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Joe Ortwerth's
 Jeff City Update
Missouri Family E-News September 28, 2009
 
 
2 Million for Marriage Campaign Seeks Support
 
The National Organization for Marriage has launched a campaign to preserve the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  The campaign is called "2 Million for Marriage." Defenders of traditional marriage are seeking two million signatures to send to Congress opposing the repeal of DOMA.  
 
The Defense of Marriage Act provides that states are not required to recognized so-called same-sex "marriages" from other states.  Six states have now legalized homosexual "marriage" either by court order or legislative action.  In every instance where the people have had their say, voters have affirmed marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
 
Congressman Jerry Nadler of New York recently introduced a bill to reverse DOMA, which was adopted by Congress in 1996 and signed by President Clinton.  The bill is called by the twisted name "The Respect for Marriage Act of 2009."   The bill states that "an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the State where the marriage is entered into..."  Nadler's bill currently has 94 co-sponsors.
 
You can sign the petition and become one of the 2 Million for Marriage by going to the National Organization for Marriage website at the link below and then choosing the "2 Million for Marriage" option from the menu on the left.  Here is the link:
  
 
New Study Details
Abortion Risks
 
A new report confirms that women who have had abortions have a much higher risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies.  The report was prepared by Dr. Prakesh Shah, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada.  It was published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
 
Shah examined 37 studies from 1965 to 2001 to determine whether a previous abortion has effect on subsequent births.  He found that a woman who has had a  prior abortion has a 35 percent higher chance of having a low birth-weight baby and a 36 percent higher likelihood of having a child born prematurely.  For women who have had more than one abortion, the risk for either condition increases from 72 to 93 percent. 
 
Shah attributes the problems to the damage that abortion can cause to a woman's cervix.  Shah says that when a woman seeks an abortion, she should be counseled about these risks. The Missouri Family Policy Council is continuing to work for passage of legislation in Jefferson City which would require that such risks be disclosed to abortion-minded women.
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Area Life Chains Convey
Pro-Life Message This Sunday Afternoon
 
The pro-life community will take to the streets this Sunday afternoon, October 4th, for National Life Chain Sunday.  Pro-life families and citizens gather on local sidewalks and street corners in long lines to speak out in defense of human life. 
 
Organizers say the purpose of Life Chain Sunday is to "seek God's divine help to end the legalized killing of preborn children."  They encourage pastors to lead participants in a time of solemn prayer, meditation, and public witness. 
 
Last year, life chains were present in over 1400 cities and towns in the United States and Canada.  Men and women young and old hold specific signs which include some of the following messages:  "Abortion Kills Children," "Abortion Hurts Women," "Jesus Forgives and Heals," and "Pray to End Abortion."
 
While the signs are aimed at motorists and other passersby, participants are urged not to engage in verbal or physical responses to motorists.  The idea is for the Life Chain to be an occasion for peaceful public testimony to the sanctity of human life.
 
Royce Dunn, the national director of Life Chain, says it is vital that Christians stand up against the spiritual deception of these times.  "For decades, we have remained in our sanctuaries and relied heavily on rhetoric...We must move beyond abortion as an issue and truly value [human life]...The pulpit and the pew must fight ever more devotedly to defend our essential values," he says. 
 
Dunn believes Life Chain is an effective non-confrontational way to defend those values which should be comfortable for any believer.  "God works through willing vessels who will defend and honor the needy and helpless among humanity.  He will empower us to witness truth to the public with humility, compassion, and conviction."
 
Royce is challenging pastors to take a leadership role in local Life Chain observances.  "In each city and town all across America, the battle to end legalized abortion
rests first and foremost with pastors.  We challenge them to equip themselves for spiritual warfare, mobilize their flocks, and stand boldly against the forces destroying our youth and culture."
 
He adds, "Four decades of lay pro-life leadership have seen no serious decline in abortions.  Today, lay leaders realize their inability to protect from deadly predators the most helpless church family members--our preborn sons and daughters.  Without pastoral leadership, the battle for Life will not be won."
 
Life Chains are being held in over 50 Missouri communities from Blue Springs to Willow Springs and from Cape Girardeau to Kirksville.  You can find out more about a Life Chain in your area and the time they will be gathering by visiting this website link:
 
You can read more about the history and ministry of Life Chain by clicking this link:
 
This year's National Life Chain press release includes a quote from Albert Einstein which we believe sums is instructive:  "This world is too dangerous to live in--not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who let it happen."
 
 
  
© 2009 A KTLLC Communications Solution