A Pro-Lifer Eulogizes Ted Kennedy
I imagine most would like to die as Ted Kennedy did, knowing a
relatively pain free end was coming - and approximately when - so as to
use that gift of time to spend with loved ones as well as search their
past and soul to try to make any amends necessary with the world and
with God....
Kennedy was given all that, a year knowing he had terminal brain cancer
before he died at home last night at the age of 77.
Only God knows the condition of Kennedy's heart when he fell asleep
here and woke up there.
But on earth Kennedy never retracted his pro-abortion stance. We know
he was capable of changing his mind because he was once pro-life.
Kennedy fully understood the magnitude of the issue before renouncing
the sanctity of preborn human life, as demonstrated in an August 3,
1971, letter he wrote to a pro-lifer:
While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits
consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the
legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value
which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I
believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain
rights which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to
love, the right to grow old.
On the question of the individual's freedom of choice there are easily
available birth control methods and information which women may employ
to prevent or postpone pregnancy. But once life has begun, no matter at
what stage of growth, it is my belief that termination should not be
decided merely by desire....
When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation
as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of
war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its
responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception.
Kennedy knew.
Kennedy was called "the Lion of the Senate," by most accounts the most
powerful of all, wielding tremendous influence. This means his opinion
mattered more than others. In my mind Kennedy bears greater
responsibility for his anti-life votes. They were not just votes. They
were gauges by which others voted... and more. In his book, Onward
Christian soldiers: The growing political power of Catholics and
Evangelicals in the United States, Deal Hudson wrote:
Mike Schwartz, a longtime pro-life Democrat who now works [as chief of
staff] for [Republican] Tom Coburn, maintains that it is impossible to
overestimate the impact decision on the Democratic Party, the Church,
and politics in general: "He changed everything. Had Ted Kennedy
maintained his pro-life posture, I don't think American liberalism
would have said that it is a good thing to butcher the unborn."
So here is Kennedy's anti-life legacy, compiled by a grateful NARAL,
which consistently gave him a 100% approval rating year after year
after year....
Voted NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP, March 14, 2008
Voted NO to increase funding to enforce the Child Custody Protection
Act, previously passed in the Senate to stop interstate trafficking of
minors for abortion without parental involvement, March 13, 2008
Voted YES to expand taxpayer funding of human embryonic
experimentation, thwarting President Bush's moratorium, April 11, 2007
Sponsored legislation to force all hospitals, regardless of religious
beliefs, to provide emergency contraception to sexual assault victims,
September 26, 2006
Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions,
July 25, 2006
Voted YES on $100M to expand comprehensive sex and and availability of
contraceptives to teens, March 17, 2005
Voted NO on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which made it a crime
to harm a preborn baby during the commission of a violent crime, March
25, 2004
Voted NO on the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, March 12, 2003
Voted NO on maintaining a ban against abortion on military bases, June
20, 2000
Voted NO on the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, October 21, 1999
Voted NO on banning human cloning, February 11, 1998
I once checked out Kennedy's office in the Russell Senate Building in
Washington, DC. I was scouting for a friendly senator whose office we
might use to film the March for Life as it passed by on Constitution
Avenue. Ironically, the offices for Kennedy and his staff spanned half
the length of the building, with all windows facing the March. I knew
Kennedy was no friendly. Sometimes it's the little things.
So farewell, Senator Kennedy. I do mourn for you if you were not right
with God when you died. I hold out hope you gave your life to Jesus,
accepting His gift of eternal life in exchange for His death for us on
the cross. Doing so erases the gravest of sins, even one's partial
responsibility for millions of abortions.
And Senator Kennedy, your death also provokes me this morning into deep
mourning for those innocent children.
Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: JillStanek.com
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Date: August 25, 2009
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in
Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state
coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of
Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our
society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political
persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic
backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has
been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the
human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that
every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is
dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection
for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.
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