SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY . . .Has been officially designated as JANUARY 26, 1997. This date marks the 24th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the abortion laws of all 50 states and made abortion on demand, at virtually every stage of pregnancy, the law of the land. The U.S. Supreme Court gave the United States the dubious distinction of having the most permissive abortion law of any nation in the western world. [1 --Right To Life, New Mexico, 6/92]SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY . . .Is a "prayer" event where millions of Christians across our nation will come together in unity to pray for the millions of unborn babies who have lost their lives through abortion and for the millions of mothers who have been traumatized by abortion.SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY . . .Is an effort to encourage local churches and individuals to discover what it means to love, not just with pro-life words, but with conviction and actions. As Christians pray about this vital issue, they will be challenged to become involved in crisis pregnancy centers and in post-abortion ministries. As people of faith provide free pregnancy tests, maternity clothes, baby needs, medical and professional services, and special care to mothers, fathers and families who are involved in a crisis pregnancy, the church will be responding to God's call to protect all vulnerable lives -- the unborn, the disabled and the elderly.Unfortunately, abortion has made adversaries between the mother in a crisis pregnancy and her unborn child. When the church reaches out to women in crisis pregnancies who are agonizing over whether to have an abortion, they are saying, "Your life and the life of your baby are both important and we will desert neither of you." SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY . . .Is an opportunity to present the "truth" that every human life is precious; every human life is made in the image of God; and every human life is a gift more valuable than we can imagine. Every human life deserves respect and protection from harm, because each human being is "fearfully and wonderfully made" [Psalms 139:14]. Each human conceived is indeed a miracle requiring God's involvement. And, it is God's intimate involvement with human beings that imparts to human life its sanctity, its value, and its uniqueness. In addition, "human beings are not born human or become human at some arbitrary, mysterious point of fetal development. They are conceived human beings, with all of the wonder, glory and unique value God imparts to each and every human life." [2 -- Dr. Richard D. Land, Christian Life Commission Brochure, 95]TO THINK ABOUT . . .Americans have been told that we can't afford to take care of the many babies who would be born if abortion was not legal and readily available as a form of birth control. However, the following examples of consumer spending habits would suggest that "perhaps we have the resources to care for the subsistence and health care needs of all Americans without having to kill one another in the process." [3 --Quote by Gregg Cunningham, Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, In-Perspective, May, 1994]CONSUMER SPENDING HABITSProfessional baseball/football game tickets 1.2 billion/year (Commissioner of Baseball, NFL)Popcorn 1.2 billion/year (Nielsen Marketing Research) Potato Chips 4.6 billion/year (Nielsen Marketing Research) Greeting Cards 5.6 billion/year (Greeting Card Association) Guns & Ammunition 10 billion/year (National Rifle Association) Cosmetic Products 27 billion/year (Drug & Cosmetic Industry Magazine) Soft Drinks 30 billion/year (National Softdrink Association) Beer 50 billion/year (Beer Institute) Restaurant Dining 173.8 billion/year (National Restaurant Association) Legal Gambling 300 billion/year (Discovery Channel, Walter Cronkite Report) This list (more than $600 billion per year), "is representative, but not nearly inclusive of the vastly greater amounts of discretionary (in many instances, arguably frivolous) spending, which could be painlessly redirected to meet the health care needs of the most helpless among us. The real question is whether we have the will: Do we think a baby is more important than a beer?" [3 - Gregg Cunningham, In-Perspective, 5/94] SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE ACTIVITIES . . .JANUARY 21-23: DC MARCH FOR LIFE Bus Trip Call Missouri RTL - (816) 353-4113 - Ext 3JANUARY 21: CEMETERY MEMORIAL SERVICE - LS Call (816) 246-1617 (Lee's Summit) JANUARY 22: INDEPENDENCE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL Call (816) 461-7007 (23rd & Noland) JANUARY 22: TOPEKA CAPITOL RALLY -8AM-4:30PM Call Wichita KFL - 1-800-928-5433 Training seminars, lunch with legislators, tours, "scavenger hunt", displays, rally at 3 PM, march around the Capitol. Former President Ronald Reagan has stated, "If America is to remain what God, in His wisdom, intended for it to be -- a refuge, a safe haven for those seeking basic human rights -- then we must once again extend the most basic human right to the most vulnerable members of the human family. We must commit ourselves to a future in which the right to life of every human being -- no matter how weak, no matter how small, no matter how defenseless -- is protected by our laws and public policy". [7/3/88] Family Watch, Inc. P.O. Box 28727 Kansas City, MO 64188-8727
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