Attention Word Slingers readers: Beginning December 11, 2019, all posts will be available at BaptistMessenger.com. Thank you for reading Word Slingers!

Greetings!

I’ve got a bunch of “anti-abortion” content coming your way, so if you find such rhetoric offensive, I guess you better scroll on.

It’s a great time to celebrate the Sanctity of Life in America. Yes, I prefer to use “Sanctity of Life” over “anti-abortion” (though I’m definitely against abortion), “anti-choice,” “anti-women” (puh-leese!) and even “pro-life,” even though I am pro-life and have used the description in catchy situations.

By acknowledging Sanctity in Life, we place ourselves in humility, knowing that all life does not exist without a Creator of life. There is a biological process, but only God is Who makes life possible. All life is sacred, and we should be understanding of that and live our lives accordingly.

With this in mind, here are six timely topics that relate to popular pro-life proclivities (see how catchy that sounds!).

  1. Trump’s take

Be encouraged dedicated DHDers! I am giving much applause to President Trump. Though I was skeptical about Candidate Trump, President Trump is making positive pronouncements in regards to the Sanctity of Life. And he’s only been on the job for a week!

Reinstating the Mexico City Policy was a favorable first act. This has become a “ping-pong play” whenever a new president comes into office, as one of President Obama’s first actions of his presidency was banning the Mexico City Policy. Regardless, no longer funding international abortions is a good move by Trump.

And I loved Trump’s promotion of March for Life, which is happening today. In his first interview as president, Trump was asked by ABC’s David Muir about the recent Women’s March on whether or not Trump could hear the march from the White House. Trump said he could not but then told Muir about a “large crowd on Friday too, which is mostly pro-life people.”

Muir tried to avoid addressing March for Life, but Trump pointed out how the media does not cover the event. Zing!

Trump’s next big move for supporting Sanctity of Life would be nominating a conservative judge to replace the late Justice Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Reports have said the president should announce his selection next week and has narrowed his choice down to three. Of the three mentioned, I favor Judge William Pryor, who described Roe v. Wade “the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law,” but I will be happy with any of the three on the short list.

  1. Pumped for Pence

I just watched Vice President Mike Pence speak at March for Life. That was a powerful 10-minute speech. I hope you get to watch it as well. If you can take time to watch Bad Lip Reading at Trump’s Inauguration, you can make a wise investment of your time and watch Pence be the first-ever vice president to speak at the 44th annual March for Life in Washington D.C.

Some highlights include Pence repeating the phrase “Life is winning again in America.” I think he said it or a variation of the phrase about seven times.

He talked about having compassion for women and children in America. He said our society should be judged by how we take care of the most vulnerable – the aged, the infirmed, the disabled and the unborn.

Pence commended families who have adopted children in need, compassionate caregivers of aging family members and volunteers of crisis pregnancy centers. He addressed the great concern happening all over the country of women experiencing unwanted pregnancies, how mothers and grandmothers are consoling daughters and granddaughters, friends are supporting friends on college campuses.

Then, he said something that stirred my heart, “Compassion is overcoming convenience, and hope is defeating despair.”

Pence challenged March for Life participants to demonstrate gentleness, to show love and not anger, compassion not confrontation, to be generous and not judgmental.

I hope what Vice President Pence said today will resonate and encourage many across this country to be active in demonstrating how valuable the Sanctity of Life is.

  1. Another powerful pro-life presentation

A friend of mine shared a video on Facebook of Oklahoma Senator James Lankford speaking about the Sanctity of Life from the U.S. Senate floor. A friend of hers inquired about my friend’s view on abortion, specifically in circumstances of rape and incest, and she was respectful in asking my friend. I got permission to share my friend’s response:

“Of course! I am all about healthy communication. ☺️ All I know, (name withheld), is that I am not God and I would never presume to think that I could ever make a decision on whether someone lives or dies, especially a helpless little baby. Who is to say that a child born of rape couldn’t grow up and be a normal human being with a career and a family or even grow up to discover the cure for cancer? I know I don’t know the answer to that, only God does. Just because a pregnancy is inconvenient or undesired doesn’t mean that he or she couldn’t bless someone’s life, even if it isn’t the mother that birthed the baby. I know several people personally who have been actively trying to adopt for quite some time. I just believe with my whole heart that all life is precious. Psalms 139:13 says, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” If life is precious to God from the womb, should it not also be precious to us?”

I am thankful for friends who share my value of life and are willing to share how God is the Creator of life.

  1. Pro-life legislation

President Trump is not the only one to be commended for taking action on behalf of Sanctity of Life. The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to make the Hyde Amendment permanent law. By a 283-138 vote, Congress passed a proposal to permanently make it illegal for abortions to be funded by tax-payers.

All Republicans voted in favor, and three Democrats were also in support.

  1. No prenatal care at Planned Parenthood

A video by Live Action was recently released exposing Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider, and the organization’s claim of offering prenatal care. Live Action is known for doing undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood, and some may question the organization’s tactics. However, if Planned Parenthood had nothing to hide, then such tactics would not be applied.

Watch the video for yourself and see if you believe Planned Parenthood operates with integrity.

 

  1. Rose Day Feb. 8

I conclude this pro-life potpourri with promoting Rose Day, Feb. 8, the largest annual Pro-Life gathering in the state of Oklahoma. The event begins at 9:30 a.m., as participants bring roses to the State Capitol to offer to their respective state senators and representatives, as well as the Governor and Lt. Governor.

A rally in the State House Chambers follows at 11:45 with Ronnie Floyd, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, being the keynote speaker. More information on Rose Day can be found here.

If you have never been to Rose Day, you should come. See how many people of all ages walk the halls of the Capitol to offer roses to our state government leaders. If you want to know why Oklahoma has been considered the leading state in promoting Sanctity of Life, this annual appearance at the Capitol is a strong influence for maintaining such a title.