Greetings!
Last Tuesday the Arizona Senate passed SB 1164 that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks gestation. This bill is similar to the 2018 Mississippi law that has been challenged in court and is awaiting a hearing at the US Supreme Court. A ruling is expected in June.
The science tells us that at 15 weeks an unborn baby feels pain. This is an important factor because at 15 weeks the abortion procedure requires a woman first be dilated and then the baby is dismembered and removed piece by piece. The risk of injury or death is far greater after 15 weeks as well. It is a travesty to call elective abortion after 15 weeks gestation “reproductive rights”.
At the Senate Hearing, Planned Parenthood advocates repeatedly referred to abortion as “health care”. They want abortion available on demand up to the moment of birth. Those of us who cherish the sanctity of life prefer that all pregnancies should end with live birth. Ultimately, we want to end all abortion. Until then, we can work on legislation that reduces abortion, truly take steps that protect women’s health and provide women with alternatives to abortion.
Women facing unexpected pregnancy are being helped right now through loving, caring pregnancy centers. They offer compassionate counseling, free ultrasounds, and an array of other services to woman in crisis. There are also centers that give woman a place to stay during their pregnancy and continued support after birth. In addition to services for woman who are pregnant, there are centers that provide Christian counseling to both women and men who have gone through abortion and are experiencing the trauma that accompanies this horrific procedure. We have a loving, forgiving God.
Tucson has a dark history with abortion. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, moved from New York to Tucson in the 1930’s. She opened her first clinic in Tucson in December of 1934 calling it Clinica Para Madres and billing it as a family planning center. Sanger believed in the racist ideology of eugenics and targeted minorities as unfit to reproduce. The result is infamous today with the abortion rate of Black babies 35% higher than the rest of the population.
February is Black History month. We pray that Margaret Sanger’s historic intentional attack on the Black family will not carry on to the future. On a high note, the last 2 weeks we have highlighted the videos Claire Morgan has produced about the Black History of the founding of America. Here is Black History Part 3 Video. Hope you enjoy.
4Tucson is strategically aligned with Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) with legislation that promotes Life, Marriage and Family and Religious Freedom. Please visit the CAP Bill Tracker to learn about the bills we support that are now being heard and voted on at the Arizona Legislature. Use your influence by contacting your legislator. With Christians engaged in the governmental process, we can make a difference.
Paul Parisi
Director-Government Domain
520-869-1679
