The So-Con Lair

Those of us in conservative Reformed circles often don't think abortion is a problem that we as a community have to deal with on the inside, only on the outside. I know this is not true, as I have spoken to people inside our communities who have dealt with this, including girls who have been encouraged to have abortions by their boyfriends. I received this first-hand story this afternoon, and we've published it anonymously.

Abortion is our problem not just because pre-born children are being torn apart in abortion clinics by our neighbors. It's happening in our churches too. And we need to fight it. We need to educate. We need to speak up.

Please read this story and share it:

http://reformedprolifer.com/ithappensinourchurches/

New updates!

2012-09-14T18:32:09+02:00

More updates--and one very exciting development! The story hasn't even hit mainstream media yet, but it would appear that a graphic abortion picture toppled China's forced abortion policy. My commentary here:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/09/14/did-graphic-abortion-picture-take-down-chinas-forced-abortion-policy

A column I wrote on the duty to be actively pro-life:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/15/what-do-you-prefer-your-things-or-your-neighbors

My commentary on the Democratic Party Convention:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/09/12/skeletons-democratic-partys-closet

My commentary on the recent shenanigans of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/09/05/canadian-abortion-activists-condemn-protect-human-life-week

My commentary on the idea of personhood for whales:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/30/whales-babies-and-assassination-personhood

Our EndtheKilling podcast, with an interview featuring Gregg Cunningham:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/26/etk-podcast-14-conversation-colonel-psychology-killing

One of our new beINSPIRED columns:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/24/rwandbruindi-enoch-rwandan-hero

My commentary on vacuous celebrities:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/23/why-i-dont-care-what-george-carlin-said-about-abortion

A recent radio interview I did out of the US:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbz6MVQSvBs&list=UUn3J5u7kcm1Ja9Yqnr8iE3w&index=2&feature=plcp

Our ETK podcast with Mike Schouten on gestational legislation:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/08/22/etk-podcast-13-moving-forward-do-we-need-law

Newest updates and commentary

2012-07-27T19:51:28+02:00

It's been a bit of a whirlwind lately (I just finished a total of nine weeks on the road) so I've got a lot of catchup links to post!

My commentary "Recruiting Deadbeat Dads":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/26/recruiting-deadbeat-dads

beINSPIRED column on Anita Goulden:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/07/27/anita-goulden-angel-piura

My commentary on the assault that was perpetrated against several female team members in Thunder Bay during the Caravan:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/18/thunder-bay-assault-childs-conscience-versus-mans-anger

My commentary "Do Men Have A Place On The New Abortion Caravan?":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/13/do-men-have-place-new-abortion-caravan

The video from the funeral procession to 24 Sussex at the finale of the Caravan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe5jo8Meh9A&list=UUn3J5u7kcm1Ja9Yqnr8iE3w&index=1&feature=plcp

Testimony videos from the Caravan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUIQlfx1zGA&feature=relmfu___##4##___ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkHyHrVxy4&feature=relmfu

For more videos from the Caravan, please check out our YouTube page!

https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianCBR

Last Two Weeks of the New Abortion Caravan

2012-06-13T22:46:37+02:00

So much has happened the last couple of weeks that I only have time to post a few of the links.

This is less than half of the media we've received so far, our administrator just hasn't had time to upload the rest:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/about/media

Here's a great piece from the Sun News Network last night discussing the Caravan:

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/featured/prime-time/867432237001/the-pro-choice-caravan/1686255178001

Here's my article "Making Social History with the New Abortion Caravan":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/09/making-social-history-new-abortion-caravan

Here's my first-week round of stories from the road:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/04/new-abortion-caravan-stories-and-lessons-road

Here's our beINSPIRED piece, on my friend John Hof:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/08/john-hof-life-sacrifice

And here's my newest editorial, entitled "Can Pro-Lifers be Angry?"

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/06/11/are-pro-lifers-allowed-be-angry

This week's updates!

2012-05-31T18:58:41+02:00

First, the footage from the launch of our New Abortion Caravan from the Vancouver Art Gallery! Our speakers were truly amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5EA6944A75E5D910&feature=plcp

LifeSiteNews article on the launch: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-lifers-swamp-vancouver-with-bloody-abortion-pics-as-they-launch-new-abo

Two new articles on the Reformed Pro-Lifer:

This one's an interview on the pro-life cause with Rev. Cornelius Sonnevelt:

http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/why-the-pro-life-cause-is-important-an-interview-with-reverend-cornelius-sonnevelt/

And this one explains why Christians cannot be financially tied to Planned Parenthood, by Maaike Rosendal:

http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/the-economic-boycott-how-to-fight-planned-parenthood/

Last week's beINSPIRED:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/26/cairine-wilson-mother-lost-causes

THE NEW ABORTION CARAVAN

2012-05-28T22:36:06+02:00

The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform has just launched its newest initiative, a hijacking of the 1970 Abortion Caravan credited with being the catalyst for the 1988 lack of laws.

Here is the video explaining the project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0pocnuK3XAc

This is the New Abortion Caravan tab on our website, which tells you our schedule, where we're going to be, and gives you access to all of our media and the press releases:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/caravan

We're in Vancouver ready to launch from the Art Gallery tomorrow at 12 noon, with Stephanie Gray, Ruth Lobo, Mike Schouten of We Need A Law, and Dr. Alexander Moens of Simon Fraser University speaking. I will be MCing the event.

This week's updates.

2012-05-19T01:00:23+02:00

First, encouraging news out of the United States--"The Sky is Falling on Abortion "Rights":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/14/sky-falling-abortion-rights

A short column on MP Maurice Vellacott's recent statements:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/17/mp-maurice-vellacott-abortion-lethal-bullying

This week's beINSPIRED column, detailing the remarkable accomplishments of a poor Vietnamese man who adopted over fifty babies to save them from abortion:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/18/tong-phuoc-phuc-father-vietnam

And lastly, CCBR's honorable mention by our friends at the We Need A Law Campaign today:

http://weneedalaw.ca/index.php/blog/131-youngandpassionate

The Toronto Star and some new columns

2012-05-10T18:18:40+02:00

First, the Toronto Star--the most liberal newspaper in the country--wrote an article about how the pro-life movement is increasingly a youth-based and re-energized movement. They didn't even misquote me, which I was quite stressed out about:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1175265--canada-s-pro-life-movement-gets-a-slick-youthful-rebranding?bn=1

Here's LifeSiteNew's coverage of the same:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/toronto-star-profiles-pro-lifers-slick-youthful-rebranding-ahead-of-march-f

Here's my column on the repulsive news out of South Korea, concerning pills made from the bodies of dead babies:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/08/theyre-not-human-beings-so-welcome-buffet

And here's my column from yesterday, where I point out that regardless of what the politicians say, the debate is happening, and its not slowing down:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/09/sorry-we-started-debating-without-you

Two trending news stories

2012-05-03T22:52:28+02:00

Here are two columns I wrote today on trending news stories:

This one is on the Chen Guangcheng situation, where the Obama Administration seems reluctant to aid the embattled human rights activist that fled to their embassy in Beijing.

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/03/barack-obamas-dilemma-chen-guangcheng-and-dead-american-babies

And this one is on Liberal MP Hedy Fry's brutally ironic comments during the debate on Motion 312 last week.

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/05/03/hedy-frys-twisted-compassion

More to come soon.

This week's roundup

2012-04-28T22:01:25+02:00

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending an event in downtown Toronto with Mark Steyn. Here's my review of the event, as published by Landmark Media:

http://landmarkreport.com/jvanmaren/2012/04/mark-steyn-inspires-at-torontos-steynamite

Mark Steyn even linked the review on his front page:

http://www.steynonline.com/4972/steynamite-post-mitem

Here's my take on a protest by "The Radical Handmaids" that seems to be very popular:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/26/radical-handmaids-picnic-hill

This week's beINSPIRED column, William Lloyd Garrison:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/27/william-lloyd-garrison-fearless-abolitionist

And this weeks EndtheKilling podcast, where Stephanie and I discuss the recently debated Motion 312:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/27/etk-podcast-11-no-debating-allowed-our-countries-shameful-stance-inquiry

New articles on abortion and apologetics

2012-04-25T19:48:48+02:00

Two new columns on abortion:

A bit of humorous cultural perspective, "Going to the Dogs":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/24/going-dogs

Last week's beINSPIRED column on Minnie Vautrin, a missionary who rescued thousands during the Rape of Nanking:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/20/minnie-vautrin-woman-who-would-not-leave-nanking

And this is an apologetics column from The Reformed Pro-Lifer that I co-authored with Justin Wishart of Faith Beyond Belief, dealing with the oft-used atheist argument that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary measures":

http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/do-extraordinary-clarims-require-extraordinary-evidence/

More coming soon!

Motion 312: Are the Pre-Born "Disposables" or "Dependents"?

2012-04-19T18:07:52+02:00

by Jonathon Van Maren

Stephen Woodworth’s bid to examine the biology of the pre-born, Motion 312, has terrified Canada’s abortion advocates like a mirror terrifies a vampire.

Joyce Arthur insisted so loudly that asserting the humanity of the pre-born child is “begging the question” that she couldn’t hear the scientific consensus of embryologists and medical professionals. (She may believe that humans can give birth to the offspring of other species. Further research required.) Jane Cawthorne, the author of the “Abortion Monologues,” obliviously asked, “How can two persons reside in one body?” while asserting that it was wrong to enforce “moral beliefs” on someone else. As long as they’re born, of course.

It’s always interesting when the advocates for a point of view are completely terrified of an inquiry—not a law, not a referendum, not even a statement—an inquiry. It would seem to indicate that they know they’ve been blatantly lying, and that they’re quite afraid everyone else will know it shortly as well.

But aside from the regular tired tripe about patriarchy and people being obsessed with women’s sexuality, the one point that abortion advocates have been constantly trotting out is that the pre-born child is completely dependent upon the mother, and therefore can be killed for any or no reason. Which brings up an interesting question: In what other situation is this “logic” applied?

We all would agree that the pre-born child is completely dependent upon the mother. It is also obvious to anyone of cognitive function that the reason he or she is completely dependent upon the mother is because for our species, at that age, that is the way things should be. We could also point out that a newborn child is completely dependent upon others for survival and so on.

But isn’t it true that in our society, the dependency of one human being actually correspondingly heightens the responsibility of those around her? For example, I’m twenty-three. I could go to my parent’s house and ask for supper, and they would be completely within their rights to refuse me for any number of reasons. But what if my little eight-year-old sister was refused meals by my parents? Now suddenly the government would step in—because my parents have a legal obligation to their dependents.

You see, in a compassionate society, we do not refer to those who are dependent upon others as “disposable,” but as “dependents.” An enormous number of laws and regulations ensure that those who need more care—the young, the disabled, the elderly—are provided with that care by those of us who are capable of providing it. Ironically, when the abortion crowd loudly points out the dependency of the pre-born child, they’re making our case, not theirs.

But at least the fallacy-ridden Jane Cawthorne made one excellent point in a recent interview. “These people never give up,” she told the Calgary Journal, “and they’ll never give up until abortion’s completely recriminalized, because that’s their ultimate goal.”

Amen, sister.

Also, here's my commentary from Monday on the American Left bashing motherhood:
http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/17/bashing-motherhood

Newest updates and commentary

2012-04-16T20:58:46+02:00

My commentary on the current Alberta election, and the dangers of the Progressive "Conservatives" versus the Wildrose Party:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/10/allison-redford-wildrose-party-and-freedom-choose

Our newest EndtheKilling podcast with Stephanie Gray and myself--are we aiding the coverup or the solution?

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/13/etk-podcast-10-withholding-truth

And on iTunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endthekilling/id496874212

Also, if you're on Facebook be sure to check out The Reformed Pro-Lifer Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Reformed-Pro-Lifer/321565031219010

A few new updates

2012-04-05T20:13:09+02:00

A few new updates.

This article is "Stephen Harper and Canada's Real Hidden Agenda," taking a quick look at the current political scene with a majority government.

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/04/stephen-harper-and-canadas-real-hidden-agenda

This article is a review of Andrew Breitbart's book Righteous Indignation:
http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/04/02/what-can-pro-life-movement-learn-andrew-breitbart

And this is the newest article up on the Reformed Pro-Lifer website:
http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/christians-the-last-true-contrarians/

Newest updates

2012-04-02T19:46:41+02:00

Here's the new EndtheKilling podcast, in which Stephanie and I discuss SunTV's coverage of the Tori Stafford trial:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/29/etk-podcast-9-exposing-horrific-news

And on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endthekilling/id496874212

Here is last week's beINSPIRED piece, this one on British nurse Edith Cavell, executed for hiding wounded Allied soldiers in World War I: http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/29/edith-cavell-nurse-who-gave-it-all

More to come at the end of the week!

When "Health Care" Kills

2012-03-26T16:12:24+02:00

Two days ago, I attended a debate on the legal status of abortion between CCBR’s executive director Stephanie Gray and Dr. Molly Ladd-Taylor, a history professor at Toronto’s York University. Since history is my field of interest as well, I was looking forward to seeing how Dr. Ladd-Taylor would present her case. I was quite disappointed; the entire debate, she emphasized two things: First, the “slippery slope” of “constructing fetal rights” in regards to the legal ramifications of banning abortion, and second, that the state had no right to deny women “access to health care.”

Obviously I find the idea of a “slippery slope” argument in regards to “constructing fetal rights” to be incredibly ironic considering the actual reality, which I’ve written on multiple times: The “pro-choice” movement fiercely denies the existence of a Culture of Death slippery slope while leaping to defend any new category of killings when residing on the bottom of said slope. But clearly, we need to define our terms in this battle of rhetoric. So the prominent question here is this: What is health care?

Now, I have no desire to endlessly discuss Barack Obama’s healthcare plan here. Obviously, I am opposed to any plan that would facilitate the ending of human life through abortion or abortifacients, outside of any argument regarding the pros and cons of socialized medicine. But in order to judge this ever recurring “health care” argument, let’s take a look at the actual definition: “The prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions.”

First, just to make an obvious observation in regards to the much-discussed HHS Mandate (which I oppose because it endangers religious freedoms, imposes the state’s religious view on citizens, and facilitates the ending of human life through abortifacients), contraception is not health care. Pregnancy is not a disease; it is a fundamentally natural human process. This holds true whether you are an atheist or a religious person. Thus, the prevention of pregnancy is by very definition a “choice.” And there are more than enough organizations that are thrilled to satisfy our decadent culture’s need for constant recreational sex without forcing those who are morally opposed to that to become collaborators in the hedonistic spiral.

Second, what about the constant claim that abortion is “health care”? Most obviously, I would cite the fact that the mental and physical ramifications of abortion are staggeringly negative. I’m confused when people howl hysterically at this statement, as it seems eminently intuitive to me considering the science behind this. Interrupting a natural process is going to have consequences, both psychological and physical. (You know, the whole “action, reaction thing.”) There are mountains of evidence to support this, and they’re not religious. It’s enormously deceitful to claim that abortion in any way contributes to “the preservation of mental and physical wellbeing” of someone, regardless of one’s life circumstances.

In fact, the pro-abortion movement even has the gall to call abortions “necessary.” You can’t have it both ways—if you want to make the hugely dishonest claim that abortion is a “necessary” procedure, as if having one’s offspring suctioned out of her uterus is somehow analogous to cancer treatment, you cannot simultaneously assert that abortion on demand is not a big deal, and that no discussion is necessary.

It really shows the true colors of the abortion movement—they first claim that abortion isn’t a big deal at all, and that we should just get over our hang-ups about prenatal infanticide. Fast forward a bit down the road, and abortion is suddenly a very big deal, and the “right” to off one’s offspring is a fundamental human right that should be paid for by the taxpayers. Those who promulgate the Culture of Death will never be satisfied with “choice,” and we would do well to realize that indifference in this regard is, to paraphrase Churchill, feeding a hungry crocodile while hoping it will eat you last.

When we hear the destruction of innocent life being called “health care,” it should be a rallying cry for all pro-lifers. We cannot let the opposition define the terms of the debate. We cannot allow them to refer to the slaughter of our generation being called “necessary.” We are all responsible for this prenatal genocide, and if we are not careful, we will be forced into an increased collaboration by the state. The lies have gone on long enough. And we will defend with everything we have the “narrow-minded” view that all human beings have the right to live their lives. Once the mask of pretty words is pulled away to expose the grotesque reality, we will EndtheKilling.

Two New Articles

2012-03-13T22:23:15+01:00

Two new articles:

This is my commentary on the KONY 2012 campaign:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/13/what-can-pro-lifers-learn-kony-2012

And here is last week's beINSPIRED article:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/09/raoul-wallenberg-saviour-hungarys-jews

New articles

2012-03-08T02:22:51+01:00

Two new articles.

This one is from CCBR's website, called "Why We Can Win":

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/07/why-we-can-win

And the second one is a review of the documentary "How to Die in Oregon" that I wrote for The Reformed Pro-Lifer:

http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/how-to-die-in-oregon-our-culture%E2%80%99s-dance-with-the-devil/

Thanks for reading!

Newest Updates

2012-03-05T19:53:17+01:00

First, here's the newest EndtheKilling podcast from Stephanie Gray and myself:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/01/etk-podcast-6-toronto-postcards-and-ohio-shooting

You can also subscribe to this podcast on iTunes: http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/01/etk-podcast-6-toronto-postcards-and-ohio-shooting

Here's my newest article in CCBR's beINSPIRED series: http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/03/02/james-zwerg-man-who-rode-freedom

My newest article is up on The Reformed Pro-Lifer, dealing with sexual behavior:
http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/sex-is-powerful%E2%80%A6-and-dangerous/

And here is the latest bit of news coverage on our newest EndtheKilling project, postcards. The CBC broadcasted the story on the 6 o'clock news on Friday, and here is the story on their website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/03/02/calgary-abortion-mail-postcards-kensington-clinic.html

The postcards can be found here. Let us know if you'd like to bring this project to your neighborhood--the first results have been fanastic!

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/endthekilling/postcards

Comments

Andrew Breitbart, 1969-2012

2012-03-02T18:11:21+01:00

Andrew Breitbart died yesterday at the age of 43, after collapsing outside his California home. He left behind a wife and four young children.

While Andrew Breitbart is probably unknown to many, to those of us who have worked with conservative media, his name was legend. It was Breitbart who helped Hannah Giles and Sean O’Keefe take down ACORN, a left-wing community organizing group that supported Obama. It was Breitbart who helped make Lila Rose’s expose videos of Planned Parenthood famous. It was Breitbart who, with his websites like Big Government and Big Hollywood, showed conservatives that we didn’t have to rely on the mainstream media. We could create our own media.

Andrew Breitbart had a notoriously limited attention span. I remember going to hear him speak in the convention hall in the Washington DC Marriot for the Conservative Political Action Conference 2010. He ranted, and pounded the podium, and read bits of articles from his phone, lost his concentration, and yelled again. While it was at first frustrating—I’d never even heard of Andrew Breitbart before this—I soon felt myself being riled up with the rest. He was so angry, and so fully believed in every word he was saying, that it was hard not believe him by the time the speech was over.

Perhaps Breitbart was too angry for his own good. That same weekend, I saw him face off with a mainstream journalist that dared to call him a racist. Breitbart was apoplectic at the offence, and fully willing to turn the altercation into a physical showdown. Security made sure that didn’t happen. However, Breitbart in person was the warmest person you could imagine. At CPAC, he was willing to give anybody the time of day, whether you were running a fledgling magazine or podcast or the Wall Street Journal. His presence can only be described as big.

Just after CPAC, I took a train with my fellow conservative Sam Reynolds into New York City to sit in on a shooting of FOX News’ Red Eye with Gregg Gutfeld. Breitbart was the guest for the evening, along with Steven Crowder and several others. I remember Gutfeld commenting to Crowder that while Breitbart was a phenomenal human being with a great sense of humour, he was worried that the anger would kill him. And perhaps it did, as early reports seem to indicate that Breitbart died of heart problems.

In spite of his failings, Breitbart was a conservative media pioneer. He stood for all the right things. He was willing to take on ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and the president. He will be sorely missed.

Comments

Lethal Ethics: Why Should Newborns Live?

2012-02-29T23:18:02+01:00

My newest article for CCBR: http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/02/29/lethal-ethics-why-should-newborns-live

“Now I know the full power of evil. It makes ugliness seem beautiful and goodness seem ugly and weak.” So writes author August Strindberg in his aptly named novel The Dance of Death.

I cannot think of a more accurate description of the controversy that erupted this week over an editorial published in the disingenuously titled publication The Journal of Medical Ethics. The editorial was entitled “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” This piece essentially advocated for the legalized euthanasia of any or all newborns due to the purported fact that “both fetuses and newborns do not have the same moral status as actual persons [and] the fact that both are potential persons is morally irrelevant.”

You heard correctly. The status of both pre-born and born children, according to these wolves in ethicists’ clothing, is “morally irrelevant.” Indeed, when defending the publication of this blood-stained proposal, the editor Julian Saveulescu iterates that “the goal of the Journal of Medical Ethics is not to present the Truth or promote some one moral view.” He then goes on in blissful ignorance of titanic irony that those who protested vociferously against this editorial were guilty of “hate speech” that could “incense people to violence.” Apparently when it comes to his right to free speech and to incense violence against younger members of the human family, Mr. Saveulescu discovers a refreshing moral rigidity to lean upon. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what ethics look like when the antiquated ideas of “Truth” and “morals” are surgically removed with a secular suction hose.

Both the editorial in question and the response of the estimable Mr. Saveulescu also reveal a fact that is unknown to many: That in the Netherlands, infanticide is widely practiced. The 2002 Groningen Protocol allows “doctors” to “actively terminate the life of infants with a hopeless prognosis who experience what parents and medical experts deem to be unbearable suffering.” Unbearable suffering, incidentally, is not defined here as having parents who think that a child who is less than physically perfect is worthless.

This one really hits home for me. As my last name indicates, I come from a Dutch heritage. Both my maternal and my paternal grandparents were born in the Netherlands, as well as my father. I attend a very culturally Dutch church. And my grandparents still remember World War II vividly, when their fellow countrymen, Jewish and otherwise, were gunned down in the streets by Nazi death-mongers who had taken it upon themselves to decide who was human and who was not.

And barely sixty years later, the land of my forebears doesn’t need a devilish invader to tear Dutch children like Anne Frank from their beds. Instead, they have decided to indulge in their own dance of death. Germans deciding which Dutch people should live is an abomination. Dutch people deciding for other Dutch people, apparently, is a right. In the Netherlands, you are only safe if you’re healthy. The Grim Reaper waits patiently for the pre-born, the newborns, the disabled, and the elderly. If you’re Jewish, you’re safe. If you’re Jewish but disabled, it might not make a difference to you which decade you’re born in.

If this is not a call to action for my fellow Dutch Canadians, and for the Canadians who can learn from the hellish mistakes of the Netherlands, I don’t know what is. If you have lost the capacity to be shocked into action by doctors legally murdering newborns, think again. If we shrug our shoulders when those donning the guise of “ethics” can advocate for the expansion of the Final Solution of Inconvenient Persons, we will never take back our culture.

Western civilization is staring into a moral abyss. And that abyss is beginning to resemble the pits of Babi Yar.

While they seek to defend the killing, we will EndtheKilling.

Also, our newest article is up on The Reformed Pro-Lifer, this one by Maaike Rosendal entitled "Why We Protest." That article can be found here: http://reformedprolifer.com/articles-and-papers/why-we-protest/

Comments

Oskar Schindler: The Man Who Sacrificed Everything

2012-02-16T20:48:50+01:00

This is the newest piece in our beINSPIRED series. I took a look at Oskar Schindler, and got to include part of an interview I did with the youngest surviving Jew from Schindler's list some time ago.

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/02/16/oskar-schindler-man-who-sacrificed-everything

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The Destruction of Innocence

2012-02-15T22:48:02+01:00

We have our newest article up on The Reformed Pro-Lifer, "The Destruction of Innocence." Check it out here: http://reformedprolifer.com/?page_id=97 .

More coming at the end of the week!

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Canada's Soft Fascism

2012-02-08T22:20:51+01:00

Yesterday, two Canadian news stories were released that revealed the continuance of an alarming trend. The first detailed how my colleague Francisco Gomez was arrested by the Calgary Police after they decided that the abortion imagery he and his fellow pro-lifers were displaying was “too obscene.” This is regardless of the fact that abortion is the most common medical procedure in Canada and has been disingenuously labelled “therapeutic.”

The second story was of much the same nature: the University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS) once again decided to deny pro-lifers at their university any free speech rights for displaying the same images, even demanding that they apologize to those they had offended.

The Canadian media, to their credit, immediately recognized that unpopular views, especially those revolving around matters of public debate, should be protected and denounced the actions of the Calgary Police and the UVSS.

Just kidding.

I didn’t think that I possessed the capacity to get depressed by media and public reactions to censorship anymore, but yesterday changed things. Censorship has been disgustingly common against pro-lifers as of late, and has only increased recently: a motion was put forward to ban Carleton pro-lifers from their own campus. A pro-life activist called the police after being assaulted, and was rewarded with a fine for exercising his free speech rights. Simon Fraser University demanded that a pro-life display be shielded from the public so that people would not be “inadvertently” exposed to a point of view they did not like.

Yaaawn.

I fully realize that censorship is becoming so common, that it is considered almost monotonous by Canadians. Really? Those pesky pro-lifers with their graphic images and foolish point of view are being forced to go away again? Oh well. They had it coming. Please hand me my beer and the television remote, I think a really important sports game is on. If that goes badly, I may get so worked up I’ll loot a store.

Really? Can you really muster no outrage when fellow Canadians are told that their point of view is not worthy of public expression? You can listen apathetically when all sorts of insidious excuses are given for the censorship, in complete contravention of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? You honestly believe that your personal feelings on a matter are more important than the rights of someone else to express their view?

The worst part of the situation is that so many pro-lifers are terrified of public confrontation that they have begun to echo some of the same rhetoric: Perhaps we should use different tactics. Maybe we had it coming. If we just stopped getting people riled up, they would start liking us and abortion would end.

Nonsense. All of it. Why don’t we just get a list of pro-life tactics they approve of from the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada and work inside those parameters? Why don’t we just call a truce with those who advocate for the slaughtering of little children and make sure we get along? After all, our ideological differences can be overcome with a good fondue dinner and an enforced group hug. Oh, and don’t inadvertently look at the pile of pre-born corpses in the corner of their office on your way out. It’s a bit obscene.

George Orwell once wrote that “If large numbers of people are interested in freedom of speech, there will be freedom of speech, even if the law forbids it; if public opinion is sluggish, inconvenient minorities will be persecuted, even if the laws exist to protect them.”

Well, here we are. Soft fascism may go down better than a jackboot, and taste a bit like Kool-Aid, but it’s still deadly. And when mixed with what Martin Luther King Jr. referred to as the “tranquilizing drug of gradualism,” we’ve pretty much gone for a nap on the moral high ground and informed the opposition that we’re not really that interested in sacrifice and activism.

After all, American Idol will be on soon. I don’t want to miss that.

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Sophie Scholl: The Girl Who Would Not Be Silent

2012-02-08T20:18:46+01:00

Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a series that will explore CCBR’s beINSPIRED concept. We at CCBR believe that courageous human beings throughout history provide inspiration to everyone on both sides of the debate, and that we can draw much wisdom and strength from their actions. By looking at the past, we can learn how to deal with the future. Indeed, we can change it.

by Jonathon Van Maren

On February 22, 1943, a 21-year-old girl named Sophie Scholl was beheaded in Munich, Germany, after being condemned to death by the infamous Nazi “People’s Court.” Her crime? She would not stay silent while her country destroyed human lives and assaulted human dignity.

Sophie, her brother Hans, and their fellow activists belonged to an organization they had begun called The White Rose, a resistance group dedicated to non-violent activism against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. They distributed leaflets, spray painted anti-Nazi slogans on walls, and met together to discuss philosophy, theology, and literature. Students at the University of Munich soon took notice, and as more leaflets—six in all—were distributed, other White Rose groups began to form. People as far away as Austria began to read their writing, and the Gestapo began a frantic manhunt to quell the dissension.

Among the many reasons for speaking out, several members of the White Rose had witnessed the injustices being perpetrated against the Jews on the Eastern Front. In their first leaflet, they asked the German public a solemn question:

“Who among us has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall us and our children when one day the veil has fallen from our eyes and the most horrible of crimes—crimes that infinitely outdistance every human measure—reach the light of day?”

The second leaflet continued the denunciations, stating that “...we want to cite the fact that since the conquest of Poland three hundred thousand Jews have been murdered in this country in the most bestial way. Here we see the most frightful crime against human dignity, a crime that is unparalleled in the whole of history. For Jews, too, are human beings—no matter what position we take with respect to the Jewish question—and a crime of this dimension has been perpetrated against human beings.”

They then asked another question that pierces us from across the years, and should once again give our society reason for pause: “Why do the German people behave so apathetically in the face of these abominable crimes, crimes so unworthy of the human race? Hardly anyone thinks about that. It is accepted as fact and put out of mind...Is this a sign that the Germans are brutalized in their simplest human feelings, that no chord within them cried out at the sight of such deeds, that they have sunk into a fatal consciencelessness from which they will never, never awake?”

Indeed. It is a shame that such questions must still be asked today in our society, as we tolerate the mass slaughter of our pre-born brothers and sisters and the Culture of Death looks greedily at the disabled and elderly. And who among us is still appalled? How many of us have caved to the monotony of the surgical nature and medical characterization of the slaughter, and slowly slipped into “consciencelessness”? As Sophie herself said just before she faced the guillotine, “How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause?”

Today, however, Sophie Scholl and the White Rose are remembered and venerated for their valiant opposition to the crimes of Nazi Germany. They are remembered as a heroic few who did not share in the shame of their generation. Their voices, although silenced by those who had no regard for human life, still echo across the generations with their message of freedom and human rights.

We should pay these voices heed, and stand up to fight injustices in our own society and in our own culture. Sophie and her comrades were willing to pay the price of death for what they believed. What are we willing to give up? What are we willing to sacrifice?

And perhaps most importantly, how will history judge us?

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This week's updates

2012-02-01T19:22:42+01:00

Two updates so far for this week. The first is the newest article up at The Reformed Pro-Lifer, this one by Sharlene Nystrom of Lethbridge. It's a beautiful story of how prayer and hard work led to the saving of a baby's life: http://reformedprolifer.com/?page_id=79

The second is an article I wrote for CCBR on the phenomenon of pro-lifers with Stockholm Syndrome, and how we must be careful not to parrot the dehumanizing rhetoric of our opponents:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/02/01/do-some-pro-lifers-have-stockholm-syndrome

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Newest updates

2012-01-23T21:15:21+01:00

The first update is that the EndtheKilling podcast, hosted by myself and Stephanie Gray, is up on iTunes! There are two episodes so far, The Case for Apologetics and Killing Girls. Check them out on iTunes or at www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog if you feel inclined!

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/endthekilling/id496874212

We've also put up a new article on The Reformed Pro-lifer. This one is rather long, but it's well worth the read: Mark Penningal of ARPA Canada addresses the idea of pro-life incremental legislation:

http://reformedprolifer.com/?page_id=72

And this article from CCBR's website takes you through the new pro-life leaders who have taken on their communities in the last several months:

http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/01/17/west-east-youth-rise-endthekilling-2012

Enjoy!

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Newest Articles

2012-01-12T20:32:30+01:00

I've put up two more articles on CCBR's website. The first is sweeping pro-life circles, and is being promoted by some of the most prominent pro-life speakers in North America, the story of David John Anker, written by my cousin Trish Anker. That article can be found here: http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/01/11/david-john-life-worth-living, as well as here: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/though-our-son-never-breathed-outside-the-womb-his-life-was-worth-living .

The second story is more news of brutal censorship on campus: This time, the Carleton abortion crowd is advocating removing pro-lifers from campus entirely. That article can be found here:
http://www.unmaskingchoice.ca/blog/2012/01/12/pro-choice-only-when-it-comes-killing-babies.

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