Author Archives: Matthew Wagner

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation recently completed its annual Pro-Life Student Essay Contest, and as always the entrants were amazing and the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner.  This essay, written by Bethlehem Catholic High School 11th grade student Rebecca Homer of Quakertown, won first place in the Sr. High category:

The air was stifling hot as I glanced at the time: 10:22 AM. It was a Tuesday morning in August and my neighbors’ children were busy at play in the yard next door. The birds sang their song and as I stirred my tea alone at the table, it struck me again. A tidal wave of grief filled my being and I wept uncontrollably. My silent tears turned to sobbing as my stomach wrenched inside of me. My whole being was overcome with anguish as the pit in my very soul opened wide and poured out the torment I could no longer hold inside.

It had been twenty years now since I had left my job at Planned Parenthood. I counseled countless women in crisis and led every single one to abortions. As I looked outside, I remembered the hot August morning twenty five years ago when the woman next door was brought to my office. She shut her eyes and cried as we discussed the options for her eight-week old baby. I was excited to administer my fourth abortion of the day.

Today, my head pounds as I watch her two children play next door, unaware of their two siblings that I murdered myself. Their mother was pregnant with twins.

I rose from the table, poured a bowl of cereal, and slid back down into the wooden chair. I began to feel sick as I remembered the last conversation I ever had with my mother. She told me, “Abortion is the greatest wrong you ever could inflict upon yourself, your child, and your family.” Little did she know I would not only inflict these wrongs upon myself, my child, and my family, but also upon others, their children, and their families. I shivered as I remembered the day she passed away.

I am living all alone now, sipping away at my late morning tea. As my sorrows subside for a moment, I let my mind wander back to my dear husband who retired in the same year as I. He always wanted to raise children of our own, but I was never ready. I had a steady job and I loved my career. Why would I want to raise a child?

If I could only have him back for a day, I would embrace my sweet husband and stop everything to raise just one child.

How is it that ideas could change so drastically during one’s lifetime? As my eyes scan the walls around me, I muse in the vast emptiness of my own home. My old friends tell me they are “proud grandmothers of four” or “great-grandmothers to-be.” I sigh deeply in the midst of my own solitude and listen intently as the air fills my lungs with breath. As the wall clock ticks away lightly, the stillness of my home engulfs me entirely.

Another wave of crippling anxiety takes hold of my being. This time I am not only overwhelmed with grief, but with regret. I have spent my life murdering the children of those around me and I can no longer live with the thought of what I have done. Why did I not listen to my mother?

I buried my face in my hands and wept for all the women I robbed of motherhood, all the men I robbed of fatherhood, and all the children who will never know their brothers and sisters. Everyday, I find myself here, at the same wooden table, alone, and paralyzed at the thought of what years of my work has done.

I picked up my cane and rinsed out my dishes. As I walked back over to the window, I spotted the two children now sitting on the sidewalk. Contently, they passed a ball between themselves as their mother watched lovingly from the porch. A cascade of tears streamed from my eyes as the cacophony of children’s voices consumed my attention again. Will the torment of my past ever cease to haunt me?

I stumbled over to my calendar to find the date of the next appointment with my therapist. As I scanned the days of the week, my eyes fell upon today’s date: August seventh. Today is my seventy-third birthday. I turned around and froze. What have I done?

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation recently completed its annual Pro-Life Student Essay Contest, and as always the entrants were amazing and the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner.  This essay, written by homeschooled ninth grader Kara Miller of Dillsburg, won first place in the Jr. High category:

When was I a choice? When was I a child? I was born at 25 weeks and 6 days. I was 1 pound, 12.8 oz. and 13.5 inches long. What makes me different from 25 week old babies in the womb? The only difference between me and them is location. Yet I was protected under law, and they are slaughtered.

In the 45 years since Roe v. Wade, more than 60 million American babies have been brutally murdered in the name of women’s rights.¹ Worldwide, since 1980, nearly 1.5 billion have been slaughtered.² That is 1.5 billion human beings, made in the Image of God, never allowed to see the light of day.

Some people believe abortion should be legal, while others do not. We can all agree, however, that each baby aborted was a potential life.

The fundamental question is when does life begin? If it begins at conception, then abortion is murder, and there should be no disagreement about the issue. If, however, it begins at birth, or really any point after conception, then it can be argued that there is nothing inherently wrong with abortion. According to an Embryology textbook, “The zygote and early embryo are living human organisms.”³ In 1981, the Senate concluded, “Physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being – a being that is alive and is a member of the human species.”⁴ According to Dr. C. Ward Kischer, Professor Emeritus of Human Embryology, “Every human embryologist, worldwide, states that the life of the new individual human being begins at fertilization.”⁵ This means that abortion is murder.

Abortion should also be illegal for the sake of the babies, their parents, and the society.

The babies are heartlessly killed, and they are defenseless. Their short lives are shattered, almost before they begin.

The parents of aborted children have to live with the guilt of murder their entire lives. What makes it even worse is their sin is hidden, because many people don’t see abortion as wrong, and so they rarely have the relief of confession and justice. They lose a child, and they know it. They will miss, mourn, and remember that child for the rest of their lives.

The society is missing billions of people, their potential wasted.

People who are for abortion claim that unborn children are part of the woman’s body, and she should be able to choose what to do with it. The problem with this argument is that they are not her body. I have shown that each is, at conception, an individual human life, not part of the mother. If not, why does it have separate DNA, unique fingerprints and all the characteristics of a separate being?

In conclusion, abortion should be illegal for the sake of the babies, the parents, and the society. The pro-abortion arguments are not persuasive because a baby is not part of the mother’s body. Life begins at conception, and should be protected from that point forward.

1. http://www.numberofabortions.com/ as of 8:15 AM 3/7/2018
2. http://www.numberofabortions.com/ as of 8:17 AM 3/7/2018
3. Moore, Dr. K. L., Persaud, Dr. T. V. N., Torchia, M. G. (1993) Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects https://www.justfactsdaily.com/the-science-of-abortion-when-does-life-begin/
4. Official Senate Report from the Hearings of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, April 23-24 1981. https://www.liveaction.org/news/life-begins-at-conception-science-teaches/
5. Kischer, Dr. C. W. Professor Emeritus of Human Embryology of the University of Arizona School of Medicine. (2017, March 22). ‘When Human Life Begins’ American College of Pediatricians. https://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/life-issues/when-human-life-begins

Editors Note:  We are going to be doing a series of blog posts about “Pro-Life Heroes”…individuals who are making a difference for the pro-life movement in their communities. This first entry is from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation SouthEast PA Coordinator Carla Ezell.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for future “Pro-Life Heroes” blogs, and if you know of someone we should talk to who is making a difference for those who can’t defend themselves, email lifelines@paprolife.org.

My pro-life journey started in an Evangelism Explosion Class at my church in 2002.  In the class the speaker was talking about abortion, and the gentleman sitting next to me said, “You know who Margaret Sanger is?” And I said “Sure.”  God forgive me, but I didn’t want to sound ignorant to his question, but I hadn’t a clue. He went on to explain to me what Sanger’s beliefs were for African Americans, anyone of a minority race, and the physically and mentally challenged in America.  This gentleman pricked my interest enough to investigate who this woman was.  It wasn’t difficult.  Her interviews can be seen on the internet, and she wasn’t shy about her beliefs.  My surprise was that she got away with her intentions, and she is regarded as a progressive feminist to this very day.  Her influence spread as far as Nazi Germany before World War II.  Hitler admired her strong belief that mixed races and the mentally challenged didn’t have a place in society; therefore, they should be eliminated.  Margaret’s spirit still lives all over this world in countries that allow abortion, and here in America her spirit lives on in Planned Parenthood, NARAL, liberal pro-abortion feminists, and some hospitals.

A couple of years later, my husband and I had an opportunity to hear Alveda King, niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., speak at a pro-life convention.  It was then that I became convicted to share the pro-life message with my church.  I brought literature that could encourage women to opt against abortion and that encouraged women to take advantage of other options, such as counseling and adoption.  I was excited to give the information to the head of our Sunday school, and when I spoke with her, she in return seemed to be enthused with the literature I gave her.  She said she would talk to leadership, but three months later I hadn’t heard a word from her.  I approached her in the hall between services and asked why she never contacted me.  Her only explanation was “Leadership had changed.”  My heart sank.  I realized there was politics in the church, and I was too discouraged to fight leadership and their mindset.  I believe God wanted me to go outside the walls of the church and attain guidance and experience from those on the battlefield of saving the lives of children and women.

I was receiving the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation’s Lifelines newspaper, and I contacted a young woman that was the Southeast Coordinator of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and asked if she needed any help.  From there, I took classes with Amnion Pregnancy Crisis Center for counseling women who were considering abortion and post abortive women and their families.  I started to volunteer counsel at the Hope Pregnancy Center.  There was a seminar that was available through James Dobson’s Focus on the Family Ministry that I attended and was encouraged by the experience.

For the past four years I’ve been the Southeast Coordinator for the PA Pro-Life Federation.  I distribute the Lifeline newspaper and pro-life educational material throughout Philadelphia.  I go to community fellowships and schools, and I’ve been privileged to speak at churches against the tragedy of abortion.  For three years straight the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation has had a forum at my church to inform people of the progress of the pro-life work that is being performed in the state of Pennsylvania and the nation.  This past Black History Month in February, all my pro-life efforts within my church and my community came to fruition when Pastor Clenard Childress spoke for Sunday Worship and was well received.

I haven’t done everything right.  I’ve fallen prey to discouragement, laziness, and complaining along the way but my journey isn’t over yet and my dream now is to see the day that abortion is once again made illegal in Pennsylvania and across the country.

“You’re not pro-life, you’re just pro-birth.”

If I have heard this argument once by big abortion and its apologists, I’ve heard it a thousand times, as has anyone who has been advocating for pro-life issues for any length of time.  It is meant to imply that those of us who are pro-life don’t really care about the baby and mother after birth.

To disprove this fallacy, one has to look no further than the horrific case of Alfie Evans. For those unfamiliar, Alfie is a two-year old boy in Great Britain who has been hospitalized since December, 2016 with seizures of an undiagnosed disorder.  The hospital has withdrawn his life support, but Alfie continues to survive and fight. Now if the pro-life community didn’t care about life after birth, we would be unsympathetic to the plight of Alfie and his parents, yet it is in fact pro-lifers who have rallied to their side and continue to fight for Alfie to be transferred to a hospital willing to provide him the treatment he needs.  Pro-abortion activists, on the other hand remain eerily silent.

For further evidence of how much pro-lifers care about an individual’s entire life, one can simply point to all the work pro-life pregnancy centers do to help mothers of newborns as well as the babies with everything from formula to clothing, car seats to high chairs. Many pro-life pregnancy centers even provide vocational training and other education for both new mothers and fathers.

The reality is, it is pro-life advocates who truly care about the individual’s entire life from conception to natural death, and that is why we continue to remind people that there is always a reason to choose life!

During the floor debate for House Bill 2050, the Down Syndrome Protection Act that would protect babies who have a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, Mike Turzai, the Speaker of the House and sponsor of House Bill 2050 took the rare step of giving up the rostrum to speak on the bill in defense of precious babies. Please take a few minutes to view his passionate speech. House Bill 2050 passed overwhelmingly by a 139 – 56 bipartisan majority and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

     We recently asked for stories from people who have been blessed to have individuals with Down syndrome in their lives.  Here are just two of the responses we’ve received.

Linda:

“I have known and loved several people with Down syndrome. I am a retired job coach and now these people are my dear friends. They are fantastic, loving people who could teach us all about being good people. As a job coach, I learned that these people are diligent and conscientious about their work and always want to please; they are kind, caring, and very loving. I consider the earth a better place because of these people. People who do not understand the love that Down syndrome people share with us have really missed out on a wonderful experience and fabulous people who have very much to offer.  I have a Masters Degree in Biophysics and I have always loved doing research. However, God led me to working with disabled people. I thank God for this opportunity and I feel blessed having known and loved these wonderful people.”

Suzanne:

“When my brother Paul was born in 1969, someone looking at all the babies in the nursery noticed the sign on his bassinette: Golden Boy. Golden was his last name. The onlooker, noticing his blond hair, said, ‘What a perfect name!’ And it was a perfect name. As he grew from infancy into childhood he was a sunny child, happy to be with his parents and his brothers and sisters, full of life and fun.

Paul is a special human being. He has Down syndrome.

Soon after Paul was born my father said he loved all his children but Paul needed extra love. We all loved Paul in a special way but Dad loved him in a way that was unique and very meaningful to Paul. Dad died when Paul was 31, creating a void in Paul’s life that no one could fill. He mourned for years reminding his brothers and sisters, ‘My Dad died.’ As if we didn’t know Dad. And, in a way, none of us knew Dad the way he did. For Paul Dad was always present, encouraging and fun…

All his life Paul has loved attention from young ladies. He will greet strangers on the street saying, ‘Hi, girls!’ Often these strangers are kind enough to say hello to him but others just ignore him, not knowing how to react to this unexpected greeting.

Life is full of unexpected greetings, sometimes from people with Down syndrome. We just have to open our hearts and our minds to the simplicity, kindness and love our brothers and sisters with Down syndrome offer us. Paul is a special person in our lives. Every person with Down syndrome is special.”

These stories are a great reminder of how a life with Down syndrome is #alifeworthliving.  If you have a similar story of living with someone with Down syndrome, please consider sharing it by contacting us at lifelines@paprolife.org.

Katie Hawley is a fighter.

Katie was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 9.  Since the summer before she started 4^th grade, she has been through at least a dozen surgeries, two dozen chemotherapy treatments, more than two dozen radiation treatments, and dozens more scans and blood transfusions.

Understandably, Katie was ready to quit. In an interview with ESPN, Katie’s dad told the reporter Katie told him, “Dad, I’m done this time. I just want to go.”

Thankfully, her willingness to fight was restored by an unlikely source—the Anaheim Ducks, and their All-Star center Rickard Rakell.  Katie’s family had a number of friends and neighbors who were Duck season ticket holders. They would often donate their tickets to Katie to go see a game when she had a rough day.  When the Ducks organization, and Rakell specifically, heard about Katie’s condition they were quick to encourage her to keep fighting, even making her an honorary “21^st Duck” and sending her to All-Star Weekend.

Katie’s story stands in stark contrast to that of another young woman, Brittany Maynard. In Brittany’s case, instead of having an organization come alongside her and encourage her to fight, she was encouraged by the old Hemlock Society, rebranded as “Compassion and Choices” to kill herself.

The contrasting stories of Katie and Brittany are a good reminder to all of us that sometimes people fighting serious illness need someone to come alongside them and encourage them to fight. Part of being pro-life is being like the Ducks and coming alongside those who need help and showing that assisted suicide is not the answer.