Sanctity of Life

Sanctity of Life

Life is the very first human right granted by God. Therefore, it is of profound importance and outranks all other considerations. Without life, nothing else matters.

God made it very clear in His Word what He thinks of human life and where it begins.

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself. (Isaiah 44: 24)

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (Luke 1: 41-44)

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…

For nearly 200 years, before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 struck down abortion laws in all 50 states, abortion was considered not only illegal but profoundly immoral.

In fact, abortion has been considered the taking of a human life since Biblical times, and even in the pagan Greek culture.  The original Hippocratic Oath for physicians states:

“I will give no sort of medicine to any pregnant woman, with a view to destroy the child.”

The oath was “updated” in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, academic dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University.  It now reads:

“If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty.”

Curiously, after denying the authority of God in these matters, Dr. Lasagna added, “I must not play at God.”  Yet that’s what abortionists do: They play God by terminating human life, which begins at conception.

Science is unequivocal about when life begins; the moment an egg is fertilized by a sperm, a human being is created with unique genetic makeup.  Ultrasound has settled the issue except for those who continue to deny the science of life.

Today, pro-life legislators all over the country are working in many ways to shine a light on the evil of abortion, to curb it where they can, to encourage adoption, and to pave the way for eventual abolition.

The Law in Florida:

“Abortions are prohibited after 24 weeks, except in cases of life or health endangerment, and must be performed by a licensed physician (telemedicine abortions are prohibited). For any abortions performed at or after viability (typically 24-28 weeks into pregnancy), the abortion must be performed in a hospital with a minimum of 2 physicians. In addition, “partial-birth” abortions are banned. While this policy is not currently in effect, it is enforced by court order.

“Women considering an abortion must first receive state-mandated abortion counseling and an ultrasound, followed by a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion can be performed. For minors, parental consent must be given beforehand.

“Public funding for abortions, as well as health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, are available only in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest.” Source: AbidingLoveAdopt.com at https://abidingloveadopt.com/pregnant/abortion/abortion-laws-florida/

Life Chain Sunday

The first Sunday in October is Life Chain Sunday. 

Orlando’s first Life Chain was held on October 6, 1991. With the help of willing churches, 9,000 Central Floridians standing, side by side, lined two of the busiest streets in Orlando, holding signs. One said ‘Abortion Kills Children’ and the other said ‘Jesus Heals and Forgives.’

“At that time, it was one of the largest life chains in the country,” said Timothy Plan founder Art Ally, who was central in orchestrating the event. “We decided to repeat the event the next year, and working with willing churches, we ended up with more than 10,000 participants lining the streets for two hours.  The following year, my last year as chairman, we decided to do it again, and this time it grew to over 15,000 participants, which took your breath away when you were driving a car down either of the two streets that we had lined.  This one was reportedly to be the strongest turnout in the nation.”

That year, nationally, 700,000 participants in 360 cities lined intersections to declare their support for the unborn.

In 2020, with the COVID pandemic affecting public events, a more subdued Life Chain was still held in dozens of Florida cities, including Orlando. 

Life Chain Sunday 2021 will be held on Oct. 3. For more information, see https://lifechain.org/.

For information on Life Chain Central Florida:  https://lifechain.org/organizer/central-florida/.

Laws are being passed around the nation at the state level to:

–Bar abortions if a heartbeat is detected (heartbeat bills);

–Require ultrasounds so that mothers know exactly who they are carrying; 

–Require a waiting period;

–Require counseling;

–Outlaw late-term (partial-birth) abortions;

–Outlaw abortions of babies in teen mothers without parental consent;

–Defund “sex education” that is designed to encourage early sexual activity and thus unwanted pregnancies. 

At the federal level:

–Outlaw crossing state lines with a minor to commit an abortion;

–Defund Planned Parenthood and other abortionists who are taxpayer-subsidized;

–Prevent taxpayer funding from promoting or performing abortions outside the United States (Hyde Amendment).

–Protect faith-based providers from being forced to cover abortions or abortifacients as part of employee health benefits;

–Backing the appointment of pro-life judges.

–Defund “sex education” that is designed to encourage early sexual activity and thus unwanted pregnancies.

Pro-life public officials and activists need all the help they can get from the nation’s pulpits, all too many of which have been silent on this paramount issue.  

Important Dates

March for Life  January 22

Sanctity of Life Sunday  January 23

Life Chain Sunday October 3

Some Resources

Florida’s Pregnancy Help Centers https://floridapregnancyhelpcenters.com/

American Life League https://www.all.org/

Americans United for Life https://aul.org/

Care Net.org https://www.care-net.org/

Charlotte Lozier Institute  https://lozierinstitute.org/

Susan B. Anthony List https://www.sba-list.org/

National Right to Life https://www.nrlc.org/

Lifesite News https://www.lifesitenews.com/

March for Life https://marchforlife.org/

Students for Life https://studentsforlife.org/

Life Legal Defense Foundation https://lifelegaldefensefoundation.org/

Live Action https://www.liveaction.org/

Priests for Life https://www.priestsforlife.org/

Faith2Action  http://2020.f2a.org/

The Pregnancy Network https://thepregnancynetwork.org/about/