Daly Focus Blog
News broke this past week that city officials in Portland, Oregon have now authorized state employees who have abortions to take up to three days paid bereavement leave to help process and emotionally heal from the death of their pre-born child.
Those of us who have been advocating for every life to be protected under law have long said that abortion is a traumatic event resulting in deep grief and sorrow. In fact, studies confirm it.
Readers above a certain age will remember the comedian Bob Newhart. Now 92 years-old, the actor known for his deadpan delivery once played a psychologist dispensing advice to a cast of eclectic characters. Encountering a woman who feared and thought continuously about being buried in a box, the doctor famously relayed a two-word solution:
“Stop it!”
Naturally, breaking a bad and destructive habit is easier said than done. But the first step is realizing the harm that is done by consuming pornography.
In 2014, brothers David and Jason Benham were considered the next stars of the HGTV cable channel. Their show Flip It Forward was expected to be as successful as Chip and Joanna Gaines’ show, Fixer Upper.
However, five weeks into a 10-week film shoot – and just months away from airing the first episode – David and Jason were fired. HGTV executives said activist organizations had begun confronting the channel and targeting advertisers. The reason?
The Benham brothers are unabashedly vocal about social issues related to marriage and pro-life values.
Focus on the Family president Jim Daly reacts to the House passage of H.R. 3755:
In a galling twist of irony, liberal members of the House of Representatives passed last week (on party lines) the “Women’s Health Protection Act” – a tragic piece of legislation designed to guarantee unfettered access to abortion.
In reality, the legislation doesn’t protect anyone – it actually endangers women and ends the lives of innocent children, along with cheapening the sacredness and value of life overall.
Using soft words to describe dark deeds has become the calling card of abortion advocates, who routinely refer to abortion as “healthcare.” It’s simply not true, and saying so however many times they do won’t make truth of a lie.
The apostle Paul had little time for deceivers, admonishing fellow believers in Ephesus to “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (5:11).
When does life begin?
Can only women have children?
Recent answers from liberals to both of these hotly debated questions might surprise you.
In a stunning admission, New York Times correspondent Jonathan Weisman acknowledged, perhaps inadvertently, what science and common sense have long affirmed – that life begins at conception.
The startling comments from one of the nation’s historically liberal newspapers came in an article detailing the Democrat party’s push to pass an unprecedented $3.5 million budget designed to dramatically expand nearly every area of social welfare.
While most of us slept, Texas Senate Bill 8 went into law early Wednesday morning – legislation that protects innocent life from the point of a detectable heartbeat, or about 6 weeks gestation.
Abortion advocates had appealed to the Supreme Court to block the new law. As of this writing, though, the High Court has not acted on the motion.
I was in Texas this past Saturday night, hosting Focus on the Family’s See Life 2021 event in Dallas.
Focus on the Family has been unashamedly pro-life since our inception 44 years ago. The affirmation of human life is one of our foundational principles, and I pray that however long the Lord allows our organization to exist, it will remain so.
You and I have an important part to play individually as well. Voting for pro-life candidates and supporting ballot initiatives is a good start. Yet, we often wish women with unplanned pregnancies, “Good luck,” from a safe distance.
Tonya was 13 when she became pregnant and aborted her baby.
She endeavored to move on with her life as if nothing had happened. Yet, in the weeks that followed, something still seemed to be happening inside of her. She soon discovered that she had been pregnant with twins, and one of the babies had survived the procedure. A few weeks later, Tonya gave birth to the child and put her up for adoption.
Twenty-one years later that child – now a grown adult named Claire – called the adoption agency from where she had been adopted.
How much human potential has been aborted?
The toll is inconceivable.
Since the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in all fifty states back in 1973, over 62 million children have been lost – children who would have grown up to be scientists making discoveries, scholars and innovators solving problems – and athletes accomplishing incredible feats on the gridiron.
Like Micah Parsons.
At twenty-one years of age, the Penn State sophomore linebacker is expected to be drafted in the NFL draft’s first round on Thursday night.
I sometimes wonder if government officials who champion abortion are blinded to the truth – or just knowingly embrace an indefensible position for the sake of ideological partisanship.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken comes to mind. He recently declared, “Standing up for human rights everywhere is in America’s interests.”
I would agree – it’s never right to embrace a wrong and defending the dignity of each person is a noble ideal. The United States may not be the world’s police force, but America has historically stood up for those in need, something we can all be proud of.
Yet during the same speech, Mr.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
