Tupelo Children’s Mansion
Pro-Life? Written by Angela Parker
Recently, Texas passed a groundbreaking Heartbeat Law, which prohibits abortions after an ultrasound can detect a heartbeat (as early as six weeks into the pregnancy). As a native Texan and adamant pro-lifer, my sentiments are this… “Don’t mess with Texas!” We know how to get things done!
However, while I support this law and the fact that it will drastically decrease the number of abortions performed, this thought is what keeps going over and over in my head: What about the babies?
What happens to these unwanted babies after they are born? If the mother would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy because of poverty, inconvenience, abuse, rape, a health concern (hers or the baby’s) or any other of a hundred reasons…and now she can’t…what happens next?
As a parent who fostered and then adopted through the state system, I can tell you that the system is overwhelmed and even broken, in many cases. Our local and state agencies simply can’t handle a huge influx of additional children needing placement.
So this is my question to my fellow Christians and pro-lifers: What are WE going to do to support the pro-life movement in our everyday lives? This is a LOT bigger than sharing your feelings on social media. This is bigger than good thoughts and prayers. These are real women having real babies in sometimes really difficult situations. These are women who are not prepared or able to have a child. Women who don’t want a child. Women who feel they cannot raise a child. Women who have no support systems. No money. Whatever the situation… none of it is good.
I definitely don’t have all of the answers, but I can tell you a few things that I know we can do. We can foster. We can adopt. We can mentor. We can throw baby showers. We can welcome at-risk moms into our homes, our families, our circles, our churches. We can be a support system for people in our lives who need help. And maybe most dear to my heart… we can support organizations that are literally boots-on-the-ground.
I am privileged to work at Tupelo Children’s Mansion, which is a refuge for at-risk children and young people. The “unwanted” and “unloved” children who come to call TCM home learn quickly just how valuable they really are. They learn that their life has a beautiful purpose and that they are created by a Heavenly Father who loves them extravagantly and beyond imagination. And the staff at TCM literally get to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these precious children. What an opportunity!
If you are interested in actively supporting life – all life – I encourage you to visit our website at www.mansionkids.org to learn more about our program, to give or to view employment opportunities.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” I John 3:18
Let’s get to work, friends. There’s a lot to do.
