By: Lindsey Frechou, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Life
You know, I was excited when the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl. Ok, who am I kidding? I was really excited. Everyone was. People’s Sunday best included khakis and a Drew Brees jersey, impromptu parades were held and school bells were no longer bells but rapper J Cole politely asking us, “Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” It made my year. It made the city’s year. Stranger became a foreign term because everyone had a common ground. A common love. Our Saints. Honestly, it was the best thing that could have happened to Louisiana. I’ve never been more proud of my home.
That is until I saw the new law that Louisiana passed. Read it and weep, Planned Parenthood: http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=811695 . To sum it up, beginning August 1, 2012, abortion clinics in the state of Louisiana must conduct ultrasounds on all women prior to receiving an abortion and also give them 24 hours to make a decision about their baby. Wow. What a huge step this is towards acknowledging the beautiful, innocent life that is in the womb. A mother is going to be able see the outline and hear the heartbeat of her baby…tell me that won’t be love at first sight…and listen. Geaux Louisiana!
True, our fight isn’t over. Our fight isn’t over until abortion is completely abolished and the culture of life is restored. But think about the number of mothers who will choose life after seeing their baby’s hand through the ultrasound screen. Think about the number of abortion doctors who will hear an innocent heartbeat and think, “How could I stop that heart from continuing to beat?” This law is going to change lives.
Spring Hill College’s Pro-Life group was given the challenge of helping raise money for our local Pregnancy Resource Center to buy an ultrasound machine. At first, I didn’t realize how big of a deal that was. It’s often overlooked, but an ultrasound machine is a vital part of allowing the mother to see her baby. We can show expectant mothers our fancy 12-week fetus models all we want, but imagine how big of an impact listening to her own baby’s heartbeat will have on her decision. What was once an unwanted fetus suddenly becomes a precious, human life. It suddenly becomes her baby.
Sometimes it’s hard to track the progress of our Pro-Life groups. Sure, we have weekly meetings and table every other week in the cafeteria. But are we really making a difference? Not having a goal can sometimes be discouraging, so this could be a meaningful project for Pro-Life groups to help show they are making a difference. Let’s make sure every Pregnancy Resource Center has an ultrasound machine. We can throw fundraisers and ask for donations. You’d be surprised how quickly a community can buy this baby saving machine. Also, check out your state laws regarding ultrasound requirements. Find out who you should contact about changing any law that needs to be revised or created. Every state should require that an ultrasound be shown to the mother in a clinic before she makes her decision. Let’s take Planned Parenthood down from the inside!
I can’t wait until August 1 when Louisiana mothers will be blessed with the opportunity to see their baby and hear his/her heartbeat. This law is going to help bring about a greater respect for life. This law will give mothers 24 hours to truly consider and weigh their options through a counseling session (hopefully at the PRC across the street). This law is going to save babies, y’all. Man, and I thought the Superbowl was a big deal.
