LUNCH WITH LAWRENCE AND THE PRO-LIFE FIGHTERS

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We who fight for the right to life thought last year would be a tough bout, and it was. But that was just the warm-up.

That's my intro to what Voice for Life CHB's committee know as my 'begging letter' - my annual appeal for subs from our very generous members. And as we're holding our Annual General tomorrow I thought I might give it another airing, in the hope that we'll attract a good audience. 

The AGM is masquerading as 'LUNCH WITH LAWRENCE' (Lawrence Yule, National MP for Tuki Tuki), and a jolly good lunch it will be: homemade soup, buns and slice. The AGM comes last, only 10 minutes or so for people who want to stay, or might turn up just to compete for a place on 'the committee' (we can always put out extra chairs ...)

Lawrence Yule is actually subbing for our first choice, the Honourable Maggie Barry, who put Yule's hand up when she decided she couldn't come. I confidently expect Lawrence will explain why he voted for both the End of Life Choice Bill and the horrific Abortion Legalisation Bill. I'm sure he had good reasons. The Honourable Maggie actually tells me that Lawrence has changed his mind on euthanasia which makes sense, because he was on my list of MPs to pray for, with that intention.

Lawrence will speak at 12.30 p m at St Andrew's Hall, Porangahau Rd Waipukurau, just up the hill from the town square in the main street. Q&A to follow should be interesting. Lunch to follow that will be delicious. And free. 

To return to the 'begging letter', I'll quote the rest of it, slightly edited to suit this blog, in the hope of attracting new members to enjoy reading it every year. 

We who fight for the right to life thought last year would be a tough bout, and it was. But that was just the warm-up.

In the opposite corner of the ring is our Prime Minister the Honourable Jacindarella, who's been granted her wish for legislation to take abortion out of the Crimes Act. She says it’s no longer a crime to kill a baby. She calls abortion a 'health issue' and wants to reduce unborn children to the status of your appendix or tonsils. If they’re a nuisance, just take them out. 

Handing Ms Ardern a towel, patting her down, urging her back into the ring is her second: the Honourable Winsome Peters of NZ First, who five years ago thought a baby was a baby from conception and came with a life-time guarantee.

The Honourable Winsome sold that baby down the river for political advantage.  He agrees now with Labour’s Honourable Andrew Little-by-name, little-by-nature, that if a doctor decides it's 'appropriate' to kill a baby after 22 weeks of life in the womb, then preventing that baby being torn apart in excruciating pain is none of the State's business. That baby could be killed any old time up to full-term, which since January has been the horrible scenario in the State of New York, where the Honourable Jacindarella's wish for abortion to be removed from the Crimes Act has already been granted, and babies aborted alive are left to die. But the medics have been invited to cuddle them first. How kind. 

However, the Honourable Winston isn’t prepared to stand by his ‘principles’ and vote for them, oh no. He wants the NZ public to do his task of governance for him – and pay millions for the privilege – in a referendum.

NZ First and Labour were emboldened by a threat to human life from the other end of the political spectrum, from Act's solo MP, David Seymour - Saymore. His End of Life Choice Bill would inevitably turn into an End of Life Enforcement Act for elderly and disabled people with selfish rellies. The Honourable Mr Peters seems to think governments are elected not to govern but to run expensive referendums and wants us voters to decide about euthanasia, but more likely it would be whoever writes the questions who decides. 

So that's the state of play, politically. But wait, there's more.

In Australia we've seen hatred unleashed against Israel Folau who proclaimed his Christian beliefs, and against Cardinal George Pell who lives those beliefs. It was Cardinal Pell's conservatism on sexuality, economics and the environment which made him a target for the Victorian police, who trawled for two years for an accuser before charging Cardinal Pell with a literally incredible crime.

And in New Zealand, a registered teacher has been labelled 'transphobic' for calling out the Ministry of Education's Health and Sexuality Department for transgender 'inclusive' teaching, with Rainbow Youth and InsideOUT supplying resources for all ages starting at 5 with, for example: "different types of families (Mum's new wife is picking me up from school today)".

Yes, really. And after his family's holiday in Europe, Austin Ruse of  United Nations' C-Fam describes England as wrapped in rainbows from end to end (okay, I'm hyping a bit here). Trapped in the 'Pride' Parade in Paris, his wife was literally spat upon, presumably for wearing a crucifix round her neck.

True Christians are hated by Satan because he hates life, which is given by God, which organisations like Voice for Life defend. That’s why Satan promotes homosexuality and transgenderism and will co-opt for his deathly and deadly campaign any rugby supporters, police, government departments or well-meaning individuals he can win over to his cause, that homosexuality, transgenderism, fascism and/or neo-Marxism pose no threat to our civilisation.

So what have Voice for Life been doing about any or all of the above? 

Since June last year we have:

·        Contributed to LifeNews ($200)

·         Broken Branches Australia($100)

·        Activ8 2019 Voice for Life CHB delegate Chris Redstone ($525)

·        Voice for Life Napier delegate to Activ8 ($300)*

·         Family Life International, Gianna's Choice Mobile Life Centre for education on the right to life in schools ($500).

·        Took a record $1700 in two days of ticket-selling at our annual raffle at New World.

·        Pounded the pavements, letterboxing anti-euthanasia pamphlets in CHB and Havelock North; can't tell you how many because we lost count! 

·        Have divvied up the list of MPs who voted for the End of Life Choice Act among us committee members, and pray they'll change their vote at the Third Reading.**

·        We’ve all signed the Choose Life petition opposing liberalization of the abortion law and urge you to do the same at: https://www.chooselife.org.nz/sign-the-petition/.

·        We'll be distributing the Choose Life Q&A pamphlet which explains the reasons for opposing removal of abortion from the Crimes Act. 

*You'll note that we were in a position to help Napier VFL send delegate Thomas Moore, a nephew of James Bedingfield who began the pro-life outreach at Hastings Hospital, to Activ8 earlier this month. Thomas is thinking about starting a pro-life movement at Victoria University Wellington. Please pray he can do this.

**You too might like to pray for one specific pro-End of  Life Choice MP (or more than one!) to change their vote.

 From time to time I stand on the footpath outside Hastings Hospital at the pro-life outreach on Thursdays - Thursday is the day they kill babies. The pro-life team needs more volunteers. It's not hard work; you get to talk with like-minded people and maybe save a life. 37 babies are known to have been saved already. Email James Bedingfield: james.bed28@gmail.com If Jacindarella gets her wish on this, we won't be able to do it much longer without threat of criminal prosecution. For standing on a public footpath.

In spite of the best advice to branches (from Voice for Life National Admin) to increase our subscription to $25 at least, we've kept our sub at $20 and have been rewarded by you members with extraordinary generosity. Thank you so much.

Our donations were made possible by your subscriptions, by the great generosity of several members who would probably prefer to be unnamed, and the record $1700 Jodie Nelson and I took at our annual two-day raffle outside New World Waipukurau last December.

Please be assured of our gratitude for your support of the unborn child and the elderly vulnerable, and of our prayers. We ask that you pray for us too, in our God-given mission to defend the life that is His to give and His to take away.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live (Deut 30: 19).