Here is what I wrote to the Iowa Judiciary Committee

Mar 2, 2023 |
Tom Quiner

By Tom Quiner, Pulse Life Advocates Board President

Dear Judiciary Committee Member:

Tom Quiner

Tom Quiner, Board President

Iowa needs the Life at Conception Bill to be passed for a variety of reasons:

1. Human dignity. The unborn are human at the instant of fertilization. They have human parents. Their genetic code is fully intact. They have all 46 chromosomes present in their little bodies. They are fully human deserving of all of the same human rights and kindness afforded the most vulnerable born members of our society.

Until someone proves they are not human, and no one ever has, a just society must protect our fellow human beings in the womb.

2. Religion: Iowa is a state of church goers. The unborn are God’s creation at conception. In fact, sacred scripture tells us God knew us before we were born. We matter in God’s eyes. Public policy that allows them to be killed because they are inconvenient is bad public policy. Besides, according to Lutheran Family Services, we have Iowans standing in line to adopt, but there are simply not enough babies, because we are aborting them.

3. Demographics. Iowa is one of the oldest states in the union in terms of our citizenry’s media age. And we’re getting older. In 2010, Iowans over the age of 65 represented 14.9% of all Iowans. By 2021, their share had climbed to 17.7%.

We need young blood to replace these aging Iowans when they die. We need young blood to help care for the aging and to keep our economy growing.

And yet our fertility rate is only 1.82, below the replacement level of 2.1. We are aborting our posterity. Iowa’s population has only grown 1.5% in the last half a century. Since Roe v Wade was decided, our population has increased only 336,802. At the same time, we allowed 269,000 babies to be aborted.

This is demographic suicide.

Human abortion is holding back Iowa economically, morally, and spiritually.

I respectfully encourage you to advance the Life at Conception Bill for the well-being of this great state.

Iowa needs the Life at Conception Bill. Thank-you for reading.

Tom Quiner, Pulse Life Advocates Board President

[Contact the Judiciary here and tell them Iowa needs the Life at Conception Bill:  https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=90&groupID=689]

 

ACTION ALERT: Life at Conception bill needs your response at once!

Feb 28, 2023 |
Life at Conception Bill

Life at Conception BillDear Fellow Pro-Lifer: Big news! The Iowa House judiciary committee has just filed a Life at Conception Bill! 

Pulse and our allies in the Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders have been working towards this moment for decades!

But it has a long ways to go. 

The bill’s do or die date is THIS Friday. I need you to contact members of the House Judiciary Committee here and urge them to send the bill to committee before the March 3rd funnel date.

You can read the bill in its entirety here.

The passage of this bill would be the culmination of Pulse Life Advocates’/Iowans for LIFE’s 50 year quest to overturn Roe (accomplished!) and end human abortion in Iowa.

You have tremendous clout. Make your voice heard. Contact members of the Judiciary Committee immediately and join us in ending abortion right here in our own backyards.

Thank-you for all your support!

Maggie Dewitte, Executive Director

“Thank-you” and “F*#@ you!”

Feb 27, 2023 |
Rosary

By Tom Quiner

Planned ParenthoodA small contingent just finished up our Rosary in front of Planned Parenthood  on this chilly afternoon praying on behalf of the unborn during 40 Days for Life.

Many people drove by giving us a thumbs up and a thank-you. We always get a few folks express their sentiments by extending a middle finger, sometimes even on both hands (hopefully not the driver!).

I noticed a couple drive by the busy street by which we prayed. They were especially demonstrative in expressing their disapproval of our pro-life position. A few minutes later, the couple pulled into the parking lot behind us, rolled down the window, and a ‘conversation’ began, going something like this:

Him: You can’t tell a woman what to do with her body!

Her: “F*#@ you!”

Him: “F*#@ you!”

Her: Stop shaming women!

Both: “F*#@ you!” “F*#@ you!” “F*#@ you!” “F*#@ you!”

I should interject that their voices, especially hers, were not ‘inside’ voices. It was a full-throated screech. She was enraged.

I said,

“Thank-you for stopping, we will pray for you.”

Not what they wanted to hear.

Her: “F*#@ you!” “F*#@ you!” “F*#@ you!”

Perhaps to mimic her voice, the tires screeched as they peeled triumphantly out of the parking lot with four hands thrust out of the windows of the car displaying four “you’re #1!” finger gestures. (I’m not sure how she managed to steer.)

As the exhaust cleared, it hit me that they were the reason we were there. Clearly, nothing we could say would make a difference to them, because they were too busy yelling at us to hear anything. Clearly, she had had an abortion.

But we knew God would hear our prayer offered up for this misguided couple, who may not have a whole lot of people praying for them.

Here is what we prayed:

The St. Michael the Archangel prayer

St. Michael the ArchangelSt. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou,

O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God,

thrust into hell Satan,

and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

This prayer extends to all women and men who have been victims of abortion, as well as all the people trapped in jobs in abortion factories that kill our unborn brothers and sisters.

They need our prayers as much as the unborn, probably more, because abortion separates us from Christ, who is the source of our life.

Do you see why 40 Days for Life and the Rosary we pray are so important? The unpleasant people who screamed at us today are desperate for our prayers. They just don’t know it.

[Tom Quiner is board president for Pulse Life Advocates. Be sure to subscribe to our blog. Donations always appreciated.]

Top ten religious movies for Lent 2023

Feb 23, 2023 |
top ten religious movies

By TOM QUINER

Top religious movies for Lent 2023

 

People like stepping up their game during Lent, and that includes focusing on entertainment with good values. I’ve blogged on top religious films for Lent for over a decade. Movies come and go from my list depending on what I’ve seen recently. I dropped The Mission from this year’s list, even though I love the film. But I saw some others that moved me that I thought deserved a little recognition.

I’m sure you’ve read about recent research detailing the alarming, rising suicide rate in teens, especially teen girls. Suicide is complicated. Ultimately, though, people become desperate when they reach a dead end and think there’s nowhere else to go, and that their lives have no meaning. That life itself has no meaning.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Movies on this list all model hope. All the protagonists face seemingly insurmountable obstacles: Moses’ mother is forced to abandon her son; no one believe the visionaries at Fatima; an abandoned young man with a crack head for a mother has no place to sleep and no prospects for the future; another young man aspiring to play pro football finds himself stocking shelves in a grocery store; a young medic is persecuted for his refusal to use a gun during a world war.

Life isn’t for sissies. And yet in the midst of seemingly impenetrable darkness, a light appears which burns brighter and brighter, replacing despair with hope. The source of the light is Christ.

Good religious movies help us appreciate the profound meaning of our lives as it ultimately draws us nearer to Christ. It reveals the Truth, with a capital T. If you have not had the good fortune of watching any of these films yet, then you may want to see what your Cable TV package has available and where you could watch these with your entire family.

My list of top religious movies for Lent changes from year-to-year. Classics like the “Ten Commandments” and “Ben-Hur” come and go, replaced by something either newer or more relevant for the times. My list this year includes several movies I recently revisited that came out 20+ years ago, and one I watched for the first time the other day.

A theme emerges in many of these films especially relevant for our age: courage. We live in an era of cowardice. The Cancel Culture threatens people’s jobs, relationships, and public standing. The pro-life movement needs strong, proud voices to speak up in the public square on behalf of our unborn brothers and sisters. Could you use a jolt of courage? Watch some of these movies this Lent. They remind us that God is with us. Always.

Okay, here’s my list for 2023. I sincerely believe you will enjoy these films. Let me know your favorites.

#10 PRINCE OF EGYPT. Some two decades have passed since I first viewed this 1998 film. I watched it again last year and was simply delighted from beginning to end. Maybe it’s because I was watching with my grandkids, but I loved this movie more than I did the first time. How could one not love it? It tells the story of Moses. The visuals are stunning. The songs catchy and singable, written as they were by the great Stephen Schwartz (Godspell) with a score by Hans Zimmer. The all-star cast of voices includes a Hollywood who’s who from the late 90s: Val Kilmer; Ralph Fiennes; Patrick Stewart; Helen Mirren; Steve Martin; Martin Short; Michelle Pfeiffer; Sandra Bullock. Its $70 million budget ensured that no expense was spared in retelling a classic biblical story. This is a great animated family film the adults will love at least as much as their kids and grandkids.

#9 FATIMA. Fatima is an odd, historic event from 1917. Do you know the story? Mary, the Blessed Mother of God appeared to three young Portugese children in Fatima, Portugal. No one else could see the woman. Only the children could hear her. The event created an uproar when the children refused to renounce what they saw. Eventually, Mary provided a sign of her presence in a phenomenon known as the “miracle of the sun.” Thousands of believers and non-believers witnessed it. The Fatima Movie (2020) tells the story for a new generation to enjoy and understand. It is immediately relevant, as the same passions that roiled Portugal then continue to agitate events now. You hear a line in the movie that makes you think of today: “Progressive ideas will free people from their religious superstitions.” Parents need to watch this movie with their children and grand children as a beautiful witness to the power of courage in the face of adversity. As one of the children says later in life: “faith begins at the edge of adversity.” What are our choices when faced with adversity? Trust God, or give up. The Fatima Movie inspires us to trust God.

#8: BLIND SIDE. The movie is based on the true story of “Big Mike” Oher who improbably became a star football player in college (and went on to the pros) in spite of a rough start to life. Sandra Bullock won an academy for her portrayal as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a strong-willed wife and mom who takes him into her home and navigates him towards success in life. Mike’s natural father abandoned him, and his mom was a crack addict. “Big Mike” was one of 12 kids growing up, living a life he characterized as “nomadic:” 9 different schools in 11 years and many different sets of foster parents. When Big Mike’s plight came to the attention of the Tuohy family, they interceded on his behalf, eventually adopting him. This is a feel-good movie and models an idea presented by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel who calls on us to “stand in the gap” on behalf of others. The Tuouys did just that, and it makes for an entertaining and uplifting movie.

#7: AMERICAN UNDERDOG. Another feel-good football story. This 2020 film chronicles the improbable career of the 2000 Super Bowl MVP, Kurt Warner. Anyone living in Iowa knows the story. He played football for the University of Northern Iowa, but no NFL team drafted him, so he ends up stocking the shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery story. Ultimately, he gets a chance to make some money playing football, only it’s with the lowly Arena Football League, playing for the Iowa Barnstormers. When he finally gets his shot in the big leagues, he makes the most of it, eventually playing in three Super Bowls, and winning the first in a record-setting performance. What’s the film about? Perseverance and family values. Warner falls in love with a divorcee with two young kids. Despite some tough obstacles, they stick together, and the film pays offs with some awesome football action. American Underdog encourages all to dream big and trust in God’s providence, as Kurt and Brenda Warner did.

#6: THE SCARLET AND THE BLACK. Get ready for a tense game of cat and mouse as a Vatican priest and a German Lieutenant Colonel clash in Nazi-occupied Rome. This film is based on true events. Gregory Peck portrays Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who heroically saved the lives of thousands of Jews and escaped Allied POWs by hiding them from the Nazis. Christopher Plummer portrays the Nazi officer in charge of rounding them up. The battle of wits between the two antagonists makes for great cinema, especially in the hands of two pros like Messrs. Peck and Plummer. Be sure to watch the ending credits for the remarkable epilogue to this great story!

#5: GRAN TORINO: Surprised to see a Clint Eastwood movie on the list? No one less than Bishop Robert Barron called Gran Torino “one of the great presentations of the Christ story.” Eastwood, who directed and starred, portrays grouchy Walt Kowalski, an old geezer who’s wife just died. His kids want to move him into an old folks home. His working class neighbor in Detroit is getting dangerous as gangs move in. Walt is a cantankerous, racist s.o.b. who hides his decency under the surface. He’s a heroic figure who uses violence to ward off violence directed at his Laotian neighbors … until he realizes it’s just not working. Violence begets violence. I really don’t want to say much more, because you need to see this film if you haven’t. Be warned that there’s violence and there’s no shortage of profanity. Suffice it to say, Bishop Barron said it was one of the best examples of what the church fathers called the “Christus Victor Theory.” Watch it.

#4: THE PASSION of the CHRIST. This was more than a movie, it was an event that either united or divided people, much like Christ Himself. Mel Gibson’s movie was controversial. The violence is grotesque. It is not a fun movie to watch. I have seen it thrice, and I will see it again … someday. Jim Caviezel was perfect as Jesus. The movie is important because it gives modern man an inkling of what Christ did for us. I heard Fr. John Riccardo once say about Christ’s crucifixion: “If this is the cure, can you imagine the disease?” This movie forces us to think about that question seriously. The scene of Christ’s scourging is horrendous. Do you know why He was lashed 39 times? Because 40 was considered “death” by the Romans. It was unsurvivable. I would recommend the edited version with some of the violence excised. After watching this film, fall to your knees and thank Christ for what He did for us.

#3: HACKSAW RIDGE. Courage and conviction are in short supply these days. So when a movie comes along about a man who stood up for his religious convictions regardless of the cost, it’s worth checking out. I finally got around to watching Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge this year (it came out in 2016). The movie marked his return to directing after a ten year hiatus. Gibson knows how to tell a story. Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of Desmond Doss, a simple man from Lynchburg, Virginia, who enlists when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He had a catch: not only would he not use a rifle, he would not even carry one. Although the ‘cancel culture’ didn’t exist in the 1940s, Doss felt the brunt of the military establishment who attempted to ‘cancel’ him via a court martial. They failed. He went on to become an invaluable member of his unit as a medic, rescuing some 75 soldiers at the brutal battle of Okinawa. His courage was contagious. Following a particularly brutal attack, Doss was wounded and exhausted after saving countless of his fellow soldiers. It was a miracle he was still alive. The soldiers were once again called to battle (the entire campaign lasted 83 days). The soldiers wouldn’t go unless Doss was with them. The commanding officer said to Doss: “These men don’t believe the same way you do. But they believe so much in how much you believe. They want a piece of it. They’re not going up there without you.” The moral: courage is contagious.

#2: JESUS of NAZARETH. This film is an epic work of cinematic craftsmanship. Robert Powell is an extraordinarily effective Jesus. It was originally broadcast as a 382 minute mini series on television in 1977. Every single minute of this film is worth it. Nothing is wasted. Director Franco Zeffirelli has created an artistic masterpiece. He is true to the Gospels and creates an ancient Holy Land that seems real to modern man. His presentation of Jesus’ telling of the Prodigal Son is a work of genius, surely inspired by the Holy Spirit! Interestingly, one of the writers was Anthony Burgess, also the author of “A Clockwork Orange.” What a cast. Each star was at the top of their game. In addition to Mr. Powell, James Farantino was a Peter for the ages. Ian McShane was a complex Judas whose motivations are slowly revealed in his deft political maneuverings. Olivia Hussey as the Virgin Mary, and Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene both shine. The list is endless: Christopher Plummer fleshes out the human weakness of Herod Antipas. You can’t stand him in the end. And James Mason brings Joseph of Arimathea to life. The conversation he has with Jesus about the idea of being “born again” draws you irresistibly into the essence of the Gospels. That’s why this film is so good. You feel like you’re walking right alongside of Jesus. Everything seems so authentic.

#1: THE CHOSEN: Not a movie, but rather the first original TV series about Jesus Christ. Three seasons are completed, 24 episodes in all, plus a pilot and Christmas special. What’s interesting is this was made outside of the Hollywood system. It was financed via crowd funding. The writers let us get to know Jesus through the eyes of key players from scripture: His disciples, Mary Magdalene, even little children.  You can watch it free on The Chosen app and/or Angel Studios website. They claim over 400 million views so far! If you want to sample an episode, check out the 3rd episode of season two, titled “Matthew 4:24.” The camera work is extraordinary, as a single camera weaves in and out of a crowd without a break for the first eight minutes or so. Watch:

Season 3 wraps up with a creative and thought-provoking take on the feeding of the 5000. Here is an excerpt:

The series is produced by a creative Protestant team. They have worked hard to connect with Catholic leaders to ensure that The Chosen speaks to us all. There have been a few missteps along the way, from my Catholic perspective, but they have been minor, and offset but the creative writing and acting. Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, is in fact a Roman Catholic. He is also a man of conviction. I heard him speak at this year’s March for Life in Washington DC.

Those are my picks. What are yours? Please let me know. I want to watch some great, new faith-filled films this Lent, starting today. So let me know your favorites right away!

[Tom Quiner is board president of Pulse Life Advocates. If you enjoyed this essay, be sure to subscribe to our blog. Every donation helps us expand our reach!]

Black History Month Reality Check

Feb 22, 2023 |
Black History Month reality check

In honor of Black History Month, President Biden screened the 2022 film, “Till,” at the White House (view the trailer above). The president’s reaction was startling and demands a Black History Month reality check.

If you’re not familiar with this ugly 1955 incident, Emmett Till was a fourteen year old African American young man beaten to death by two white men for the offense of flirting with one of the assailant’s wife.

The men were acquitted of the homicide. But later, they admitted to the crime in a Look Magazine article (for which they were paid $4000) knowing that they couldn’t be tried again because of double jeopardy laws.

Mr. Till’s mother insisted on an open casket funeral so the world could see what the men did to her son. It was gruesome … and became a well-justified catalyst for civil rights reforms in the U.S.

National condemnation

The crime is universally condemned in America today, which leads us to the president’s dishonest reaction:

“Lynched for simply being black, nothing more. With white crowds, white families gathered to celebrate the spectacle, taking pictures of the bodies and mailing them as postcards. Hard to believe, but that’s what was done. And some people still want to do that.”

And some people still want to do that? Who, exactly?

Such an ugly charge demands specificity. Who are these murderer-wannabe’s to whom the president refers?

Sure, there is no shortage of deranged people living in this country who reside at both ends of the political spectrum. But President Biden’s intent was to demagogue, to further divide us along racial lines, when hard data doesn’t support his charge.

His assertion demands a Black History Month reality check. Let’s look at the data and see where, in fact, African-Americans DO face incredible discrimination, and where they don’t.

Is U.S. policing in a death spiral?

This is the question posed by Heather MacDonald in a recent essay. Unlike the president, Ms. MacDonald cites hard data to get an objective assessment of the extent of the problem when it comes to the treatment of Black men by the cops. She presented this data in the immediate aftermath of the death of George Floyd in a piece in the Wall Street Journal. Here are excerpts:

  • In 2019 police officers fatally shot 1,004 people, most of whom were armed or otherwise dangerous.
  • African-Americans were about a quarter of those killed by cops last year (235), a ratio that has remained stable since 2015.
  • In 2018 … African-Americans made up 53% of known homicide offenders in the U.S. and commit about 60% of robberies, though they are 13% of the population.
  • The police fatally shot nine unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites in 2019, according to a Washington Post database, down from 38 and 32, respectively, in 2015.
  • In 2018 there were 7,407 black homicide victims. Assuming a comparable number of victims last year [2019], those nine unarmed black victims of police shootings represent 0.1% of all African-Americans killed in 2019.
  • By contrast, a police officer is 18½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.

When asked if he believes there is “systemic racism in law enforcement” by CBS managing editor, Nora O’Donnell, the president quickly responded, “Absolutely.”

The data refutes the president

And yet the data just doesn’t concur, as Heather MacDonald further explains in the Prager University video below:

As readers of this blog know, policing isn’t our issue, but sanctity of life issues are. So here’s where our Black History Reality Check kicks in. The most insidious form of racism affecting the Black community is indisputable: abortion.

The Black Lives Matter movement is animated by perceived racial injustice, an important issue.  To pro-life groups like Pulse Life Advocates, the issue is grounded in the injustice directed toward unborn Black babies. They have been disproportionately harmed by the aftermath of the Roe v Wade decision, evidenced by a precipitous drop in the Black fertility rate.

Who are the “undesirable populations?”

Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger, believed in Eugenics to forcibly reduce “dysgenic” populations through segregation and sterilization.

Dysgenic refers to groups of people that have a detrimental effect on future generations.

The late Supreme Court justice, Ruth Ginsberg, made a telling admission in 2009:

“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations we don’t want to have too many of.”

Think about the racist implications of that statement.

One of the attorneys who successfully argued Roe v Wade before the Supreme Court, Ron Weddington, was upfront about the desired outcome of Roe. Writing to then-president, Bill Clinton, he acknowledged the ugly bigotry at the core of abortion:

Black History Month reality check“I don’t think you are going to go very far in reforming the country until we have a better educated, healthier, wealthier population…. Start immediately to eliminate [emphasis ours] the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country [through abortion]…. There, I’ve said it. It’s what we all know is true, but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we view any program which might treat the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean-spirited and…well…so Republican. Our survival depends upon our developing a population where everyone contributes. We don’t need more cannon fodder. We don’t need more parishioners. We don’t need more cheap labor. We don’t need more poor babies.”

So here’s the Black History Month reality check: 

The same people who foment racial division in the U.S. based on a false narrative that cops target Blacks are the same people who have successfully foisted abortion on an unsuspecting community who now abort 40% of their own babies.

At the time Roe was decided, the Black fertility rate was 2.3. Today, it’s 1.8. Replacement is 2.1, so the Black population in the U.S. is dying.

The death of Emmett Till was a tragedy.

The death of 20 million aborted Black babies is a genocide.

Sex and procreation are holy

Feb 20, 2023 |
sex and procreation

sex and procreationThe 2nd reading at Catholic Masses yesterday included this passage from I Corinthians 3:16-17:

Brothers and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God,

and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person;

for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

Important insights:

These four lines offer important insights for this confused age:

  1. We are more than just bodies, we have a soul. In other words, our lives are not merely material, but also spiritual.
  2. God dwells in our body, and as a result, it is holy.
  3. Our body comes from God and belongs to God, a stark contrast to the godless secular religion of our age that believes we are the god of our body and can mold and subvert its form and function.

Peter Kreeft explains why sex and procreation are holy:

Catholic philosopher, Peter Kreeft, unpacks the significance of all of this in his book, “Food for the Soul, Cycle A”:

“That’s why sex and procreation are holy. They are not dirty. The old Victorianism or puritanism saw sex as something dirty and to be avoided as much as possible. The new Victorianism or puritanism today still sees sex as something dirty but to be enjoyed as much as possible — as long as it doesn’t produce that terrible accident, another person like us. Our secular culture is really much closer to Victorianism or puritanism than it thinks. It is not as sexy as God is, for God sees sex as something holy and beautiful, as a sacramental incarnation of love and life, which is the nature of God. In separating sex from procreation, by contraception, we changed the whole meaning of sex from something profoundly holy to something neither profound nor holy. Contraception separates sex from life exactly as cloning and test tube babies separate life from sex. One demands love without life and the other demands life without love.”

Gender confusion

Kreeft addresses the gender confusion which is so in fashion today:

“After God created everything else, he created us, as the Bible says, “in his own image,” and the next words are “male and female.” Sex is God’s invention. And after he created that thing, he pronounced this judgment on it: “Very good.” That’s our God-designed nature. When our culture still had wisdom, the cultural cliché said you can’t fool Mother Nature; and Christ’s Church, which still has wisdom, says you can’t fool Father God. That’s not the road to happiness.”

Which is why abortion is so awful. It subverts the work of the Holy Spirit within us, and the Spirit’s work is all about life. 

If you want to suck the joy out of your life, abort your baby. 

But what if you’re in a crisis situation? Let you daughter or son be adopted, and spread the joy. You will experience a special kind of joy by loving so sacrificially; your child will experience the joy of the gift of life; the adoptive parents will experience the joy of loving a baby for whom they have so desperately prayed. [Our website offers extensive resources for women in crisis pregnancies.]

Unprecedented comfort

Modern man enjoys a level of comfort unprecedented in human history, and yet seldom have we been more miserable. Our misery has spiked since abortion became so available. As Kreeft points out, Christians love life, but modern secularists do not:

“They see children as “accidents” and pregnancy as a disease that they prevent by contraception or cure by abortion. They say, “I don’t want to bring children into this terrible world.” They say that now, today, when life is longer, richer, healthier, more comfortable, less violent, less cruel, more sensitive, more under our control, and more painless and peaceful than ever before in human history! Until fairly recently, most of our ancestors could expect to experience in a single year more pain than most of us experience in a lifetime. Yet they saw life and this body and this world as good, as a blessing, and as a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved and conquered. That’s why I call the mentality that finds it “irresponsible to bring children into this terrible world” hypocrisy, and a kind of insanity. Pope St. John Paul II called it something even worse than that. He called it “the culture of death.

The culture of death does not love life

The culture of death does not love life. It does not love bodies; it does not love embodiment in this world. It is far too spiritual. It does not love objective reality, only subjective satisfaction. All it wants is psychological pleasure, control, comfort, freedom, and autonomy: personal satisfaction of spirit, a kind of retreat from nature, from the objective world, from what-is, from truth. It is addicted to sex because sex is for it like an oasis in the desert. For it, sex is not about life; it is a retreat from life. It demands protection against life and against the God of life, against the great gift that used to be loved as a blessing and is now feared as a curse. It talks a lot about social ethics and social responsibility, but it does not want to do the single most important thing we can do for society and for the human race, and also the creative thing — namely, to have children.

The culture of death lacks lasting joy

Our culture has solved many of life’s problems by its wonderful science and technology, and it has attained unprecedented power and comfort and freedom from pain. Yet is no longer loves life, no longer feels gratitude for life. Its suicide rate is far higher than it is in poor, primitive cultures. It lacks lasting joy. It is in the wilderness without a temple and without the manna from heaven, without the two temples that we know: our bodies in sexual intercourse and Christ’s Body in the Mass. They are the two holiest places in the universe and the two places where God literally performs a miracle millions of times every day around the world. Whenever we procreate mortal bodies, God creates new immortal souls, and whenever our priests echo his words of consecration, he transubstantiates our bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood.”

Don’t be a joyless pagan or puritan; be a joyful Christian!”

Christ gave us a warning when he said whatever we do to the least of his children, we do to him.

As Kreeft concludes, “And deep down, you know in your heart that he’s right.”

[Your donation helps Pulse promote a culture of life. Give today. Thank-you.]

Lest you think our work ended on June 24th, 2022…

Feb 17, 2023 |
40 days for life

40 days for lifeBy Karen Quiner

For 50 years we have had a primary focus – to overturn Roe v. Wade. Many said is was settled law and was here to stay. But Pulse Life Advocates never believed that and continued the fight with passion and with every tool at our disposal. We knew that we had to educate in order to change hearts and minds, to do our work in the legislature, to march in Washington D.C., and primarily to pray. We never gave up.

For as John Stuart Mill said:

“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.”

On June 24, 2022, Roe was overturned. Praise be to God! But what happened next was to be predicted. The powers of evil unleashed their ire in D.C. and in states from coast to coast. For abortion is the sacrament of evil and evil will not give it up without a fight.

Our work continues.

To that end we will be participating in 40 Days for Life, from February 22nd to April 2nd. This is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion mills.

Please join us. Prayer works! And this is a public witness to our belief in the power of prayer.

We will be in front of Planned Parenthood on Army Post Rd. on the following dates and times. We will bring signs for you to carry. Please park in the Hobby Lobby parking lot directly to the east of Planned Parenthood.

  • Feb. 22:   Noon-1
  • Feb. 27:   1:30-2:30
  • March 1:   11-12
  • March 6:   1:30-2:30
  • March 8:   11-12
  • March 20:   1:30-2:30
  • March 22:   11-12
  • March 27:   1:30-2:30
  • March 29:  11-12

Pulse Executive Director Maggie DeWitte is often there praying alone. Let’s support her with our presence and prayer. It is empowering to be among others all praying for the same common mission. Put these dates on your calendar and come as often as you can.

Even better, we would love to see you organize your own group to pray any time during these upcoming 40 days. Give us a all with any questions: 515-255-4113

Maggie DeWitte’s testimony on risks of oral contraception #2

Feb 13, 2023 |
oral contraception

oral contraceptionHere is Pulse Executive Director, Maggie DeWitte’s, testimony on a bill before the Iowa Legislature, IA HSB91, “a bill for an act relating to the health and well-being of children and families.” Maggie is also spokesperson for the Iowa Coalition of Pro Life Leaders, which supports Division Seven in the bill, except for subsection division V, which relates to self-administered contraception. She spoke before a subcommittee yesterday:

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Maggie DeWitte testifies at the State Capitol“HSB91: thank you for bringing this forward.  The pro-life coalition worked extremely hard on educating you on the need for the MOMS bill and were thankful for the passage last session and that Governor Reynolds mentioned in her state of the state address as something she wanted to expand.

I would like to address section 5 regarding self-administered hormonal contraceptive.  I don’t understand why this was put in the bill, and it does not have the support of the pro-life community.  There are four major issues with this section:

  1. Oral contraception is dangerous.  The World Health Organization has classified combined hormonal contraception as a Group 1 carcinogen.  This is the same classification as tobacco, arsenic, and asbestos.  Women who use contraception for 11 years or longer are at a 210% increased risk of breast cancer. Contraceptives have been proven to increase the risk of blood clots, which can be fatal. They also have increased risk of causing heart disease, especially in smokers. Lawsuits have been filed blaming the Patch for several deaths due to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned that the Patch carries a higher risk of blood clots than the birth control pill. These medications should not be prescribed by anyone except a medical doctor who has access to accurate medical records and the necessary medical tests. 
  2. Hormonal Contraception is ineffective and gives women a false sense of security.  The New York Times published an article that stated that the fail rate is 38% by year five and that by year ten, 61 out of 100 women who use the pill will become pregnant. According to a March 2017 Guttmacher Institute study, “A substantial proportion of unintended pregnancies occur despite women’s and their partners’ use of contraceptives. In 2001, some 48% of women experiencing an unintended pregnancy had been using a method in the month of conception.” In the same study Guttmacher also reported that “about half of pregnancies terminated by induced abortions in 2008 occurred during use of contraceptives.” So, you can give them the pills, but faulty or incorrect use makes them ineffective in reducing unplanned pregnancies.
  3. This bill states it does not include any drug intended to induce an abortion.  Unfortunately, oral contraception can be abortifacient in nature. It is a medical fact that most if not all hormonal birth control drugs and devices, including the Patch and the Pill, can act to terminate a pregnancy by chemically altering the lining of the uterus (endometrium) so that a newly conceived child (human embryo) is unable to implant in the womb, thus starving and dying. This mechanism of action is termed a pre-implantation chemical abortion. 
  4. If the intent of this section of the bill is to reduce abortions, providing OTC birth control will not reduce abortions.  More contraception leads to more abortions not less.  And frankly, we don’t have an access problem; birth control is readily available in the state of Iowa. This will undercut / damage the physician-patient relationship.  Any prescription medication carries risks, and a doctor should be monitoring those risks- it’s not the role of a pharmacist to monitor symptoms and they do not have access to the patient’s medical history.  And relying on a self-administered questionnaire is not reliable- people frequently do not remember the name or type of medication they have been on or currently on and would not know of the risks associated with that medication.”

Why the worst Super Bowl in history was my favorite

Feb 11, 2023 |
worst Super Bowl

By Tom Quiner, Pulse Life Advocates Board President

worst Super BowlThe worst Super Bowl in history was number V. And I loved it. Looking back, it reminds me of the epic battle of pro-lifers against Roe v Wade, which all happened at about the same time.

A young Baltimore Colts fan

As background, I’m a lifelong Colts fan. Back in the 1960s, the great Johnny Unitas was Colts quarterback when they played in Baltimore.

I began cheering for them in 1965, which was a frustrating year. The Colts and Green Bay Packers finished tied for first in their conference with 10-3-1 records. They met for a one game play-off to determine who would go to the championship game.

Unitas and his back-up QB, Gary Cuozzo, were both injured, so they had to move their halfback, Tom Matte, to quarterback. Matte and the Colts fought mightily only to lose at the gun to a controversial Packer field goal, which to this day I’m convinced they missed, as you can see in the video below.

In 1967, the Colts lost only one game, but missed the play-offs because they tied with the Los Angeles Rams who won the tie-breaker.

The “guarantee”

And of course, there was 1968, the year the Colts went 13-1, easily won all of their play-off games, only to lose Super Bowl III to the upstart New York Jets. You remember, that’s the one when the cocky Jets QB, Joe Namath, said he guaranteed the Jets would win.

He certainly delivered. Which brings me to Super Bowl V.

The Colts finished the season with a stellar 11-2-1 record and beat the Bengals and Raiders to earn a trip to Super Bowl V at the Miami Orange Bowl. Their rival: the formidable Dallas Cowboys who finished the regular season at 10-4.

A debacle

What unfolded on that Sunday afternoon on January 17th, 1971, before 79,204 fans and a 46 million television audience was … a debacle.

The two teams turned over the ball a record 11 times between them, 7 by the Colts! A Super Bowl record. The Cowboys set a Super Bowl record for the most penalties, with ten for 133 yards.

What a mess!

The Colts suffered one setback after another, much like the pro-life movement was experiencing at the same time. (Back in Iowa, a woman named Carolyn Thompson could see something was going to happen regarding abortion at the national level, and began working towards founding Iowans for Life.)

On the Colts first score, Unitas threw deep, the ball was tipped, eventually landing in the arms of tight end John Mackey who waltzed into the end zone for the TD.

Blocked extra point (ouch!)

Great, right? But then the extra point was blocked, a significant point wasted, and an omen of what was to come.

Later in the 2nd quarter, Unitas got hammered by the Cowboys line, sustaining a rib injury which knocked him out of the game. The Colts had to turn to veteran Earl Morrall to make something happen.

Morrall drove the Colts to the Cowboy’s 2 yard to no avail. The ferocious Dallas defense stuffed them on a 4th and goal attempt.

The Colts were down at halftime 13-6.

The third quarter was more of a mess. The Colts fumbled the kickoff, Cowboys recover.

Cowboys drive to the Colts 1, only to fumble and give the ball back to the Colts.

The Colts drive to the other end of the field, only to miss a field goal.

4 interceptions in the final quarter!

The messiness continued into the last quarter, Colts still down 13-6. Morrall threw an interception into the end zone, squandering another Colts opportunity.

The Colt’s defense again stopped Dallas, and Morrall promptly marched the Colts to the Cowboy 31. I still have nightmares about the play that came next: a botched ‘flea flicker.’ The Colt’s running back took a lateral pass from Morrall, passed downfield to his wide receiver, who caught it … BUT … as he raced towards the end zone, with no one in front of him … FUMBLES … the ball, which bounds through the end zone for a … TOUCHBACK.

Cowboys’ ball. Colts lose possession.

But, Dallas promptly threw another interception, naturally, which eventually led to a Colt’s TD. Game tied at 13-13.

After trading punts, Dallas got the ball back in Colt’s territory with less than 2 minutes left.

Final two blunders

At this point, I’ll point out that history remembers this game as the “Stupor Bowl” or the “Blunder Bowl,” and the Cowboys had not one, but two costly blunders left in their repertoire.

The first: a 15 yard holding penalty that move them back to their own 27.

The second: another Craig Morton interception (his third of the quarter!), this one intercepted by Mike Curtis who returned it 13 yards to the Cowboy 28 yard line.

The Colts ran two plays and ran the clock down to 9 seconds left in the game.

The entire game rested on the leg of rookie kicker, Jim O’Brien, who had already missed an extra point and a field goal.

The Colt’s offense had squandered so many opportunities, the question was: could they right the ship, put all of their mistakes behind them, and execute one final perfect play to win the prize?

Super Bowl V: a microcosm of the battle against Roe v Wade

Before I answer that question, let’s return to my earlier comparison of this game to the epic battle to overturn Roe v Wade.

Iowans for LIFE founder, Carolyn Thompson, with Governor Robert Ray

The Roe case was decided two years after Super Bowl V. In

Pulse Executive Director, Maggie DeWitte, with Governor Kim Reynolds

anticipation of what she saw coming, Carolyn Thompson founded Iowans for LIFE in 1972 and launched a 50 year battle against Roe and a culture of death.

IFL suffered many setbacks over the next 50 years, as did pro-life organizations throughout the country. But we all persevered, never, ever yielding an inch.

Despite mistakes, despite fighting a big bully with more money and more political clout, despite everything being stacked against our just movement, Roe … v … Wade … was … OVERTURNED!

We won that battle, just as the Baltimore Colts overcame their mistakes to win Super Bowl V when Jim O’Brien split the uprights with a game winning 32 yard field goal at the gun.

To this day, Super Bowl V is considered to be the worst Super Bowl on record. But to me, it’s the best, because my team won, just as my team won on June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court released the Dobbs decision overturning Roe.

As the Baltimore Colts demonstrated, it pays to persevere.

[Following the overturning of Roe, Iowans for LIFE rebranded as Pulse Life Advocates to reflect our renewed commitment to informing, educating, and inspiring a new generation to value the sanctity of all human life from fertilization to natural death. Join us. Donate to our pro-life outreach today.]

“How many children have YOU adopted?!” #2

Feb 10, 2023 |
pro-life challenge
By Maggie DeWitte, Executive Director, Pulse Life Advocates

A grim-looking woman fixed her gaze at me at last summer’s Iowa State Fair. I was working Pulse Life Advocates’ booth in the Varied Industry Building when she strode up to hurl a pro-life challenge in my face:
“How many children have YOU adopted?!”
I said,
“Well actually, I ran the adoption program for Catholic Charities here in Des Moines for years.”
“But how many children have YOU adopted?!”
I calmly replied,
“… and my husband is adopted.”
Wasn’t enough for her. She stalked off triumphantly before I could follow up with the most salient rebuttal, which is this:

“I think you’re asking the wrong question. I think what you’re really concerned about is whether there are enough parents willing to step forward to raise the babies who aren’t killed by abortion.

The answer is yes.

By some estimates, there are as many 35 couples waiting in line to adopt a baby for each one that is aborted.

God has blessed me with 4 four children.

It doesn’t seem fair for me to adopt a fifth when so many couples are on their knees praying to God for their first.

Wouldn’t you agree?”

Of course, her pro-life challenge is really meant to change the subject from the true object of abortion, which is the death of a unique human being.

Abortion rights advocates feel that if they can just expose pro-lifers as hypocrites, it somehow makes abortion acceptable.

It doesn’t.

Let me say it again: each abortion kills a unique human being, a person, who was human from the instant of fertilization.

pro-life challenge

Pulse Life Advocates works tirelessly promoting a culture of life in Iowa. Earlier this week, we talked to the Deputy Director of Lutheran Family Services, Kim Laube (above), who told us there just aren’t enough babies available for adoption, and abortion is a big reason.

You’ve heard of the law of supply and demand. The demand is huge. The supply is low when it comes to the Adoption Option.

Thanks to Lutheran Family Services and all of the adoption agencies that work tirelessly putting babies together with their future parents.

What rewarding work. Now, let’s end abortion and let even more love spread across this land.

[Help Pulse continue promoting a culture of life. Donate today.]