Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Sanctity of Life Sunday

This Sunday is "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday," when many Americans pause to celebrate the dignity of all human life made in God's image (Gen. 1:27).

Did you know that since 1973, nearly 50 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S.? On average, women give at least three reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities. About 3/4 also say they cannot afford a child. And 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent, or are having problems with their husband or partner.

Learning of an unplanned pregnancy can be a frightening and confusing experience, especially for a young teen, a single mom, or a couple who are struggling financially. Life and death decisions are often made when emotions are running high. It's important for local churches and pro-life pregnancy clinics to provide these people with compassionate care and advice when they need it most.

Here are some other heartbreaking statistics about abortion:

  • 22% of all U.S. pregnancies end in abortion.
  • More than 23% of legally-induced abortions in the U.S. are performed in California. (About 15% of the nation's population live in the state.)
  • Black women are more than 4.8 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have an abortion.
  • 88% of all abortions in the U.S. happen during the first trimester, prior to the at 13th week. 52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy.
  • The total number of abortions across the whole world in one year is estimated to be 42 million.

**If you, or someone you know, is considering an abortion, please visit this link, or call 1-800-395-HELP for confidential counseling**

1 comment:

David Squyres said...

I am thankful for your and your church's bold stand on this issue. Abortion not only takes a life, it really takes two.