Due to the reversal of Roe V. Wade, Planned Parenthood has been forced to close many clinics in states whose lawmakers and governors are upholding the sanctity of life. But sadly, the culture of death has so pervaded our society that many women in more pro-life states have been traveling to pro-abortion states (like Illinois) to kill their babies.

According to an article by the Christian Post, one clinic in Illinois has seen a 30 percent increase in abortion patients and a 340 percent increase in women arriving from outside Illinois.

As a response to their inundated abortion mills (and the reversal of Roe V. Wade), Planned Parenthood is debuting a 37-foot RV that will prowl the borders of Illinois near more pro-life states to offer quicker and easier access to abortion.

Planned Parenthood’s RV will facilitate chemical abortions (using the abortion pill) on babies up to eleven weeks gestation. Planned Parenthood is hoping for the RV to eventually be equipped to commit surgical abortions, as well.

In John 10:10 Jesus says (speaking of the gospel of salvation), “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Abortion is predicated on the gospel of self; living for your own pleasures, and your own desires. This gospel of self, while promising fulfillment, ultimately leads to a culture of death (and not salvation), because the main goal is to fulfill your own desires and needs before anyone else’s. It steals, kills, and destroys, whereas the true gospel gives life.

Abortion is child sacrifice on the alter of I. The devil is a roaring lion, seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Planned Parenthood’s abortion RV makes it easier to devour the lives of those made in the image of God and is part of the devil’s response to Roe V. Wade’s overturn.

Planned Parenthood’s RV doesn’t just devour the lives of the unborn. Pro-life advocates have pointed out that it’s dangerous for the mother, as well. Since the vehicle only administers chemical abortions (so far), they will give women the first pill, and send her home to take the second pill alone. According to an article by the Washington Post, the second pill “causes intense uterine contractions intended to force the mother’s uterus to expel the body of her aborted child.”

This pill is dangerous, painful, and traumatizing for the women who take it, and it can result in the death of both the mother and the child. The Planned Parenthood RV will start a woman on the pill, then send her home to deal with the rest of it by herself.

A culture of death is what you get when you turn away from the gospel of life as America has. A nation that forgets God also forgets the morals that He created, because hearts that do not know the Lord strive against Him. So what can we do? Well, a culture of death can only be changed by the gospel of Christ. John 1:5 says,

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Now, more than ever, the church is needed in culture. To stand up, speak out, and remain firmly planted on the gospel of Christ by reaching out to our  communities with the hope that comes from Him. Working to serve mothers in your area or partnering with pregnancy centers to assist them in providing resources is another great way to help.  Above all, remaining steadfastly in prayer, for “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

The Army recently released a new training presentation for troops regarding their interactions with transgender soldiers, and guidelines regarding gender transition in the military. The policy favors the needs and feelings of the individual over the well being of the unit, a practice that is formerly foreign to military protocol. In the Christian Post, James Hasson, a former Army captain, shed some light on the PowerPoint presentation containing the new procedures:

“For a soldier to officially change gender requires only some paperwork. A military doctor or civilian medical professional must certify that the transgender person has achieved ‘stability in the preferred gender’ and the soldier must change the gender designation on the soldier’s passport or birth certificate,” Hasson wrote. “From that point on, the transgender soldier is ‘expected to adhere to all military standards associated with their gender,’ and ‘use the billeting, bathroom and shower facilities’ of their new gender.”

Since no sex-reassignment surgery is required, this means that, among other things, female soldiers will have to shower alongside “transitioned females” (with male genitalia), and male soldiers will be forced to shower with “transitioned males” (with female genitalia). This practice does nothing to improve combat readiness, but rather contributes to making the normal 30-some person shower that soldiers are routinely subjected to an even more unpleasant and violating experience.

Further, The Federalist points out that:

The changes also affect drug-testing procedures. DoD Instruction 1010.16 requires urine specimens to be “collected under the direct observation of a designated individual of the same sex as the Service member providing the specimen.” To be blunt, “observers” must watch the urine sample leave the tested soldier’s body and enter the collection cup.

Practically, this means that biologically born females may be forced into very exposed and uncomfortable one-on-one situations such as the one described above with “transitioned females,” who may still have male genitalia. Rather than protesting this blatant breach of privacy and social boundaries, biologically born female and male soldiers must simply accept these new policies and their implications, for the sake of their transgender peers.

Obama-era military policies like these continue to haunt and hinder the Armed Forces, placing emphasis on and favoring a minority group and social platform rather than building service members up to be stronger, more lethal, unified, and ready to protect America from danger. A One News Now contributor highlights this well:

“The social extremism that characterized the last eight years still haunts the Defense Department at a time when the military can least afford it,” FRC President Tony Perkins warned. “With ISIS torching its way across the Middle East, our troops shouldn’t be torn between its role securing America and securing the Left’s radical social agenda.”

Thankfully, President Trump has expressed a desire to further strengthen our military. If these new policies take effect, may their detrimental consequences quickly be brought to attention, so that the military’s focus can shift from coddling a small group of people at the expense and privacy of many, to ensure our military is a force to be feared and reckoned with.

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