The Party of Death

Yesterday, on the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Hilary Rodham Clinton locked in her nomination as the party's presidential candidate.

But this is not your grandparents' Democratic Party. Over the last several years, the Democrats have been driven further and further left into the realm of radicalism. Clinton herself was steadily pushed in the direction of Marx and Alinsky by Bernie Sanders who same so close to dethroning her during the Democratic primary.

This transition can be seen most clearly in the DNC's position on abortion.

The Hyde Amendment has been around since 1976, just three years after Roe v Wade. It restricts taxpayer dollars from funding abortions (of course Planned Parenthood still gets half a billion in federal funding every year because the biggest provider of abortions in the US claims none of the money goes to abortions).

As far as restrictions on abortion go, the Hyde Amendment is pretty popular. 62% of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortions according to a Knights of Columbus-Marist poll cited in the Washington Post. Even better, 45% of those who identified as pro-choice agreed.

But that didn't stop the DNC from stating unequivocally in their Platform that in addition to keeping the Republicans from defunding Planned Parenthood, they plan on repealing the Hyde Amendment.

The real history-making of the DNC was not nominating the first female presidential candidate of a major party. Instead, this DNC will be remembered as the first time getting rid of the Hyde Amendment made it into a party's platform.

Of course such radicalism should come as no surprise. Clinton is the biggest abortion-crusader since Margaret Sanger. Her first speech as presumptive Democratic nominee took place in front of a Planned Parenthood building. She made it clear that "reproductive justice" i.e. abortion, is an integral part of her position on domestic politics.

There is an incestuous relationship between the Democratic Party and the abortion industry. At one point on the first night of the Convention, Planned Parenthood CEO could be seen standing right next to Bill Clinton. Richards, the Merchant of Death herself (that Tweet got her to block our account), gave one of the most loudly applauded speeches of the second night of the DNC. Her remarks were thankfully short - I have not heard something so incoherent in a long time, even at the DNC. Nevertheless, her main point was clear: Hilary Clinton is an ally to Planned Parenthood. Instead of "I'm with her," it was "She's with us."

This means that under a Clinton administration, we shouldn't expect any federal investigations into Planned Parenthood, no matter what they are accused of doing (or proven to be). If Queen Clinton can get away with extreme and criminal negligence in the handling of classified emails, why should we expect anything less for Planned Parenthood? It's hard to exaggerate here with all of the crimes Planned Parenthood has committed, but it is fair to say that Cecile Richards could murder someone (outside of the womb) live on national television and still get away with it.

For the Democratic party, abortion is not some kind of regretful necessity. The party sees the ability to murder your child as an unalienable right. Abortion pays the salaries of some and gets votes for the rest. The problem with the Democratic Party is that it has gone from caring about people to caring only about votes. And money.

If they cared about women's health, they would institute basic surgical standards in abortion clinics instead of self-righteously toppling a Texas law that would have protected countless women. If they cared about minorities, they would pay attention to the fact that minorities are disproportionately targeted for abortion, independent of other factors. That goes back to the racist and eugenicist Margaret Sanger who founded Planned Parenthood. 

There are some pro-life Democrats, but they have become the silenced minority. The officials of the party have become unforgivably corrupt and unabashedly pro-abortion. By actively promoting the greatest genocide of our generation, the Democratic Party has become the Party of Death.

If you are considering voting Democrat this November, I would ask you to carefully examine your conscience and the positions of the candidates on the most important issue of our time: abortion. Hilary is a rabid abortion promoter and the sad reality of the fact is that most Democratic candidates are the same.

The base of the Democratic Party, the people, have a moral prerogative. They can either abandon their sinking ship, sinking under the weight of innocent souls, or reform their party from the inside-out. There is a lot of pruning to be done. Political hacks like Elizabeth Warren - who spoke with such exasperation about those who oppose a "woman's right to choose" during the DNC - need to go. The corruption must be rooted out.

Bernie Sanders often spoke of a "political revolution" that he was ostensibly leading. But the real revolution must dethrone pro-abortion politicians and radicals within the Democratic Party.

If not, a vote for a Democrat is a vote for abortion, a vote for murder, a vote for death.

Are You a Pro-Life Voter?

It's the most partisan time of the year. We are in the midst of the 2016 presidential election as well as a congressional election. And it's a nasty one. We haven't seen this level of political vitriol and bitterness in years. The Republican field was narrowed from 17 contenders last summer to the presumptive nominee and businessman Donald J Trump. On the Democratic side, former First Lady and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and dark horse candidate Bernie Sanders fought it out until just a few weeks ago when the former socialist admitted defeat (amidst claims that the Democratic nomination was rigged by the super-delegate system).

The two nominees could not be more different. Trump is a political outsider; Clinton is a long-time member of the Washington establishment. Trump wants to restrict immigration; Clinton wants to open it up. Trump wants lower taxes for the rich; Clinton wants them to be higher. Trump wants to end the Affordable Care Act; Clinton wants to expand it. They can hardly agree on anything. 

And this generally follows for all levels of elections in our country. The Republicans and Democrats are as divided as ever. Whether it's gun control or protecting religious liberty, it is as if they are speaking different languages. Consensus is nowhere in sight. 

But there is one issue that trumps (pun intended) all others. It is more important than the jobs market, more important than foreign policy, and even more important than whether or not the Redskins get to keep their mascot. That issue is abortion. 

Abortion has been legal in the United States with few exceptions since 1973. We've lived with abortion for forty-three years. My generation and my parents' generation have grown up knowing nothing different than abortion-on-demand. This fight against abortion, the fight against injustice, has gone on so long that it is easy for us to make abortion just another partisan issue. 

But it's not. Abortion is the single most important issue facing our country today. 

Just look at the numbers. According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2015, 12,942 people were killed by guns in the US (that number includes unintentional deaths and suicides). 591,699 people died from cancer. In 2012, at least 1.05 million babies were murdered. Over 56 million children have been butchered in the US alone since Roe v Wade. Not only were they murdered, but their deaths were both without cause and largely preventable. 

If we weren't living in a culture of death, the fact that 3,300 babies are being killed every day would make the headlines of every paper. 

The lack of news coverage does not change the fact that innocent children are dying however. No matter the terminology that the pro-aborts use, choosing to "terminate a pregnancy" really means choosing to kill a child. 

We all have a duty to end the grave moral evil of abortion. Because of our common humanity and the right to life enshrined in our founding documents, we must protect the most innocent in our society. An attack against unborn life is an attack on life everywhere, and we see that in the growing prevalence of euthanasia and assisted suicide. 

We are living in a state of genocide perpetrated against the most innocent of our society. You and I have an obligation to end it.

There is something simple that you and I can do to help end abortion. It's not hard, it doesn't require a lot of your time, and you don't even have to make your beliefs public (although you certainly should engage in pro-life activities that are hard, time-consuming, and public). All you have to do is vote. 

Vote consistently and unwaveringly with your pro-life convictions. If you believe in the simple equation: abortion equals murder, then the subject of abortion needs to be the most important issue you consider when you vote. We cannot in good conscience cast a single vote for any public official who supports or is even neutral on the issue of abortion. Voting for a pro-choice candidate means you are enabling the genocide of abortion and encouraging the culture of death. No matter what their stances are on other issues, pro-abortion candidates are committed to not only maintaining the current abortion industry, but vastly expanding it and removing any restrictions whatsoever. More babies will die. Women will die because of the removed restrictions. 

By electing pro-life candidates, we give a voice to the unborn. We ensure that their interests are represented at every level of government. This is one of the ways that we will end abortion. 

Whenever you vote, you must vote for the most pro-life of the candidates, regardless of the position they are trying to win, whether it be mayor, state legislator, or President of the United States. That may even mean voting for someone who may oppose abortion but with exceptions for any number of circumstances. It may be hard to stomach, but sometimes we must choose the better of two evils in this fight against abortion. 

A candidate's views on taxes, foreign policy or job creation are inconsequential. Even their political party doesn't matter. Until the scourge of abortion is removed from this earth, it is unacceptable to vote in any way but pro-life. 

Let's be frank. The positions of the two presidential nominees for 2016 on the issue of abortion are clear. Hilary Clinton is a radical pro-abort. She gave her first speech as the Democratic nominee in front of Planned Parenthood, pledging her support to defending their interests. Planned Parenthood won't have to worry about any legal repercussions for her entire presidency. The Hyde Amendment will disappear. Taxpayer funds will go straight to abortion clinics (as if they don't already). She will ensure abortion-on-demand for the next twenty years with her Supreme Court nominations. The bench will be packed with unapologetically political justices like Ginsberg. If Clinton is elected, it will be a major setback for the pro-life movement at a time when we are rapidly gaining momentum. 

If you vote for Clinton, you are complicit in the murder of countless innocents. 

If you vote for Clinton, don't you dare call yourself pro-life. 

To be completely honest, I was a little skeptical about Trump's pro-life record at first. As recently as 2000, he was openly pro-choice. Apparently, as he claims because of personal stories, Trump converted to the pro-life cause. Though I was worried about his sincerity, this was enough. Trump is clearly more pro-life than Clinton, and he will nominate conservative justices to the Supreme Court who will give us a chance at finally overturning Roe v Wade.

Once again, in cases such as this, it is morally necessary to vote for the most pro-life candidate. 

My support for Trump was clinched by his recent selection of Mike Pence as his running mate. The former governor of Indiana was immediately condemned by both Clinton and Planned Parenthood. And that's more than enough for me. Any foe of Planned Parenthood is more than likely an ally of the pro-life movement. Pence "personally led the fight to defund Planned Parenthood while serving in the House," as Clinton put it. During his fight against the pro-abortion lobby, Pence said "I long for the day that Roe v Wade is sent to the ash heap of history." This is a man the pro-life movement can rally behind! 

More recently, Pence signed into law HB 1337. It restricts abortions when they are solely based on the gender, race, or the potential defects of the unborn child - like Down Syndrome. Any woman who wants an abortion must get an ultrasound and listen to its heartbeat. Finally, the remains of the unborn child must be respectfully cremated or buried. This law will save lives and save women from indescribable pain. Of course Planned Parenthood instantly filed a lawsuit. 

The Trump-Pence ticket is decidedly pro-life. Hilary Clinton is unabashedly pro-abortion. 

Choosing not to vote means that you don't care. Avoiding the booth on Election Day is as much a pro-abort victory as if you had voted for Clinton. 

The choice is simple. Life or death. Pro-life or pro-abortion. It's up to you in November. 

Let's choose life. 

Dealing with Disappointment

About two weeks ago, the US Supreme Court reached a decision on Whole Woman's Health v Hellerstedt. The case was based on a Texas law, H.B.2, that made abortion clinics adhere to some basic medical standards such as being a certain distance from a hospital and having hallways wide enough for stretchers to fit through. They are the same standard that all surgical centers must meet. And after all, the pro-aborts would have us believe that abortion is just that, a surgery, the removal of a bundle of cells instead of the clinical and deliberate murder of a human being. Nothing in the Texas law specifically restricted the ability of women to obtain abortions. These standards merely protected the health of women having abortions. 

But unsurprisingly, this law forced several Texas abortion clinics to close because they failed to meet those basic medical standards. So guess what side the pro-abortion lobby was on? They fought a legal battle all the way to the highest court of the land instead of instituting reforms that would protect women's health. Ironically, Whole Woman's Health filed an appeal against a law designed to protect the health of those women who "chose" (or more often than not, are pressured and coerced) to have an abortion. 

It really makes you wonder. If abortion is such a "safe" medical procedure, then why did so many clinics close because they literally were not safe? Why did so many clinics close that Planned Parenthood got worried and mobilized its abortion lobby? If anything, this case shows that the pro-aborts care far more about keeping as many clinics open as possible than they do about making sure that the women who go to such clinics can have access to emergency medical services. Planned Parenthood would rather risk the lives of women than lose money. 

Since the decision came the first week of summer, I had the chance to go out in front of the Supreme Court with Students for Life and demonstrate our support for the H.B.2 law. We stood out in the rain (well it was really only drizzling for a couple of minutes) and chanted "Pro-woman, pro-life." That was our position. While in an ideal world, this would have been the case that overturned Roe v Wade, at the very least we could show that being pro-life means that we also protect women. These restrictions could have saved at least a few lives. And so we were there.

That weekend, I also had the opportunity to go back to the Supreme Court and pray for an hour or so with some of the youth from Students for Life who were staying the night. They knew the decision would come the next day, and so they wanted to secure an area for pro-life demonstrators. 

Right on schedule, the US Supreme Court made its decision. Many people, myself included, were sure that it would be a 4-4 split with the bench divided after Scalia passed away, may he rest in peace. That would mean that H.B.2 would stand, clinics would close, and some lives would be saved. 

But that wasn't the decision they came to. The Supreme Court ruled 5-3 that based on the "undue burden" the medical standards caused on women seeking access to abortions, the Texas law was unconstitutional. 

I was disappointed. More than disappointed, I was angry, angry that the Supreme Court would side with the abortion lobby over the legitimate health concerns of women. To be completely honest, I was also angry that all of the time I committed to getting out to the Supreme Court had gone to waste. 

But that was not the right attitude to have. First of all, I barely did anything compared to the people who stayed overnight in front of the Supreme Court to secure the space or who showed up every time there might have been a decision. I wasn't an organizer, I didn't spend long hours making sure everyone was where they needed to be. 

And while a little disappointment is natural, in this pro-life struggle, we cannot allow ourselves to become discouraged. That's what the pro-aborts want. They want these small legal decisions to break our momentum. That's how they win. The pro-aborts are fighting a defensive war. Their victory happens when we give up. 

We can lose these battles, but we only lose the war if we give up. 

And so we must continue to fight. We show up to rallies, share our positive pro-life message on the streets and on social media, and keep on keeping on. There will be defeat, but there will also be victory. We must trust in the righteousness of our cause. Pro-lifers are defending babies. How much more honorable can our fight be? We are right. They are wrong. It's that simple. 

We just have to keep on fighting until every life is protected from conception to natural death. 

Book Review: Forbidden Grief

There is a medical procedure that has drastic physical psychological consequences. 10% of patients end up being hosptialized for psychiatric disorders at some point after the operation. The rate of PTSD in patients is similar to that of active duty military coming back from a combat zone. Study after study points to significantly higher rates of suicidal behavior, depression, psychosomatic illnesses, and a host of other maladies. This operation can lead to hemorrhaging, infertility, and even death. And though temporary feelings of relief are sometimes reported, most patients regret having this operation when they come to terms with it. Even those who simply know someone who has had this operation are often deeply affected for years to come.

Obviously we should stop this procedure immediately, make it illegal, and restrict access to it. And I even left out the worst part of all. Whenever this operation is successful, it results in the death of an innocent, defenseless human being. As you might have guessed by now, I am talking about abortion. But at first that might not have been so clear. That is because the media and abortion providers consistently reject claims that abortion has a significant negative affect on huge numbers of women.

The Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood's personal "research" agency, has consistently claimed that "Abortion does not Increase Women's Risk of Mental Health Problems." This is patently false, but it has been repeated often enough to be considered true.

I picked up Forbidden Grief, a book by Theresa Burke about her experiences counseling post-abortive women, as part of our preparations for this club. It was simply one among many books related to abortion that I found on the Students for Life website. At first. But when I opened Forbidden Grief, I had a hard time putting it down. I've read a good number of books and articles about abortion, probably more than the average person. None of them prepared me for this book.

It was shocking. It rattled me to the core. I know abortion is wrong. I know that it takes a life. I'd always assumed that it took a toll on the mother, but I had no idea of the magnitude of the scars left by abortion. Theresa Burke is a medical professional who has worked with post-abortive women and men for many years. Every story she relates is heart-rending. Women who were pressured and coerced into abortion, sometimes even forced, are haunted for decades by the child they lost. Women are flat-out lied to by abortion clinic worker: told their developing child is "just a piece of tissue" or that mental health complications after an abortion are "exceedingly rare." Women think they are going crazy because they were not informed about the very real psychological consequences of having an abortion.

This book proved to me that organizations like Planned Parenthood really do not care for women. If they did, they would provide effective post-abortive counseling services instead of taking their money for the procedure and subsequently forgetting about them. Instead, abortion therapy groups like those led by Theresa Burke are the only recourse for the massive numbers of women haunted by their choice.

Forbidden Grief is eye-opening because it shows you the studies and data that pro-choice supporters do not want you to see. For instance, in a study involving women who were unexpectedly pregnant as a result of sexual assault, Burke writes that 89% of women who aborted their pregnancies regretted it while all of the mothers who carried their children to term did not regret their decision. The cases of rape and incest are often waved around, not with any sympathy for the victims, but as a way of enabling future abortions. Forbidden Grief makes it clear that abortion is simply never the answer, regardless of circumstances.

Everyone involved in any way with the pro-life movement should read Forbidden Grief. It is essential to understanding the very complex issue of abortion. Of course the essential facts are simple: abortion stops a beating heart. But we must also be prepared to embrace and support women who have had an abortion. Because they are suffering. Thousands, maybe even millions of women, are suffering in silence because their grieving has been stigmatized and belittled. Their grief is "forbidden." Therefore, in order to win the war against abortion, we must acknowledge and care for the suffering women in addition to ending the evil that killed their babies and caused all their pain. Forbidden Grief is essential reading because it allowed me to have a glimpse into what it is like for the countless men and women involved or connected to abortion.

Of Apes and Men

We've all seen the video. We've all heard the story. Over Memorial Day weekend in the Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe the gorilla was shot to death after a child fell into his enclosure. This incident has sparked international outrage. An online petition calling for an investigation into the home situation of the child has several hundred thousand signatures. Pundits ask over and over again: why did the gorilla have to be killed? Why didn't they just tranquilize the gorilla? I have even seen people suggest that the parents of the child should have been shot first.

First the facts. The gorilla could have easily killed the child. That kind of gorilla can weigh up to four hundred pounds. Even unintentionally, Harambe could have broken every bone in that child's body. And tranquilizing the gorilla would have ensured the death of the child. If you don't believe me, look up a video of a large mammal like a lion being tranquilized. It's not instantaneous. The tranquilizer can take up to several minutes to incapacitate an animal of that size. And it makes them mad. Intelligent animals like gorillas know what is going to happen. They react violently. Shooting the gorilla without a doubt saved the life of the child.

But I am not here to talk about the reasons why Harmabe was shot. I think it is much more important to look at the reaction that came from his shooting, because it is very indicative of our culture's attitude towards life.

Where was the gratitude that the child was saved? Where was the rejoicing in the fact that the child got to go home to his parents? Nowhere in sight. Rather, we chose to react with anger at the death of a gorilla, an animal.

What better characterizes our culture's misplaced priorities? We have forgotten the unique value of human life. So-called ethicists like Peter Singer have made us believe that the life of an animal is as valuable if not more valuable than the life of a human being.

Of course the death of Harambe was unfortunate. No one is saying that it is a good thing that the gorilla died. What I am saying is that it is better that the gorilla died rather than the child. A child is worth much more than an ape. And yet in this case, their lives were treated as at best the same.

Human life is sacred. Animal life is not.

And where was this same level of outrage in Chicago? Over that same weekend, dozens were injured and four left dead from shootings in Chicago. A fifteen year old girl was murdered. Where is the anger? Where is the petition? Where is the news coverage? Where are the pundits when human life is lost?

The death of Harambe the gorilla exposes the twisted nature of our culture of disposable life. We are being told that shooting a gorilla to save a child is a far greater injustice than at least four murdered humans in Chicago. These misplaced priorities are not only insane, they are dangerous. It degrades the worth of human life in favor of animal life.

I think that the reaction to the death of Harambe the gorilla shows us that while it is a scientific fact that life begins at conception, abortion remains legal in the United States. Many pro-choice apologists will even admit that abortion takes a life. Their justification is equivocation. The life of that unborn child was simply not as valuable as the interests of the mother or the father. The life of that baby was too inconvenient. The life of that human being did not matter.

But life does matter. That is why we are here. That is why we fight. When it comes down to it, human life is infinitely more valuable than that of an ape, a dog, or any other animal. Remember that. Do not listen to the lies spread on the media, rafter hold fast to the truth. Stand with us for life. 

The Battle

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for visiting the Huntingtown High School's Students for Life of America Club blog. We are committed to educating and training a new generation of high school activists who will become advocates for the unborn and life at every stage.

Our club is affiliated with Students for Life of America, a courageous organization that provides resources to high school and college pro-life organizations. They provide a network of support and inspiration without which this club would not be possible.

We are engaged in a battle. Every day thirty-three hundred babies are killed by abortion. Thirty-three hundred. That's thirty-three hundred lives cut short, thirty-three hundred children who will never hear the sound of their mother's voice or see the sunrise.

But this is not a physical battle. We cannot protect life by taking it. We must denounce all forms of violence against abortion clinics. That is not how we will win this battle.

The battle against abortion, euthanasia, and all other crimes that violate the basic right to life is one of ideas, arguments, and culture.

We must defend this basic idea, this "revolutionary" idea that all life is sacred. From the moment of conception to natural death, all life is sacred. Any attempt to violate the sanctity of life is a crime against natural law. Natural law is unchangeable. It does not depend on what some legislators agree upon or what the courts say. Murder is never acceptable. That is why we are against abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty.

We must argue against the insanity of the other side. All too many have been deluded by the lies of Margaret Sanger and other apologists for the culture of death. They have heard falsehoods often enough that they have become half-truths merely from repetition.

We must replace this culture of death with a culture of life. We must counter the insidious elements of a culture that does not value life with the inviolate sanctity of life. Only then will the unborn be protected. Only then will life be sacred once more. Only then will we be able to rest in peace.

Our club is committed to the defense of life. We will do whatever it takes to bring about the end to abortion and all other crimes against the sanctity of life.

If we do not defend the most vulnerable in our society, who will defend us? Abortion and euthanasia are symptomatic of a culture of disposable life. What will you do when it is your life that becomes worthless? Who will stand up for you?

Every life has inestimable worth. Every child deserves to live.

That is why we fight.