Lead Center Director
January 21st, the third Sunday in January, is a
date marked by Presidential decree in 1984 as Sanctity of Human Life Day, 11
years following the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. President Regan was a strong
pro-life advocate and claimed that the
Supreme Court had “struck down our laws protecting the lives of unborn
children.” He is also quoted as saying in 1984 that, “Each year, remarkable advances in prenatal medicine bring even more
dramatic confirmation of what common sense told us all along – that the child
in the womb is simply what each of us once was: a very young, very small, dependent,
vulnerable member of the human family.” (Taken from NYTimes.com 1/17/1986,
“President Deplores Abortion; Proclaims a Human Life Day.)
His successor, President George H.W. Bush, continued to
recognize this Day. President Bush’s successor, President Bill Clinton,
discontinued the practice throughout his presidency. Then President George W.
Bush reinstated the observation during his time in office. President Barak
Obama did not recognize this Day throughout his presidency. Now, President Donald
Trump is in office and he, once again, recognizes the importance of the
Sanctity of Human Life, even addressing the crowds at the annual March for Life
held in Washington D.C. on January 19.
This past weekend, many churches around the country observed
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, making a statement that all life is sacred, from
natural birth to natural death. It is fitting that this past week was also the
week Americans honored Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who valued and defended
life until his was taken from him. If we, like Martin Luther King, Jr. and our
forefathers before him, believe, “We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (The Declaration of
Independence), then we cannot ignore those whom God is wonderfully knitting
together in the womb (Psalm 139:13).
But if we say we believe in the Sanctity of Human Life, when
then, does life begin?
Heartbeat: Modern
technology can detect the baby’s heartbeat 18 days after conception; it can be
seen beating by day 22. Between conception and birth, the heart beats
approximately 54 million times!
Brain waves: By 6
weeks 2 days from conception, signals from the brain can be detected.
Independent movement:
Although the Mother cannot feel it, the baby begins spontaneous movement
between 5 – 6 weeks.
Breathing: The baby
can hiccup by 7 weeks. The diaphragm muscle is completely formed by 8 weeks and
intermittent breathing motions begin.
Many more milestones of life can be noted, but the bottom
line is this, once a human egg is fertilized, a new human being has come into
existence. All information concerning the child’s sex, hair color, eye color,
and much more is present from the beginning. If the newly formed being is not
human life, what is it?
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in
my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden
from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of
the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written,
every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none
of them.” Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)
Since 2009, more than 534,000 unborn lives have been saved
as a direct result of the work of pregnancy resource centers affiliated with
Care Net (stats through 2016). As you consider these facts, we’d encourage you
to consider what your role might be in upholding the sanctity of human life –
not just one day out of the year, but every day.
You can contact our Port St Lucie Center to receive more
information about our upcoming Walk for Life being held on March 24 at Jensen
Beach High School, or maybe you want to do even more. Our spring volunteer training
will be held the first two weekends in March. Call to speak to us today
772-828-3168.
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