I went to the rally today. In the morning we were outside the projected facility, a really beat up building presently, surrounded by wire fences with barbed wire on top. The area is under development, so maybe when the fence was build there was a need to protect property. Anway, we marched, prayed, and protested. My experience marching was holding the hand of a little boy whose mother brought him and his two brothers. Before today I had never met them. The rally was an informative kick-off to future efforts. Speakers included Keith, Will, Eric Scheidler from Illinois, Joe Scheidler also from Illinois, and a lawyer named Tom.
After lunch we moved inside (side note: earlier this week sleet and snow and freezing weather were predicted for today, but the actual weather was a chilly, clear morning – rain came way after the rally) and heard again the history of this Planned Parenthood facility, and its sister facility with sister tactics in Aurora, Illinois. Mostly for me it was a time to figure out who these leaders are, what they’re about, and what they’ll continue to do.
Keith, who is always a quiet person, showed real emotion, between excitement for the turnout, enthusiasm for the cause, and appreciation for leaders of the pro-life movement. And he quite often was heart to say, “Praise God.” Will was softspoken and direct, like Gandalf veiling his potency in a thin cloak. A few weeks ago I heard him answer a neighbor of a contractor who complained he was tired of our protests, “Forty years and 50 million lives! We’re tired of babies being murdered!” I am fully aware that my quote has not the slightest hint of the fervor with which it was originally spoken. Eric told us about the ongoing efforts in Illinois, and how God providentially had the people in place to respond to the last-minute call to forestall Planned Parenthood’s opening there. Joe gave the Christian admonition to carry on in faith (relying on God), hope (that there are real victories being won through our willingness to be involved and outspoken), and love (for the babies, obviously, and also for our “enemies,” whose souls are at stake.
Tom the lawyer talked about first amendment rights, testifying of the progressively improving standing pro-life groups have in court. He advised to always do what a police officer says, even if there isn’t a law. If our rights are clearly intentionally violated, then we can meet with an officer’s superiors or write letters or if the offense is very direct, we can call a lawyer. A lot of these people have been in jail. Sometimes I think of that as civil disobedience, with which I disagree. The Bible teaches to obey the ordinances of man. But apparently most of these people weren’t breaking ordinances; they were making authorities uncomfortable, so they arrested them without charges.
Anyway, I signed the petition (’cause we’re not allowed to sign the ones that we’re circulating) defining person as beginning at fertilization. Some of the speakers had pretty direct ways of backing pro-choice people into a corner to admit that a baby in the womb is still a living human being. They report that the abortionists have admitted that they know they are destroying life. But they don’t tell the women that, because abortion is a business.
The plans in Colorado are:
1. Pressure contractors (particularly Weitz Company) through phone calls, emails, and neighborhood protests to cease construction on the Planned Parenthood mega-clinic.
2. Increase city, state, and neighborhood awareness of the facility and the dishonest practices employed by Planned Parenthood.
3. Preach to those who are working on the building, praying they will, when educated about the project, turn away.
4. Define person in the Colorado constitution as beginning at fertilization (collect signatures for the petitions, campaign for the ballot measure).
5. Continue to intercede outside of abortion clinics.
Reported by one of the speakers today was the statistic that the average age of an abortionist in the US today is 65 years, because no new med students want the kind of stigmatized life the abortionists face – a direct result of pro-life protesting. If there is no abortionist available, even if it is legal, women will not be able to kill their babies. If there is no facility available, no babies will be murdered either. The little protests count. They’re building.
Pray that the pro-life people of Colorado will be able to expose the lies and greed and ruthlessness of Planned Parenthood and that the facility would be halted and never opened. Pray that the Christians would stand up for what the Bible clearly teaches. Pray that the people would understand what abortion is, and reject the practice as barbarous child-sacrifice. Pray that God will send a revival, using His ambassadors who are surrendered to His service, to Colorado: millions need to experience God’s saving grace for their lives.
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
Lisa of Longbourn 