pro-life


By JEANNE MONAHAN I remember well a night many years ago


when a dear friend who was adamantly pro-choice came to me, sobbing uncontrol- lably. With defenses down, she unloaded a heavy burden she had long carried — a few years before she had chosen to abort her developing baby. She told me that not one day had passed that she did not think about her baby and regret her decision. My heart ached for my friend, as she was clearly tormented by her decision.


GUEST COMMENTARY


Sadly, my friend is one among many. Abortion is not good for a woman’s mental health. With abortion statistics alarmingly high in the U.S., we live in a culture with an increasing number of post-abortive women struggling from the profound emotional and psychological consequences of abor- tion. Many of these women gravely regret their abortions. Visit the Feminists for Life website — www.silentnomoreawareness. org — to read a few of these stories. Science supports this sad reality. In the


fall, a meta-analysis was published in the prestigious British Journal of Psychiatry. The report was the most extensive of its kind to date — the author looked at 22 published studies and data from more than 870,000 women. The results showed that women who


have an abortion are at an 81 percent in- creased risk for mental health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, drug abuse, and suicidal behaviors. The study revealed the shocking statistic that close to 10 percent of all mental health problems in women can be directly at- tributed to abortion. It is absolutely critical that a woman


who is considering abortion be given as much information as possible so that she can make a truly informed decision, since her choice will impact her for the rest of her life. The year 2011 saw record-breaking


Senses . . . Continued from page 7


husband from the lingerie already in her closet. Or use Feb. 14 to do some shopping with each other and for each other. If funds are tight, try on outfi ts and take a picture of what you would buy if you could (or what you might buy later as a surprise for your mate). Expressing love doesn’t have to be expensive, it is more the expression of time, creativity, and energy, that says, “You were worth it!” For that extra wow, use those creative juices to incorporate all fi ve senses to plan that special red hot romantic date.


❏ Pam and Bill Farrel of El Cajon are best-


selling authors of over 35 books including Men Are Like Waffl es, Women Are Like Spaghetti, Red Hot Monogamy, and Pam penned 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband: Put a Smile on His Face. These resources and many more romantic helps, including Recession Romance Ideas, are found at www. Love-Wise.com.


“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 139:13 (NIV) nc/sd February 2012 — Good News, etc. — 15


The mental effects of abortion


numbers of laws enacted for informed consent. The Guttmacher Institute, originally founded as the research arm of Planned Parenthood, recently reported that throughout the course of the year more than 1,000 pro-life bills were introduced into state legislatures, with 83 of these bills becoming law. Of the new laws, a large percentage


have to do with improving a woman’s informed consent. In other words, these laws include educating a woman consid- ering abortion about the physiological stages of development of the baby, the psychological consequences she could potentially suffer as a result of choosing abortion and so on. Most reasonable people will agree that informed consent for abortion empow- ers a woman to make a better decision. More information is always better for an important decision, but, not surprisingly, abortion proponents adamantly oppose these laws. See Guttmacher’s article to read more about that. To these people, I have to wonder: What ever happened to “safe, legal and rare?” As a person steeped in public policy


related to the dignity of the human per- son, I am honored to speak with some frequency to a variety of groups — some friendly and some not — about these very issues. To make my point I will close with a true story. Yesterday, after speaking with a group on pro-life issues, a woman followed me out the door and tearfully thanked me. She shared with me that a few dozen


years ago she had an abortion and that if only she has known then what she knows now she never would have made such a decision — a decision she has grieved for many years. Thankfully she sought help and found a sense of healing and hope in one of the many groups counseling and helping post-abortive women. Let us continue to move full speed ahead


with positive legislation that benefits everyone — the developing baby, and its mother.


❏ Jeanne Monahan is director of the Center


for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council in Colorado Springs.


pro-life ministries


Alternatives Women’s Center Birthline Chula Vista Birthline Clairemont


Birth Choice, Oceanside Birth Choice, San Marcos Birth Choice, Temecula Bound 4 LIFE


College Area Pregnancy Services


Culture of Life Family Services, Escondido Culture of Life Family Services, San Diego Door of Hope (under 18) E.C. Pregnancy Care Center


Fallbrook Pregnancy Resource Center Life Choices Pregnancy Center Offi ce of Social Min./Rachel’s Hope Pregnancy Resource Center Ramona Pregnancy Care Center Silent Voices


St. Claire Home (over 18) Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center


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Mormon president . . . Continued from page 4


such positions should not legitimize the claims of Mormonism anymore than Keith Ellison’s (D-MN) election to Congress gives credence to the truth claims of Islam. If nothing else, this is an excellent time for Christians to become better educated with the issues that have long separated Mor- monism from Christianity. This includes Christian pastors, many of whom have failed to recognize that the LDS people are a neglected mission fi eld. Candidate Mitt Romney has always maintained that he would be true to his faith, a faith that is fraught with con- troversy. Mormonism was founded on the premise that it alone represents true Christianity and that all other professing Christians are part of a “great apostasy.” The Book of Mormon claims that there are only two churches, the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. You can be sure that Mormons certainly do not hold that their church is the latter. Mormon founder Joseph Smith, a man who claimed he saw God, taught that God was once a man, and that faithful Mormons can become Gods in the next life. A popular couplet in Mormonism states,


“As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.” Mormon leaders have insisted that true salvation (“exaltation,” or eternal life), can only be found within Mormonism. Some leaders, such as James Talmage and Spencer W. Kimball, have described the Christian view of salvation by grace through faith as a “pernicious”


doctrine “originated by Satan.” Anyone who thinks the Mormon church is moving toward theological orthodoxy is misin- formed. Of course, the primary question that


must be asked is, whether or not a person who holds to a Mormon worldview govern in a way that will refl ect negatively on those who hold the Bible dear? Christians who are confi dent that such a candidate will be friendly toward issues they too take seriously will probably overlook the many theological differences. Although voting is a right, it is not com- pulsory. If a person feels that the negative aspects of having a Mormon president are dishonoring to God, they can always abstain, write in the candidate of their choice, or even vote for the incumbent. Whatever the decision, it should not be made lightly. Because no choice comes without consequences, we need to be as thoughtful and responsible as we possibly can when deciding who will guide our great nation in the coming critical years. And, of course, we certainly need to be on our knees as we humbly make a very big decision.


❏


Bill McKeever is the founder/director of Mormonism Research Ministry (www.mrm. org) based in the Salt Lake City area. He is the host of the daily radio program Viewpoint on Mormonism and co-author (with Eric John- son) of Mormonism 101 (Baker, 2000) and the updated Answering Mormons’ Questions (Kregel, 2012) release this summer.


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