Abortion attempt survivor. Voice for the voiceless.

Heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things.

Pro-Life advocate Jim Pouillon may have lived what seemed an ordinary life, but in his death, he was doing something extraordinary-being a witness to the reality of abortion, witnessing to save the lives of unborn children just like me and women just like my biological mother from the finality of the decision to end their child’s life.

Bless you, Mr. Pouillon!

From U.S. Politics today:

Pro-Lifers Will Honor Jim Pouillon November 24

November 23, 2009

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pro-life advocates from the DC area will honor fallen pro-lifer, Jim Pouillon, by witnessing the evil of child-killing at 6 high schools in 4 cities on November 24. They will stand in front of the schools while the students and staff arrive, holding the pictures of children killed by abortion.

Mr. Randall Terry states:

“Jim Pouillon was a hero and a martyr for the pro-life movement. We honor him by witnessing as he did during his life and at his death.”

Who: 20 pro-life advocates

When: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 from 7 am to 1 pm (see schedule)

Where:

Gaithersburg High School
314 S. Frederick Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
7 am – 8:30 am

Sidwell Friends School
3825 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
11 am -12 noon

Woodrow Wilson High School
3950 Chesapeake St NW
Washington, DC 20016
12 noon – 1 pm

Catonsville High School
421 Bloomsbury Ave
Baltimore MD 21228
7 am -10 am

Washington-Lee High School
1301 N Stafford St
Arlington, VA 22201
7 am – 8:30 am

Gonzaga College High School
19 I St NW
Washington, DC 20001
7 am – 9:00 am

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the culture of death has been embedded into the fabric of our society for decades now, and how, although we are certainly making strides (with the majority of Americans now identifying themselves as pro-life, with people joining together to oppose health care coverage that includes abortion, with many young people ow once again growing strong in their faith), lots of work still lies ahead.

In my opinion, it isn’t the belief that ending lives like mine is a choice, but the indifferent attitude, the apathetic response to abortion that is most dangerous to respecting and protecting life.  Indifference to the plight of human suffering and the devastating impact that this apathy has on individual lives, families, communities, and the world is unfortunately not new.  And although the specific circumstances surrounding each example of indifference throughout history are unique, there is something that each occurrence has in common with the other-the role of hope, and the undying belief in peace and faith in surviving indifference, intolerance, suffering and pain.  I certainly can relate.  Some people who don’t know me may find it hard to believe that I long ago forgave my biological parents for the decision that they made to end my life, but that forgiveness truly set me free.  And it is my hope that they find forgiveness for themselves, and my hope to help other men and women just like them around the world find forgiveness, themselves, that keeps me going in my ministry.  It is my faith in the grace of God and His plans for me that get me through even the darkest of days.  It is my hope for peace, for a better world for my daughter and all of the young children like her that compels me to share my testimony about the true reality of abortion with the world, despite the indifferent and sometimes intolerant attitudes that I encounter.  It is the trifecta of hope, peace, and faith that gives me the courage to be bold in word and in action.

In keeping with the importance of hope, peace, and faith in overcoming indifference and intolerance, I thought that I would share some of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite authors, Elie Wiesel, a man of great courage, wisdom and strength, who overcame great trauma and suffering, himself, with all of you.

On indifference:

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.

Only one enemy is worse than despair: indifference. In every area of human creativity, indifference is the enemy; indifference of evil is worse than evil, because it is also sterile.

Regarding peace:

Peace is not God’s gift to his creatures. It is our gift to each other.

On hope:

Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.

Regarding faith: (This one is from Pamela Reeve, not Elie Wiesel, but it simply too good to not include here)

Faith is realizing that I am useful to God not in spite of my scars but because of them.

It never fails, or more likely, I should say, He never fails. The minute that I start to feel a little down about not having any outright opportunities to share my testimony with others, as I don’t have any speaking events scheduled now until January, and even then, the events have been a bit slow coming in, the Lord reminds me that it isn’t about how many speeches I give, or how many people fill the audience, it’s about how even just one person’s life is touched by my life, by my story of God’s grace.

I can admit it. Although I was certainly very busy with both working full time in social work and then speaking at various events across the U.S. in October and the beginning of November, I loved each and every minute of it, and caught the fire of spreading the Word with the world. And if you’ve experienced it yourself, you know that once you’ve caught the fire of speaking the truth and bearing witness, you simply can’t stop, you don’t want to stop. I was feeling pretty down last week about all of this, even though I was simultaneously happy with the prospect of being home more over the holidays with my husband and daughter. My mild sadness and disappointment thankfully didn’t last long, however, as the Lord sent me reminder after reminder of what is really important in my ministry-touching one life at a time.

I am thankful not just because Thanksgiving is right around the corner, but every day of the year, that the Lord has given me the opportunity to bear witness to the truth about abortion and his grace and glory. Likewise, I am thankful for being able to reach out and touch the hearts and minds of people around the world, and that they allow themselves to be touched by my life and story. I am most grateful, also, that I have I am so blessed to get to know people, even those that I’ve never met personally, and share fellowship in the Lord and our personal beliefs about protecting and respecting life for all.

The more that I think about it, that is probably what had me feeling the most down last week–the fact that I wasn’t scheduled for any events that would enable me to sit down and have a heart to heart with folks about how abortion had touched their life and mine, for a good while, which is my favorite part of ministry. I know, I know, I don’t have to have an event scheduled in order to minister to others, but that’s just where my mind was at least week. I guess I was throwing myself a little pity party, even though I knew that there was nothing to be feeling pitiful about. Anyway, back to the subject at hand….as I mentioned earlier, just when I was slipping into my own self-pity, the Lord sent me numerous reminders of what ministry truly is. Here are just a few small excerpts of notes and emails that I received over the last week from both folks that I’ve been blessed to meet, and those that I have yet to meet. Thank you, Lord, for the reminder of what’s truly important, and thank you to all of my wonderful friends out there who have had the courage to share their innermost thoughts and feelings with me–this post goes out to all of you!

Excerpt from a note that I received from a college student at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, where I had spoken on November 11th:

…I want to thank you for allowing God to use you in such a way-you are such a blessing. Your impact on me was outstanding, and I know that you really touched hearts on our campus…I believe that my meeting you is not just a coincidence. I feel God has used this encounter with you to push me in my pursuit of pro-life activity. I will admit that this year has been very hard for me, because earlier in the semester it felt like nobody cared about the devastation of abortion. It can get very discouragaing, but God has shown to be faithful. I just want to encourage you because you really are making a difference! You were like an answered prayer for our group…”

Excerpt from an email from a fellow pro-lifer working on an event in their Catholic parish:

Melissa, may God bless you and your family during this Thanksgiving holiday. I am truly very grateful for your witness. I have never gone to the pro life march in Washington, but I am seriously thinking of going this year and I think in no small way because people like yourself
whom stand tall and strong in the face of this wave of evil that grips so many in society.”

Excerpt from an email comment that I received:

I read your message and was truly moved. I was raised to respect life and the gift that God give you is the sweet face beside you this is love from him to us!…God bless you for being here to tell your story, because so many are not!…Stay blessed in God and he will forever shine a light on your life…I see that already in your smile!

If those blessings and kind words weren’t enough, I received an email last week from a young woman who I had met recently at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, who, herself, had had an abortion as a teenager, and although she had done some major healing and found her faith again, had not yet found a way to use her experience to impact the world around her. After meeting with me, she has now talked with the college’s chaplain about being a support to other post-abortive students on campus and starting a post-abortive bible study. Tears were literally streaming down my face when I got that email. They were both tears of joy for her and what the Lord is doing in her life, but also tears of gratitude and wonder at how the Lord blesses us with such emails and letters when we most need it.

In keeping with the spirit of thankfulness, here are a couple of my favorite Thanksgiving quotes:

Thankfulness depends on what is in your heart, not what is in your hand.

True thanksgiving means that we need to thank God for what He has done for us & not to tell Him what we have done for Him._—George R. Hendrick

The Measure of Success by Bill Sherrill

Each day, I receive emails with daily scripture and positive thoughts to live by, by Heartlight.  Although I am almost always struck by the profoundness of both the scripture passages and the articles that I receive, the one that I received today has stuck with me.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking about success, myself, a lot in the recent months, but I felt like Mr. Sherrill’s article today was speaking directly to me.  I have included it below, and I hope that you enjoy as much I did.  If you would like to visit the heartlight site where this article can be found, the link is:  http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200911/20091122_measureofsuccess.html.

I always tell people, when I am out speaking, sharing my testimony with others, that if you would have told me even three years ago that I would be traveling the world, ministering to others, I wouldn’t have believed you.  Although I felt the need to begin sharing my story with others, even as recent as three years ago, I felt that my witnessing was just a small piece of my life, something that I would do “on the side.”  My personal goal was to continue to work in the field of social work and continue to climb the ladder of leadership and administration.  I certainly love being a leader, but more so, I felt driven to continue my pursuit for the “next big thing,” the next big step in my quest for success in my daily work, feeling that that was my truest measure of success.

Oh, how things change! Although I still love the work that I do in the field of social work, I can honestly say that I now know in my heart that my ministry, sharing my testimony about the Lord’s grace in saving my life from the certain death of abortion, that is my pursuit, my goal, my love.  Being ever closer each day to God, sharing His story and glory openly with others, that is the truest measure of my personal and “professional” success, they are one and the same.   Nothing is more important in my life.

_________________________________________________________________________________

How do we measure success?

Is it based on job performance? Perhaps for some it is the kind of job one has. Or for another, the level of income or property one holds. A few, wiser than most, may measure success by the heritage left in their descendants. Are these true measures of one’s own personal success? It may be that any or all of them contribute to the appearance of success, but are they valid measurements?

Success, at least for those claiming to follow Christ, must be measured in the degree to which one becomes like Jesus (Colossians 1:28-29). I am not making claims for perfection or negating the benefits of grace (Philippians 3:8-16), but I am pointing us toward the real values — values which the Savior placed in the forefront time and time again (Luke 9:23-25).

Is it any different when we seek to measure the success of a congregation? I think not. Over and over I hear or read of some preacher of a church that is touting its method of attaining success. All too often the evidence of that success is measured in growth in size and/or monies involved. Don’t misunderstand me: I am not against growth and liberality. What I question is whether that is a significant measure of the success of a church. Like the individual above, should not the measure be the depth of soul rather than the size of soil?

Spiritual giants are measured by service and heart. I list both, because one without the other has little value. The apostle Paul makes that very clear in his famous chapter on love (1 Corinthians 13). He lists great areas of sacrifice or accomplishment, but finds them of no effect unless they are motivated by the heart. Unfortunately, most of us are well aware of the pride which great acts of service can produce if not tempered and motivated by a heart of love.

In addition, fidelity to the perceived doctrines of the faith tend to puff up rather than build up (1 Corinthians 8:1; Revelation 2:3-5). Jesus revealed the “greatest commandment” as “love God with all your heart” and adds, the second is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40). He points us clearly to these real values.

For his disciples who are to be the leaders of Jesus’ new emerging church, the Lord takes a towel and a basin of water and washes their feet (John 13:12) and reminds them that they must do for each other what he has done for them (John 13:13-14). He reaffirms a principle he had repeatedly taught them earlier, “He who will be great among you will become the servant of all” (Luke 22:26).

In the wonderful and terrifying scene of the final judgement that Jesus shares in one of his parables, the Lord makes no mention of wealth, power, or doctrine. The measure of the true child of God is found in whether or not he responded with a servant’s heart when he encountered the needs of his fellows:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Matthew 25:35-36 TNIV).

In answer to their question of “When did we see you … ?” Jesus responded, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Whether as an individual or as a church, God judges our hearts based on our service. Can we pass the test? Maybe even more to the point, are we willing to use it as the measure of our success?

I read the following article on Pro-Life Blogs earlier this weekend, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since then.  At the surface level, I’ve opposed the coverage of abortion in health care reform because I don’t believe that abortion is a healthcare procedure, and obviously, I don’t believe that the abortion attempt meant to end my life all those years ago was a healthcare procedure-it was an abortion, pure and simple, an attempt to end my life.

The more that I think about the looming health care reform, the more fired up I get about it.  Not only do I oppose the coverage of abortion in the health care package because it is preposterous to me that we, as taxpayers, should pay for the murder of innocent children just like me each year, but I also oppose it because it is just another example of policy makers attempting to fund something that is a means to an ends, not a means at addressing the underlying issues and problems that face the women, men, children, families, and communities in the U.S. each and every day.

Instead of creating and supporting legislation that hurts your constituents, I challenge you, legislators, to create and support legislation that supports expectant and current parents.  Affordable, accessible health care for families; affordable, safe childcare; sick leave; expanded maternity and paternity leave; a living wage; housing assistance; my list could go on and on.  These are the true areas of American life that need to be addressed through funding and legislation, not abortion.

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With a 60 to 39 vote, the Senate approved floor debate on legislation that represents an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion as part of the government takeover of health care.  Updated:  Obama is gratified.

The Family Research Council explains,

Among the several objectionable items included in this bill; like the public option, employer and individual mandates, is the government funding for elective abortion, which is the most onerous and morally objectionable. Additionally the bill provides subsidies for private plans that cover elective abortion. The “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include elective abortion in the public option and subsidize health plans in the government run exchange that cover elective abortion.

Our friends at Americans United for Life are on top of issue and reacted quickly:

“This was a pro-abortion vote tonight because this bill provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. Supporters argued that the debate needed to move forward – but life should be at the heart of any health care reform. There was no more important time for legislators to show their support for life than by leveraging their power now to demand that any health care reform bill genuinely respects life. What is health care about if it is not for preserving and protecting human life? Tonight the Senate failed to do just that. This legislation moves us toward redefining abortion as health care which is the ultimate objective of the abortion lobby led by Planned Parenthood. The flawed provisions in Reid’s anti-life bill provide for federal funding for abortion, fail to protect medical providers who object to performing procedures that violate their conscience, and fail to prohibit federal funding of assisted suicide.

But wat happened to our pro-life Democrats (Soconvivium)?:

With the cooperation of ostensible pro-lifers Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) and Robert Casey Jr. (D, Penn.) the motion to bring the health care reform debate to the Senate floor was passed 60-39. They had the chance to defeat a bill that will expand abortion, but didn’t.

The Susan B. Anthony List adds:

In response to this evening’s advancement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act in the U.S. Senate, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser offered the following statement:”It’s gravely disappointing that pro-life Democrats in the Senate failed to show the same courage and conviction shown by their counterparts in the House of Representatives.

“Senators should consider themselves on notice: America is still waiting for you to strike government funded abortion from this legislation. Votes have consequences, and if this health care bill makes it to conference committee without an authentic abortion exclusion, Senators Casey, Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson and Reid will be held especially accountable.

“Their first opportunity to defend Life was on the motion to proceed. Their last chance will be on the final cloture vote to end debate. A vote to close debate without the addition of strong pro-life language will be a vote for government-funded abortion. That would be the ultimate betrayal of pro-life constituents and even self-described pro-choice Americans who oppose government-funded abortion.

The National Right to Life reacted strongly:

Obama and Reid wanted debate – so now they’ll get debate, on their cloaked provisions that would cover abortion on demand in proposed new government-run and government-subsidized insurance plans.

Obama and Reid are seeking to block enactment of the bipartisan Stupak-Pitts compromise, adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives on November 7 by a vote of 240-194. This amendment would prevent government funding of elective abortion through the proposed “public option,” and would also prevent federal subsidies from paying for private insurance plans that cover elective abortion.

During the weeks ahead, National Right to Life will continue to fight the efforts of President Obama and congressional Democratic leaders to cover abortion on demand in two huge new federal health programs. The Senate bill faces additional 60-vote hurdles in the future. Moreover, a courageous group of pro-life Democrats in the House of Representatives will oppose final approval of health care legislation if the Stupak-Pitts Amendment is gutted or removed.

And so will we …Forcing Americans to buy government approved health care insurance is arguably unconstitutional. Forcing Americans to fund abortion within the government plan is without question unconscionable. – Tony Perkins