Thursday, September 13, 2012

Fifty Likes

I didn't sleep well last night and when I finally did succumb to the heavy lids and the deep breath of sleep I didn't want it to end and it was difficult to wake up at the 4:30 AM alarm.  A kiss good bye from my husband at 5 AM as he left for work didn't draw me out of bed, either. What seemed like a short time after Paul left, I was vaguely aware of the sound of one of my children pouring cereal in the kitchen, but I was never fully aroused by the noise.  It was ten after six when my daughter came into my room, already fully dressed for school, and, surprised to find me still asleep, quietly asked me what was going on.  With her words I finally woke up, jumped out of bed shocked that I slept so late and feeling a bit panicky that I would have to rush to get ready for the day.

As I groggily stumbled into the kitchen, I was greeted by my son, Joe, who showed me a post on his facebook wall that startled me into a wide awake state.  A young girl with whom he is acquainted wrote:  "Just found out that I'm pregnant.  Fifty 'likes' and I'll keep it."  My son was horrified that this girl could be so flippant about the life of her baby and wondered if this wasn't a hoax.  Sadly, the status only had two "likes" at the time that Joe came across it, so I challenged him to not only "like" it, but to share it and encourage others to "like" it so that the young mother would see that life is valuable to many more than fifty people.

Joe decided that he would wait to try to determine the truth as to whether or not she was really pregnant or this was simply a bogus post for attention before he would get drawn into the controversy in a public way.  He wanted an opportunity to speak with her individually.  I am praying for him today that he will have that chance to talk one and one with her, and that God will give him the right words to say to impress the sacredness and value of life upon her heart, including the sacredness and value of her own life.

I work for the Women, Infants and Children Program and often meet women who are scarred by previous abortions.  It was just a few weeks ago when I met a woman who was pregnant with her fourth child.  She told me that it took her a while to realize that she was pregnant because she didn't believe that pregnancy was possible for her anymore.  She said that she had been in an abusive marriage and when she became pregnant with her third child, she chose to abort that baby.  Afterward, when she felt the time was right, she and her husband tried to conceive again, but couldn't.  She blamed herself for her infertility, thinking that God was punishing her for killing her baby, and she suffered horribly from the effects of regret.  Upon discovering her current pregnancy she was overjoyed to learn that she really isn't infertile and that God was giving her another chance to mother a newborn into this world.  She was determined to make the most of that chance and to be the best mother she can possibly be by starting right now to take good care of herself and the new life growing within her.

Why is it, I wonder, that so many women need to learn the hard way, through sorrow and tears, that abortion is a decision they will long regret?  Why can't they see than an abortion doesn't just kill their baby, but that it kills part of their own souls as well?  How many dead babies does it take until abortion is no longer the facetious topic of a facebook status and an everyday reality of our world?

Please consider taking some time to join in prayer for an end to abortion at this year's 40 Days for Life Campaign in your local area, which begins on September 26th and runs through November 4th.  To learn more about how you can help increase awareness for the sanctity and value of human life and to help save the lives of the unborn, please visit this link.

9 comments:

  1. This is a really interesting post. I do hope and pray that the young woman who is pregnant (post on FB) will see the reality of this beautiful life inside her if she really is expecting and decide for LIFE regardless of who or how many "likes" she gets. Thanks for posting.

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    1. It's scary, isn't it Monica, that someone would post something like that for real or even as a joke? It makes me so sad! Thank you for praying!

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  2. Anne, it's heartbreaking that a child's life may depend on how many likes it gets on facebook. I hope it IS a hoax because I am horrified at how lightly life and death are taken these days.

    God have mercy on us. To think that the life of a baby holds so little value. Even if she is not pregnant these words are still unimaginable.

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  4. Anne, you can repost that comment for me from your comment log. I was just trying to insert "not" after "hope they are" NOT scheduling around. Unfortunately, I must have hit delete and not ctrl+x for "cut". Sorry about that. i don't have time to re-write it. Got to hustle to work. I had a prayer in there though that I will continue to pray this day and throughout the 40 days!

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    2. Here it is Colleen!!! Thank you so much for the beautiful prayer and for all that you do to stand up for life!

      "That is terrible! I will definitely join you and your readers in participating in 40 Days of Life, Anne. Tomorrow is our monthly trip to witness to life outside of Planned Parenthood in Aurora, IL. If it helps, I noticed that the clinic is less and less busy each month we go there. I hope they are scheduling around the Saturday big turnout of the Pro-life contingent, but it may be that there are so many people out of work, they don't have to put their horrific procedure off to Saturday morning. Blessed Mother, Mediatrix of all Graces, please intercede for us, and grant the graces most needed to bring about a changing of hearts and minds in this country, a revival, an end to abortion, and the triumph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in whatever order Our All-powerful, All-loving, All-Knowing God wills it. Amen"

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