Friday, October 14, 2011

The Pink Link

This article was supposed to run in our Diocesan newspaper, but despite efforts from our director of pro-life activities going to bat for me, it was turned down by our bishop.  I'll never understand why, but I do want to share this.  Please feel free to send it to anyone you may believe needs to hear this message.  It's an issue I firmly believe we Catholics need to be educated about.


The Pink Link
 

Every October, the nation turns pink.  Friends and neighbors wear pink ribbons, NFL players wear pink shoes.  Even the White Housereflects pink flood lights onto its exterior in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.


We in the Catholic community also know October as Respect Life Month.  It seems these two life-saving efforts should go hand-in-hand right?  Not so fast.

In general, the color pink raises awareness for breast cancer – a worthy cause.  But the biggest beneficiary of pink-related events is Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation’s largest breast cancer charity.  Some of you might even support Komen in your charitable giving.  And why not?  Breast cancer is a tragic disease that far too many women battle every year in the U.S.   It’s a worthy cause to support.  Unfortunately, just not through Komen.

Why “unfortunately?”  Komen financially supports the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood (PP).   How can that be?  Why would a life-affirming organization like Komen financially support a death-peddling organization like PP?  Komen refutes the claim that they directly support abortion, but let me give you the details.

According to the Bioethics Defense Fund (bdfund.org) Komen has a policy of explicitly allowing its state affiliates to give monetary grants to abortion providing facilities.  Not all state affiliates give grants to PP using the 75% of the funds that they raise in a state. However, each state affiliate must forward at least 25% of funds raised in their state to the Komen National office. These funds are under the discretion of a board that refuses to disassociate itself from PP, thus the money goes into a pool to be potentially distributed to PP.

Komen gave over $3 million to PP between 2003 and 2008 (though the amount is insignificant).  So why does Komen give funds to an abortion giant?  They claim they give the money as grants for breast exams.  There are two problems with this claim.  Number 1: It doesn’t matter what you give money to PP for.  The dollars are fungible and it just frees up money for them to use on abortions and other operating costs to keep their doors open.  Number 2: PP is a level 1 breast center.  It is only allowed to perform manual exams.  Despite its implications - it DOES NOT PROVIDE MAMMOGRAMS!

Desperate following the House of Representatives’ recent vote to defund the organization, PP CEO Cecile Richards used the claim that the organization should continue to receive federal funding based on their breast health services.  “If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are going to lose their health care access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning – you know, mammograms, cancer screenings, cervical cancer,” she said.

But the truth is that PP does NOT provide breast exams.  They simply provide referrals for breast exams – the same type of referral you can get from you primary care doctor, urgent care center, free clinic or GYN.

Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek did some research and found that not a single PP in America performs mammograms.  PP’s own website says, “Ask your local health care provider, health department, or staff at your local Planned Parenthood center about where you can get a mammogram in your area.”  [emphasis mine]

Aside from the fact that PP does not provide mammograms, Komen continues to ignore the ominous fact that abortion is the #1 avoidable cause of the very disease they’re fighting.  It doesn’t make sense that they’re financially abetting an organization that contributes to the tragic rise in breast cancer.

From the Abortion/Breast Cancer Coalition (abortionbreastcancer.com):

“The breasts grow considerably during pregnancy while under the influence of high levels of the hormone estrogen, a known carcinogen. Estrogen causes the woman's normal and cancer-vulnerable breast lobules to multiply. If she has an abortion, she's left with more places for cancers to start in her breasts. If she has a baby, then other pregnancy hormones mature her breast lobules into cancer-resistant lobules during the last months of pregnancy. She's left with more cancer-resistant tissue than she had before she became pregnant.”

It’s heartbreaking that an otherwise very worthy organization could negate all of the good work that they do by funding an organization that exterminates 332,278 unborn children per year.  And this is a fact that, as Christians, we cannot ignore.  We cannot overlook the evil that is perpetuated through this partnership by using the false justification that we’re doing a “greater good” by funding breast cancer research.   In this situation, there is no greater good.  The ends do not justify the means.  The murder of over 300,000 innocents does not justify a few mammogram referrals.

Fortunately there are alternative organizations that do beneficial work for the same cause through morally acceptable means.  If you’re currently a Komen supporter and would like to divert your funds to an ethical breast cancer research organization, please consider the National Breast Cancer Foundation (nationalbreastcancer.org) and the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute (bcpinstitute.org). 

Also, please keep in mind that Susan G. Komen for the Cure is far from the only disease-research organization that funds morally objectionable groups.   Many well-known disease advocate groups support Planned Parenthood as well as embryonic stem cell research.  Just to name a few: The American Cancer Society (including Relay for Life), Alzheimer’s Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and American Lung Association.  For a comprehensive list of organizations, their positions on life issues, and alternative options, please visit www.all.org/charities

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Me & Shawn. We go way back.

Phew!  So glad last night is over, but what an AMAZING night!!!  It was DE Right to Life's annual banquet.  We had several guests/presenters and it was fabulous!

First we had music from a local singer/songwriter, Caitlin Jane.  This girl is so dang beautiful and makes the most beautiful music!  Please check her out and order her new CD!  If nothing else, AT LEAST watch this video.  Dare ya not to cry.  (I'm featured in an interview on the DVD that's coming out soon!  Can't wait!)

 

Next was Special Guest speaker, Miss Delaware 2011, Maria Cahill!  She's a brilliant and convicted 20-year-old woman who's not afraid to stand up for life!  She's the 2nd of 7 kids from a devoutly Catholic family.  She spoke at our Women's Conference earlier this spring and when the video of her talk went viral, she suffered a LOT of backlash for it.  "Beauty queens shouldn't be talking about such controversial topics, etc etc."  The usual.  She hadn't even competed in the Miss Delaware competition yet, but she wasn't going to be silenced (and obviously it didn't hurt her chances at winning!!).  She's still offering her services to us at any event she can be of help.  Root for Miss Delaware in the Miss America pageant in January!


I hesitated to post a picture of my 8-month-pregnant-self next to a beauty queen, but I'm working on humility.  Figured there wasn't a better lesson than this.  Ugh.

Then, the coup de grace - our keynote speaker, Shawn Carney!  O. M. G.  You guys, I had heard that he's an amazing speaker, but I was NOT prepared for this!!!  If any of  you work with a pro-life organization of any kind....HIRE this man for your next event!!!  I wish we'd been able to record his talk, but it didn't work out.  All I can say is that I've had more compliments on our event in the last 12 hours than I think I've had combined in the last 3 years I've been president!!!  Just...wow.  Here we are...old buddies!  :)


Somehow I look way better in the pic next to a dude than next to a 20 year old beauty queen.  Odd.

Funny sidenote: dude is YOUNG!!  He walked up to us in the hotel lobby and there were only 3 of us there at the time (we were setting up).  I was the oldest at 33, the banquet coordinator is 32, and the other board member there with us is 20.  He goes, "Wow, y'all are young!"  We just kind of looked at him like, "Ummmm...look in a mirror much??"  He says, "What?  I'm gonna be 30 this year!"  Yeah.  Like we said.  Anyway, he's accomplished so much at such a young age.  And he's got the greatest personality and sense of humor.  It was such a fun evening!

Now on the docket for today - a giant nap!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Warning - baby photos & stuff

I had to title the post with a warning because my IF wounds are still fairly fresh.  I remember how difficult it used to be for me to see others' baby and ultrasound pics on their blogs.  Not that I wasn't happy for anyone, but, well, you all know what I mean.  I haven't posted much news or even any pics because of this.  Plus it's emotionally been an up & down pregnancy so I've mostly just kept private.  But I've had a few requests for photos lately so here goes.

I had BPP #3 today.  Baby has passed every one with flying colors!  Today I even got to see him sucking his hand and grabbing his foot.  Truly miraculous.  It never gets old.

Here he is:



And...here I am at 32 weeks (blurry photo taken by a 5 year old):



Praise God for our little miracle!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Prayer Buddy Reveal

Better late than never, my summer prayer reveal!!  Over the past few months I've been praying for BRENDA at Life as We Know It!  I've loved getting to know Brenda through her blog and read about her wonderful family!  I certainly hope she and I will keep in touch!

I also found out that I have been prayed for by Jen at Crowley Coupledom!  I can't express how much Jen's prayers have meant to me throughout these months and this roller coaster pregnancy!  I felt those prayers, Jen!