Throughout Central Oregon, women are hurting from the trauma of unplanned pregnancies, families are crumbling because they lack basic resources to support their families and unborn children are perishing because the choice to deny life is easier than ever.
Our goal is to empower the church to share about the value and sanctity of life. God values every human life, from conception to the grave. Born or unborn every life has value because it is made in the image of God. On the third Sunday of January, our nation pauses to remember why we are called to love, serve and offer compassionate help to women who find themselves in unintended pregnancies. We remember the lives lost to abortion and we thank God for those in our communities who support our ministry so we may continue to pray for and petition for those who may not have a voice or a choice.
If you are looking for a way to mark this occasion and to share about God’s value of life, we have provided a number of resources for you to utilize.
Resources:
In 1983, Ronald Reagan wrote in an essay published on the 10th anniversary of Roe v. Wade that, “’We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life—the unborn—without diminishing the value of all human life. During Reagan’s second term as president, he issued a presidential proclamation designating January 22nd as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. The day served to make a statement that as a nation, we should acknowledge the value of all human life.
The proclamation marked the 11th anniversary of Roe v Wade. In the years that followed, Reagan continued the proclamation annually so that the third Sunday in January would be recognized as Sanctity of Human Life Day. This year will mark 48 years since the Roe v. Wade decision, but what Reagan said in 1984 is still true today: “Each year, remarkable advances in prenatal medicine bring ever more dramatic confirmation of what common sense told us all along—that the child in the womb is simply what each of us once was: a very young, very small, dependent, vulnerable member of the human family.”
Since the landmark decision in 1973 there have been over 61 million pregnancies aborted in the United States.4 Though many supporters of the ruling claim the decision allowed for abortion to be “safe, legal, and rare,” the result has made the practice anything but “rare,” and the emotional and physical trauma affecting many post-abortive women certainly calls “safe” into question.
In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn the Dobbs case, returning the decision regarding abortion laws to the States. Unfortunately, Oregon is one of the most liberal states in the country, allowing abortions up to 40 weeks (a full-term pregnancy).
There is evidence that abortion is associated with an increased risk for clinical depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, symptoms consistent with PTSD, and suicidal thoughts and behavior. “Scientific evidence indicates that abortion may be more likely to be associated with negative psychological outcomes than either miscarriage or carrying an unintended pregnancy to term.” 1 Induced abortion also increases a woman’s risk for placenta previa and premature birth for future pregnancies. 2
Women are hurting. Families are crumbling. The need is great. Our goal is to empower you, the Church, to carry out the Great Commission in your city. You can do that by praying, serving, and giving.
Pray that abortion would become unnecessary.
Pray that the women who feel that abortion is their only choice would be connected with the resources and encouragement they need to make healthy choices for their future and to choose life for their children.
Pray for the volunteers and staff meeting women and families in their time of need.
