Family Research Council

Working the Polls on Election Day

by Sherry Crater

November 6, 2012

My assignment for today is working the voting polling site at my local precinct. My county in Virginia, Prince William County, is a bellwether county for Virginia. The word to describe the activity at the voting site is intensity. One-third of the voters in my precinct have already voted by 11:00 a.m. and there is a steady and fairly heavy stream of voters that will pick up during the lunch hour and at the end of the day. Early voters waited close to 2 hours to vote and the average voting time is about 1 hour at this writing. It seems that we are witnessing what the polls have said…..a head to head race. Some voters have started to leave due to the long time in line, but there has been good opportunity to remind them of the importance of their vote and that the average precinct can be won or lost by 1-3 votes. Thankfully, that reminder has worked to help folks stay and make their vote count.

Voters seem to be on a mission too, as they arrive with their minds made up and most are determined to vote even if they arrive with several young children and are alerted that they will have a long wait. Some go back to get a stroller but return resolved to wait and vote. One man I encountered could hardly walk but he was determined to “vote against Obamacare” as he put it.

Of interest, most voters are respectful but resolved. A minor dustup occurred regarding some damaged signs of one of the candidates, but that is being resolved too. The lawyers and polling officials are respectful too, but it is all business. The serious decisions being made today are apparent to all these voters.

Heading back to the polls now and realizing how really important this poll working job is.

A Salute to Moms, Young or Older

by Sherry Crater

May 7, 2010

It comes as no surprise that women are marrying at an older age and, frequently, bearing children later in life also. The Pew Research Center has recently released a study confirming these facts. In 2008, one in seven babies in the United States was born to a mother older than 35 years of age. By contrast, the teenage birthrate has been declining since 1990 except for a couple of spikes, and births to women younger than 20 declined in 2008 to one in ten babies.

These statistics reflect significant changes in society, as women often choose to delay marriage and childbearing while they pursue education and get established in a career. However womens goals may have changed, the perception of children seems to have remained positive. When asked why they decided to have their first child, 87 percent of the parents in the Pew study said, The joy of children.

As I reflect on my own mother, I want to salute all women who have risen to the challenge of motherhood and accepted the responsibilities of this high calling. I wouldnt place mothering in the glamorous job category, but how do we place a value on a mothers invaluable contributions? Mothers, of course, are the bearers of life itself. Beyond that indispensable role, they are often the emotional glue that holds the members of a family together. When a marriage dissolves and the family is torn apart, it is most often the mother who stays with the children and raises them to adulthood.

A former national leader once stated, The family is a sacred institution entrusted with the worlds most important work. Society is only as strong as the families who live within it. Thank you, moms, for all you have done and are doing to strengthen our families and our nation.

Celebrating Mothers Every Day

by Sherry Crater

May 4, 2010

Watching the recent NFL draft, I noticed that emotions ran high and hugs abounded. The athletes were exuberant in expressing their excitement and gratitude to family and friends who had gathered to share the realization of a lifetime dream to play professional football. There were extended and seemingly more meaningful hugs, however, for the mothers of some of the football players. Noticing the long hugs, sometimes accompanied by tears, made me wonder what untold stories these mothers and sons shared.

We have all heard countless stories of young athletes applauding their moms for being the glue in their lives. Often the dad was unavailable, and mom was the one who encouraged them to stay in school, to get good grades, to work hard and hang with good friends. Mom was the one who often worked an extra job or two so her kids could go to college. She was often the provider and the encourager, but she was also the enforcer when discipline was needed. But, pats on the back didnt come until these young people came of age and realized the enormous impact their mother had on their development and character.

Mothers, indeed, have impact. Never to be minimized is a mothers foundational role, that of giving every one of us life itself. Adding to this indispensable role, mothers wear many other significant hats. Teacher, counselor, nurse, chauffeur, cook, nutritionist, janitor, event planner, decorator, accountant, personal assistant, investor, budget analyst and disciplinarian come readily to mind. Voluminous books could be written about the untold stories of a mothers influence.

There is another impressive but untold story about mothers that is finally unfolding. Its the story of a movement that has changed the hearts of millions of women over the last forty years. Families have been restored, deep wounds have been healed and the lives of babies have been saved. Through voluntary and selfless giving, a network of women and men has provided supportive places where pregnant women can discover their options and receive needed care. This assistance includes medical care during the pregnancy as well as post natal advice. The expectant moms can also find referrals for many community programs and services. Material needs for new moms and babies are met as well. Known by various names (e.g., Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC), Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Pregnancy Support Centers, etc.), all these organizations meet basic needs and provide healthy alternatives to abortion.

More than 2300 pregnancy resource centers across America are providing a lifeline to women who do not want to abort but need community support during a difficult transitional life change. These centers are privately funded and staffed by compassionate and trained volunteers.

This is a story you will not want to miss. Visit A Passion To Serve, and read about those celebrating mothers every day. And, give your mother an extra hug this Mothers Day.

Abortion Policy a Triple Whammy Against Women

by Sherry Crater

February 2, 2010

As the brutal consequences of Chinas one-child policy that became law in 1978 are becoming fully known, it is apparent that unborn females, young girls and young women are the real victims of this law.

Chinese parents have traditionally preferred sons, since a son carries the family name, inherits family properties and supports his parents in their old age, while Chinese daughters become part of their husbands family. Thus, limiting families to one child has resulted in the sex-selection abortion of girls as Chinese parents are forced to choose between their future security and the lives of their daughters.

The magnitude of this situation and the vast numbers of Chinese women missing because they were aborted is being acknowledged, as Chinese boys now outnumber girls by the millions – resulting in a dire shortage of eligible brides for Chinas young men. The most calamitous consequence of the shortage of Chinese girls is the growing trade of foreign girls and women from many countries – especially Korea – being trafficked into China for the purpose of forced marriages and sexual exploitation.

Chinas one-child policy is a triple whammy against women. It begins with the women who are forced to make the horrendous decision to abort an unborn baby girl because sons are preferred in a one-child family. Then, the life of the aborted baby girl is snuffed out, obviously without her consent. Now, women beyond Chinas borders are paying the price of this misguided and cruel policy as they are forcibly trafficked into China to sexually satisfy Chinas disproportionately male population.

As this travesty against women is perpetuated in China and surrounding countries, one wonders where the female pro-choice defenders are when it comes to these women who are being forced into unimaginable situations, clearly not of their own choosing. Rather than speaking up for millions of women in this dire situation, a coalition of womens groups in the U.S., including Womens Media Center, National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority Foundation, are galvanized and unloading their fire on a Super Bowl ad about one woman who tells of choosing life for her son. Pam Tebow chose to continue a risky pregnancy rather than abort her baby, and her inspiring story is one of celebrating life and families. You can read here the opinion of a pro-choice Washington Post staff writer, Sally Jenkins, who agrees that the nation can learn much from the Tebows.

As the Tebows are telling their story of choosing life, other compassionate people are working through their local pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) to provide healthy alternatives to abortion. Please log on to www.apassiontoserve.org and read about the extraordinary contributions made by the nations PRCs in meeting the needs of women, youth and families.

Babies Go to Congress

by Sherry Crater

January 20, 2010

Heartbeat International, an association of more than 1100 pregnancy help centers, is providing an opportunity for women served by these centers to bring their babies to Capitol Hill. These moms, accompanied by their babies, will meet with Members of Congress on January 21, 2010 to express their gratitude for the life-saving work of pregnancy help centers.

Our elected representatives need to know that pregnancy resource centers exist in most of their districts. These help centers are serving communities by uniting thousands of compassionate individuals with a passion for life, who also fund the community-based centers and serve as volunteers, to provide the emotional and practical help women facing unexpected pregnancies need. This network, including doctors, lawyers, nurses, social workers, educators and other professionals, provides the vital information women need to make an informed decision, the facts that abortion providers often leave out. As Peggy Hartshorn, President of Heartbeat International, stated, Alternatives to abortion must be available so no woman ever feels forced to abort her baby.

Moms and babies saved by pregnancy help centers want to send the clear message that pregnancy resource centers (PRC) are good for America. You can find out more about the untold story and impact of the PRC movement, and the tremendous good being done in our midst, at www.apassiontoserve.org. A combined services report, A Passion to Serve, A Vision for Life, records the development and vital work of the three major pregnancy resource network groupsHeartbeat, CareNet and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA). If you are interested in locating a pregnancy resource center, you can access http://www.optionline.org.

Rape of a Minor — No Joke!

by Sherry Crater

June 18, 2009

The furor over David Lettermans outrageously crude comments regarding the 14-year- old daughter of Gov. Sarah Palin being knocked up by New York Yankee Alex Rodriquez has quieted down. Governor Palin accepted the apology of the 62-year-old Letterman on behalf of young women like her daughters who want to draw the line, in her words, with men who joke about sexual exploitation of girls.

After much prodding even the National Organization for Women (NOW), certainly not fans of Sarah Palin, had a statement on this situation. NOWs website said: Comedians in search of a laugh should really know better than to snicker about men having sex with teenage girls (or young women) less than half their age.

Letterman may have dodged a bullet in the Palin incident. However, his lewd sexual comments exposed again the hard, ugly truth that criminal sexual abuse of underage girls by older men is occurring in communities all across America. Adding insult to injury, the abuse is actually being covered up by some who claim to help young women.

Consider the findings of a young student at UCLA, Lila Rose, who did some investigative reporting on Planned Parenthood clinics around the nation. Equipped with a hidden camera and posing as an underage girl impregnated by a much older man, Lila produced videos and audio tapes of her interviews with Planned Parenthood personnel.

Lilas work exposed sexual abuse, including unreported statutory rape, as well as other blatant violations by Planned Parenthood of state statutes that were intended to protect young girls.

Above is a video of Lila posing as a 13-year-old girl going to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Indianapolis, IN for an abortion because she is pregnant by her 31-year-old boyfriend. The counselor violated Indiana law by not reporting the apparent statutory rape of a minor girl. Further, she went on to coach the young girl on how to conceal an abortion and get around parental consent laws by going to a surrounding state for an abortion.

For more examples of criminal violations of law by Planned Parenthood go here.

Sarah Palin was rightsexual exploitation of young girls is no laughing matter. There is nothing funny about it.

African-Americans in the Crosshairs

by Sherry Crater

February 19, 2009

February is Black History Month, and we are reminded of the many African-Americans who have made remarkable contributions to our great country. Sadly, I am reminded also of the huge number of African-American babies aborted every day in the United States snuffing out enormous future potential from this community. Adding insult to injury, evidence has surfaced over the last few months concerning anti-African-American attitudes in the abortion industry.

I refer to the explosive news regarding racist behavior by employees of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. A student reporter at UCLA who did some investigative journalism released some shocking recordings showing that the eugenic and racial origins of Planned Parenthood are evident in the work of the organization even today.

It has long been known-but largely unreported—that Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood) advocated population control and birth prevention among the “unfit” from the beginning of her public work. As early as 1915, Sanger’s first handbook entitled, What Every Boy and Girl Should Know, discussed the vicious cycle of ignorance breeding poverty and poverty breeding ignorance. Sanger’s solution to this problem was to prevent the birth of children who would not have an inheritance of health or intelligence and whose parents could not provide for them. This philosophy resulted in the creation of Sanger’s Negro Project in 1939-a program aimed at restricting reproduction among the African-American population.

Fast forward to February 2008, when Lila Rose, the UCLA student mentioned above, and a friend called Planned Parenthood clinics in seven states. The friend played the role of a blatantly racist man inquiring as to whether the organization would take his donation if it was earmarked specifically for the abortion of an African-American baby. The caller explained that he didn’t want his son’s chances of being accepted to college lessened due to affirmative action.

The recorded calls to Planned Parenthood involve conversations between the would-be racist customer and several employees. The employee at Ohio Planned Parenthood told the caller that, “For whatever reason we’ll accept the donation.” The Director of Development at Planned Parenthood of Idaho, Autumn Kersey, was told that the caller wanted his donation directed toward an African-American because, “We just think the less black kids out there the better.” Autumn’s response was laughter followed by the comment, “Understandable, understandable.” Seven clinics were contacted, and Planned Parenthood went 7 for 7 in accepting donations specifically targeted for the abortion of African-American babies.

Abortion is the leading cause of death in the African-American community, and Planned Parenthood has had significant impact on the astronomical decline in the birth rate of this group of people. According to Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., abortion is the primary agenda of groups like Planned Parenthood in the African-American communities. They also offer birth control and some health services, but the emphasis is on abortion for these particular parents. The organization operates a disproportionately high number of facilities in metropolitan areas with high African-American populations. Since 1973 abortion has taken the lives of about 14 million African-American babies, nearly 1450 every day in this country. Approximately 35% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on African-American women, while they represent only 13% of the female population of the country.

The exposure of these actions by Planned Parenthood employees reminds us again how seriously divisive this hateful behavior is. The conduct of Planned Parenthood should fuel a revolt to end taxpayer funding of this organization. The decimation of the African-American community should ignite a movement aimed at stopping the eradication of an entire generation of children by removing African-Americans from the crosshairs of the Planned Parenthood abortionists.

The Silence of Our Friends

by Sherry Crater

February 16, 2009

In the window of the Martin Luther King Library in downtown Washington, D.C., is a sign with a quote from Rev. King, the famous pastor and civil rights leader. It reads, “In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

For too long, women and men who know better have been silent about the negative effects of abortion on the women and babies who undergo the procedure and on their family and friends.  Women in high stress situations of unplanned pregnancies, and the babies they have conceived, have been without the benefit and support of people who could have spoken up about the serious negative after effects of their own abortions or the abortions of women they know. For too long knowledgeable people remained silent while women facing abortion believed the lie that this “product of conception” was just a blob of tissue, only to be told after the abortion that, “It was a boy/girl.”

Perhaps it was hidden guilt, deep shame and emotional pain, private agendas of some sort or fear of being perceived as judgmental. For many understandable reasons, women and men neglected to talk about this very serious issue that has devastated so many lives and killed millions of babies. Women contemplating abortion often believed they would be happier and have more opportunity if they just aborted or got rid of their unwanted baby. However, these same women would have benefited greatly from full disclosure by those who knew that abortion could be a very traumatic experience with potentially serious health and emotional consequences.

Ultrasound, the “window to the womb,” has been a clarifier for many abortion-minded women. But, now many are also being helped by brave women who regret their abortions and have come forward to speak openly about the unresolved grief, depression, feelings of unworthiness, addictions, eating disorders, relational problems and feelings of bitterness that resulted from having an abortion. These women are committed to helping others by being silent no more, and you can find out about some of these women at www.silentnomoreawareness.org. Many pregnancy resource centers around the country, such as Care-Net and Heartbeat International, offer post-abortion recovery groups for women and men seeking to find healing after abortion. Another resource for abortion healing can be found at www.abortionchangesyou.com.

Even those who have not had an abortion can have very helpful input based on what they know about the effects of abortion. When I first realized how important it is to speak up about this difficult subject, I was at a business meeting where one of the young mothers had brought her new baby. Several women were admiring the infant and congratulating the mother when one of the onlookers said, “I’m afraid I will never be able to have a baby. ” When I inquired why she felt that way, she explained that she worked as a counselor at a Planned Parenthood clinic and “just saw a lot that makes me afraid.” In response I simply said,” That’s interesting because if the counselors at Planned Parenthood would encourage girls/women to carry their babies to birth instead of aborting them, there would be babies for women like you to adopt if you could not get pregnant.” Others acknowledged my statement and agreed that what I said made sense. This experience confirmed to me that each of us needs to kindly and carefully speak the truth because it just might really help someone in need. It is fitting that the friends of life are being silent no more on the devastating effects of abortion, but also regarding the hope of healing and adoption.