Archive for the ‘abortion’ Tag
What is Government’s Role in Healthcare?
Filed under: abortion, Christian, government | Tags: abortion, government, healthcare
Leave a Comment I have been reading about the new “HHS Mandate” on healthcare coverage, which would require employers to cover abortion and abortion drugs. As a religious Christian I am totally against this because it is promoting the death of a child and requiring insurers, the government, and other employees of the company to be complicit in this murder by being forced to pay for it. I have been outspoken about my feelings on abortion, and how it should not be legal because it provides a loop hole for one person to take the life of another innocent person without just cause and without any recognition of the victim’s human and civil rights. Any attempt to excuse this through “a woman’s right to do whatever she wants with her body” (the baby is in her body, it is not her body), or “privacy between a woman and her doctor,” is absolutely ludicrous. I think that pretty well states my feelings if there was any doubt.
However as a political Conservative I have other questions about this issue which I do not even hear being asked. Of course to be clear the mainstream media is not asking any of the questions related to the moral issues of abortion mentioned above. They never do because they cannot handle the true answers. However what I am referring to here is more about the government and it’s role in health insurance.
Why should the government have any say in what is included in my health insurance? In an economic and political system that is supposed to be operating on competittion, why do we need their intervention? If an insurer wants to offer a type of policy I do not want, I should be able to just go with a different carier. I understand having some regulations to make sure they investigate and process claims in a timely and fair manner, but what is the point of the government dictating what has to be in my insurance?
I suppose the answer is going to come in the form of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution allowing for them to regulate these types of things, but I still think this is going too far.Does the government require every insurer to cover invitro-fertilization for every insurer? In the state of Massachusetts the answer is “yes” but in most other states and nation-wide the anwer is “no.” Invitro is very expensive and can also be contreversial, and yet it fascilitates the creation of life, where abortion only fascilitates the end of it.
I guess the point I am trying to get to here is that I really do not see why the Federal Government should be this involved in my health insurance. Since they do not understand the answer to the most basic question (which is life) I do not see how they can successfully regulate the industry responsible for paying for the medical care needed to sustain life.
What do you think the government’s involvement on this issue should be? Do you think that this mandate supports or harms the issue of life, and who’s rights are effected by it? I would really like to get some feedback and discussion on this.
Was the Tim Tebow ad good?
Filed under: abortion | Tags: abortion, football, religion, sports, superbowl, television
Leave a Comment Last Sunday at the Superbowl one of the biggest controversies was not a call by an official (I thought the refereeing was fine), but an ad by Focus on the Family. The ad, which featured University of Florida Quarterback and Heissman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and his Mom, was billed as a pro-life ad. This drew a lot of fiery protests from pro-death groups such as NOW and Planned Parenthood. CBS has never featured controversial ads dealing with politics or social issues, so this ad gained a lot of press during the week leading up to the big game.
But was the hype, and the $2.5 Million worth it? The ad was extremely vague, not using words like “life” or “abortion.” Tim’s Mom merely said that there were complications and Tim was a “miracle baby.” At the end of the ad was a link to the FotF site to get their full story. After watching this ad I was personally left asking whether or not this was really a pro-life ad, as nothing was explicitly said.
So I am writing this article to ask several questions. Do you think this was a pro-life ad? Was it worth it to spend the money? Should their have been a stronger, more definitive pro-life message or did Focus on the Family do a good job by putting out a commercial and letting the media sell the ad for them (the amount of discussion leading up to the Superbowl was huge). Do you have any other thoughts about this ad? Write your thoughts in the comments and I will discuss them with you.
Setting the AJC straight on anti-abortion
I just read an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the conviction of Scott Roeder for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, who was a late-term abortion doctor from Wichita, Kansas. The article is a great showcase for poor journalism without facts as well as liberal yellow journalism, you can take your pick which is worse.
The article, written by Roxana Hegeman of the Associate Press, does correctly summarize the facts of the days court proceedings, wherein Roeder was found guilty and could serve 25 years to life. This is fine. Hegemanalso says that fringe groups support Roeder and might want to commit more violence. While there was only one source to back up her statement this may also be true.
The problem is that the article seems to paint all pro-lifers as being extreme and wanting to see abortionists dead, and that pro-life activists want more protection to commit these crimes. This is patently untrue. Every major activist group and ministry affiliated with the right to life such as Operation Rescue, Focus on the Family, and Personhood USA condemned this act of violence, as it is the opposite of the right to life movement. The general consensus of the right to life movement is that while Dr. Tiller committed thousands of atrocities against humanity by daily killing the unborn, and that he deserved to be tried in a court of law, he himself had a right to life that Scott Roeder violated.
Perhaps the worst part of this article is when the author quotes Randall Terr,y as the founder of Operation Rescue, promising there will be more bloodshed. What she fails to tell you is that Randall Terry has not been affiliated with the organization for 17 years. In addition, as stated previously, Operation Rescue denounced this and all other violence against abortionists and staffers.
Hegeman and the Associated Press dropped the ball on this article. Either that, or they are purposefully trying to skew this issue, knowing that a majority of Americans say that abortion is morally wrong.
Why I signed the Manhattan Declaration
Filed under: Christian | Tags: abortion, Christian, homosexuality
Leave a Comment After hearing quite a bit about it in the news I decided to check out the Manhattan Declaration. If you have not yet read the declaration I suggest you check out the website and read it yourself. If you have not heard of it (living under a rock will do that) it is a position paper put together from leaders of various Christian churches that affirms the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and the right of conscience and religious liberty.
In recent years these principles have been attacked by various groups and individuals that want to change society to fit their wants and desires. The document serves as a line in the sand for what we will tolerate and what we will affirm as what is right and just for all society.
Now some Christians have rejected the idea of signing this document for various reasons. Those who call themselves Christians and yet reject Biblical doctrines think we should allow people to make choices about who lives or dies or allow anyone to marry just because they want to declare their love for each other or share work benefits. This is a matter of allowing the culture to dictate truth, which it cannot. Truth is objective and therefore timeless, and cannot be perceived by a culture that changes with the season’s fashions.
I urge everyone who reads this, and who understands the Biblical application of these principles to sign this document. For those that do not, I suggest you investigate who Jesus is, what He has done for you, and how you can receive Him into your life. Amen.
Perinatal Hospice: An Alternative to Abortion
Filed under: abortion | Tags: abortion, Christian, faith, politics, religion
Leave a Comment One of the questions many people ask about abortion is: “What if the baby has a terminal birth defect, shouldn’t he or she be aborted?” In the world’s view, this is usually the first and only choice. But for Christians, as painful a situation as this is, it is still a violation of the sixth commandment prohibiting murder.
Now there is an alternative form of care for these situations that can benefit Christians and non-Christians alike. Called Perinatal Hospice, it allows parents to deliver and care for their child for whatever short amount of time they will be on this earth. It not only allows parents to participate in God’s natural plans for birth, life and death, it allows mothers, fathers, and other family members the opportunity to properly participate in this child’s life and mourn their passing. It allows for the grieving process without the guilt of knowing that a life was terminated in violation of God’s law.
For more information I suggest you check out this article on Lifeissues.net. Fatal birth defects are a tragic situation, they do not also have to be a murderous one filled with guilt and shame.
Russ Bonchu
Public comments and opinions can be made at the link below, or you may reach me privately at: http://russbonchu.reachby.com
Thoughts on the murder of George Tiller
Filed under: abortion, Christian, government | Tags: abortion, Christian, murder, news
Leave a Comment This past Sunday, one of the US’s most notorious and controversial abortionists was murdered inside his church. I wanted to share some thoughts on this murder.
First, since this death was not one sanctioned by the government, put in place by God to judge human actions, it is murder and therefore falls under the condemnation of the sixth commandment. This was a vigilante action that no Bible believing Christian can rightly sanction, agree with, or celebrate.
Second, I want to make it clear that the end does not justify the means. Situational ethics is an oxymoron, and is no ethics at all. Even though Tiller was a dispicable man and disgrace to the medical profession, who flouted the law by performing abortions up until the last possible moments before birth, the Bible does not allow for his killing by one lone man without trial and sentencing by a court sanctioned by the government where he resides.
That all being said, I wanted to point something out I heard in a podcast today which really made me think. This vigilante probably thougth he was saving lives by killing Dr. Tiller, as it will probably put his clinic out of business. What is really interesting to me is that Dr. Tiller probably felt he was “saving” lives by keeping these women from being “saddled” with an unbanted pregnancy, improving their quality of life. It didn’t matter that they were both ending lives, and ignoring the right to life that these babies and Dr. Tiller shared. I suppose it’s kind of poetic, in a horribly twisted sort of way.
Unfortunately this case will almost undoubtedly do damage to the pro-life movement, making Bible believing Christians look like the domestic terrorists that the Department of Homeland Security accused us of being. Therefore, when your pre-Christian friends ask you about this I would encourage you to denounce this murder, and then quickly shift the subject to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, taking the opportunity to share His love with them.
Amen.
Obama’s Dirty Dozen
Jennifer Marshall and Katherine Bradley of the Heritage Foundation have written a fantastic article on the first quarter of the Obama administration and the 111th Congress. This article list 12 policies that either have been or may soon be implemented that will have a detrimental impact on our nation by reducing our freedom, compromising our morals, and weakening our country. I am not going to name or comment on the individual points of the article here unless someone requests it. Suffice it to say that I agree with the authors that every one of these policies are bad for America. Please check out this report, and let me know in the comments of this post if you agree or disagree with them.
Men, we need to pray like never before for the revival of this once great nation, and for the turning of the hearts of our elected officials. I believe the path we are heading down will end in great suffering and anguish, if we do not change our course.
Amen.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/wm2389.cfm
Sibelius Confirmation Can and Should be Stopped
As a Christian, we have several requirements and responsibilities. We are required to have faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our personal savior. We are to love our neighbors, and confess our sins and seek forgiveness from God. We are to uphold the Ten Commandments, the fifth of which is “Thou shalt not commit murder.” Since science has proven that an embryo is a whole and seperate person, this would include abortion. This means we should not only refrain from this heinous act ourselves, but to work to prevent others from participating in it as well.
Chairman Obama, in his effort to advance the pro-death agenda, has nominated Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS) to the office of Health and Human Services Secretary. Governor Sebelius is one of the leading proponents for abortion on demand at the state level. One of her biggest supporters is Dr. George Tiller, one of the worst abortionists in the country, currently on trial for violating laws restricting late-term abortions.
Clearly, this is not the kind of person that should be in charge of the health of the country. I do not think that someone who does not respect life, especially a life that cannot defend itself, should be in charge of the welfare and well being of the country. Well right now, there is something we can do about it. You can call the capital switchboard at 1 202 224 3121, ask for your Senator, and ask the to vote no on Governor Sibelius’ confirmation. If you do not know who your Senator is, just tell the operator where you live and they will look it up and connect you.
Please prayerfully consider doing this today. Even if Sebelius never did anything as HHS Secretary to change laws regarding abortion, we can send a clear message to our representatives about the will of the people on this important issue. Thank you.
The Right of Conscience
Filed under: Christian, religion | Tags: abortion, conscience, constitution, religion
Comments (1) The Right of Conscience is a right given by God, who commands us to follow His law, and is acknowledged by the US Constitution in our First Amendment Right to practice our religion. If you were to ask people to list rights that they were concerned about protecting, this would probably be at the bottom of the list, as it is usually considered a given.
But now that right is being threatened in a rather frightening way. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering regulations that would require an Obstetric Gynecologist (ObGyn) to perform an abortion even if he is morally opposed to this procedure. Just imagine, you are a born-again Christian, who goes through all those years of training, intending to help women with their reproductive health, only to be forced to commit an act that your Holy God says is murder. That, or face your other choice of losing your job or going to jail or facing steep fines for not performing the procedure. This is a decision I would never want to be faced with. Not because I would have difficulty making the right choice. I simply would not want to deal with those kinds of consequences.
Well we now have a chance to have our voices heard, and to stand in the gap for our beliefs. Michael Levitt, Secretary of HHS, has posted an entry on this very issue on his blog, and has invited people to comment on it. I would implore all Christians the world over to please politely ask the Secretary to make sure the right of a doctor to say “performing an abortion is against my religion” is protected. Thank you.
