Wanting to expand the abortion industry into the faith community, Planned Parenthood has come up with a letter to expectant mothers, assuring them that God is fine with abortion.
The newly posted letter penned by “religious leaders” targets women considering abortion and tells them that abortion will not affect their relationship with God.
However, the latest letter is not Planned Parenthood’s first — or even second — attempt this year geared to persuade women that the Bible is okay with abortion.
The first such letter was detected in May, when Planned Parenthood’s “Pastoral Letter to Patients” used God’s name to bring in more women from faith backgrounds to purchase abortions. This message was used to assure biblically minded women and girls in crisis pregnancy situations that the Bible says nothing about abortion being wrong and that many clergy believe that having an abortion is perfectly fine and a scripturally sound decision.
Planned Parenthood’s second-round letter to pregnant women was discovered a month later in June by LifeNews. This pastoral letter was distributed via one of the abortion giant’s political action committees (PAC) and went a step further by using the Bible to justify abortions. Here, the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advocacy Board told women that 1) “many people wrongly assume that all religious leaders disapprove of abortion,” 2) “abortion is not even mentioned in the Scriptures, 3) “there are clergy … from all regions who support women making this complex decision, and that 4) “[Planned Parenthood] will refer you to someone who will be supportive of you and your [abortion] decision.”
A new and ‘improved’ message?
Not to be outdone by their previous persuasive letters, Planned Parenthood was discovered last week by LifeNews to be at it again, this time putting together a “Religious Affairs Committee,” — complete with a dozen reverends and a Rabbi — to speak with a more authoritative voice assuring women that abortion will not threaten their relationship with God.
Planned Parenthood’s most recent plea for women of faith to pay for abortions begins by attempting to establish trust in their religious group and distrust toward conservative Christians.
“If you are reading this letter, you are probably pregnant or close to someone who is,” the letter begins. “The people who have signed this letter below come from a variety of religious communities. Our purpose in writing this letter is to support you in whatever course you choose. The presence of the ‘religious right’ has been very strong in its refusal to accept abortion as one of the choices before a woman. We represent religious traditions which all have different opinions about abortion, but we do have some basic understandings that we would like to share with you.”
Consisting of four main points, the first one emphasizes that Planned Parenthood’s so-called faith leaders declare the killing of preborn children as a morally upright practice that is justified by any difficult situations revolving around the pregnancy.
“We believe, as religious leaders in our faith communities, that abortion is a morally permissible choice for a woman facing a problem pregnancy,” the explanation excusing abortion asserts. “No one thinks abortion is an easy choice. If we lived in a perfect world there might be no problem pregnancies and therefore no difficult choices about abortion. We realize that there are many things that can make a pregnancy difficult. Abortion is chosen for medical, physical, emotional, economic and relational reasons. It is a choice made by women, often in consultation with partners, families and friends. We support you and your ability to choose what is best for you.”
The Pastoral Letter’s second argument for abortion begins with the premise that a woman’s preborn child is just another part of her body that she is free to dispose of as she wishes — as opposed to an individual person who belongs to God, as the Bible teaches.
“We believe, as religious leaders in our faith communities, that ultimately no one can make the choice for or against abortion except the woman herself,” the pastor-signed letter reads. “No one knows your life as you do. We trust that any decision you make will be made after serious thought and contemplation of the alternatives. You will make the best decision you can. We do not believe that it is appropriate for other persons or other faiths to judge you or the correctness of your decision. God gave us all the ability to think and pray and feel and choose. We are called to make the best decisions we can in our personal circumstances. If you have thoughtfully decided to have an abortion then you should be at peace with your decision.”
Next, Planned Parenthood attempts to speak with scriptural authority, declaring that God does not judge them or hold them accountable for many of their sins, and abortion is overlooked by God as just another hardship that will not result in any adverse consequences.
“We believe, as religious leaders in our faith communities, that the decision to have an abortion will not threaten your relationship with God,” the letter assures. “We believe that God is a participant in the struggles of human life. We believe that God is compassionate and does not expect any of us to lead perfect lives. We believe the biblical record shows us a God who loves human beings regardless of our strengths, skills and aptitudes, and loves us equally despite our failings, mistakes and choices. God is not angry with you and will not punish you for any choice you have or might make. In fact, we believe that God loves you and will be with you helping you find strength and understanding and comfort for living through days of doubt and distress.”
Finally, the Pastoral Letter promises women of faith considering abortion that there is no right or wrong choice, and that God will honor whatever they decide. This is considered by most Bible-believing Christians as having a huge conflict with Scripture, which teaches the moral absolutes of right and wrong, based on God’s inerrant Truth — not in the whimsical feelings of human nature.
“We believe, as religious leaders in our faith communities, that your life needs to go on from here, and that you are deserving of support and assistance,” the fourth and final point concludes. “We know that the decision to have an abortion is a difficult one. You may wonder from time to time if you made the right choice. You may be sorrowful, doubtful or depressed because of your choice. These are natural emotions. Experiencing this does not mean your decision was a bad one. It may mean that you are a sensitive person. Nevertheless these feelings may also mean that you could benefit from talking with someone about your decision. It is important for you to find peace. If you have bad moments, we encourage you to seek support from professionals. If you think that it would be helpful for you to talk to a minister, Planned Parenthood keeps a list of clergy who would be supportive of you and the decision you have made. They will see you for no charge and not pressure you to become part of their congregations. We want you to have a peaceful road ahead.”
Not failing to sound spiritual, with a blessing at the end, the letter’s farewell salutation revisits the main intent of the letter — to sell more abortions.
“Thank you for purchasing an abortion and God bless you,” the Planned Parenthood letter ends.
In an attempt to give authority to its assertions about faith and abortion, the letter highlights the names of 12 reverends and one rabbi as official backers of the message. Together, they stand as Planned Parenthood’s Religious Affairs Committee:
The listing of names includes: Reverend Debbie Pitney, Reverend Steve Carlson, Reverend Ken Henry, Reverend Ben Dake, Reverend Melanie Oommen, Reverend Gregory Flint, Reverend Danna Drum Hastings, Reverend Dan Bryant, Reverend Zane Wilson, Reverend Jonathan Weldon, Reverend Jan Fairchild, Reverend Bruce Cameron, and Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankins.
Their official designations and church affiliations were not mentioned.
Michael F. Haverluck, OneNewsNow.com
