By: Canon Georgette Forney
Looking out my office window, I have an awesome view of a hillside that has been green since May but is now exploding into puffs of gold, red, yellow, and orange hues. Every day I get to enjoy this kaleidoscope of changing colors as vegetation here in Western Pennsylvania prepares for winter’s many inevitable changes, such as fewer daylight hours, colder temperatures, and snow!
However, while I admire the beauty of the changing colors and seasons, I have also found myself lamenting over a myriad of other changes that have occurred in our culture over the last few years. Are the changes we are seeing good or bad for the future of civilization? Are they part of God’s great plan for humanity, or is satan playing his last cards before the second coming?
What are some of these concerning changes? Planned Parenthood abortionist Colleen McNicholas is among three finalists selected from around the world for the European Union’s top human rights prize, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. As an abortionist, she proudly claims to have killed 31 babies in abortions in one day! This is the first time in the history of the prize that an abortionist or an abortion advocate has been nominated. When did we start calling someone who kills babies for a living a human rights advocate? What changed?
In another disturbing headline, ten pro-life advocates have been found guilty of violating a federal law protecting abortion centers, and each of them now faces the possibility of 11 years in prison. They allegedly violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) in 2020 at the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Washington, DC. Ironically, the pro-life advocates were at the late-term abortion facility because they suspected the abortionist was breaking federal law by performing partial birth abortions and illegally allowing babies born alive after failed abortions to die. The abortionist hasn’t been investigated for these possible violations, even though babies recovered from their disposal company were clearly victims of partial birth abortions. How is it that the people who were trying to uncover illegal
activity have been found guilty of entering the clinic? District Attorneys are prosecuting citizens trying to protect life while ignoring abortionists who disregard life. What changed in our justice system? Bad people and evil actions are protected and celebrated, while people of good, upright character are now portrayed as deserving punishment. Why has this change in principles and values in our culture occurred, and how has it happened in such a relatively short span of time?
Additionally, just as there have been a number of cultural changes in the last few years, there have been legal changes as well. On June 24, 2022, the day the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was announced, my husband asked me how the Dobbs decision would change our work at Anglicans For Life. I had been thinking about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned for some time, because of the leaked decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, but in all honesty, I wasn’t sure the justices would reverse a decision that changed how women and men respond to unplanned pregnancies.
My first thought was that we had to increase our emphasis on providing pastoral care and ministry support to women who previously would have chosen to abort their babies but now, without access to abortion, would give birth to their unexpected children. This is the approach Anglicans For Life has adopted since last June.
But now, here we are almost 18 months beyond Roe being overturned, and many states have seen substantial changes in their abortion laws. Some states have established greater restrictions on access to abortion, such as heartbeat laws that prevent abortions after a heartbeat is detected (6 weeks), while others have set limits at 15 weeks gestation. On the other hand, a few states have passed referendums that now enshrine abortion into their constitution and are working to remove laws addressing previous limits such as informed consent, 24-hour waiting period protections, abortion clinic licensing regulations, requirements for sanitary and humane disposal of fetal remains, and abortion data reporting.
As I have reflected on all of the changes happening in our society, as well as these changes in state laws, I believe it is time for Anglicans For Life to change our strategies and approaches in addressing abortion, while continuing to provide the support and care that women need, so they can embrace motherhood.
One strategy I am most concerned about is addressing abortion pills, as they now account for over 50% of abortions occurring annually. Research here in the United States has found that there has been a 500% increase in emergency room visits by women experiencing complications after taking the two pills. We must double-down on educating people about the physical and emotional consequences of do-it-yourself abortions happening at home, as well as the environmental impact that flushing human remains down into our sewer system is having on our water supply. The abortion industry needs chemical abortion pills to be widely accepted and accessible to keep their profits growing, which is why AFL is creating an educational campaign to share the truth about this poison product!
We will be unveiling more of this program and all of AFL’s new strategies at our upcoming Life SUMMIT in January.We believe that, if the Church stands up for life, we can change the course of history! I hope you will join us at the SUMMIT and learn how you can become an agent of change!
I will end with this. While I am personally not fond of change, I find assurance in this: while there is always change in our world and our lives, we see in Scripture that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and eternally. He is and was and always will be. And by faith we can trust that change directed by God will be good for us. We can embrace it and obey it when it is initiated by the Holy Spirit. I hope and pray that will be true for you and your loved ones this
season!
