40 Days For Life

By Al Riskowski

Over the years it has been my practice to occasionally stand outside the abortion clinic in Lincoln and silently pray for its closing. I have watched cars with license plates from across Nebraska arrive with a young girl prepared to have an abortion. It saddens my heart to know what will take place inside the Planned Parenthood Clinic. The tragedy of abortion prompts us to work for an abortion free Nebraska. This is why Nebraska Family Council supports “40 Days for Life”, taking place September 28th to November 6th. This effort takes a determined and peaceful approach for the end of abortion in America.

The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer and fasting. The purpose of the campaign is to bring about repentance and to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life.

There have now been seven coordinated 40 Days for Life campaigns since 2007.

These efforts have mobilized people of faith in cities across all 50 of the states.

• Reports document 4,313 lives that have been spared from abortion — and those are just the ones we know about

• 53 abortion workers have quit their jobs and walked away from the abortion industry

• 14 abortion facilities completely shut down following local 40 Days for Life campaigns

• Hundreds of women and men have been spared from the tragic effects of abortion, including a lifetime of regrets

After so many years of legalized abortion, many people of faith are experiencing a renewed sense of HOPE!

Dr. Sonny Foraker, Founder and Director of Pastors for Life, is a pastor at First Baptist Church, Pearland, TX. He says, "Pastors for Life believes in the spiritual strategy of prayer at the very doors of the abortion centers. Therefore, we wholeheartedly support the national 40 Days for Life! It's the desire of this campaign to seek God's favor with humility and contriteness of heart. Victory will come, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. That's why it is important to pray! The success of this campaign is based upon our faithfulness in obedience to God’s command."

To sign up for a time to pray at the Omaha or Lincoln abortion clinics go to the 40 days for life web site (www.40daysforlife.com). For those who are not able to physically go to an abortion clinic, please continue to join us in praying and fasting for an end to abortion, for the conversion of those involved in the abortion industry and for the healing of those hurting after an abortion.

The 40 Days for Life campaign will take place from September 28th to November 6th. To learn more about the campaign you can go to their web site, http://www.40daysforlife.com/ or call toll free at Nebraska Family Council, 1-888-777-5188.

Planned Parenthood Coming to Norfolk

by Al Riskowski, Nebraska Family Council

Last month Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced their intentions of opening six more clinics in Nebraska, with one planned for Norfolk. Currently Planned Parenthood has a total of three clinics in Lincoln and Omaha, and two of them perform abortions.

Planned Parenthood continues to receive $363 million in federal money. The total annual budget for Planned Parenthood is $1.1 billion dollars(-Omaha World Herald Article, ‘Planned Parenthood tells of expansion’). Planned Parenthood performs over 325,000 abortions each year in the United States. The number of abortions in Nebraska has doubled since 2005 with over 1,000 abortions performed in 2010.

Planned Parenthood has 16 clinics in Iowa doing webcam abortions with plans for more.

We are concerned that Planned Parenthood will use these satellite clinics to perform chemical abortions without an attending physician, called webcam abortions. In Iowa a patient can talk to a doctor via the Internet on a private computer. The doctor can then remotely open a container to provide the patient with pills used to induce an abortion. A Legislative Bill, LB 521, introduced by Senator Tony Fulton, would require a physician to be physically present for the administration of such a chemical abortion.

Iowa currently has 16 Planned Parenthood clinics that perform webcam abortions. Planned Parenthood announced last month they are planning to open six additional clinics in Iowa. We want to prevent Planned Parenthood from placing clinics all across Nebraska that preform webcam abortions.

LB 521 is now before the full Legislature with the expectation it will be passed into law this month. The passage of LB 521 would send a strong message to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland that they are not welcome in Norfolk or other cities across Nebraska.

You Can Make A Difference
Help Stop Planned Parenthood’s Expansion!

• Pray! LB 521, which would prohibit webcam abortions in Nebraska, is before the Legislature. Pray that it will become law. This would send a strong message that Planned Parenthood isn’t welcome in six more Nebraska communities.

• Contact State Senators and ask them to vote for LB 521. (for a list of State Senators go to http://nebraskalegislature.gov/pdf/senators/2011_roster.pdf)

• Be Informed! Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America and federally funded.

• Take Action! Contact key individuals in Norfolk. Let the City Council know that you don’t want Planned Parenthood to locate in Norfolk. (Contact Mayor Sue Fuchtman at (402) 379-1440 or sfuchtman@ci.norfolk.ne.us. Contact information for City Council members at www.ci.norfolk.ne.us.)

• Get Involved! Join others in forming a grassroots coalition to stop Planned Parenthood.

For additional information contact Nebraska Family Council toll free at 1-888-777-5188 or email at info@nebfc.org.

Nebraska Family Attends National March for Life

Nebraska Family Attends National March for Life
By Virginia Nelson
My son Allen, grandson Luke, and granddaughter Wendy and I made the trip to Washington DC for the National March for Life on Jan 24th, 2011. We had a great time taking in the sights and the history of Washington DC. One of the sites we toured was the Holocaust Museum, and some of the things we saw there are too horrible to even mention. And all the way through it, I just kept thinking, this is the same mentality in the world today. The lack of respect for human life is staggering, with the slaughter of 4000 unborn babies each day through abortion. And just like now, so many people looked the other way, knew what was going on, and didn't do anything about it. I was reminded of the words of Genesis 4:10; "What have you done? Hark, your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground."

The March for Life was awesome. The day was bitter cold, but sunny and still, and 400,000 marchers participated. We spent about four hours standing for the rally and walking. I was proud to be a Nebraskan that day, as Lee Terry (Nebraska Congressman) gave a booming message of his commitment to the right to life, giving his assurance that he would do all he could to put an end to abortion and the use of our tax dollars for abortion; $363 million, according to Planned Parenthood's 2008-2009 Annual Report.

Nebraska Representative Jeff Fortenberry gave a short but stirring message along the same line. Both men said they can't do it without the grassroots support of we, the people!

Women from Silent No More spoke of regretting their abortions, with the young men standing by their side holding signs that said "We regret lost fatherhood." Many of the newly elected congressmen were there with many different messages but all saying much the same thing.They said they want us to send letters, emails, faxes and phone calls, even if we know how they're going to vote. This is a difficult battle and they need to know we're out there supporting them.

It was said that day that our abortuaries are nothing more than death chambers, just as those in Nazi Germany. Let's remember that a nation that kills its young is a nation without hope. One Pastor toward the end of the rally said, "Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord! As we march today we light a candle to pierce the darkness of rejection and despair."

Let's help pierce this darkness by getting involved, by sending those messages to our congressmen, by writing letters to the opinion page, by prayer, and if you can't do anything else, send money. It takes so much money to fight Planned Parenthood and its supporters. And we need to gear up for the next presidential election and elect a pro-life president who will move toward a pro-life Supreme Court.

I will continue to try to fulfill one of the other quotes I saw that day, "I call Heaven and earth to witness this day. I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose LIFE that you and your descendents may live!" (Deut 30:1)

Virginia lives in Genoa, NE