Standing for Life in the Black Community

My Bob had mental illness.

I was going out. I didn't really understand and she didn't ever have a diagnosis until 17 so a lot of things that happen in my childhood that I groggily led and Odyssey, which is always a comfort for me and always something that I could go back and I helped make my world makes sense.

Rory had a tough childhood, caring for her mother pretty much on her own but she found comfort and hope through Focus on the Family's radio program for kids why I like my had a wide and without God and without it I could have ended up in a dark place on Jim Daly.

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Visit Focus on the Family.com/strengthen families that sell pre-born babies heart made busy New York City infect Times Square. The whole area all silent. This is Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. Thanks for joining us I'm John from John. What a memory from a live from New York. Last year we showed a live for the ultrasound of a pre-born baby on those big screens and Times Square will never forget how everyone, even protesters and people just walking by on the street, looked up at that screen and listen to that little heartbeat and it was completely and awe-inspiring experience and I want to announce that were going to be doing this again on September 26 were calling it sea life 2020 and the pandemic has certainly complicated our plan. So were going to take this all online and go digital but it's coming together really well will have interviews with influential pro-life advocates special music and ideas for how you can impact the pro-life sphere in a very positive way. And of course as it was last year. Our main event will be a 4D ultrasound of a precious pre-born baby while doing this event in an online format was in our original plan were trusting that God will work it in a way that spreads the hope and truth about life to even more people. Hopefully around the world and you can find out more about sea life 2020 we got the link in the episode notes think that we are living right now in the nest. Have a great to do something about. That's Christina Bennett and protecting the lives of unborn children is her passion and you can hear why just a moment on Focus on the Family with your host Jim Daly and thanks for joining us I'm John Fuller if you watched or attended are alive from New York event last May you are already acquainted with Christina Bennett. She spoke toward the beginning right after Alvina King and she has a great story. We wanted to share with you in more detail today. Christina is a member of the national Black pro-life coalition she served for four years as a client services manager at a pregnancy resource center and she's the communications director for one of our very own affiliates. The family Institute of Connecticut okay and speaking at a fundraiser for options pregnancy center in Arkansas.

Here's Christina Bennett sharing some details that frankly order to be little graphic. She addresses this topic.

So if you have younger children within earshot. Let me suggest you use earbuds or listen in later online or site tour through the podcast working on her mobile little bit about myself and my story and why do the work that you when I was coming here on the plane. I wrote a little. So much of the poem, but I was just thinking about the stones and I wrote this Little Rock God leaves me at the enemy and the giant falls got these stones tonight and every stone has been name the baby that's been saved. In addition, God has made as living stones with little rocks little stones that God is using as to throw into the heart of darkness throughout the enemy and to bring down Giants because giants are meant to fall. I want you guys to know that I could have been statistic I could have been just a number among many, but God stepped in God rescued me and instead of being just another statistic he made me more than a conqueror.

He made me an overcoming appointment today.

I have an appointment to lose my life through abortion.

I was scheduled to be aborted in hospital Mount Sinai Hospital, 1981.

There is an appointment.

My mother made it. She went by herself to get an abortion and God stepped in at the 11th hour and tell you anything. My mother was very similar to the clients that we heard their stories. She was afraid she felt alone.

She didn't know who to talk to you she went to my father first and told him that she was pregnant and he Artie had two children and he said I think the best option would be abortion. It wasn't that simple didn't say that nicely there is pressure there. So my mom felt that rejection from him.

I'll go to church to church.

I'll talk to my mentor and Shirley shall be compassionate and Shirley. Even though I know in her mind I'm sending this is not right and having sex out of marriage, but Lisa listen to me. So she went and she went to talk to her mentor and when she told her mentor that she was pregnant woman said if you come back to this church. I'll be the first person to put my foot in the door and not let you in. She wasn't expecting that not all, but unfortunately sometimes in life you get when you're not expecting, and what she got was shame and rejection and pressure and so she went to get the abortion.

She met with the counselor at the hospital but was counsel. As strange options counseling at the pregnancy center does talk to her about adoption and adoption referral and tell her that there is resources available on maternity homes that she's been course because it actually illegal to core someone to have an abortion. Any of those things instead. The woman looked at my mom and said the best decision for you to make now I don't know why she came to that conclusion maybe is because my mom was in her 20s maybe is because she was married. Maybe because she was no no one really knows he can only assume they put her in a white hospital gown and she was told to just go into the waiting room and wait with all the other girls she watched the counselor's office and she sat in the hallway for just a moment to pause just a moment, and when she did she began to cry and then the other end of the hallway as an African-American woman, a janitor who saw my mom crying and she walked up to her and she lifted up her chain and she looked her in the eyes and said speedy and my mom said yes and she said that God is coming give you the strength to have this baby go put your clothes back on the she walked into the waiting room with the other women in the Dr. called her name. She walked into his office and I hate to be so graphic. But the reality of abortion is graphic. The doctor had cleaned up the blood from the last abortion because that's the reality of abortion.

That is the reality so the blood from the last baby that was aborted was on the floor and my mother was disgusted and she said I change my mind. I am leaving. I don't want to go through with it and he said no you've already paid for this you just not pass you going to go through and she said no I change my mind and he said don't leave this room and she ran up she left. She went down the stairs and for those of you who are not millennial you know that payphones she picked up a PayPal and she called my dad and she said come get me any did you know to my dad's credit, they tried their best to make it work.

They got married. It only lasted for a year by my dad still in my life is amazing. He just retired as a as a principal for four years working in inner-city in Connecticut. My mother is amazing. They are my biggest supporters.

They love me.

Yes, absolutely thankful for them and to God be the glory because God saw me when no one else did. He saw me that 11th hour you were living in a dark time when it comes to this issue were living in a culture that honors and for those of us who fight for life were made to be the baptized were told that we don't love women were told that we are pro-birth were told that we only care about the baby not the woman or the family were told. I've been told that I'm racist for speaking out about abortion in the black community. I've heard all of those things and like many of you been ridiculed and screamed and harassed and made fun of because we value life because we see that the names on those stones represent actual living children and their worth and were not willing to let one go and Mrs. Parker set thank all of you know that there are people praying for my mother.

I was born in 1981 will be weighed until the bulletin became legal. If you don't know W Bolton sister case to row the way that allowed for abortion any time nine months for any reason. And that's the law of the land today in this country.

I know that when that happened in 1972.

People are praying and send those prayers that answered at least one of them dead. When my mom walked out, but I want to thank you as well because your prayers are being answered and God hears you, and God is doing something great.

My mom story. It ended with hope because she laughed and today you can look you can see mean you can hear about my life and all the adventures that God has allowed me to do. Did ministry for seven years I traveled I spent three months in Mozambique working with orphans working with the poor been to Italy and Guatemala and Holland Nepal telling people about God's love. I lived in Atlanta in DC working in the pro-life ministry.

My mom story was hopeful but she didn't tell me until I was in my 20s.

You know I because even though it ended well. She still was traumatized.

Walking through it. The rejection from my dad this shame for the woman at church when my mom opened up and told me her story you're in the bathroom one day and she said you'll hate me if I tell you this. I can't tell you I've hit your whole life and you'll hate me and I said mom I would never hate you she is.

What was different. Let's imagine that for a moment. What if it was different with my mother could've gone to pregnancy center where she could went options and talk to someone who cared who listened who left her. What if instead of someone saying this seems like the best decision. Someone said will consider your options and talk about it. I being pressured. What you feeling janitor had to say was, do you want to have this baby is that simple or what right do you want to have his baby.

But no, and after that if you gone to a place options and they would. And so I can't change my mom story because we can't go back, but we can go forward and not flat work for pregnancy center. I believe so much in this movement and in the centers that I work for one, because we can reach women like my mom when no one else can.

When my mother told me my story I sat on her bed.

She left right after she, she walked out. I sat in her bed and I began to cry. At the time I had a relationship with God and I began to talk to him and he began to talk back to me and one of the things that God told me that is never left me is that Christina I wanted you I wanted you and not just me. After that he asked me question and he said how do you think I feel about the others. I did not know here I am in college in Connecticut. I heard so many things I done so many things that I did not know how God felt about the others you know who the others were to find out because I started to research and listen to women and they would tell me stories took the RU-486 pill I passed my baby.

I saw it was horrible. I remember what it was like I was crying it was traumatic, had an abortion is 20 years ago, every single year on the due date.

I think at the age.

My child would be my boyfriend pressured me. He told me that I had to have an abortion. Otherwise he's gonna leave me. I began to listen to the stories and I realize what we been sold.

Society told us is this empowering is liberating.

Is this freedom, no no no and then when I began to research the history of Planned Parenthood and how it was started by a woman named Margaret Sanger who believed in a philosophy called eugenics she believe that certain people group should prosper and grow with other people groups people that look like me with my skin color that we should be pulled out of the ground like weeds that she had a Negro project where she hired black ministers to go to tent revivals and to push birth control why she knew that Americans were not ready for abortion because were talking about the 1930s.

They asked in the interview, you believe in sin. I think sin is bringing a child into the world, a child that can't take care of itself.

She thought in this woman pushed abortion and lower income minority neighborhoods as a way of helping people tell me all the time. Christina okay, everyone thought that way then which is not true but nevertheless people say that.that way them, but things have changed. Now they are 78% of Planned Parenthood surgical facilities and lower income minority neighborhoods. If things have changed so much, why is abortion the number one cause of death for the black community.

While black women three times more likely to abort than any other race. Why is it just because we have a desire to know it's not, it's because we've been targeted. Planned Parenthood gets $500 million a year from our taxpayer dollars, but they still asked for funds and they get it from celebrities and everybody else were doing something differently were doing God's work today. I got to step in the footsteps of one of my heroes, Elizabeth expert, when I was in high school I saw her story. She was on the Little Rock nine I connected with her because honesty could she looked a little bit like me right is to be real representation matters. The real thing and shared glasses. I have glasses but also ice her. And I thought the teenager was a teenager at the time and she was alone in their people around her screaming at her. She was there she showed up and I thought wow left an impression on me today and I was flying and I thought maybe a museum or something.

Maybe I could see and Patty was kind enough to take me over there and I just lost it. I literally could to start weeping right there in the exam and I was looking at her and her courage. You will have the same courage.

You really do and I'll people don't like to make comparisons and when it comes to tragedies that lease and we don't necessarily have to, because every tragedy and every injustice in society has its own pain and sorrow, but I will say this, and I'm not ashamed to say that this is the greatest civil rights issue of our day it is. This is the greatest human rights issue every day and say something that maybe he would understand it, but I believe it's true. Abortion is a greater evil than slavery and let me tell you why Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, you know their names, and is only one reason. You know their names because they lived right you don't know the names of children that have died and I wouldn't wish slavery or segregation or sex trafficking or any of the evils of the day wouldn't wish on anyone again said about comparing tragedies what it's about is recognizing that we are living right now in the midst of a great injustice that God has called us to do something about it right.

Otherwise, how do we stand, how do we stand before God one day knowing and how do we stand before the cloud of witnesses, knowing they gave their all they thought hard everything they could want.

You ever have to look at your grandchildren and say I'm embarrassed. I lived in a time with 4000 children are being aborted every single day or Planned Parenthood was aborting over 330,000 children a year and I didn't do anything. I know you don't want to be embarrassed in that way. I know you never have to tell your children that that's why you're here your heroes.

You are the ones that God has chosen to be a light in the darkness. You are the ones that God has chosen as living stones to go ahead first into the head of Goliath, the abortion industry with all the money and power in mocking and broken people because again, the enemy, the enemies they've been deceived by the many women who are hurting a post-abortive. Many women you see I've had women scream in my face and sometimes angrier they are, the more we can help you and we can help transform their lives and we can help save children because God delights in them, every single one of you listening today on Focus on the Family to Christina but was almost awarded as a baby, you know, of course, is a passionate champion for the pro-life cause she's a warrior. John and I was delighted to meet Christina when she spoke at our live from New York about and I am so grateful. Her mother walked out of that abortion clinic all those years ago and chose life for Christina. That was a very courageous decision and let me just say Christina story brought up some issues from your past. Maybe you did go through an abortion and you feel so much regret.

Please, please get in touch with us. We have caring Christian counselors right here at focus who would count it a privilege to hear your story and help you find healing there an amazing team and are just a call away our numbers 880 family just request a call back from a counselor. That's 800-232-6459. John, let me also give a big thank you to those of you who donate to this ministry and to make it possible for us to offer the services of our counseling team free of charge to those who call and as Christina's message illustrates that we all need to work together to raise awareness about the impact that abortion is having on this generation we need to fight the lies, the Planned Parenthood is telling young women today and the first big lie is that an abortion will erasure problem allowing the girl to get on with her life but is referred so often.

Abortion actually causes those problems. In fact, a study published by Cambridge University found that women who had an abortion experienced an 81% increased risk of mental health problems including anxiety disorder, depression, alcohol abuse, and even suicide.

The second big lie abortion issues is the trick of choosing words that dehumanize the child. If you notice they never use the word baby. It's just a clump of tissue or mass of cells and let me tell you when we shared a 4D ultrasound on the big screens in Times Square last May. I was watching the people who were protesting against our event and when they saw that image and heard the baby's heartbeat. They went silent. Literally, their jaws dropped open and they lowered their picket signs like they'd never seen a baby in the womb. Before I'm sure many hearts and minds were impacted that day. That's the power of the ultrasound image and that's why I'm so proud of Focus on the Family's option ultrasound program since 2004 we estimate that more than 440,000 babies have been saved because their mother who was considering an abortion saw her baby in the womb through that ultrasound every $60 that you give will save a baby from abortion. Your gift will help us target high-risk major cities with advanced three dear 40 ultrasound machines providing that crystal clear image of each baby so please join our team and be a part of this life-saving movement and when you make a donation of any amount I'd like to send you a CD copy of this message from Christina Bennett and thank you for doing ministry through Focus on the Family. Let's fight for life together. Let's be a voice to the voiceless. You join our team today when you call 880 family that's 800-232-6459 or follow the link in the episode notes to donate to the work of Focus on the Family may be requested CD as well. As we said during the past few weeks the coronavirus pandemic is really impacted our budget giving is down, but the need seems to be greater than ever.

So please consider prayerfully how you can give today and help Focus on the Family continue our pro-life efforts like sea life 2020.

Our online event coming up September 26. Find out more about that when you follow the link in the episode in right now concerned pro-life friends of this ministry have offered to double your donations dollar for dollar so it's a great time to give, please do so as you can. Next time, Dr. John, Trent and his daughter Carrie sure how to bless your children through unconditional love and I remember sitting down with him and just kinda saying.

So I guess I can't come back to the house. You guys don't.

Well I guess you're just got sense and he put his hand on my shoulder and just said.

It's not about waiting then it's about where you're going, on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team.

Thanks for joining us today for this Focus on the Family podcast if you can take a moment give us a rating of sure about this episode with different I'm John Fuller inviting you back once more help you and your family drive