Abortion: "A Devastating Practice"

Abortion:

A Devastating Practice

Many of you may not know that I am a Childbirth Educator and a doula.  Most of you probably have no idea what a doula is! "Doula" is a Greek word that means "a woman who serves" and refers to someone who has been trained to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and after birth.  We don't deliver the babies, that job is for the midwives or doctors.  But we give lots of massages, encouragement, ideas on positions to try to reduce discomfort, and reminders about the pros and cons of procedures that might be suggested during their labor. As a doula, I have helped over 100 women bring their babies into the world.  It's a pretty awesome job! I love babies!! And I testify that what the Proclamation states is true: Each human being, no matter how young or small, is "a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny." Sadly, the laws of our land don't reflect this knowledge.  Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, women have had the "right" to an abortion in all 50 states. I think the abortion issue is one of the most obvious cases of "just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's right." 

Elder Russell M. Nelson called abortion "the global war on the unborn."  As of 2008, this "war" kills approximately 40 million "voiceless and defenseless unborn babies each year" around the world. 


When President Gordon B. Hinckley read the Proclamation on the Family at the Relief Society meeting in 1995, he reminded everyone of "the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan."  In an article entitled "Defending the Sanctity of Human Life", author Cynthia L. Hallen states: Each individual is sacred because each one reflects the divine image of the Creator." And the Proclamation also says: "all human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God." 

This is an ultrasound video of a baby from 5-9 weeks gestation.  Check it out!

At what week was the heartbeat clearly visible?

When did leg and arm buds begin to develop?

Here is an ultrasound picture at 20 weeks gestation.  Right now, it is legal in the state of Texas to abort a baby this age.  This breaks my heart.  

After seeing these sonograms, can there be any doubt that unborn babies are already BABIES?  

You've heard of Mother Teresa, right?  She was a Catholic nun, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner.  

Listen to what she had to say about abortion:

"Many people are deeply concerned with the children of India, with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger.  Many people are also concerned about all the violence in this great country of the United States.  These concerns are very good.  But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers.  And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today - abortion, which brings people to such blindness.  By abortion, the mother kills even her own child to solve her problems.  And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world....Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want."

Sometimes you will hear people claim that a woman is free to choose what she does with her own body.  Listen to what Elder Nelson had to say about that: 

"The woman's choice for her own body does not validate choice for the body of another...The consequence of terminating the fetus therein involves the body and very life of another.  These two individuals have separate brains, separate hearts, and separate circulatory systems.  To pretend that there is no child and no life there is to deny reality."

And President Boyd K. Packer said: "Whatever the laws of man may come to tolerate, the misuse of the power of procreation, the destroying of innocent life through abortion, and the abuse of little children are transgressions of enormous proportion."

Read what President Gordon B. Hinckley said regarding teen pregnancy and unwed parents: "There will be those who discover to their shock and dismay that they are to become parents, while they are scarcely older than children themselves. Abortion is not the answer.  This only compounds the problem.  It is an evil and repulsive escape that will someday bring regret and remorse...When marriage is not possible, experience has shown that adoption, difficult though this may be for the young mother, may afford a greater opportunity for the child to live a life of happiness."

The Proclamation says: "We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family."  Spend a few minutes writing in your journal about ways that YOU can help strengthen the family and protect the unborn.