#2549 (1/12) PRO-LIFE SAT: '40 Abortion Clinics Closed in 2018, 79% of All Abortion Clinics Open in 1991 Have Shut Down"

"40 ABORTION CLINICS CLOSED IN 2018, 70% OF ALL ABORTION CLINICS OPEN IN 1991 HAVE SHUT DOWN" -  Cheryl Sullenger,  JAN 7, 2019   | https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/07/40-abortion-clinics-closed-in-2018-79-of-all-abortion-clinics-open-in-1991-have-shut-down/ [AS I SEE IT: Every clinic shut down means more unborn babies' lives are saved! Also, for those of you in Orlando, please take note of what happened to the biggest abortionist in our area that's described under the heading below "Noteable Closures for 2018." How awesome is that! (I've been praying regularly about him for a long time.)- Stan]

     The number of abortion clinics in America continued to decline in 2018, following a trend that has seen an overall decrease of 159 abortion facilities since 2012. Overall, in 2018, 40 abortion facilities closed or no longer qualify as  abortion clinics. Today, there are a total of 697 abortion centers left in America – seven fewer than there were at the end of 2017.

     That total includes 467 facilities that conduct surgical abortions – down dramatically from the high-water mark of 2,176 surgical facilities documented in 1991.  This represents a massive 79 percent decrease in the number of surgical abortion facilities over the past 27 years.

   The data was compiled by Operation Rescue, which conducted a survey of all abortion facilities in the U.S. from November 26 through December 14, 2018. Each year, Operation Rescue conducts a nationwide survey that involves contacting each abortion business in the U.S. The information gathered about the abortion clinics and their practices represents the most accurate data available.

   Operation Rescue defines “abortion clinics” as those businesses that conduct abortions outside a hospital setting.  There are two categories of abortion clinics:

  Surgical Abortion Clinics: These offices conduct surgical abortions. Almost always, surgical facilities also distribute abortion-inducing drugs.

  Medical Abortion Clinics: These offices supply abortions through the administration of drugs (pills) or other chemical means. They do not conduct surgical abortions.

  At the end of 2018, there were 23 fewer surgical abortion clinics than at the same time last year. Thirty-two surgical abortion facilities closed or no longer meet the definition of a surgical abortion facility.

Clinics that offered abortion drugs only, such as abortion pills or other chemical means, increased in number by 17 facilities to a total of 230. However, 12 of those added clinics were not new. They were surgical facilities that reduced services to provide only medical abortions.  In 2018, eight medical abortion facilities closed permanently. 

  

  Although the number of medical abortion facilities has increased, they merely occupy a larger piece of an ever-shrinking pie. Unable or unwilling to meet new surgical facility safety regulations, some have resorted to dropping surgical abortions as perhaps their only means of staying open – especially in states that do not regulate medical abortion clinics or that allow non-physicians to dispense the drugs.

Planned Parenthood

   Planned Parenthood, now under the direction of new CEO Leana Wen, continues to undergo a reorganization of facilities and staff, while attempting to expand abortions primarily through the use of abortion drugs.

   There are currently 358 Planned Parenthood facilities that conduct abortions. Of those, 160 are surgical abortion facilities and 198 offer pill abortions.  However, many of Planned Parenthood’s pill clinics only offer abortions on a limited or part-time basis.

  While Planned Parenthood’s surgical facility numbers remain unchanged in 2018, abortion pill facilities have increased by 11 over 2017 numbers – a modest increase despite almost-desperate efforts to expand abortion availability.

  Nevertheless, the few additional Planned Parenthood abortion facilities do not represent an increase in total clinic numbers, which continue to decline nationwide.

  Planned Parenthood locations now represent 51 percent of all abortion facilities in the U.S., gaining two percent in 2018.

  But that does not mean that Planned Parenthood is doing more abortions than the 49 percent of clinics that are not affiliated with them. On the contrary, a report released in November 2018 by the Abortion Care Network claims that independent abortion facilities conduct 60 percent of all abortions in the U.S., while Planned Parenthood facilities account for only 35 percent.

  “We cannot afford to forget about the non-Planned Parenthood abortion facilities because they do the vast majority of abortions,” said Newman.  “Independent clinics generally tend to be for-profit businesses, and that motivates them to conduct as many abortions as possible.”

Closed Clinics Mean Fewer Abortions

   According to the Center for Disease Control’s recent abortion surveillance report, the number of abortions decreased by 2 percent in 2015, the latest year for which statistics are available.  The abortion rate (number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) and the abortion ratio (number of abortions per 1,000 live births) also decreased by 2 percent, according to the CDC.

Operation Rescue’s 2015 abortion facility survey report showed that the number of abortion facilities decreased by about the same amount (2 percent) in 2015.

   This demonstrates that a direct correlation exists between the number of abortion facilities and the number of abortions. “When abortion clinics close, lives are saved,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.  “Our data, when compared to the CDC’s data, is compelling evidence of that fact.  Based on that, we can expect to see abortion numbers continue to decline.”

Reasons for Closures

   A number of factors have led to the closure of abortion clinics in America.

   * Some facilities that have not been able to compete in an ever-shrinking abortion market have been forced to shut down for economic reasons.

   Other factors that contribute to clinic closures include:

*Successful pro-life activism.

*New state laws.

*Failure to comply with existing laws and safety regulations.

*Loss of tax funding in several states.

*Loss of abortion provider.

*Unwillingness of landlords to continue leases with abortion businesses.

Notable Closures in 2018

   There were several noteworthy facilities that closed or halted abortion services in 2018.

  EPOC, located in Orlando, Florida, was once a high-volume abortion facility specializing in late-term abortions owned and operated by abortionist James Scott Pendergraft, IV.  It closed after the Florida Medical Board made it clear that it intended to revoke Pendergraft’s medical license after six suspensions and, finally, an arrest and conviction for dealing illicit drugs in South Carolina, where he was also conducting illegal abortions out of his van.

  American Family Planning in Pensacola, Florida was shut down by the state for licensing issues. It is affiliated with the notorious and disgraced New Jersey abortionist Steven Chase Brigham.

  Two Planned Parenthood abortion facilities in Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri were forced to halt abortions. New licensing regulations and a failed health inspection – where authorities found mold in the suction abortion machine – contributed ceasing abortions at the Columbia facility. These facilities are significant because they were part of Planned Parenthood’s failed attempt to expand abortions in Missouri, which is now left with one abortion clinic in the entire state.

  Women’s Center, and Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility in Nashville, Tennessee, made national headlines since halted abortions at  these two clinics left Nashville as the largest abortion-free city in America. However, now Planned Parenthood has said it will reopen for abortions in January 2019, but until they do, this clinic will remain listed as inactive.

  Carafem in Augusta, Georgia, closed its doors after having opened in March 2017.  It offered third-world style manual aspiration abortions and abortion pills, presumably to keep overhead down. Carafem is a chain of abortion facilities that received national headlines when it burst on the scene in 2015 with controversial bus ads in the Washington, D.C. area. Media hailed it as a bold new abortion business that rapidly expanded to four facilities in three states. However, the closure of the Augusta facility now puts its corner-cutting business plan in doubt.

  The closure of Whole Women’s Health, located in San Antonio, Texas, has been an irony.  The Whole Women’s Health chain of abortion businesses fought to stay open after the 2013 passage of HB 2, a sweeping abortion licensing law that shut down 20 Texas abortion facilities.  It sued to block the law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt case, which struck down some provisions of the law. But that ruling did little over the long haul to help them keep their San Antonio abortion business open.

Conclusions

    *While the abortion cartel is highly motivated to expand, especially through the use of the abortion pill, their plans are being thwarted by pro-life activism, new pro-life laws, and even their own bad behavior.

   *Chronic difficulty keeping clinics staffed with abortionists continues as a trend.

   *While the number of medical clinics represents a growing percentage of all abortion clinics, surgical facilities still dominate the dwindling industry.

    *With the pro-life Trump Administration set to cut Title X funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses next spring through a rule change, it can be expected that the slight increase in Planned Parenthood abortion facilities will not continue into 2019.

    *Also, President Trump has appointed of a record number of conservative judges to the Federal bench and two new Supreme Court Justices – with the possibility of more in the near future. It is likely that there will be more favorable rulings on pro-life cases from a more conservative federal judiciary in the coming years, which could also help in closing even more abortion facilities.

     “We are very encouraged by the results of our 2018 survey. Abortion facilities are closing faster than they can open, and that means there are fewer women and babies being put at risk,” said Newman. “America is rejecting abortion in favor of life, and we expect that trend to continue until all of our nation is finally abortion-free.”

[italics and colored emphasis mine] 

LifeNews.com Note: Cheryl Sullenger is a leader of Operation Rescue.

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"25 Abortion Clinics Closed Last Year, Demand for Abortions Not What It Once Was" - 

 Micaiah Bilger, JAN 11, 2019; https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/11/25-abortion-clinics-closed-last-year-demand-for-abortions-not-what-it-once-was/

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan 

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

 As we look ahead to 2019, Open Doors is excited to partner with you to come alongside persecuted believers in a number of countries. We ask you to pray with us about this year’s vision focused on strengthening the Church in the Middle East, Nigeria, India, Colombia and Egypt, among others.

January 12 | NIGERIA - Recently, Open Doors visited and brought food and supplies to displaced Christians in makeshift camps who fled when Fulani militants attacked and wiped out 12 Christian villages near the city of Jos. Pray for peace in the region and for God’s continued provision.

*Names changed to protect identities

#2548 (1/11) "Why Fact Checking Is A Joke"

"WHY FACT CHECKING IS A JOKE" -  Derek Hunter : Jan 10, 2019; https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2019/01/10/why-fact-checking-is-a-joke-n2538780 [AS I SEE IT: To sum up what this article presents in answer to the question, the answer is mainstream media bias. - Stan]

       As soon as President Donald Trump’s speech ended, the liberal talking points were spewing on the cable news networks disguised as “fact checking.” Armed with press releases from the Democratic National Committee, the talking heads universally focused on the small stuff to avoid admitting the inconvenient truths leftists avoid like the plague – illegal immigration hurts Americans.

  Democrats don’t care. To leftists, individuals are disposable. Why would they be bothered by a Ronil Singh [border officer killed by an illegal alien] if they don’t care about the 100 million dead their totalitarian philosophy is responsible for? One more body on the pile of bodies isn’t going to bother people unbothered by the existence of the pile in the first place. But political points had to be scored, the liberal narrative had to be advanced. Enter the official “fact checkers.”

  While nearly every journalist and pundit played armature sleuth, the professionals are in a class by themselves. They’re imbued with so much fact checking ability it’s right there in their job title. But what exactly did they fact check?
  
  Politico dug into whether or not Chuck Schumer ever voted for a border wall. The answer is an obvious “yes,” but that truth upsets the narrative that walls don’t work and are a waste of money. Rather than admit it or simply ignore it, that fact had to be attacked because it makes him look like a hypocrite. So Politico declared it “misleading.” The Politico fact check justified this by writing, “Misleading. Schumer and nearly two dozen other Democrats voted for the 2006 Secure Fence Act, which authorized the construction of roughly 700 miles of fence along the southwest border. But Schumer never voted for anything close to the scale of Trump's $5.7 billion wall.”
  See what they did there? They declared a true statement to be misleading because of scale. President Trump didn’t make a statement about scale, he made a statement about concept. Reality was inconvenient to the left, so they changed the unit of measure to fit the conclusion they wanted. And if you control the unit of measure for anything, you’ll always win.

  Not to be outdone, the Washington Post did the same when they checked the claim, “266,000 aliens arrested in the past two years.” Their conclusion? “So the numbers add up, they’re misleading.”  
  How are accurate numbers misleading? “The total covers all types of offenses, including illegal entry or reentry. ICE does not break down arrests by type of crime,” the Post writes. The president didn’t break down arrests by the type of crime either, so the “fact checkers” were checking something that wasn’t said. Again, changing the unit of measure.

  As if a hive mind, all the fact checks were remarkably similar. Politico, the Post, and the New York Times, for example, all checked the line, “Every week 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across our southern border.” All admitted it is true, “Most heroin smuggled into the United States does come through the southwest border,” wrote the Times. Yet they all declared it problematic, with both Politico and the Post saying it was “misleading,” and the Times demanding, “This need context.”
    In what context is the statement not true? The Times says, “most of it is smuggled into the United States through legal ports of entry at the southern border, not through the desert.” That would be all well and good, if the president had said it did. But he didn’t. The speech was about broad-based border security including a wall, but everything was “fact checked” through the lens of a wall.
  The Post wrote, “while 90 percent of the heroin sold in the United States comes from Mexico, virtually all of it comes through legal points of entry.” Politico’s take was, “Although most heroin enters the U.S. through the border with Mexico, most of that is intercepted at legal ports of entry.” Again, the president didn’t say anything contradicting these statements, yet all decreed what he said to be differing degrees of false.

     The concept of fact checking politicians is a good one, but the execution is a complete failure when the people doing the fact checking are every bit as biased as the politicians they’re checking. As I wrote in my book, PolitiFact checked Barack Obama’s claim that, “If you like your doctor/plan, you can keep your doctor/plan,” multiple times and declared it varying degrees of true each time. That was until, in 2013, when they awarded the statement its “Lie of the Year,” after it had become clear that conservatives were right and 5 million Americans lost their plans and doctors. Coincidentally, 2013 was also after voters would ever have the chance to hold Obama accountable for the lie he’d told dozens of times for 5 years while they proclaimed it to be true.

   NBC News, unsurprisingly and in keeping with the rest of the media, barely fact checked (only 4 innocuous statements from it) Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’s “Democratic response.” Also unsurprisingly, what they chose to check dovetailed exactly with a liberal agenda. Such hard-hitting like, “Democrats want to re-open government” and “The size of the wall,” because Schumer referred to a “30-foot wall.” They wrote, “Actually, New York's senior senator was selling President Trump a little short. Candidate Trump, in various stump appearances, talked about building walls as tall as 45, 50, 60 and 65 feet, depending on the speech.” Hard-hitting stuff.

     Media fact checking is a joke; it’s a scam to mask blatant bias behind a curtain of objectivity. Then again, why should the fact checking arm be any different than the rest of the media in the Trump era?

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

Please subscribe to Derek’s daily podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, or Stitcher (it’s free!) to keep up to date on everything in the news and in-depth analysis of media bias and corruption.

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan 

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

 As we look ahead to 2019, Open Doors is excited to partner with you to come alongside persecuted believers in a number of countries. We ask you to pray with us about this year’s vision focused on strengthening the Church in the Middle East, Nigeria, India, Colombia and Egypt, among others.

January 11 | UKRAINE - During a worship meeting, a church was recently raided—the

latest in a series of raids on religious communities. Pray that this church community will stand strong together, drawing on each other for support.

Names changed to protect identities

#2547 (1/10) "Trump: National Security Is Worth Wall"

"TRUMP: NATIONAL SECURITY IS WORTH WALL" -  Tony Perkins, Washington Watch, Jan. 09, 2019; https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20190109/trump-security

        At first, Maria Salinas didn't understand why her guide was offering her birth control. Of all the things she could take on her trip through the desert, why this? Later on, she says, it made sense. The money she paid to get to the U.S. border was nothing, she found out, compared to the real cost.

   "These coyotes [guides and smugglers] know what they're going to do in the middle of nowhere," Maria says quietly from a soup kitchen in Nogalas. For most women, the entire trip is one, non-stop sexual assault. When she couldn't keep up with her group, one of the coyotes leading Maria's caravan said he'd wait for her -- but only if he could have sex with her daughter. She refused, and he left them. If it weren't for Border Patrol, Maria remembers, they would have died. "It's awful," she shakes her head, "making this trip as a woman."

  Younger girls are even bigger targets. Older men promise their parents they'll take them to America, only to sell them to brothels by the border or force them into sex slavery once they get there. Along towns like Mapastepec and Frontera Comalapa, the houses of prostitution are full of young women who were tricked or trafficked. Their moms or dads send them anyway, knowing with 80 percent certainty in some countries that they'll be raped -- or never seen again.

  That's just part of the "cycle of suffering" President Trump is talking about. "Women and children are the biggest victims, by far, of our broken system," the president pointed out. And the compassionate response isn't sitting by and letting our porous border give these thugs more business. The compassionate response isn't encouraging more parents to gamble with their kids' lives by leaving more loopholes open to abuse. The compassionate response is enforcing the law -- not just for their safety, but for ours.

  While the media's attention is usually on the hardship of these immigrants, they're far from the only victims. When drug smugglers and gang members cross into the U.S., they rarely leave their culture of violence behind. "In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records," the president said during his primetime appeal for more border security last night, "including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings." Thousands of Americans -- from 16-year-old girls to Air Force veterans -- have been viciously murdered by the wave of criminals entering our country illegally. "This is a humanitarian crisis," the president insisted. But more than that, it's a crisis for the future of our country. Every American is hurt -- either physically, or emotionally, or economically by the people who refuse to enter our country legally.

  The 1,933 miles separating the U.S. from Mexico is also feeding our country's catastrophic drug addiction. Ninety percent of the heroin making its way into America is streaming across our southern border. The cost of those illegal drugs -- and others -- is more than $500 billion a year. "Vastly more," the president points out, "than the $5.7 billion we have requested from Congress."

  A wall may not solve everything, but it will solve some things. Take Yuma, Arizona, for instance. "The area had only about five miles of fencing in the mid-2000s, then saw the extent of its fencing increase tenfold. Illegal crossings plummeted," NRO's Rich Lowry points out. A wall, he argues, is actually a mild form of enforcement. It "doesn't involve deporting anyone. It doesn't separate families. It doesn't prosecute and detain anyone. It doesn't deny any illegal immigrant currently working in the United States a job. All it does is seek to avoid getting in a situation where these other things are necessary in the first place." A wall, Rich writes, "doesn't close down the border, or close us off to the world."

  But a wall is a reminder that we are a nation of laws, whose first commitment is to protect the people inside. Congressional Democrats may not be interested in real solutions. But until they are, there's little hope of preserving the America that so many people are desperate to call home.

[italics and colored emhasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan 

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

 As we look ahead to 2019, Open Doors is excited to partner with you to come alongside persecuted believers in a number of countries. We ask you to pray with us about this year’s vision focused on strengthening the Church in the Middle East, Nigeria, India, Colombia and Egypt, among others.

January 10 | IRAN - Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani is no stranger to Iran’s inhumane prison system. He was again violently arrested and sentenced to 10 years for propagating house churches. He has reportedly been taken to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Pray for protection, strength and comfort for him and his family.
*Names changed to protect identities

#2546 (1/9) "Making End of Life Decisions - The Problems With Advance Directives"

"MAKING END-OF- LIFE DECISIONS - THE PROBLEMS WITH ADVANCE DIRECTIVEES" - by John Stonestreet and Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint.org, January 9, 2019; http://www.breakpoint.org/2019/01/breakpoint-making-end-of-life-decisions/

     [Unless Jesus comes again]We’re all going to die one day. Are you prepared? Yes, for heaven, but also, have you made decisions about how to handle your medical care?

     

    So what did your family discuss this past Christmas Eve? The beautiful lights? Maybe some childhood holiday memories? Hopefully, the immeasurable gift of the Incarnation and the love of God? Well, according to the online medical journal STAT, you should have talked about the importance of advance medical directives. As Dave Barry likes to say, I’m not making this up.

In an article published on, of all days, Christmas Eve, STAT told readers that advance directives are a “perfect holiday conversation.” Yep, break out the eggnog…

   If you’re unfamiliar with the term, an “advance directive” is “a legal document in which a person specifies what actions should be taken for their health if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves because of illness or incapacity.” The most basic example of an advance directive is a “do not resuscitate” order. There are also more complex ones, like “living wills,” that specify what kind of treatment the person will or will not receive.

  While I disagree that Christmas is the best moment for this discussion, STAT is absolutely right to say that people should be thinking about their medical care and should be discussing it with their loved ones. As bioethicist Wesley J. Smith notes, preparing an advance directive is “an important task given the evolving economics of medicine.”

     But as Smith and others have pointed out, there are far more than merely economic considerations to be discussed. Our plans for the end of our lives ought to carefully reflect our deepest convictions about the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

   Done badly, an advance directive can be like a prenuptial agreement. Just as a “prenup” assumes the impermanence of marriage, many advance directives create a presumption in favor of death and efficiency (and an all-out avoidance of suffering) over the sanctity of human life.

  Watch the language, and beware whenever the term “quality of life” as defined by medical professionals is elevated over the “sanctity of life” inherent to all image bearers. And especially look out for economic undertones in advance directives. Economically-driven decisions about the end of life will only reflect and advance the culture of death. This is especially true when directives use broad and imprecise language, which many do—language that opens the door to a purely utilitarian approach to end-of-life care.

  And here’s another problem: Many advance directives operate as if our lives belong only to ourselves, as if all that matters is what we want when it comes to pain, suffering, or treatment. This ignores what they think. And by “they,” I mean the husbands who belong to their wives, and vice-versa, the parents who belong to their kids and vice-versa, and all of us who belong to extended families, communities, and churches.

  Then there’s this: Years can pass between the writing of an advance directive and death. So you might be subjecting your loved ones to a decision you made long ago, when they have more information about the options than you ever knew about. Just as a life lived in pure autonomy never ends well, neither does a death.

   Fortunately, there are alternatives to advance directives and living wills. One of these is what’s called a “durable power of attorney,” which designates a trusted person—a friend or a family member—to handle your affairs if you become mentally or physically incapacitated. The key word here is “trusted,” someone with whom you share convictions about the sanctity of human life and who is prepared to act on them even in the face of pressure. This keeps decisions about care out of the sole hands of hospitals or doctors who might embrace an agenda or belief system diametrically opposed to yours.

     I understand … this isn’t the most pleasant of subjects. But “it is appointed to men to die once and after that comes judgment.” This knowledge should prompt us to want to not only live, but to die as well as we can, bearing witness to our convictions about Whose we are and Whom we serve.

   And be sure to check out today’s BreakPoint podcast. Warren Cole Smith speaks with Ben Mitchell about end-of-life decisions, advance directives, and the growing threat (and popularity) of doctor-assisted suicide. Tune in at BreakPoint.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

RESORUCES

"We’re making it too hard to have a ‘good’ death" - Joshua A. Rolnick, David A. Asch, and Scott D. Halpern | STATnews.com | July 5, 2017; https://www.statnews.com/2017/07/05/advance-directives-death-end-of-life/

"The End-of-Life Bureaucracy" - Wesley J. Smith | The Weekly Standard | December 7, 2015; https://www.weeklystandard.com/wesley-j-smith/the-end-of-life-bureaucracy

Patients Rights Council website - http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/

"Talking about advance directives is a perfect holiday conversation" - Kenneth R. White | STATnews.com | December 24, 2018; https://www.statnews.com/2018/12/24/advance-directives-perfect-holiday-conversation/

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan 

------------------------------------------------------------

Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

 As we look ahead to 2019, Open Doors is excited to partner with you to come alongside persecuted believers in a number of countries. We ask you to pray with us about this year’s vision focused on strengthening the Church in the Middle East, Nigeria, India, Colombia and Egypt, among others.

January 9 | MEXICO - When a hitman entered his home, Pastor Polo Lopez could have easily become part of the grim death statistics in Ciudad Juarez, but he fought and escaped. Please pray for him and his family as he recovers.
*Names changed to protect identities

STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.- 2 Tim. 4;16                                               

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”

He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:

I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.

I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.

I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.

I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.

I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.

I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.

Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.

And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.

But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.

RESPONSE

How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention?

#2545 [1/8] "It's Time To Listen To Law Enforcement About the Border, Not Politicians"

"IT'S TIME TO LISTEN TO LAW ENFORCEMENT ABOUT THE BORDER, NOT POLITICIANS"
-  John Dempsey: Jan 08, 2019; https://townhall.com/columnists/johndempsey/2019/01/08/its-time-to-listen-to-law-enforcement-about-the-border-not-politicians-n2538655 [NOTE: In addition to simply listening to what those who are in charge of securing our borders on the ground say, please note what the DHS report (referenced below) - made available to the Democrats - actually says. It describes why securing our southern border IS a national emergency. ]

     Political parties do not matter when it comes to the practicality and functionality of border walls. Democrats say that walls do not work and even some Republicans echo that sentiment. I do not care if a Republican - most likely like former Ohio Governor John Kasich – says that a physical barrier is not necessary. They are politicians worried about public opinion for the next election. Talk to a Border Patrol agent, sheriff deputy or police officer in a border county and you will get the truth about the need for a wall.

    This week President Trump appeared with National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd at the White House press briefing room. Judd spoke about the effectiveness of a wall and the need for it and has experience on the border making him a valid voice of reason. Judd spoke with the men and women who patrol the southern border. He has been told how a wall would help prevent thousands of illegal crossings annually. Illegal aliens would not have free reign to cross as easily, preventing and deterring unlawful entry.

   Leon Wilmont is sheriff in Yuma County, Arizona. He said that he cannot speak for others, but in his experience walls work in curbing illegal immigration. Wlimont said from 2005-2009 there was a 91 percent drop in service calls and arrests related to illegals.

  As recently as 2005, the Democratic Party was in favor of a border wall. Now, they have completely switched to an anti-wall stance. They have taken national security and safety and turned it into a political fight. The government shutdown rests directly on the shoulders of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The White House has sent invitations and offered a compromise but they refuse to make any concessions.

  When dealing with the Left, one must understand their mentality. They are wanting to completely change the voting demographics of the United States. Their fight is not about compassion for others who come to America. If this was the case, they would be against illegal immigration and would not encourage amnesty. The Democratic Party is trying to get as many people who will vote for them as possible into the country and make them legal citizens.

  As soon as Democrats make an issue political, be aware. The same thing applies to global warming or climate change or whatever they are calling environmental issues this week. All that matters to Democrats is power and complete control. That is it. Nothing else. After the election of Trump, they see the Rust Belt disappearing. The black approval rate has been as high as 36 percent. They need new potential voters.

     On the other hand, law enforcement and Border Patrol officials took an oath to uphold the laws of the country. They see firsthand what works and what does not. Seriously, how can Democrats claim to know about border security from Washington D.C in their buildings that have armed guards? Who takes them seriously on this topic? The left really does not know what they are talking about. Their fight is new voters, and that is why the wall is “immoral.”

      If you want to know the truth, talk to a CBP agent. Forget what the “pundits” who are full of talking points and political motivation have to say on news networks. It should be a clue when certain news channels will not have anyone Border Patrol or border county officials on to speak. On the rare occasion that they do, the interviews are tense and short. That is because the mainstream media has an agenda. 

   Yes, Border Patrol has an agenda, a lawful one. They have sworn to uphold the laws of the country, not change them to advance their political desires.

     Do not let politicians tell you what the southern border needs. Truly, unless they have spoken to the LEO’s on the border, they are clueless. If the politician agrees with Border Patrol, you can assume they are well-informed and educated on the subject. Otherwise, the squawking opposition is for political gain.

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

John Dempsey is a graduate of American Military University and has a deep understanding of law enforcement issues and how they relate to the Constitution, society and our culture. He has also been published in BearingArms.com and AmericanThinker.com. He can be followed on Twitter @John_Demp83.

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"Trump to Address Nation on Border Security as Pence Says Democrats Won’t Negotiate" - 

Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / January 07, 2019;

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/07/trump-to-address-nation-on-border-security-as-pence-says-democrats-wont-negotiate

"A Border Security and Humanitarian Crisis" - Report from the Dept. of Homeland Security  - https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Border-Briefing.pdf

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

 As we look ahead to 2019, Open Doors is excited to partner with you to come alongside persecuted believers in a number of countries. We ask you to pray with us about this year’s vision focused on strengthening the Church in the Middle East, Nigeria, India, Colombia and Egypt, among others.

January 8 | INDIA - Recently, a Hindu extremist group attacked a pastor and his church. Please pray with our brothers and sisters throughout India that they will continue to stand strong in their faith.