“Roe v. Wade” turned 50 years old on Sunday, January 22nd. This is the infamous U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively gave us abortion on demand (when you add the impact of its companion decision of the same day, “Doe v. Bolton.”) Here are some comments from some pro-life leaders on the fallout from 50 years of “Roe.”

*Abby Johnson, former head of a Planned Parenthood clinic and one-time “Planned Parenthood Employee of the Year,” is strongly pro-life today because she saw a sonogram of an abortion in her own clinic. This wasn’t a blob of tissue fighting for his life—it was a baby.

She gave me a statement (through email to Jerry Newcombe on 1/20/23)  for this article on 50 years of legalized abortion in America:

“One of the biggest fallouts from Roe is that every woman’s bathroom will now become an abortion clinic if she decides to use the abortion pill to end her unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.”

These pills are marketed as safe. But she warns,

“The use of the abortion pill is about to skyrocket and I don’t think the nation is ready for both emotional and physical ramifications of such sweeping actions. I think it’s going to be horrific, and the pro-life movement needs to be there for these women who need love the most when they are considering abortion and in the aftermath of their decision.”

*Father Frank Pavone, founder and director of Priests for Life, who was recently “laicized” by the Vatican, told me through an email (1/22/23):

“Roe v. Wade has distorted our entire process of self-governance, replacing the will of the people with the imposition of a fake Constitutional right, and allowing abortion, as the only medical procedure with such a status, to grotesquely disfigure everything from city council meetings to Supreme Court confirmation processes.”

*Eric Scheidler, the son of long-time abortion foe Joe Scheidler, heads up the Pro-Life Action League in Aurora, Illinois. He sent me an email (1/23/23):

“The nearly 50 years of abortion on demand forced on the American people by the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision have had a devastating impact on our culture. If Roe had been reversed much earlier — for example, in 1992 when the Casey v. Planned Parenthood case instead reaffirmed Roe — then it would have been much easier to repair that damage. But after two generations of abortion without limits, one of the most extreme policies on the face of the Earth, we have a scene of devastation on our hands. That means the Christians and all Americans of good will need to get involved in not just promoting pro-life laws, but in promoting such fundamentals as marriage, the blessings of children, and the rebuilding of our support communities.”

*“Abortion is bad for women and babies,” notes the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. She admits she had two abortions—and now is so grateful for the forgiveness of Jesus in her life. She warns against others making this same mistake. In fact, Evangelist Alveda King of told me in a recent radio segment, “Life should be celebrated and acknowledged and appreciated from the womb to the tomb into eternity.” Alveda has now started the organization, “Speak for Life.”

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

As the debate over abortion rages, with the U.S. Supreme Court poised to possibly overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 pro-abortion ruling, I find myself wondering: How can anybody claim that God is in favor of abortion? But some do. Or how can they claim that the issue is important, but not really that important?

‘It’s About Abortion’

Francis X. Rocca wrote for The Wall Street Journal (6/13/22) on the ongoing split between Catholic bishops on the issue of “Abortion Politics.” The issue is: Should Catholic politicians who are strongly pro-abortion, such as Nancy Pelosi, nonetheless receive Communion?

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco thinks Pelosi should not receive it. As Bishop Michael Barber of Oakland puts it, “because it’s really not about Communion, it’s about abortion, the killing of a child in its mother’s womb.”

In contrast, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego claims also to oppose abortion, but his view (as characterized by Barber) seems to be, that “it’s not wrong enough that you need say or do anything about it or interact with the politicians who are publicly promoting it.”

Christian Leaders Who Support Abortion

This debate is not among Catholics alone. A few weeks ago the Associated Press (5/20/22) wrote an article highlighting professing Christian leaders who claimed their faith demanded that they support abortion.

They quote Kendra Cotton of the Black Southern Women’s Collective: “We know that Christianity supports freedom, and inherent in freedom is bodily autonomy. Inherent in Christianity is free will. When people talk about the body being a temple of God, you have purview over your body, there is nothing more sacred.” Than what — being able to abort your own baby?

Obviously, what is ignored here is the sacred nature of the unborn child created in the image of God. In Psalm 139, David describes how we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” even in utero: “You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

“Thou shalt do no murder” is the 6th Commandment. That directly applies to abortion, the deliberate taking of a human life, albeit in the womb (hidden from view).

Meanwhile, it would seem that the vast majority of Christian leaders in the conservative denominations are clearly opposed to abortion — thankfully.

And why shouldn’t they be? We know more today, scientifically, about the humanity of the unborn baby than the Supreme Court did in 1973, when they gave us Roe v. Wade.

From Planned Parenthood to Pro-Life

When women see a sonogram of the unborn, they often become pro-life.

Abby Johnson, author (with Cindy Lambert) of the book, Unplanned, was the Planned Parenthood Employee of the Year in the late 1990s. The very next year, at her own clinic for which she served as the manager, she quit shortly after witnessing the sonogram of a 15-week old preborn child being aborted. The poor kid didn’t have a chance.

Today pro-life Abby helps medical workers transition out of the abortion industry into other jobs through her outreach, And Then There Were None.

Other Excuses for Abortion

Another commandment is that we are not to tell lies. But we often forget that Roe v. Wade was built on a series of lies, e.g., that “Jane Roe” was raped. She was not. Well, if you favor killing unborn babies, why would you have a problem telling lies?

Another commandment forbids adultery. Sometimes abortions are committed to cover up the sin of adultery. Abortion could be viewed as violating at least three of the Ten Commandments.

When Abraham Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address, he brought out the issue of God and slavery. Speaking about the two sides in the Civil War, he said, “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces but let us judge not that we be not judged.”

He goes on to point out, “The prayers of both could not be answered — that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be that offenses come but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh.’”

An Act of Violence

And we would ask today: How can any true Christian accept the direct violence of dismembering an unborn child simply because the mother has been deceived to think this is her only choice in the matter?

Every abortion is an act of violence no matter how sterile it may be presented in the media. Lila Rose of Live Action has documented that violence.

Those who claim God is on the side of the abortionist are not only supporting a terrible evil; but they are likely violating the Third Commandment by taking the name of the Lord God in vain.

This article was originally published at JerryNewcombe.com.

Over Christmas break, I was hanging out with some friends and as we were playing some games in their basement, the topic of abortion was brought up. I stated my belief that all abortions are wrong. I did not think much of saying this as I assumed that they would at least somewhat agree with me. But shockingly, I was wrong. The two friends that were with me have been my friends since a very young age, and I know that they grew up in staunchly conservative families, yet they still were surprisingly of the pro-choice mindset. The disturbing thing is that they agreed abortion was murder and that it takes the life of an innocent child. This sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? How can one oppose abortion on moral grounds but still believe it should be allowed? The answer to this is the current generation of teens called Generation Z, apathy, complacency, and indifference.

When teens have everything we could ever need, such as a nice house, a TV, videogames, mindless social media apps, and countless other amenities, taking a moral stand on something can be stupid and even reckless. Taking a pro-life stand is controversial, potentially life ruining if seen by the wrong people on social media. Many people in this generation have no moral quandaries about abortion, but what is even more shocking it that some who do have problems with abortion are too indifferent or scared to say anything, even among people who they know agree with them. Morality for youth has been pushed to the wayside and this generation, even if they know something is wrong, will still go along with it for the sake of comfort and an easy life. The highest achievement for someone from Generation Z is creating for themselves an easy life, and sadly, most will do it by any means possible.

Conservative parents often raise their children thinking that their children will never stray from what they have taught them, but with the advent of social media and the effect of public education, this could not be more untrue. Again, both of these friends had grown up in conservative households. Their parents would be horrified if they knew the things that they told me that night. When we are bombarded by social media apps such as Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, and respected teachers that tell us abortion is not just acceptable, but something that should be celebrated, it is hard to take a stance that rejects it, even if you know deep down that it is wrong.

I know this firsthand since I was a victim of these lies. I was somewhat like my friends, believing that abortion was immoral, but I really did not care. I believe that it is more important than ever for parents to have in depth conversations with their teens about issues such as, but certainly not limited to, abortion. With the amount of brainwashing children are exposed to from a relatively young age, we all need to make sure that they are strong in their beliefs and cannot be swayed. This is why it is important to have regular conversations about this topic.

Talking to your child about abortion can be difficult, and thoroughly convincing them that it is wrong can be even harder. I am no expert, but I do have some recommendations that opened my eyes to the absolute horrors of abortion. In this day and age, people seem to care about “the science” and facts a lot. If something doesn’t have enough evidence to back it up, people will tend not to believe it. Back in the 70s, abortion advocates convinced women that the fetus in their stomach was nothing but a “blob of cells,” and quite frankly, that is what it looked like on an ultrasound screen back then. But with the technology we have now, we can clearly see that this “mass” is actually a living child. With today’s technology, we can see details such as the fingers, nose, toes, and other parts that can clearly show that this is a child that so many are willing to be allowed to kill.

Another thing that was jarring for me to see was Dr. Anthony Levantino’s testimony. As a warning, I would recommend watching this first before showing it to a child since it is very disturbing. Dr. Levantino was an abortion doctor. However, he has seen the truth, had a change of heart and is now fighting to protect the sanctity of human life. In this testimony, he describes in graphic detail the horrendous process of abortion. Many people do not grasp the severity of abortion. They just look at it as any other medical procedure, such as removing a tumor. In my earlier high school days, I somewhat looked at it in this way too. I assumed it was at least done in a humane and painless way. I did not realize that it was more like something out of a horror movie.

Another great resource to show teens is the movie Unplanned, which gives an inside look at the abortion industry from Planned Parenthood insider Abby Johnson. It would be hard for anyone to walk away from that movie unmoved and would certainly help teens understand that the abortion industry is a business and certainly not about their best interests.

The final and most important way I believe children can be raised to be strong in their pro-life beliefs is through their influence on social media. As I said earlier, social media for the most part is a cesspool of leftist ideology and brainwashing, but there are some good people out there. Teens today look up to YouTubers, Instagrammers, and other famous influencers. Whether it be a person that makes gaming content, or vlogs their travel adventures, they all can have a big influence on their audience. The problem with this is that most of these influencers, even if they are not political, will eventually spew some kind of leftist propaganda. With the way many young people look up to these influencers, they are likely to take whatever they say seriously and as near fact. Introducing your teen to influencers that are conservative and engaging is important, but difficult. Some good ones that I watch are Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Charlie Kirk, but there are plenty to choose from. Most teens, if they have a phone, are inevitably going to use various social media apps, so introducing them to good influences can help tremendously with their stance on pro-life as well as other contemporary topics.

With all the attention abortion is getting in the news lately because of the U.S. Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could mean the end of Roe v. Wade, and the new Texas pro-life law, talking about abortion and spreading the pro-life message is extremely important since we know now that the Court listens to popular opinion, not the Constitution. What better time to do this than during the Sanctity of Human Life month which culminates in Washington D.C. on January 21,^st for the annual March for Life! My heart sinks when young people today are apathetic about such a serious topic, but perhaps with a lot of work, effort, and prayer, we can change that.

What happens when people live in an abortion-complacent culture? Hold that thought; we’ll return to it shortly.

Nanfu Wang was born in China in 1985, six years after China instituted its one-child policy. The Chinese were told that if they averaged three children per family, there would be starvation by the middle of the next century, but if families limited themselves to only one child, their standard of living would double. The government used wall-to-wall propaganda to promote this message, and where messaging failed, it levied fines, destroyed property, or imposed forced abortions and sterilization to enforce it. It was put to the people as a “population war.” These measures, it was said, were necessary to prevent mass death in the future.

Nanfu never gave much thought to it all until she became a mother in 2017. She could hardly bear being separated from her newborn son. What was it like for people living under the one-child policy? By this time, she had moved to New York City and established herself as a filmmaker, so she did what any intellectually honest journalist might do–she started asking questions and chronicling the quest on camera.

She returned to China with her son in tow. The one-child restriction had been lifted in 2015, so presumably people were free to speak openly about it. She talked mostly with family members and hometown officials. Surprisingly, none of them were critical of it, though some (not all) who were charged with carrying it out did appear to feel troubled morally.

She documented her journey in One Child Nation, which has been shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (but censored in China). It’s worth watching for the way it demonstrates several things: (1) the creepiness of the incessant propaganda that is part of the Chinese people’s daily life and how most of them seem to accept it, (2) people’s insidious, servile submission to government authority in violation of their own consciences, and (3) which I want to focus on here, the callous indifference toward human life that manifests itself in seemingly “nice” people among whom abortion is commonplace. Here are two examples:

• Chinese men and women tend to favor sons over daughters (if feminists care about real sexism, they should start overseas, but I digress). Nanfu’s mother recounted how she helped her younger brother abandon his infant daughter in the market so he could try again for a son. The baby girl remained there, getting eaten up by mosquitos, for two days until she died. Nanfu’s mother, a kindergarten teacher, related the incident nonchalantly, as if she were merely talking about yesterday’s shopping outing.

• Shuqin Jiang, a highly decorated family planning official, said that early in her career, she thought forcing abortions was an atrocity. But she got used to it. Many of the fetuses were eight or nine months along, she said, still alive when she aborted them. She talked about this affably, chuckling at one point when she recalled a pregnant mother who tried (unsuccessfully) to run away from an abortion naked. She affirmed the whole agenda as “absolutely correct–our leaders were prophetic. If not for this policy, our country would have perished.”

In all her interviews, Nanfu lets people speak for themselves, rarely pressing anyone to reflect on the horror of what they’re actually saying. In the end, she appears as confused and conflicted as at the beginning–as if she knows something was very wrong about it all, but can’t quite put her finger on what.

Okay, you might be thinking, those are matters for the Chinese to sort out. What do they have to do with us in America? I’m glad you asked. Consider the following, and see if you can spot some parallels:

• Ann McElhinney, who wrote a journalistic account of Kermit Gosnell’s crimes and trial and co-produced the movie, Gosnell, wrote about being especially disturbed at “the banality of evil” inside Gosnell’s clinic. For thirty years, seemingly “nice” people went about their daily work in a building where dead baby bodies literally cluttered up most every room. At the end of a day, there might be “bonuses” to be had (late-term abortions paid more), so they might go out for celebratory drinks afterward, like waitresses in a restaurant pooling their tips after a lucrative shift.

• Abby Johnson spoke similarly of the social atmosphere in the Texas Planned Parenthood clinic she directed. Jokes would be cracked, and camaraderie prevailed as it might in any ordinary office environment – all while sanitized killing took place under the same roof.

Surely you see the similarities. Abortion, since it is so egregious and deeply personal, seems to be especially damaging to people’s moral sensibilities. Where it is welcomed, it works a kind of dehumanizing moral erosion in those who welcome it.

The difference between abortion in China and America is noteworthy too. In China, its prevalence was national and imposed by government fiat. In America, it’s balkanizing–some states are pushing it out, others welcoming it in. You may have seen that Planned Parenthood just opened, stealthily (again!), another center in Illinois, accelerating Illinois’s race for the title of abortion capital of the Midwest. This is not at all to say that pro-life Illinois residents are culpable for abortions in their state–I am not saying that. What I am suggesting is that its clear and present spread will inevitably have effects.

Like cancer, sin is progressive and always degenerative. For that reason, if you live in one of the abortion magnet states, your pro-life presence may become harder to live out. But it is needed and has great potential as well. Abby Johnson said that the peaceful presence of people praying outside her clinic was extremely disturbing for the staff inside. She now knows (and is thankful for it in hindsight) that it’s disturbing because it rattles those complacent consciences that, for their own benefit, need to be rattled. More important, she said, when people are outside praying, the no-show rate for abortion appointments can go as high as 75 percent. (40 Days for Life is huge!)

So, I hope you’ll take courage, pro-life friends, and not grow weary in your well-doing. Ann, Abby, and Nanfu were all at one time either complacent or complicit in abortion. Ann and Abby are complacent no more, and it appears Nanfu is moving in the same direction. Each of their three films, One Child Nation, Gosnell, and Unplanned, presents a gripping portrayal of what abortion is and the effects it can have where it is tolerated. If you have the opportunity, share them with your friends or family who might be sitting on the fence regarding abortion. Whether or not they ever thank you for it, you will have at least dropped a stake in a certain piece of moral ground for the cause of life.

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See the true story that will give you a new understanding and appreciation for the gift of life.  Whether you are a believer or a skeptic in our ability to affect the course of events in our society today, see the movie that is doing just that!

Abby Johnson was a young college student who wanted to make a difference in the world.  She wanted to make life better for young women and be the person providing them with opportunities to achieve their dreams.  She believed that was happening as she rose in leadership at the Planned Parenthood facility in College Station Texas.  The true story of how that desire was transformed to a much deeper level of understanding can also be the catalyst that transforms your life.

Make a point of seeing Unplanned at 7pm on Wednesday September 11 or Thursday September 12 in the Holy Family Room of the Infant Jesus of Prague Parish Business Office located at 1120 Douglas in Flossmoor.  Arrive early for coffee and treats and stay for fellowship.  You will learn of opportunities to make life better for young women and help them achieve their dreams for a better life!  Movie begins promptly at 7pm.

Can’t make it either evening but would like to see the movie?

Contact Dr. Rich Mantoan at (708) 557-0011 or email him HERE.

Written by Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

Apparently, Planned Parenthood is no longer content exploiting just women and children–so they’ve moved on to the federal government. Over the past several years, it seems the country’s biggest abortion provider has also been running one of the country’s biggest scams: a Medicaid racket that’s ripped off millions of taxpayer dollars. Today, it appears that at least six states have been targeted by Cecile Richards‘ scheme, which reportedly conned the government with hundreds of thousands of bogus reimbursement claims.

One of those states–Texas–will be hearing its first arguments on the issue this week in U.S. District Court, thanks to former Planned Parenthood director-turned-whistleblower Abby Johnson. With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), she plans to expose at least 87,000 instances of fraud during her time as a clinic manager in Southeast Texas. Based on her testimony and supporting documents, Planned Parenthood routinely submitted ineligible claims on everything from pap smears to STD and pregnancy tests. In fact, Johnson says her bosses at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast were under so much financial pressure that they would repeatedly tell staff, “We must turn every call and visit into a revenue-generating client.” A ring of at least 10 clinics were falsifying patient charts, which they would “fix” and “cover up” before the auditors and inspectors came.

“People may hold different views about abortion,” Johnson says, “but everyone can agree that Planned Parenthood should play by the same rules as everyone else. It certainly isn’t entitled to any public funds, especially if it is defrauding Medicaid and the American taxpayer.” In states like Iowa, the plot was so sophisticated that clinics were getting $26.32 reimbursement checks for a $2.98 package of birth control. State and local governments have poured more than a billion dollars into Richards’s group–and this is how she repays them? Twenty-eight million in stolen funds in Iowa, $6 million in Texas, $180 million in California, and similar allegations in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.

And while we can’t say exactly where the dollars went, evidence suggests President Barack Obama’s campaign was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Planned Parenthood’s largesse. Thanks to this extra revenue from overbilling, Richards’s group had the flexibility to spend a whopping $15 million to put Barack Obama back in the White House, where he can keep the money flowing to his favorite chain. When an organization like Planned Parenthood is suspected of not just fraud, but criminal cover-ups, falsifying medical information, violating safety standards, encouraging prostitution and sex trafficking, medical malpractice, sex-selection abortion, accepting racially-motivated donations, and huge profits, this is no longer about abortion. It’s about accountability.

The Treasury Department announced on Tuesday that America is on track for its fifth straight trillion dollar deficit, yet our government continues to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to this group, which also happens to be under congressional investigation! If both parties are serious about cutting spending (and nothing they’ve done recently suggests they are) then it’s time to put an end to this relentless cycle of exploitation. The war on women was a hoax. The war on taxpayers is not.