June 20, 2006
Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor
Since time is short in the morning, I usually only skim through articles, but this one was worth reading all the way through.
Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor
by Ted Harvey, assistant minority leader, Colorado HouseI want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 8. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.
I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat speaker of the House announced that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90-year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.
On Saturday morning, I took my 8-year-old son up to the mountains to go white-water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar.
Her name was Gianna Jessen.
Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs I have ever heard.
She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and seven and a half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful 2-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.
Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work.
As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony, the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's national anthem!
To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitarist to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it.
As I was driving home from the banquet, my cell phone rang. It was Gianna, and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!
When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6 a.m. to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words, I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.
Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, I wrote a quick note to the speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the national anthem."
Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet and in awe of this frail young lady's voice.
Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and then said, "Please forgive me; I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and to lift her up.
As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body, and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.
As the song concluded the speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today, but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause -- she had them all in the palm of her hand.
The speaker then called the House to order, and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.
As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.
While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.
Finally, I was the last person remaining. So, I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech.
Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine -- her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an accomplished recording artist.
She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four.
She was born prematurely and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care.
Because of her cerebral palsy, her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday, she began to walk with leg braces and a walker.
She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance.
She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.
Two years ago, she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds.
She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her more than eight-and-a-half hours to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it, nonetheless. With bloody feet and aching joints, she finished the race.
Members would you help me recognize a modern-day hero -- Gianna Jessen?
At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.
Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.
As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.
Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.
My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.
The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.
You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.
As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.
Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood…"
BANG! The gavel came down.
Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech -- the climax of the morning -- the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."
At which point I said, "Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."
Silence.
Deafening silence.
I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.
The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.
Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.
The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."
Yes, Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother's womb, and she was when she sang the national anthem on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.
The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her story.
"We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"
All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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December 31, 2005
3/31/05 - RIP Dear Terri
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September 12, 2005
Goodbye, Baby Susan
Our heart and prayers goes out to Baby Susan's families.
Baby Torres, Baby of Brain-dead Susan Torre, Dies.
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August 8, 2005
The Story Continues
Susan Torres' Husband and Parents Reveal Strange Happening on Night of Susan's Tragic Collapse
Jason’s soft-spoken father, Sonny, has given express permission to LifeSiteNews to print the details of what both he and his son have increasingly come to believe was a shared mystical experience, foretelling the great influence of the miraculous story of Susan and her unborn daughter, and ordering it to be spread. Sonny told LifeSiteNews that until now he has not provided any other news media with the following information because he was afraid that the mainstream media would fail to understand and would distort the story. “I want it to be done the way pro-life people would want it to be done,� he said...
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August 4, 2005
A Bittersweet Moment
You may have been keeping up with the story of Susan Torres, the young, pregnant Catholic mother who was brain dead but kept alive so her baby could have a chance to live. Jason and Susan’s daughter was born Monday and Susan passed away yesterday. Jason’s brother read a press release yesterday and it was a beautiful testimony to the value of human life. It reminds me a bit of St. Gianna Molla. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. May God bless them for their witness. It is easy to speak the truth when things are going well but to actually live it during such tragedy is miraculous.
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a statement from the Torres and Rollin families, read by Justin Torres at the news conference held today:As you know, at 8:18 a.m. on Tuesday, Susan Anne Catherine Torres was delivered by caesarean section at Virginia Hospital Center. This morning, she continues to do well in the NICU unit here at the hospital.
Earlier this morning, after a brief goodbye with her husband, parents, and other family members, and after receiving the last sacraments of the Catholic Church, Susan Michelle Rollin Torres passed away after the machines, which sustained her life for the past 12 weeks, were turned off at my brother's request. She was 26 years old.
This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family. We are overjoyed at the birth of Baby Susan and deeply grieved at the loss of her mother. From the beginning, we knew that two things would get us through to the baby's birth: God's providence and Susan's determination. Susan was always the toughest person in that ICU room. Her passing is a testament to the truth that human life is a gift from God and that children are always to be fought for, even if life requires-as it did of Susan-the last full measure of devotion.
We have many people to thank, starting with the doctors, staff, and most especially the nurses at Virginia Hospital Center. You have been innovative, flexible, and determined on our behalf, and walked every step of this journey with us. We are deeply grateful.
We also must thank the many friends and family members who gave us their time, energy, and shoulders to lean on over the past 12 weeks. Our debt to you is lifelong.
Finally, on behalf of my brother I wish to thank the many thousands of people who have taken this story to heart, donated to the Susan M. Torres Fund, and most especially, sent us their prayers and best wishes. This family has literally been lifted up in prayer, and I can never express adequately our gratitude for the prayers and support we have received from people all over the globe. We could not have made it through this ordeal without you, and on behalf of my brother, my family, and the Rollin family, I wish to thank you and ask your continued prayers for the newest member of our family.
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July 7, 2005
Just Wrong on So Many Levels
Triplets born 13 years apart.
"The birth of Laina Beasley raises difficult questions about the ethics of keeping embryos frozen for decades."
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June 22, 2005
Pray for Susan and Jason
I had heard about the case of the young brain dead mom being kept alive to save her baby but I hadn’t gotten a chance to sit down and learn more until this morning. I didn’t realize that Susan and Jason Torres are a Catholic couple from the University of Dallas (we know of some great Catholics learning and teaching there.)
It was interesting that Jason’s mom – who’s “way Catholic,” as he puts it – told him, "When the innocent suffer, great good is let loose in the world, and souls who wouldn't otherwise have gotten in reach heaven." Understandably, it is a heck of a lot easier to believe that intellectually than to live it practically.
Pray for Susan, Jason and their unborn child, especially that God will give them the strength to endure the enormous cross they are carrying.
You can learn more about their story at the Susan Torres Fund.org.
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May 2, 2005
Unfit to Live?
Dutch Euthanasia Doctor Admits to Killing 4 Newborns With Lethal Injections
GRONINGEN, April 27, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK news magazine, the Evening Standard, reports an extraordinary confession today by a Dutch doctor who admits to having euthanized disabled newborns. Dutch paediatrician Eduard Verhagen is in the forefront of a push to have the euthanasia of infants made legal in order to protect doctors who are already doing it. He admitted that he had given lethal injections to four babies born with spina bifida, a condition that is sometimes correctable by pre-natal surgery.... (Read the whole story.)Posted by bobbi at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 31, 2004
12/14/08 - Is Death Justice?
Bella and I have been sick with a cold and as she napped yesterday I rested on the couch. I flipped on the news just in time to watch the Scott Peterson verdict. I haven't been obsessed with the situation like other people have but it is hard to get away from it, particularly if you live in California. I must admit that from the beginning I thought he was guilty. I told Brian that this story is straight out one of the those real-life forensic shows where the husband lands out being the guilty one. But I prayed it was someone else � some sick stranger that didn�t know Laci. I hoped I would be wrong and that Scott would not be capable of such an unspeakable evil.
I never reached a point of feeling sorry for Scott or trying to see his point of view. I couldn�t get passed his smug attitude that seemed to have no touch with reality. During the penalty phase I was tired of hearing all the endless witnesses with the same line..."He was such a good boy..." Perhaps that just shows you how evil and deceptive he was - he fooled all of them. Those are the scariest guys - the ones who seem so "normal".
However, when the death verdict was read, I couldn't help but shed a tear. Not because I�m against the death penalty and not because I feel sorry for Scott � I have no feelings for him and he'll probably be safer in solitary confinement than he would have been with the other guys in jail. But I did feel sorrow for his soul. I wanted to shake him and say snap out of it! I wondered if he grasped what he had done. I wondered if he�d beg for God�s mercy when no one was looking and mean it. Killing Scott isn�t going to bring Laci or Connor back but I pray that this sentence will help Scott realize and repent for what he has done.
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12/13/04 - Incredible Love & Strength
Every once in awhile you hear a story that just touches your heart and moves you to tears. This is one of then. A young couple was blessed with the birth of a new baby girl but they were also given a heavy cross to bear since their daughter was born without a face. Their love for their daughter and their faith is God is an incredible witness to the beauty of life, regardless of outward appearances. For the full story watch the video here.
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3/17/04 - Virtue of Innocence
There's a great article at Catholic Exchange.com called Virtue of Innocence. Here is the first paragraph:
"How many of you are 'pro-choice'?" she asked her grade school pupils. Immediately, all hands shot up, except one. "Why are you not 'pro-choice'?" the teacher queried her lone dissenter. "Because I am 'pro-life'," she said, with a confidence that seemed to belie her tender age of seven years. "And why are you 'pro-life'?" the teacher continued. "Because my Mommy and Daddy are 'pro-life'," was the youngster's firm reply. But her stern examiner had not yet completed her line of inquiry. "Suppose your parents were morons?" "Then," said the little girl, and quite emphatically, "I'd be 'pro-choice.' "/blockquote>
Read the rest here.Posted by bobbi at 12:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 31, 2003
4/21/03 - When Is Life Worth Saving?
When I first heard that they found Laci Peterson's body and the body of her child Conner, I was literally sick to my stomach. Later I remarked to Brian that it's ironic that everyone sees the horror of Scott Peterson killing his 8 month old (in the womb) son but had Laci chosen to have an abortion at 8 months there'd be plenty of people willing to escort her to the clinic. So does that mean Baby Conner's life is only worth saving if his mother wants him? The logic is so screwed up I can only pray that people start to get it. Perhaps since NOW is upset, more people will catch on. Daily Record News - Laci Peterson case tied to Roe debate