Locking Arms Against the Purple Wave
Yesterday the Supreme Court heard arguments related to the Texas law, H.B. 2 which places reasonable limits and sound restrictions on clinics that provide abortions in the State of Texas. The law draws upon substantial scientific research that children in utero are capable of feeling pain, thus restricting abortions beyond the gestational age of 20 weeks. It also provides an exception related to the health of the mother as well as a stipulation regarding the severe abnormality of the child. In addition to this, the law requires that prescriptions be provided and monitored by physicians, and that facilities meet the minimum requirement for ambulatory surgical centers. (I have linked above to the analysis of the bill.)
First, I don't see the rationale to oppose a law that not only wishes to provide for safe and sanitary conditions for those seeking legal abortions, but also includes the provision for the life of the mother and fetal abnormality as exceptions to the 20 week restriction on abortions in Texas. I am not sure why this law is being heard by the Supreme Court other than it contains the words "abortion" and "restriction" (which, as I said, are seemingly reasonable and rational).
Regardless, yesterday's hearing occurred -- but reasonable and rational was far from the atmosphere outside the Supreme Court.
Many pro-life advocates headed to the Supreme Court to peacefully stand to be the "voice of the voiceless" in this debate. Several of those advocates were high school students from Seton School -- the school my children attend.
Last night I had an opportunity to speak with a couple of the young men who were there and experienced the situation first hand. It was appalling to hear the level of physical and verbal abuse they endured. It was an angry wave of purple that caused the pro-life advocates to need to lock arms to protect themselves and others.
Here's what one of the young men from Seton had to say on Face Book today:
Most of these youth in attendance have only experienced the March for Life as taste of civil protest against abortion. It must be understood that being in a sea of like minded pro-life individuals marching to show their conviction to a cause is uplifting. Yesterday, these youth were faced, no challenged head-on by the opposition and their venom and vitriol. They experienced the specter of evil in their midst -- people who are aggressively fighting for the right to kill, and won't be happy until it is unrestricted and no longer regulated in any way (they probably won't even be happy then).
This young man's words resonate so strongly in my "mother's heart". This is the future, the type of man that I want to see more of moving forward. He locked arms for a cause. He cared and protected those around him -- to include the elderly and his peers. And, with his friends -- especially, fellow senior Patrick Dealey, the other young man who managed to document in photos the anger and hate within the angry crowd and shared them with me last night -- stood for sound principles and for religious convictions.
It is encouraging to know that these courageous youth are among us. They and are willing to take up the standard for faith and reason in our country as the next generation of leaders. May God bless them on their way.
As for the hearing, a NY Times article on the matter said this:
First, I don't see the rationale to oppose a law that not only wishes to provide for safe and sanitary conditions for those seeking legal abortions, but also includes the provision for the life of the mother and fetal abnormality as exceptions to the 20 week restriction on abortions in Texas. I am not sure why this law is being heard by the Supreme Court other than it contains the words "abortion" and "restriction" (which, as I said, are seemingly reasonable and rational).
Regardless, yesterday's hearing occurred -- but reasonable and rational was far from the atmosphere outside the Supreme Court.
Many pro-life advocates headed to the Supreme Court to peacefully stand to be the "voice of the voiceless" in this debate. Several of those advocates were high school students from Seton School -- the school my children attend.
Last night I had an opportunity to speak with a couple of the young men who were there and experienced the situation first hand. It was appalling to hear the level of physical and verbal abuse they endured. It was an angry wave of purple that caused the pro-life advocates to need to lock arms to protect themselves and others.
Here's what one of the young men from Seton had to say on Face Book today:
I don't usually post, well, anything on Facebook. And when I do, it's usually not political. You've been warned, read on at your own risk.
I had the chance to attend the rally in DC today. Looking down from the steps of the Supreme Court building, the sight would have been reminiscent of the battle of Thermopylae- a sea of purple, those who stood for the culture of death, surrounded a group of pro-lifers, dressed in blues and linking arms.
What I witnessed as part of that wall was downright disgusting. I was flicked off, cursed at, and had crude images thrust into my face. I was told I had no right to an opinion because of my gender. The pro-death people pushed in in a ridiculously aggressive way, covering our signs with theirs and screaming at every word our speakers said. I had to escort several elderly ladies through the crowd at one point to the pro-lifers, who had been surrounded on all sides. The pro-choice movement had blocked the sidewalks and roads and it was incredibly hard to get through. At one point a pro-death woman stole our microphone to chant in before throwing it into the sea of purple.
And the most stupid thing about it is that _we want the same thing_. The proposed bill only raises safety standards for clinics. So this shouldn't be a problem in a safe operation, right? So why does planned parenthood need to pay- yes, pay- bus loads of people to come protest? If they were really pro-woman, they'd stand with us by their own choice, and wouldn't pay people to go for them.
The media won't tell you much about our presence, but we were there!! We were in front of the Supreme Court making our presence known. We stood with God and his most helpless children, even when there were hundreds of them and only few of us. Standing up for what you believe in isn't bravery unless you're willing to stand alone. We know how the story ends, and that God will not abandon His people. It may take our lifetimes, and our children's lifetimes, and their children's lifetimes, but we will give equal rights to all people, born or unborn. The #ProLifeGen is here to stay. Thank you to all who stood out there today. It was not an easy thing, but nobody ever said that doing the right thing would be easy. (Thomas Moore -- Senior at Seton School)
Most of these youth in attendance have only experienced the March for Life as taste of civil protest against abortion. It must be understood that being in a sea of like minded pro-life individuals marching to show their conviction to a cause is uplifting. Yesterday, these youth were faced, no challenged head-on by the opposition and their venom and vitriol. They experienced the specter of evil in their midst -- people who are aggressively fighting for the right to kill, and won't be happy until it is unrestricted and no longer regulated in any way (they probably won't even be happy then).
This young man's words resonate so strongly in my "mother's heart". This is the future, the type of man that I want to see more of moving forward. He locked arms for a cause. He cared and protected those around him -- to include the elderly and his peers. And, with his friends -- especially, fellow senior Patrick Dealey, the other young man who managed to document in photos the anger and hate within the angry crowd and shared them with me last night -- stood for sound principles and for religious convictions.
It is encouraging to know that these courageous youth are among us. They and are willing to take up the standard for faith and reason in our country as the next generation of leaders. May God bless them on their way.
As for the hearing, a NY Times article on the matter said this:
The Supreme Court’s decision will probably arrive in late June, as the presidential campaign enters its final stretch, thrusting the divisive issue of abortion to the forefront of public debate.Thrust away -- when it is clearly understood, there is very little upon which to debate regarding the provisions contained in the law. And, I think this new group of voters, who decided to defend life at on the steps of the Supreme Court yesterday, will welcome the opportunity to have their pro-life voices heard in the coming election!
By: Prof. Kathy Vestermark of CDU
US Correspondant to JCE Catholic News World
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