before viability
Please note that an abortion can happen spontaneously as a result of complications during a pregnancy, or it can be induced. A spontaneous abortion is most often referred to as a miscarriage.
What are the methods that are used?
First, we'll discuss a medical abortion. A medical abortion is when a woman takes medication to terminate the pregnancy. As of 2003, there were two drugs on the market for this procedure, methotrexate and mifepristone. The medication can be delivered orally or via injection and the outcome resembles a natural miscarriage.
Next, there is manual vacuum aspiration and this can be performed at any time up to 10 weeks gestation.
This procedure is also called menstrual extraction, mini-suction, or early abortion. Basically, all this does is suck the contents of the uterus out through a small tube. This lasts about 15 minutes and is about 99.5% effective in terminating pregnancy.
Now we have dilatation and suction curettage, more commonly known as a D&C, but is also referred to as suction dilation, vacuum curettage, or suction curettage.In this process, the cervix is stretched to make room for a suction tube to remove the contents of the uterus, and a small looped instrument is used to clean the walls of the uterus.
Fourthly, there is dilatation and evacuation. This is often performed in the second trimester. It is pretty similar to a D&C, but a larger tube must be used as there is more material to remove from the uterus. This increases the amount of dilation necessary, and therefore this procedure is slightly more uncomfortable.
Rarely, a dilatation and extraction is performed in the second trimester. Very similar to the previous two, but the fetus is removed mostly intact. However, the head does need to be collapsed in order to fit it through the cervix.
Another rare procedure is an induced abortion in which the woman is basically experiencing labor. Medication is given to induce labor and the cervix is opened up so that the fetus may be delivered. After looking at several unbiased resources, I was unable to find what happens to the fetus after delivery.
Lastly, and also very rare is hysterectomy. Basically a premature c-section. This is done after another attempt at abortion failed.
Who gets abortions?
In 2000 and 2001 the highest number of abortions were performed on women between ages 20-30 with 20-24 having the highest rate. Adolescents ages 15-19 make up 19% of elective abortions while 25% are women over 30. About 73% of women having an abortion had previously been pregnant and 48% of those had had a previous abortion. Non-Hispanic white women make up 41% of abortions, African Americans made up 32%, Hispanics were 20%, Asian and Pacific Islanders made up 6%, and Native Americans made up 1%.
Do the fetus or woman feel any pain?
For the woman, an abortion can feel uncomfortable. Many women describe pressure and cramping similar to menstrual cramps. Some women require minimal recovery time, while others require more rest. An abortion is just like any other medical procedure in the amount of pain a woman feels differs from woman to woman. Modern medical science does show that after 20 weeks gestation, a fetus does feel pain. It is unclear whether physical pain is felt prior to 20 weeks.
What are the risks and benefits of an abortion?
Some of the benefits to the woman electing to receive an abortion are the avoidance of financial or emotional hardship due to pregnancy and motherhood, removing the evidence of a rape or case of incest, or maybe the pregnancy was unintended and the woman is not ready to be a mother, or the pregnancy was posing a health risk to the woman, and the procedures usually take about 15 minutes and most are outpatient procedures.
Some risks involved with an abortion include uncontrollable bleeding, infection, a tear in the cervix or uterus, and a failed or incomplete abortion.
Here is where I start writing my opinion...
At just 5 weeks gestational age (that is just 3 weeks after conception), a child heart starts beating and some organs are in place. At 6 weeks, the heart's beat has become rhythmic and is going at a rate of about 150 beats per minute. About 39% of abortions occur this early. If a human being is pronounced dead when their heart has stopped beating, then why are they not pronounced alive when their heart starts beating?
Science has not proven if a fetus can feel pain prior to 20 weeks gestation, but modern ultrasound imaging shows that a fetus does jerk and fight when a suction tube enters the amniotic sac, and their heart rate skyrockets. Maybe they do not feel physical pain, but that sure sounds like fear to me.
In the above video, you can see this happening to a 12 week old fetus. About 3.9% of abortions occur at 12 weeks. That's about 40,000 babies each years that struggle like this.
When you look up information on abortions, you find that any pro-choice or unbiased producers refer to the baby as "fetal matter" or just the "contents of the uterus." They never call it a human, baby, child, or infant, and they rarely call it a fetus.
At what point is a fetus a human being?
A fetus is parasitic. It's true. It takes vitamins and nutrients from the mother and gives nothing in return. That is the definition of a parasite. But is this parasite a human? When can we call it that? Well, I have some very simple logic for that. It is a human when it can no longer be anything else. What does this mean? Well...at conception, the baby certainly doens't look like a baby, so can we call it a human? Well, will the fertilized egg ever turn into say...a puppy? Nope. Never has that happened. How about a sapling? Or a reptilian baby? What a bout a kitten, fish, chick, whale calf, or foal? No, it won't. That fertilized egg will only ever become a human child, if it is given the chance to. So, it needs to be considered a human being at CONCEPTION.
What about a woman who is raped?!
Rape is a horrendous thing. I myself am a victim of sexual abuse and cannot fathom having become pregnant by an abuser, but it is a sad truth for many women. I just have one question...who is the criminal? Is the baby the rapist? No! So why should the child die for it's father's crime?! I could never kill a man's children if he went to prison for murder and his wife was unable to support the children on her own. That's ludicrous. So why kill one just they are the product of rape? Adoption is always an option.
Well, I didn't intend to get pregnant...
There is only one way to create a child, and that is by uniting a human sperm with a human egg. So, if you do not want children, would it not make sense to not engage in the act of uniting a sperm and egg? That seems logical to me. And if this logic eluded you, why should the child pay for it? Why should the child die because his parents didn't want him? Adoption is always an option.
Well, sometimes abortion is necessary to save a mother's life...
No, it is not. Not a single study has ever shown that abortion actually has any medical necessity to it. It does not lower maternal mortality rates or increase the availability of optimal prenatal care.
What if the child has a defect that means it'll die after birth?
Then so be it! Let it live until then! What harm comes from allowing that child life until birth? We can only guess the child's chance of survival, we cannot guarantee it. Miracles happen. That child may live after birth.
I could go on and on. Every human has a right to life, no matter how small they may be. This concludes this posting. I hope you have been enlightened!
What is an abortion?
Well, depending on where you look, you can find many different definitions of "abortion." They all pretty much say the same thing, but with some slight variation. Here are a few examples:
-the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.
-An abortion is when the pregnancy is ended so that it does not result in the birth of a child. Sometimes this is called 'termination of pregnancy
-Abortion means ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother.
-Abortion is the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo before viability
Please note that an abortion can happen spontaneously as a result of complications during a pregnancy, or it can be induced. A spontaneous abortion is most often referred to as a miscarriage.
What are the methods that are used?
First, we'll discuss a medical abortion. A medical abortion is when a woman takes medication to terminate the pregnancy. As of 2003, there were two drugs on the market for this procedure, methotrexate and mifepristone. The medication can be delivered orally or via injection and the outcome resembles a natural miscarriage.
Next, there is manual vacuum aspiration and this can be performed at any time up to 10 weeks gestation.
This procedure is also called menstrual extraction, mini-suction, or early abortion. Basically, all this does is suck the contents of the uterus out through a small tube. This lasts about 15 minutes and is about 99.5% effective in terminating pregnancy.
Now we have dilatation and suction curettage, more commonly known as a D&C, but is also referred to as suction dilation, vacuum curettage, or suction curettage.In this process, the cervix is stretched to make room for a suction tube to remove the contents of the uterus, and a small looped instrument is used to clean the walls of the uterus.
Fourthly, there is dilatation and evacuation. This is often performed in the second trimester. It is pretty similar to a D&C, but a larger tube must be used as there is more material to remove from the uterus. This increases the amount of dilation necessary, and therefore this procedure is slightly more uncomfortable.
Rarely, a dilatation and extraction is performed in the second trimester. Very similar to the previous two, but the fetus is removed mostly intact. However, the head does need to be collapsed in order to fit it through the cervix.
Another rare procedure is an induced abortion in which the woman is basically experiencing labor. Medication is given to induce labor and the cervix is opened up so that the fetus may be delivered. After looking at several unbiased resources, I was unable to find what happens to the fetus after delivery.
Lastly, and also very rare is hysterectomy. Basically a premature c-section. This is done after another attempt at abortion failed.
Who gets abortions?
In 2000 and 2001 the highest number of abortions were performed on women between ages 20-30 with 20-24 having the highest rate. Adolescents ages 15-19 make up 19% of elective abortions while 25% are women over 30. About 73% of women having an abortion had previously been pregnant and 48% of those had had a previous abortion. Non-Hispanic white women make up 41% of abortions, African Americans made up 32%, Hispanics were 20%, Asian and Pacific Islanders made up 6%, and Native Americans made up 1%.
Do the fetus or woman feel any pain?
For the woman, an abortion can feel uncomfortable. Many women describe pressure and cramping similar to menstrual cramps. Some women require minimal recovery time, while others require more rest. An abortion is just like any other medical procedure in the amount of pain a woman feels differs from woman to woman. Modern medical science does show that after 20 weeks gestation, a fetus does feel pain. It is unclear whether physical pain is felt prior to 20 weeks.
What are the risks and benefits of an abortion?
Some of the benefits to the woman electing to receive an abortion are the avoidance of financial or emotional hardship due to pregnancy and motherhood, removing the evidence of a rape or case of incest, or maybe the pregnancy was unintended and the woman is not ready to be a mother, or the pregnancy was posing a health risk to the woman, and the procedures usually take about 15 minutes and most are outpatient procedures.
Some risks involved with an abortion include uncontrollable bleeding, infection, a tear in the cervix or uterus, and a failed or incomplete abortion.
Here is where I start writing my opinion...
At just 5 weeks gestational age (that is just 3 weeks after conception), a child heart starts beating and some organs are in place. At 6 weeks, the heart's beat has become rhythmic and is going at a rate of about 150 beats per minute. About 39% of abortions occur this early. If a human being is pronounced dead when their heart has stopped beating, then why are they not pronounced alive when their heart starts beating?
Science has not proven if a fetus can feel pain prior to 20 weeks gestation, but modern ultrasound imaging shows that a fetus does jerk and fight when a suction tube enters the amniotic sac, and their heart rate skyrockets. Maybe they do not feel physical pain, but that sure sounds like fear to me.
In the above video, you can see this happening to a 12 week old fetus. About 3.9% of abortions occur at 12 weeks. That's about 40,000 babies each years that struggle like this.
When you look up information on abortions, you find that any pro-choice or unbiased producers refer to the baby as "fetal matter" or just the "contents of the uterus." They never call it a human, baby, child, or infant, and they rarely call it a fetus.
At what point is a fetus a human being?
A fetus is parasitic. It's true. It takes vitamins and nutrients from the mother and gives nothing in return. That is the definition of a parasite. But is this parasite a human? When can we call it that? Well, I have some very simple logic for that. It is a human when it can no longer be anything else. What does this mean? Well...at conception, the baby certainly doens't look like a baby, so can we call it a human? Well, will the fertilized egg ever turn into say...a puppy? Nope. Never has that happened. How about a sapling? Or a reptilian baby? What a bout a kitten, fish, chick, whale calf, or foal? No, it won't. That fertilized egg will only ever become a human child, if it is given the chance to. So, it needs to be considered a human being at CONCEPTION.
What about a woman who is raped?!
Rape is a horrendous thing. I myself am a victim of sexual abuse and cannot fathom having become pregnant by an abuser, but it is a sad truth for many women. I just have one question...who is the criminal? Is the baby the rapist? No! So why should the child die for it's father's crime?! I could never kill a man's children if he went to prison for murder and his wife was unable to support the children on her own. That's ludicrous. So why kill one just they are the product of rape? Adoption is always an option.
Well, I didn't intend to get pregnant...
There is only one way to create a child, and that is by uniting a human sperm with a human egg. So, if you do not want children, would it not make sense to not engage in the act of uniting a sperm and egg? That seems logical to me. And if this logic eluded you, why should the child pay for it? Why should the child die because his parents didn't want him? Adoption is always an option.
Well, sometimes abortion is necessary to save a mother's life...
No, it is not. Not a single study has ever shown that abortion actually has any medical necessity to it. It does not lower maternal mortality rates or increase the availability of optimal prenatal care.
What if the child has a defect that means it'll die after birth?
Then so be it! Let it live until then! What harm comes from allowing that child life until birth? We can only guess the child's chance of survival, we cannot guarantee it. Miracles happen. That child may live after birth.
I could go on and on. Every human has a right to life, no matter how small they may be. This concludes this posting. I hope you have been enlightened!
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