Since legalized in 1972 1,500,ooo babies have been killed each year. To this day there remains the great debate on abortion. The debates are typically centered around two things. 1) When life begins and 2) a woman’s right to choose.

We will first tackle #1. Contrary to what pro abortionists insist, at the moment of conception the baby has their own DNA completely separate from the parents.  Just 3 weeks from that point the baby has a heart beat as well as a spine and nervous system. Most women do not even know they are pregnant at this point. At week 5 the arms and legs begin to develop, and at 6 weeks you can detect brain waves. At week 12 they can suck their thumbs. By 20 weeks they ARE able to feel pain since their nerves, spine, and thalamus have finished developing. People want to argue that they are nothing but a “clump of tissues.” A quick ultrasound and its obvious to see that is a lie.

#2. I am trying to not be preachy here but really? a woman’s right? It almost seems like a joke that we think we have the right to decide what life is worth it or not. Yes, we do have a choice. Don’t have sex unless you want a baby. It is not a consequence, but a byproduct. Before I get slammed for being insensitive, I am fully aware and saddened that there are horrific circumstances in which a woman finds herself carrying a baby. What happened is WRONG on every level, but it couldn’t possibly make it right by killing the baby.

The abortion process.

Just to put this into perspective. People may think it is as easy as walking into the abortion clinic with the unwanted baby, and walking out free. WRONG my dear friend. What goes on in there will haunt you until you can let God forgive and heal.

Women have two options they can use to abort the baby depending on weeks of gestation. They can take the abortion pill or opt to have the baby surgically removed.

The pill can take days or even weeks to abort the baby. They claim the advantages to this are that women can be in the comfort of her own home with a support person. However, the pills aren’t as effective over 7 weeks gestation. The woman can expect heavy bleeding, cramps, and the passing of what they call”pregnancy tissue” which means a BABY!

Surgical removal can be done by a few different techniques depending on gestational age. According to Planned Parenthood aspiration is the mot common type of in clinic abortion when the baby is up to 16 weeks. For this procedure the woman is laid back with her feet in the stirrups while her cervix is opened with rods. A cannula with a suction on the end and a knife like object attached is inserted through the cervix to suction out the baby. To make this image even clearer. The baby comes out in parts, ripped. They then use the knife to scrape out the uterine wall.

The D & C (dilation and curettage) is a similar technique except it uses the knife on the end to cut the baby into pieces then suction it out.

The D & E (dilation and evacuation) is typically done in third month. The cervix is first dilated with drugs then held opened by rods. They use a device that looks like pliers to go through the cervix and grab an arm or leg to pull out in twisting motion until only the head remains. The abortionists will then go in and crush the skull and pull it out. To make sure there are no pieces remaining inside the woman, the nurse must reassemble the baby in a basin.

In late term abortions, to prevent the older babies from being born alive, they will insert an injection through your abdomen to the baby to stop the heart beat. The abortionist will then administer a hormone to start labor and the woman will deliver a dead baby. (They would rather the baby not be moving just in case the instruments and suction don’t kill it.)

In mid and later term abortions they perform what is called a D and X. (dilation and extraction) By ultrasound they determine where the head is. They then use instruments to turn the baby into a  breech position. (feet first) They do this to go in and  pull the baby out by their legs, alive. Once the head is last thing in, with legs moving, they lift your cervix from baby’s neck and with blunt scissors jam them into the base of skull, opening to make the wound larger. A catheter is then inserted to suck out their brains and skull so the head will pass through easily.

No words that I could ever write could begin to portray the horrific disgust of what goes on every day. We are not truly educating women on what all an abortion entails. The abortion clinics aren’t going to give the grim truth. This is a billion dollar industry! Regardless of the above methods used, the end result is the same, a dead baby.

I for one cannot sit back any longer and not do my part to educate and love on the women who have fallen victim to the abortion industry. The unborn child has no voice, and are simply not protected. Heck, we have laws to protect animals from mistreatment and neglect but we have failed to do so for our own human kind!

Let’s do this together. We can do our part to keep women and precious unborn life from the tortures of abortion. Education is they key to ultimate freedom. Most importantly we must  share God’s love with post abortive women and the power of forgiveness and redemption. We cannot turn things around unless we show compassion for these women and help them. We have action to take. I encourage you to browse around some awesome pro-life websites to better educate yourself to share with others. There also wonderful images we can post on Facebook to help open eyes.

When we take a life we ultimately take our own.

Resources where I got my information:

National Abortion Federation

Planned Parenthood

Pro-life websites

liveaction.org

liveactionnews.org

lifenews.com

Catch up on the rest of my birth control series!

Taking A Stand

History And Agenda

How Do They Work?

What Does God Think?

photo courtesy of papaija2008/frredigitalphotos

No, the Bible does not say “Thou shall not use birth control.” However, just like with every situation the Lord looks at the heart. What are our motives for preventing more children?

If we really examine ourselves we will see that the number one answer, rather anyone wants to admit it or not, is SELF. It is easy to disguise this motive into more socially acceptable ones like these… “We want to make sure we can take care of them with that high paying job before we bring children in the world.” or “We want to have all of our fun now, or go to school now, or have time as just husband and wife… so when we are ready for children we can focus solely on them.

I know… I know… then this argument, “God gave you common sense so use it.” Yes, when it comes to health problems and family dynamics use the brain God gave you. You and your spouse seek the Lord in prayer and follow His leading, that is common sense. It does not mean…I better go on that cruise before I get off the pill so I can have one last awesome vacation!

Just like with anything else, it is all about our mindset that God is concerned about.

For Christians we know what the Bible says about children…

They are a Heritage

They are a Reward

They are a Blessing

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them

He formed them in the womb

He knew them before they were born

Do we really believe this? If we truly did then why do so many Christians act surprised when families don’t prevent babies?

Selfishness is the root of the birth control mindset. We are born only looking after ourselves. Only God can renew the mind and heart and teach us to love the way He does. I have noticed that when a woman with more than a few children walks into a room, some get insulted. People think, “No on in their right mind would choose this!” But ya see, she didn’t choose, God did.

When we put matters in our own hands as to when it is convenient, how much money we need in the account, the trip we must go on, or the job we must have; instead of raising people… then we have missed the mark.

The value we put on children goes beyond our own families. Do we still value the life in the unmarried mother’s womb? What about the snotty nosed kids in the nursery at church? If you don’t have children are you doing your part to care for them and show them the love of Jesus? A beautiful example of this is my Aunt. She has no children of her own, yet treats every child she meets as if they were hers.

Let’s stop trying to think of every excuse to prevent children. Let’s show them they rank far above scary college tuition, trips to the Bahamas, and the designer home.

To answer my own question. Yes, God does care how we treat, respond, prevent, and think about little ones. Yes, He does care if I would rather have the new car than new life. Yes, He does care that I don’t trust Him to meet all of our needs. Yes, He wants us to have more children. Yes, He wants His army full to fight the enemy. Yes, He wants us to get over ourselves.  No one is an inconvenience in His mind and everyone is worth it. Shouldn’t we think the same way?

Contrary to what people think this is not a neutral issue. It has a ripple effect on our society. We should stop using the cop-out that this is a private issue. I want to encourage married couples to see for themselves what God says about children and to pray for His guidance. Make your decisions based on that alone, not external and temporary factors. If at times you feel led to prevent for a time then please do safely, not at the cost of hormones jeopardizing your health or possibly causing miscarriage.

When we are in the business of transforming our minds to be like Christ, we will see the backwards thinking that has become our societies new norm. We must quit clinging to ourselves and cling to God, His blessings, His promises, and His will. When we die to self, we gain more to give more.

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Taking A Stand

History And Agenda

How Do They Work?

Photo courtesy of Brandon Sigma/Free Digital Photos

There are many birth control options on the market today. The most common methods are the pill, the patch, the implant, injectable, the vaginal ring, and the IUD. The pill and the IUD are the two most common, so we will focus on those for now.

The pill is a hormonal contraceptive that contains both estrogen and progesterone.  It works by three different mechanism to inhibit pregnancy. There is also a pill on the market with only progesterone and it is typically given to nursing mothers, because estrogen can affect milk supply.

The first mechanism of action is to  suppress ovulation. (release of egg from ovaries) Secondly, it  thickens the cervical mucous which basically slows down sperm. Thirdly, secretions are altered in the uterus (womb) to produce areas of swelling and dense regularity to keep implantation from happening.

The most common side effects are headaches, dizziness, breast tenderness, nausea, breakthrough bleeding, decreased libido, and mood swings. Who wants that??

There are two types intrauterine devices on the market. The first is copper containing,(ParaGard) and is approved for use up to 10 years.  The other one is hormonal (Mirena). It releases progesterone and is approved up to five years.

It is stated that 24 hours after insertion it starts to create a local inflammatory response inside the uterus. This attracts white blood cells that are toxic to sperm. Like the pill, these also work to thicken cervical mucosa. The IUD also works by changing the endometrial lining thus impairing implantation.

Side effects for the IUD include cramps, spotting, heavy menstrual flow, infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility. It is stated that 1/1000 insertions have to be surgically removed because the IUD perforated the uterus and went into the abdominal cavity.

There is much debate on these hormonal birth control methods on how they contribute to cancers, infertility, blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. According to the National Cancer Institute the studies and research to prove the links have been inconsistent. From what they have been able to gather, the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers have gone down.  However, breast, cervical, and liver cancer have all increased. Whatever data you choose to believe, it is a fact that these cancers feed off of excess estrogen and progesterone. To add more of that in your body seems only logical that it would add to your health risk.

Onto birth control being abortifacients.

As you can see for yourself in package inserts one of the mechanisms of action in the two most popular forms of birth control on the market are to effect the endometrium, thus affecting implantation. Basically, just in case the woman ovulates and the sperm makes its way through the thick cervical mucosa and fertilizes the egg, it will die off because it will have no luck trying to implant into your womb.  If you are like me and remember back at any certain time when you were on a hormonal birth control and had an extremely heavy period than normal, could have been a miscarriage…

At the moment that sperm reaches the egg new life has burst into being. At that moment its complete DNA makeup, even the sex has been determined.  To know that my ignorance of not being informed about this has crushed me. This is why I am so passionate about telling others what I never knew. Imagine all of the babies that have been lost from not knowing this information.

There is not much of a line between abortion and hormonal contraceptives when we look at the facts. We must inform ourselves and seek after what God would have us do.

Please subscribe and share your experiences. Have you had any side effects? Did you know they were abortifacients?

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Taking A Stand

History And Agenda

Photo courtesy of Adamr/freedigitalphotos

I want to discuss a little history about birth control and the agenda behind the birth control pill. There is a lot of information out there, so I did my best to condense it. If any one has more to add please feel free:)

Forms of contraception have been used since ancient times. People would make concoctions to act as natural spermicide, practice coitus interruptus, (known as the withdrawal method) and use other types of barriers. The concept is nothing new.

In 1916  feminist, activist and founder of what is now Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, opened the very first birth control clinic. She was arrested many times for distributing out information about the use of contraceptives which was against the Comstock Act. The Comstock Act prohibited any kind of advertisements, information, or distribution of contraception. In fact, the postal service was allowed to confiscate it if  found in the mail.

In the 1950’s with help from scientist, an endocrinologist, and huge money contributions Sanger pioneered the research for the first hormonal birth control pill. They used a synthetic hormone of progesterone. Throughout the 50’s they did two separate clinical trials. There biggest one was in Puerto Rico since there were no birth control laws there. They found that their pill was effective, yet had many dangerous side effects.

In 1957 the FDA approved the birth control pill Enovid for the uses of heavy menstrual periods. That didn’t last long… it was approved for contraception in 1960.

It became popular very quick as feminist swept our nation. By 1965, 6.5 million were taking the hormonal contraceptive.

All of the popularity was not without controversy. Around 1967 African-Americans started to come after Planned Parenthood. They were finding that instead of helping them, they were trying to wipe out future black generations. They were providing the pill to poor minorities and neighborhoods all the while they were basically leading to their own genocide.

In 1968 the FDA approved the first IUD. (intrauterine device)

In 1969 A popular book called, “The Doctor’s Case Against The Pill,” was published with a lot of information on the side effects of this so-called wonder pill. This led to a huge congressional hearing were feminist disputed the safety of the pill. As a result, they changed the formula and started to put in informational package inserts.

Just in case your hormonal birth control failed you,  in 1973 Roe vs Wade legalizes abortion. (We will get to this later, trust me)

In 1974 some of the IUD’s were taken off the market due to infections and death. There were many lawsuits during this time. In 1979 sales dropped by 24% due to the new awareness of health risk.

In 1988 the original pill came off the market and a new pill was made with less hormones. The new copper IUD was also introduced.

In 1990 the first implantable contraception Norplant and the injectable Depo- Provera were introduced as well as Plan B. (morning after pill)

In 2002 Norplant is taken of the market due to once again dangerous side effects.

2003 the FDA approves Seasonal. (four periods)

2007 the FDA approves Lybrel (No periods)

As of 2010 there were 1110 lawsuits pending against Bayer Healthcare because of blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes caused by Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella.

Now onto a few of the many agendas behind the pill…

The first is that of eugenics or population control. Eugenics is basically purposeful breeding of the “fit” human population and keeping all of the “unfit” from reproducing. In 1920 Margaret Sanger stated in this quote” Birth control is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit and preventing the births of defectives.” A few more short famous quotes from Margaret Sanger…“The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it”…“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”

 To think that these were acceptable things to say seems unimaginable. It is ironic that she meant for the pill to keep, who she thought were crappy people, from reproducing ended up being so widely used. Makes me wonder who all we have missed out on.

A new revolution followed shortly after the pill gained popularity. Women stated for the first time they felt true freedom with out the risk of becoming pregnant. Women were waiting longer to get married and have children in order to pursue careers. Many young girls were having premarital sex because they no longer had the risk of pregnancy. Women in the workforce increased because they didn’t want to spend their middle years at home since their children were in school. Of course when a woman’s birth control failed them there was always the option for an abortion. Nothing could stand in her way!

Women claimed that they wanted their freedoms, choices, and to have control of their own bodies. They wanted to come and go as they wished and to be free from their domestic duties and be able to enjoy sex with out risk of an unwanted pregnancy.  The new agenda was about living life to the fullest, free of so-called burdens and responsibilities.

Let’s get to some truth…

Want to talk about true freedom ladies? How about instead of popping a pill just because it is socially the norm we read the facts for ourselves. These contraceptives rather that be IUD, pill, injection, or an implant carry hormones in them. I have said this before, we worry about the hormones in our chicken, but aren’t the least bit concerned over the ones we put in our bodies everyday to prevent pregnancies. Women are getting cancers, blood clots, having heart attacks and strokes because of these. You call that freedom? Our medical professionals aren’t telling us this. They aren’t explaining all your choices, the risk involved, and how they actually work in your body. That is not having control over your body.

Let’s educate women on how our bodies actually work instead of popping a pill. Learn your body and take control. Know when you ovulate, learn your own hormones and what contraceptives are doing to your body or possibly even a baby. Don’t give over the control to something synthetic.

True freedom is knowing how God made women’s bodies to work and taking care of it the way God intended.

I end all of this to say once again that I am not condemning anyone or judging. I have been convicted, then with God’s help took a great leap of faith to go the opposite of most other women and have discovered the freedoms that every one wants. This is not a new concept, but it has become so foreign to us. So I encourage and challenge every one of us to take a closer look at what we are putting in our bodies and our motives for doing so.

Stay tuned because I will soon be posting about the most popular forms of contraception on the market and how they affect our health as well as their mechanism of action. Yes, some can chemically abort your baby you didn’t even know you had.

Please subscribe and share your thoughts, questions, and comments. Let’s keep the discussion open.

For other post in this series read Taking A Stand.