Right to Life of Owensboro Newsletter February 2016

Volume 45 Issue 21 February 2016

Right to Life of Owensboro

NEWSLETTER

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Please pray this prayer daily Prayer to End Abortion Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, And never to stop defending life Until all my brothers and sisters are protected, And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice Not just for some, but for all.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen! —-Priests for Life

Date: February 20, 2016 Time: 5:30- 7:30 pm Location: Blessed Mother Catholic Church 601 E. 23rd Street

Adult tickets:$7 Child (age3-12): $5 Under 2: Free

Tina Edge with her two daughters; Madeleine and Anne Elizabeth; in Washington DC for the 2016 March for Life

EDUCATION Pro-Life Basics

BY JUDIE BROWN

In our very American culture, when does one forgive a woman who has had an abortion?

THE COMMAND TO forgive is absolute: in fact, our salvation hinges on it. As the Lord said to his first disciples, and thus to us, “If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either” (Matthew 6:14-15).

What exactly does this mean in the case of a woman who has willingly aborted her child?

The Lord’s reminder means that, by our living the faith we profess, and ministering to the one who has aborted her child, even if she may appear unrepentant, we are performing a work of mercy.

In the case of abortion, we know that it is a grave sin against God. But we also know what Pope St. John Paul II said to such women in his encyclical, The Gospel of Life, #99: I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion.

The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed.

Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of

Reconciliation. To the same Father and his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child . . .

It might sound over-simplified in our world of sound bites and 140-character tweets to suggest that love heals all wounds; in fact, it could be considered trite, but in fact it is true.

To treat others with disdain is to harm ourselves.

On the other hand, to reach out in love to help another see Christ in us and hopefully in herself is a great blessing. God forgives grave sins, but sometimes, if not always, the sinner needs to know first that Jesus Christ is waiting for them and has never stopped loving them.

Be His instrument. Share His love with others.

Judie Brown is president and cofounder of American Life League and a three-time appointee to the Pontifical Academy for Life.

You can submit questions to Judie at ALL.org.

Elizabeth Mattingly, Lauren Willett, Theresa Mattingly and Leslie Stiff at 2016 March for Life

EDUCATION PLACED TOGETHER "I saw her and knew there was no way I could go on with my life without seeing her again."

My pregnancy couldn’t have come at a darker and more chaotic time in my twenty-two year old life. My parents' thirtyone years together had come to an abrupt halt, and my mother moved out and became estranged.

My own relationship with someone I loved deeply was over, for good. I had moved back in with my father to help put the pieces of his life and our family back together and through all of this found myself battling my own severe depression and anxiety.

Questions and racing thoughts flooded my head. I’ve already had to step up and become a mother to my brother to try and make his senior year of high school as normal as possible; how am I possibly going to be a mother to my own child? Things like this don’t happen to people like me and the family I come from. I remember thinking to myself, when and how could this have possibly happened? I’ve been a prisoner of my own mind and circumstance for basically 6 months. I don’t even have ‘a bump’ - this has got to be a mistake. Six positive pregnancy tests later and I was finally convinced this baby was, indeed, really happening.

After I got through my 24-hour pity party I called my older sister, Claire, (who at the time lived 2 hours away) and had every intention of telling her about my pregnancy, but once we started talking I couldn’t find it in myself to utter the words I’m pregnant. Through my uncontrollable sobbing I managed to tell her, “I just need to get out of this house. I’m surrounded by memories of mom and the family that we will no longer have and I just need to get away.” She told me to stay with her for a while. I loaded my car up with as much of my personal belongings I thought would be necessary for the next 3 months and got on the road. I remember pulling over at a gas station thirty minutes away from my sister’s house and writing her a letter explaining my real reason for needing to get out of my hometown. The judgments, the local chatter, and the people who would feel the need to insert themselves and their opinions in a situation they know nothing about were something I refused to subject myself to.

She would understand. When I arrived we started to unload some of my things and I finally sat her down on the bed and handed her the letter. She read it, calmly folded the letter back up, and without any judgment in her voice said, “Ok, what is your next step and what can I do to help?”

My family is one that is more than capable of supporting me financially, mentally, and emotionally, but this was my decision and given the chaos that had been my family’s life during this time, I refused to bring a child into that. A child deserves better than that, and I was determined to find that for him or her. I told Claire the only option that came to my mind was to place my child for adoption. Our family has been fortunate enough to have three beautiful blessings in our lives thanks to brave women who made the decision to place their children.

The next day, Claire contacted an organization - which later became the one where I chose to place my child through. From the second they answered the phone, their focus was on me and my child. We were connected with one of the case workers, Rita, and she offered to drive to Claire’s house to make our first meeting as comfortable and easy as it could possibly be. Rita arrived and we discussed at length all of my different adoption options. I told her I was 100% positive I wanted a closed adoption. I was afraid I would associate my child with the horrible time in my life and everything my family was going through. I just wanted to get through the pregnancy, move forward, and forget about that entire chapter of our lives. Rita gave me the names of local doctors and given how far along in my pregnancy I was, advised me to get in as soon as I could.

Unfortunately, the soonest I could get in anywhere was a month down the road… That was one of the longest months of my life. All of my pity for myself turned into anxiety for my unborn child. How could my depression have kept me from realizing I was (now) almost 6 ½ months pregnant and how will the baby possibly be healthy without any prenatal care?

My appointment rolled around and I remember me and Claire meeting with my doctor’s nurse for the intake. She asked me how far along I thought I was, and I told her “Oh, I think about 7 months or so…”. She chuckled as she took a step back and looked at me again saying “I don’t think so but we’ll see once the Dr. gets you on the table and we do your ultrasound”. That ultrasound forever changed my life. I remember the tech saying “It’s a girl, and oh my goodness, look at all of her hair moving in there!” I just stared at her with eyes swollen with tears and my heart the fullest it has ever been. Claire and I left and went for a walk. We laughed about how cute she was and how she had my lips and chubby cheeks and how adorable she was even in pixilated black and white. That ultrasound didn’t change my decision to place her for adoption, but it immediately changed my decision to have a closed adoption into only wanting an open adoption. I saw her and knew there was no way I could go on with my life without seeing her again.

EDUCATION I called Rita immediately after my walk to let her know, and she said she would bring profiles of couples who are looking for open adoptions and fit within the criteria that I wanted. Rita came over a few days later and Claire and I carefully reviewed the profiles she brought. I just didn’t have that "Yes--this is the couple" feeling so she told me she would reach out to other offices in other cities. Four different cities and almost thirty couple profiles later, I still wasn’t any closer to finding the one. At this point, I was less than a month away from my due date and beginning to worry if I would ever find the perfect couple to raise my beautiful baby girl. Rita and Claire assured me that they were out there. We just needed to keep praying and “we would go all the way to California if we had to find a couple you are comfortable with raising your child.” Rita called letting me know she had given my e-mail address to an agency in another state and their director would be sending me four couples’ profiles to review. I only received three. They were beautiful and successful couples who I’m sure would have given my little girl a wonderful life, but I still just didn’t have the connection to them I was looking for. Feeling absolutely hopeless, I e-mailed the director back and let him know I had only received three profiles and that I, unfortunately, didn’t think any of them were going to work. He proceeded to try to send me the fourth couple’s profile two more times…

Finally, it came through and it was a moment in my life I will never forget. Shawn & Cheryl. This couple’s profile looks like something I would have put together. Everything from disliking Nickleback, NASCAR, and jorts to perfectly aligned family values, morals, and lifestyles were exactly what I was looking for. For the first time since the day I found out I was pregnant, I was excited. They were just like me and I wanted to meet them immediately.

Rita coordinated with Shawn & Cheryl’s case worker and arranged a meeting at a local church. Claire attended the meeting with me and we were both a nervous wreck. Would they like me? Will they be just as perfect in person as they were on paper?

Will they really allow me to see her after she is born? Will they allow her to have a relationship with her birthfather as well?

(Even though I had zero relationship with him this was important to me.) What if we just don’t have that connection? While walking in I said a prayer: “Please just show me a sign that they are the couple for my baby.” The meeting began and they were even better than I could have ever imagined. There was a point in the meeting when I was going over my reasons for choosing adoption and mentioned how two of my cousins had adopted a beautiful baby girl. I went on to say their names and Shawn & Cheryl’s case worker apologetically stopped me and asked what my cousins’ names were. I told her and she said “Oh my gosh.

I was their case worker and placed that beautiful little cousin you are talking about with them!” Claire and I immediately began crying and said that was our sign we had prayed for. I knew right off the bat that Shawn & Cheryl were who I wanted to place my baby girl with, but I didn’t want to just tell them over a phone call through their case worker. I had Rita tell their case worker I still wasn’t sure and wanted a second interview with them for the following week In the meantime, Claire and I went to a local pottery place and made two coffee mugs; one that said DAD and one that said MOM, along with a picture frame I had painted the initials of the name Shawn & Cheryl had told me in our first meeting they had planned on naming their baby girl. Claire and I got to the breakfast spot early for our meeting and instructed our waitress that no matter what they ordered to drink, it was to be served in the mom & dad coffee mugs. Our drinks came and Shawn & Cheryl began sipping on their coffee, totally unaware of what the mugs said. Finally, Shawn noticed and Cheryl did shortly after. We all cried and hugged and immediately a HUGE sense of relief came over me.

"This was it. Here is my family to go through this amazing journey with."

Our healthy, beautiful and perfect little girl, Olivia, came into the world less than two weeks after our second meeting on February 7th, 2013. A special date not only because it’s the day all of our lives changed, but because she shares a birthday with one of the family members who was adopted into our family. Our hospital stay was a unique one. What could have been such a sterile and sad time was replaced with a pizza party, a champagne toast, and Olivia being surrounded by an enormous amount of love from my family and Shawn & Cheryl. All of us were an emotional wreck the day it came to leave the hospital. The closeness that had developed during that hospital stay between our version of a modern family was a closeness I’ve never experienced before and I doubt I ever will again. A lot of people see our relationships with each other, family vacations, holidays together and our entire family dynamic and have a hard time understanding it. They think we are too close or that we are only setting ourselves up for a tough road ahead once Olivia gets older. In the beginning we had a very open and honest conversation establishing healthy boundaries and two things were always at the forefront of those discussions: Olivia’s best interest and Olivia always feeling the mass amount of love there is for her. That is all any parent would want for their child. Shawn and Cheryl were the perfect couple I had prayed for and finally found to parent Olivia.

"They were truly the light that helped overcome such a dark time in my life. I didn’t “lose” Olivia, if anything I gained three of the most beautiful people, inside and out, that I am so grateful to have in my life. They have become two of the people I want to share my happiest news with and who I lean on for support during more trying

EDUCATION times. I love how much we all have in common. Whether it’s music, food, our loves of family, healthy lifestyles, or moral values; we’ve always seen eye to eye."

I always get asked if Cheryl is my sister when people are looking through pictures or if we are out together, our answer is always “yes” because we feel and believe we are soul sisters. We just get each other. I feel like we’ve known each other for years and she has become one of the most important people in my life. My relationship with Shawn is one that keeps me laughing and that I wouldn’t change for anything. His sense of humor and love for life and his family are something that I noticed immediately and have had such a positive impact on my life. Every time I watch Shawn and Cheryl with Olivia I am reminded of how blessed me and my family are to have them in our lives.

There is not one single thing that I would have changed about my adoption journey. I look at the fact that I had zero sadness or regret associated with my decision and sometimes feel guilty or wrong for not feeling those ways, but I 100% believe that if you are faced with a difficult decision and you know you are truly making the right choice, it’s so much easier to make.

Not only did my family grow, but I grew as a person as well. It has given me a platform and the ability to help other girls and women from all different backgrounds who are struggling with unplanned pregnancy. I am able to share my story and reassure other birthparents that you will make it through this journey and in the end everything will be okay. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak at several adoption workshops and adoption conferences that have empowered me and put me in touch with wonderful people and organizations. At this years’ CAFO conference I spoke as a panelist during a workshop about honoring birthmothers and it was one of the most humbling and gratifying experiences of my life. After that workshop I was approached by a representative from BraveLove. She handed me her business card and some swag and told me to check them out. I am so glad I did! The support they give to not only birthmothers but all those involved in the adoption process is wonderful and it’s a cause that I am so happy to be a part of. We need more organizations like BraveLove promoting the beautiful and brave decision that is adoption.

In honor of Thanksgiving, we are asking the question - What have you been most grateful for throughout your adoption journey?

"Reflecting on my adoption journey I feel more blessed than I ever imagined feeling at this point. I'm grateful for Rita and the agency I placed through for going above and beyond to match me with Shawn & Cheryl. I'm grateful for the relationships I have with Shawn & Cheryl and the relationship they wanted me to have and allow for me to have with Olivia. I'm grateful for how close my pregnancy and adoption journey has brought my family and also Shawn, Cheryl, Olivia and I. "Grateful" is a perfect word to describe how I feel every single night when I lay down and realize what all my adoption journey has given me." - Ali http://www.bravelove.org/placed_together

Our very own group from Owensboro Kentucky made National News on their trip to the March for Life in Washington DC. They were stranded on the bus in the blizzard for 19 hours. What a sacrifice for the unborn. Way to go Catholic High students!!!

EDUCATION Hello. I am Mary Katherine Edge. I am 13 years old and I am in 8th grade at College View Middle School. I am a member of the National Junior Honors Society and the Kentucky Youth Assembly. I also play softball and volleyball for Apollo High School. I’m from a big Roman Catholic family that I couldn’t imagine life without, and I am prolife.

When my parents got married over 16 years ago, they wanted a house full of kids. After a year and a half of infertility, they decided to adopt. After doing a lot of research on many adoption agencies throughout the United States, they found the perfect agency in Ft. Worth Texas, called the Gladney Center for Adoption.

Mary Katherine and Sarah Edge, daughters of Jackie and James Edge

Adopting a child is a long process that, for my parents, included tons of paperwork, making a profile book, going back and forth to Texas many times, and lots of prayers. Finally, my birth mom chose James and Jackie Edge to be my parents.

But before that all happened, my birth mom had to make a choice: adoption, abortion, or keep me. Her first choice was abortion. On a Friday afternoon, she went the abortion clinic with me in her stomach and a credit card. Little did she know, the clinic did not accept credit cards. I guess my dad’s prayers were answered because his theory is “if you have to charge it, you don’t need it.” Her plans were to go back the following Monday with cash in hand to abort me, but fortunately, that weekend she started feeling like her pregnancy was not stable, so she went to the hospital. After seeing my head, my arms, my legs, and my heartbeat inside of her on the ultra sound, her mind was completely changed. She knew she had a living, breathing baby, inside of her that she could not kill. Abortion would only have made her problem worse. Her next choice was adoption.

The same week my parents found out I was going to be there baby, Father Baker, a close family friend, called and asked if they wanted another baby. They immediately said yes. I was born in April and Sarah was born in August. I became a big sister when I was 4 months old.

I have been truly blessed with so much: my Catholic faith; my little sister; my parents; my huge family not to mention I have 22 first cousins of which 2 are adopted; and my birth mom who loved me so much that she placed me for adoption so that I could have a better life.

I believe God knew even before conception that James and Jackie Edge were going to be my parents; I believe he knew that Sarah and I were going to be sisters. I believe because of all of the prayers for the unborn, I am here today to tell my story. It is our responsibility to not only pray for the unborn and all birth parents, but to educate them. I believe that my birth mom was uneducated on the consequences of abortion. I know she loved me, but didn’t know where to turn to find the right answers. I thank God everyday for the gift of life and my family and friends that are in it.

I would like to end with a poem by an unknown author.

Legacy of an Adopted Child Once there were 2 women who never knew each other.

One you do not remember, the other you call mother.

Letter from the PRESIDENT 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; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14 God created you. He knit you together in your mother's

2 different lives shaped to make your one.

womb. Even before your mother knew she was

One became your guiding star, The other became your sun.

He saw you before anyone else did and He has

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love, The second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, The other gave you a name.

One gave you the seed of talent, The other gave you an aim.

One gave you emotions, The other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile, The other dried your tears.

One gave you upit’s all she could do.

The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you.

Now you ask me through all your tears the age-old question through the years; Heredity or environmentwhich are you the product of?

Neither my darling neitherjust 2 different kinds of love.

pregnant, your unborn body was not hidden from God. ordained all the days of your life even before you came to be.

How amazing is that? From God's perspective, He has already ordained your life before time began. So, while your body was growing and developing inside your mother, God already saw the person you would become.

Did you know that you are so valuable that God has numbered every hair on every head? Did you know God says children are a blessing or a gift from the Lord?

How many of you used to be children? The answer is all of us. Guess what? God says you are a blessing. Find someone and say, "I am a blessing." It will feel weird to verbalize it. This world beats us down and tries to conform us into it's form. In fact many of us begin to feel like we're a burden to our family and friends because of some type of limitation. Please hear me. If you don't remember anything else I say, please remember this.

You are not a burden, you're a blessing. Did you catch that? One more time, you are not a burden. You are a blessing.

God said you were created in His image to be a blessing to others. He created you with a purpose and a destiny that you will only find when you seek to know God. If you're not sure why you were created or what purpose your life has, I want to encourage you to seek God with all your heart. He's not hiding. He will welcome all who come to Him with a sincere heart.

Jerry Embry President, RTLO

Board Members Officers Jerry Embry President Gayle Rhodes 1st Vice President Kevin Dorth 2nd Vice President Stacey Davis Secretary Wes Hamilton Treasurer Board Members at Large Taryn Rice Newsletter Editor Katelyn Stallings Michelle Byrne Kenny Barr John Thompson Mike Mudd Laura Ruth Edge Stuart Squires Shannon Sandefur Andy Norris Robin Beatty Executive Director

YEARLY DUES REMINDER Would you like to ADVERTISE in RTLO’s newsletter?

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Contact the office and get your information out monthly to the pro-life community.

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Marilee’s Message Bravery or Obedience?

I released a personal testimonial video in October 2015 revealing myself as a post abortive mother. Since that time I have been told over and over how brave I was for releasing such a personal secret to the world. The decision to release this video had nothing to do with bravery on my part. God told me what I needed to do and I was merely being obedient to Him. I opened myself to God for that video to be possible. I was not fearless. I simply gave my fears to Him and allowed Him to work through me. Those words were not my words, they were His. I was simply a broken vessel being used. God let me know several months ago what He wanted from me. I gave Him all of my shame, all of my fear and surrendered to His holy and precious will. This video would not have been possible if He had not stepped into my life. Was I brave? No, I was being obedient to what God was asking of me.

Bravery is a 16 year old girl, now 27, raising her amazing 10 year old son. She gave him life, when at the time the world told her not to. Bravery is a young lady who was in a abusive relationship chose to give her son life and allowed another man and woman to have the joy of being a parent. Adoption was her choice, that is what I call brave. Bravery is being able to say no to abortion...no matter what the situation is. It is being able to fight against the evil of this world instead of allowing yourself to fall victim to it.

I appreciate all the kind words and actions I have received since I have begun this journey of pro-life advocacy, but in no way am I brave. I was a young scared little girl who chose to be a coward. But now, I am a woman who has had her eyes opened wide by the Almighty God. I am a woman who wants to be obedient to His word and to fulfill His will for my life. I am a woman on fire for women and babies everywhere. And I am a woman who desperately wants to uphold my son’s honor and others just like him who have been aborted, but yet a woman who is there to help a woman make the right choice...the life choice. Hindsight is a wonderful and yet scary thing. I would love to go back in time and make the choice to have my son, but that is not possible. Now I can make the choice to be obedient to God our Father to help others, but also to be a loving mother to the two living sons that God has blessed me with. Obedience can be a difficult thing, but with God by my side all things are possible.

WIMM Catholic Radio

Thanks to all who sponsored Right to Life of Owensboro’s 2015 Annual Banquet

Edge Body Boot Camp

Thanks to all who sponsored Right to Life of Owensboro’s 2015 Annual Banquet

Right to Life of Owensboro

Commemoration- Friday January 22, Courthouse Chili Supper/Silent Auction- February 20, Blessed Mother May Community Event- May 5, WKU-O Chalk Out- June 15, RTLO Office Sidewalk Story/Craft Time for Kids– 6-9 thru 7-18, RTLO Office Art Show– TBA, The Creme Golf Scramble– July 16, Ben Hawes Walk for Life– September 3, Our Lady of Lourdes Banquet– TBA, The Hines Center

Local Pro-Life Agencies Birthright 270-570-5319, Terri LaHugh Care Net Pregnancy Center 270-685-5077, Donna Flaspoehler Catholic Charities of Owensboro 270-852-8328, Rita Heinz Opportunities for Life

The RTLO mission, in part reads...

“The purpose for which RTLO is organized is to encourage among the general public an understanding of the dignity and worth of each human life, whatever his or her state or circumstances; to foster respect for human life before and after birth, particularly for the defenseless, the incompetent, the impaired and the incapacitated: to promote and encourage passage of amendatory and statutory measures which will provide protection and support for human life...”

1-888-496-3638, Brenda Thomson Project Rachel 270-683-1505, Betty Medley Rachel’s Vineyard 1-877-467-3463, Debbie Ward

Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life Celebrate Life

NEED HELP? CALL 1-800-822-5824 or 270-685-5077 Jerry Embry Robin Beatty President Executive Director ________________________________________________ Phone:270-685-4922 Fax 270-684-0625 rtlo1973@att.net Online: www.rtlo.org 1115 Tamarack Road, Suite 200, Owensboro, KY 42301 ________________________________________________

Right to Life of Owensboro, Inc.

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