Right to Life of Owensboro 06 2016

Volume 45 Issue 6 June 2016

Right to Life of Owensboro

NEWSLETTER

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Calling All Artists!!!

Would you like to enter a month-long art exhibition spotlighting local artists?

WHEN: June 1st - June 30th WHAT: Art Exhibition Opening Night Event: June11th 6-8pm

GOLF SCRAMBLE When July 16, 2016 Registration at 7:30am Tee-off at 8am Lunch provided Where Ben Hawes Gold Course Entry 4 person scramble $50 a person/ $200 a team The fee includes all golf costs, lunch, and Refreshments, and admittance for each player.

Prizes will be awarded

ART FORMS ACCEPTED: painting, sculpture, photography, sketch, etc.

THEME: “Life is Precious” - all art must reflect this theme SPECIFIC CRITERIA: There will be no art accepted that contains any of the following: gore, nudity, vulgar language, negative aspects of life, pro-abortion propaganda or imagery There will be a $5 entry fee per piece.

ARTIST AGE: With this exhibition we are showcasing the talents of individuals that are 18 or older. Please respect this criteria when reserving your spot in our show.

Please reserve your spot today! All art must be submitted, along with a short description of your piece, no later than May 20th.

You may submit your work to the Right to Life of Owensboro office, located at 1115 Tamarack Road Suite 200, Owensboro, KY 42301. Contact us at 270-685-4922.

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EDUCATION

Early, this past Tuesday morning , we noticed a woman looking at us from across the street at the Subway restaurant. We assumed she was heading to EMW for an abortion, but as she walked across the street , her body language looked positive and cheerful, not looking downcast and dejected as most women are who head to the abortion center.

When she got to the front door, she stopped and said she wanted to show us something. She then proceeded to show us pictures of her three children. She pointed out her youngest son, now five years old, and raved how her three boys are the light of her life.

Five years ago, she was headed to the abortion center to take his life. At that time, her life was in turmoil and abortion seemed like the only option. But when she got the abortion center, sidewalk counselors greeted her in a loving way and offered her life-saving alternatives. Ultimately, on that day, 5 years ago, she decided to choose Life!

She then thanked everyone for being there and standing up for Life. She said that had sidewalk counselors not have been there five years ago, her son would not be here. Now, she is so happy to have him and her two other two sons as part of her life. While we didn't know for sure if she was Catholic, but we did notice that she had a tattooed rosary on her arm. We speculated that Mother Mary was now part of her life as well.

So take heart, when we don't always see the immediate fruits of our efforts. It's always encouraging to hear stories like this and we give thanks for how this mother's soul and her little boy's life was saved. And we know that there are many more lives that have been saved, but we may not find out about until heaven. I do believe that God give us these occasions of grace, to remind us not to give up and to make the effort to respond to His call to pray and advocate for the "least of my brothers."

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

-Deuteronomy 31:6 Continued Easter Blessings, Ed Ed Harpring Coordinator of Pro-Life Ministries "Conception to Natural Death" Archdiocese of Louisville 1200 South Shelby Street

EDUCATION

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Pregnant After a Brutal Rape and Encouraged to Abort, Here’s How My Wife and I Responded OPINION Jeff Christie May 9, 2016 | 6:50PM Washington, DC

I really don’t like thinking about this time. Just saying the words are hard: My wife was raped.

There’s grief and anger — rage really, like I’ve never felt before toward anyone, wanting to find this man . . . .

Above all, there was frustration. Jennifer had just been through something so horrible and scary and I couldn’t make it better. I couldn’t fix it for her. I had so many regrets running through my head. How would things have been different IF?: If I’d driven to the hotel where she’d been staying the week to surprise her (I almost did.) If I’d asked her not to take that out of town job. If this, if that. . . .

We had just set Jennifer up with a therapist to help her work through some of the early signs of PTSD – nightmares and panic attacks, when we found out she was pregnant. From somewhere near Aruba where she was working on a cruise ship she calls me: “I’m pregnant.”

People always seem surprised by my reaction, and I never understand it. I didn’t think, “What do we do now?” I knew what was right already. She just told me the news. I thought, “Okay. This is what we’re doing now.”

A baby is the beginning of something — not a “problem” to fix.

The words “I’m pregnant” should never be followed by, “What should we do about it?” The thing is, it wasn’t ever “Her rapist got her pregnant,” or “Because she was assaulted, now she’s having a baby.” It was: My wife is pregnant. We’re having a kid. A new baby. There’s a blank canvas.

This child on the way didn’t make any decisions about his conception. How could anyone place blame on him?

We knew that the pregnancy would be physically difficult for Jen — we had no idea just how bad — but emotionally, we both saw this baby as something beautiful coming from such evil. It may sound strange to others, but we really did, and do, see our son as a blessing.

I’ve never considered my son to be “somebody else’s.” As we were working through the most horrible thing my wife had ever been through in her life, we were also having a baby. These things never seemed connected. I don’t look at any of my other kids and think, “Oh, that one — he was from our New York trip. . . . And her over there?

She was the night in ’97 when the power went out.”

Jennifer and I are so spiritually and emotionally connected. She’s been my soul mate since I met her at fifteen. In both of our minds, there really was no discussion to be had. My bride was having a baby. Therefore, we were having a baby. That’s all.

Continued on page 4

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EDUCATION

Continued from page 3 It’s been two years since she was raped, and I still have moments of anger. They don’t come as often. I see the effects of my wife’s assault still. We know there are lifelong effects of rape which probably won’t ever go away and we’re coping with those issues. However, separate and apart from that, we have this 18 month old. I think it’s safe to say that he’s my favorite. This is our family joke, because I’ve said this about all the kids at this age. Babies are so full of joy and that happiness is contagious! This kid is so full of hugs and giggles, he just makes the world brighter. The whole world is new, full of discoveries, and seeing that through his eyes is an unexpected gift. When I look at him, I see simple happiness and curiosity. His big blue eyes shine just like his Mama’s. The kid is beautiful, with an infectious smile. I’ve been given this little boy who looks to me to be his Dad, who counts on me to care for him and guide him and be there for him every time he turns around.

Who is he going to grow up to be? That’s up to him. But every one of my boys knows how to treat a woman. Every one of my boys opens the door for his mom, pulls her chair out, serves her first, and speaks with respect. It’s my job — my honor — to teach my youngest how to be a man. And I take this God-given responsibility very seriously.

I learned about honor and respect growing up in a family where we knew our parents loved us, but we also knew without their saying it, that they loved each other. We never saw them fight or disagree or argue in front of us. They personified the verse that said “the two shall become one flesh.” I learned from my dad how to treat women. Did he sit me down and lay it out? No. He lived it.

This is how I teach my boys. They see how I treat their mom. They see how I treat their sister. They see how every woman I talk to is given the respect and honesty due them. My sons open doors. They speak humbly and respectfully to adults. They treat their female friends with dignity. Do they fight with each other? With their sister? Often, and loudly. But the tone with sis is different. This isn’t about equality. It’s about understanding that there is a difference, and it will be acknowledged.

My daughter once confided in her mom that she thinks I spoiled her for guys — that she expects too much from them, based on how we are with each other. First off, good. She needs to keep her standards high. The right guy is out there, and he won’t be someone she has to fix. Secondly, I have to say that I didn’t tell her what to look for. She knows what we have, and knows that it’s right.

My Dad and I were both Marines. The Marine Corps teaches about honor, courage & commitment. They talk about defending those who can’t defend themselves. They teach us this priority: God, family, Corps, and I’ve tried to live by that code. My wife and I are about to celebrate 21 years of marriage. I said “for better or worse” and I meant it.

The vows we take don’t change when life gets difficult. When I look in my baby’s eyes I see innocence and trust.

And a lot of love. He IS my son. He knows me as Daddy. He calls me Daddy. That’s the best feeling in the world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

God is good. All the time.

LifeNews Note: Jeff is the husband of Jennifer Christie – both pro-life bloggers for Save The 1. He’s also the father of 5, caregiver to his wife, former Marine, and works as an automotive industry professional.

EDUCATION

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In 1999, D.C. McAllister went to Planned Parenthood with the intention of having an abortion. She already had two children, was living in poverty and struggling to figure out life as a single mom. McAllister’s story, unfortunately, is the story of many moms in America.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, six in ten mothers who have abortions already have children. Although the proabortion movement uses this statistic to argue that abortion is good for women, in reality this only means that women need more support in child rearing. They need to know that they are not alone and can get help.

McAllister explained how she was planning to justify her abortion. She said, “I thought aborting the baby would be best for myself, for my children, for the baby. But my baby would be dead. That’s what I knew as I sat in my car that day in the parking lot of Planned Parenthood, and I couldn’t escape it. While I rationalized that killing my baby would be best for everyone, her included, I knew it was really about me, my disappointments, my feelings, my life that would suddenly be so hard.” However, as she was sitting in her car she suddenly changed her mind.

McAllister realized she couldn’t sacrifice her child’s life to make her life more comfortable. Even though she knew that choosing life might mean more poverty and adversity, she couldn’t kill her baby.

She said, “I didn’t kill my daughter. I’m ashamed that I wanted to—even for a moment.

In the end, though, I couldn’t do it. Her blood would not be spilled to make my life easier, no matter how right my motivations might have been when it came to my family.” From there, McAllister’s journey was far from easy. She wasn’t able to get food stamps or other government benefits because of Clinton’s welfare reform laws.

She explained her life at that time like this: I moved into a small apartment that smelled of mold. Pill bugs infested the place. In the mornings, I’d wake up to find them covering the carpet in the living room. I’d have to vacuum them every day so the kids wouldn’t get into them. So often, my children would ask why mommy and daddy weren’t together. I never had a good answer, only reassurances that they were loved, and daddy would see them soon. “Everything would be all right. I promise.”

I remember sitting on the floor of my apartment one night, the baby keeping me awake with rolling back and forth.

Bars of light from the street lamp outside my window pressed through the blinds onto the floor. My little prison. A cage I had built for myself. I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t stop the tears. I was feeling sorry for myself, giving in to despair. Thankfully, a church in her community stepped in to help McAllister and her daughter is now 15-yearsold. Not for one minute did she regret her decision to choose life for her daughter. She concluded, “To any woman who thinks death is the best choice so that life can be better, please know this isn’t true. Death is never best.

Death is darkness. Death is the end. Death is hopelessness. Life is full of possibilities. Life offers hope. Life fosters love.”

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Yearly Dues Reminder

Lifetime Dues $500

Family $30

Student $15

Name:______________________________________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Phone:_____________________________________________________________________ Email:______________________________________________________________________ Amount enclosed:_____________________________________________________________ Mail check to: Right to Life of Owensboro 1115 Tamarack Rd, Suite 200 Owensboro, KY 42301 Remember we can do automatic withdrawals To pay with credit card: Please charge my credit card: _______ Frequency: One-time _______

Amount $ _______ Monthly_______

Visa _______ MasterCard _______ Discover _______ 3 Digit Security Code _______ (on back of card) Card # _______________________ Expiration Date ________________ Signature ______________________________________________________________ Authorized signature to process credit card charges.

To withdraw from account: _______ I would like to pay my yearly dues by electronic transfer.

I have enclosed a check providing my first month’s donation.

Please transfer on the _______5th of the month or the _______20th of the month Signature__________________________________________________________ I authorize RTLO to monthly debit my checking account as stated above. This authorization will be the same as if I had personally signed a check and will remain in effect until I notify Right to Life of Owensboro that I wish to change or terminate it. With my check for the first month’s donation, I have provided the necessary banking information to begin the transfer program.

EDUCATION

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Following God’s Plan Do you ever feel like you are in the right place at the right time? That the plan God has for you, is unfolding right before your eyes? I had one of these moments this past week.

Let me introduce myself, I am Stacey Davis, and the new executive director for The Right to Life of Owensboro. I have been a board member for the past 3 years, and served as secretary for 2 of those years. I am married and a mom of two. This organization and the pro-life movement have been a passion of mine from a very young age. I attended Apollo High School, and was apart of a student led Pro-life group. I have had a big voice and big goals even before I graduated. I knew I wanted to do something in this world to make a difference.

Last week at the office, I started going through files and doing normal office work.

I came across several pictures.... of me. I was shocked to see photos that were taken over 10 years ago on the computer I now worked at. My life has came full circle.

I had that moment and thought “wow, it is so funny how things work out.” Sometimes our plan doesn’t work out how we thought it would, but trusting in God is what matters. I never thought I would be able to say I am the executive director for the Right to Life. That was just a teen-age dream.

But here I am. And the best part is the feeling that I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I am truly honored to have been chosen for this position. I am so driven and passionate about this organization and I see a bright future ahead.

Stacey Davis Executive Director

Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version (NIV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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Board Members Officers Gayle Rhodes President Kevin Dorth 1st Vice President Andy Norris 2nd Vice President Marilee Morris Secretary Wes Hamilton Treasurer Board Members at Large Taryn Rice Newsletter Editor Michelle Byrne Kenny Barr John Thompson Mike Mudd Laura Ruth Edge Stuart Squires Shannon Sandefur Stephanie Carr Jordon Tong Stacey Davis Executive Director

A Special Thanks to the following churches for the Baby Bottle Collection Yellow Creek Baptist Church Life Community Church First Baptist of Lewisport Bellevue Baptist Church

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Marilee’s Message

Have you ever thought about who is really affected by abortion? Most people only think about the obvious victims who are the mother and her baby, but no one really thinks about the other victims of abortion.

The victims I am speaking of today are the siblings of the aborted child. I came across an article a few weeks ago that truly opened my eyes to this reality. A grown woman had just found out that her mother aborted her sibling 14 years before she was born. In the article, she had written a letter to her aborted sibling, telling them how sorry she was that they didn’t get to share their lives with each other. She talked about how her heart yearned for the sibling she had never met, and how sorry she was that no one loved that child, but somehow loved her and her brother. She went on to tell her sibling how she didn’t understand how her mother could have killed her child and that they had both been robbed of a beautiful life together as best friends, and siblings. She could imagine what her life could have been like with her older sibling on Christmas and Birthdays, and how she will forever miss and love someone that she never got a chance to meet.

This article made me realize that someday, I will have to tell my sons what I did to their sibling. I will have to try and make them understand why, but how can I really? They can’t understand, and they will likely feel just like this woman feels, and will miss someone they have never met for the rest of their lives. This crushes me, but there is nothing that I can do about it. This day is inevitable. Right now, they are 4 years old and 18 months old. I can only hope that being raised in the pro life movement, that they will have a better understanding and will be able to forgive me the way that our Lord has. But that is something that I will live in fear of until that day comes.

The pain of abortion reaches so much further than mother and child. It reaches siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and everyone who loves that mother and her child. This evil can destroy families and loved ones in a way that can be irreversible.

What we do here at Right to Life is so important. Education is the key. The public has to be aware of the truth. If they don’t have the knowledge, how can they know what a person like me has faced and endured at the hands of this evil industry? How can they understand that it is not just a one day experience and then we all move on with our lives as if nothing happened? We have to keep fighting until abortion is at its end. We have to work to save all the millions and millions of siblings in the world that feel what this woman felt and that ultimately my two beautiful sons will feel someday as well. I will always have to live with that, but I don’t have to stand by and do nothing. We can change this! We can fight this! And someday, WE WILL WIN!

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Letter from the PRESIDENT

Agency Manager 4565 Hwy 2830 (Old US60 E) Phone: 270-684-3227 Fax: 270-684-3031 Cell: 270-313-3195

WIMM Catholic Radio

This is my first letter for the RTLO newsletter as President. The first thing I would like to do is thank our past officers Jerry Embry and Robin Beatty. Jerry was with us for the past 5 years; the first 3 years as a board member and the last 2 years as President. His inspiration and prayerfulness were excellent traits as a leader. Robin served with distinction as Executive Director for the past 3 years. She was tireless in her efforts to get the pro-life message to as many people as she could. As an organizer with attention to detail our events went smoothly and were highly successful in terms of message delivered and funds generated.

I want to welcome our new Executive Director, Stacey Davis. This is will be an easy transition as she has been a RTLO board member and secretary for several years. She brings a passion and energy to her new position and looks forward to serving in her new role.

Even though faces change, our goals at RTLO remain the same. We are here to educate and change hearts regarding the sanctity of life. Each year over 50 million abortions occur worldwide with 1.3 million done here in the US. We still have plenty to do, but I believe the pro-life movement is making a difference on the political and social scene. RTLO will continue to keep the plight of the unborn out front and noticeable to our community. We will not let our babies be forgotten. You can help by doing the same. Be an advocate for human life at all stages to the people around you and continue to pray for the end to abortion.

Gayle Rhodes President, RTLO

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Right to Life of Owensboro

12 Local Pro-Life Agencies

Art Show– June 11, Creme Coffee House Chalk Out- June 14, RTLO Office Sidewalk Story/Craft Time for Kids– 6-9 thru 7-18, RTLO Office Golf Scramble– July 16, Ben Hawes Walk for Life– September 3, Our Lady of Lourdes Banquet– October 27, The Convention Center

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 270-570-4717, 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 Gayle Rhodes Stacey Davis 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.

NON-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Owensboro, KY 42301 Permit No. 120