Sunday, January 21, 2007


Sanctity of Life


Today is sanctity of life Sunday, so I thought that I should publish some facts about life and abortion. I am copying sections of the below material from a brochure entitled "Milestones of Early Life." from Life Issues Institute . 919 S. Main St. Snowflake, AZ 85937 Ph. 1-800-858-3040 item no. 9438 MS reprints and quantity discounts available at http://www.hh76.com/


Milestones of Life


Day 1. Conception--- Sperm and egg unite and at that very moment a new an unique individual is formed. All the inherited features of this new person are already set. Whether it's a boy or girl, the color the eyes, the color of the hair, the dimples of the cheeks and the cleft of the chin. He or she is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that this person will ever become.


Day 6-14. Sensitive pregnancy tests can now show positive, but this depends on the level of hormone produced by the new life. By the end of the second week, the mother's menstrual period is suppressed by this hormone (hCG) which is produced by her child.


Day 17. Blood vessels begin to form. Remarkably, the future sex cells that will give rise to sperm or eggs for a new generation begin to group together- only 17 days after this new life is alive itself.


Day 18-20. The foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are laid.


Day 21. The heart begins to beat. A day later the eyes begin to develop. The earliest stages of the ears are now present.


Day 26-27. The lungs begin to form.


Day 28-32. Two tiny arms make their appearance and budding legs follow two days later. The beginnings of the mouth take shape. The nose start to develop. The thyroid gland begins to grow. Blood flows in the baby's veins but stays separate from the mother's blood. The tongue now begins to form. The face now makes its first appearance.


Day 36. The baby's eyes develop their first color in the retina.


Day 40. The baby makes her first reflex movements.


Day 41. The fingers begin to form, followed by the toes a few days later.


Day 42. The baby develops nerve connections that will lead to a sense of smell. The brain is now divided into 3 parts- one to experience emotion and understand language one for hearing and one for seeing. Joints being to form. Mother now misses second period.


Day 44. Eyelids begin to form, protecting the developing eyes. Elbows take shape. Internal organs are present, but immature. 99% of muscles are present; each with its own nerve supply. Electrical activity is detectable in brain.


Day 52. The baby then develops a whole collection of moves over the next 4 weeks including hiccuping, frowning, squinting, furrowing the brow, pursing the lips, moving individual arms and legs, head turning, touching the face, breathing (without air), stretching, opening the mouth, yawning, and sucking.


8 weeks. The baby is now well proportioned, and about the size of an adult thumb. Every organ is present. The liver is making blood, the kidneys function, and the heart beats steadily. The skull, elbows, and knees are forming.


9 weeks. Early muscular movements begin. The thyroid gland turns on.


10 weeks. Fingerprints begin their 7 week long formation. The fingernails begin to develop. The number of connections between nerves and muscles has tripled since last week.


11 weeks. The baby now "practices" breathing, since she will have to breathe air immediately after birth. The baby urinates. Her stomach muscles can now contract. Vocal chords and taste buds form. She can make complex facial expressions and even smile.


12 weeks. Fine hair begins to grow on the upper lip and chin and eyebrows. The baby swallows and responds to skin stimulation.


13 weeks. The face is prettier, and facial expressions may resemble the parents'. The baby is active.


15 weeks. A wild production of nerve cells begins and continues for a month. A second surge will occur at 25 weeks.


4 months. Nostrils and toenails become visible. They baby may suck her thumb, turn somersaults and has a firm grip.


5 months. Mom may feel the baby kick, turn or hiccup and may be able to identify a bulge as an elbow or head. Each side of the brain has a billion nerve cells now.


6 months. The baby will be able to hear by next week. The child sleeps and wakes, nestling in her favorite positions to sleep, and stretches upon waking up.


7 months. The eyelids begin to reopen, preparing to see the outside world. Eyelashes have now become will developed.


8 months. Skin becomes pink and smooth. The pupils of the eye respond to light. Fingernails reach to the tip of the finger. The baby is really getting cramped now.


9 1/2 months. The child triggers labor and birth occurs, an average of 264-270 days after conception. And not until the baby has gone through all these events on the inside do we see the new child on the outside.
Statistics of Abortion
1. Over 47 million unborn babies have been killed by abortion since 1973.
2. Abortion is legal until the moment of birth
3. 43% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant; 27% identify themselves as Catholic; and 13% of all abortions are performed on women identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".
4. 52% of women obtaining abortions in the US are younger than 25.
5. 1% of abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% because of potential health problems of mother or baby; and 93% occur because the child is inconvenient.
6. There are between one and two million couples waiting to love and care for an adopted child.
What we can do:
1. Write letters to the editor defending life.
2. Volunteer at a local pregnancy centers.
3. PRAY that our country will respect life.
4. Participate in Pro-Life events.
5. Become a financial partner with a local life group.
6. Share your convictions with your children and grandchildren.
7. Buy pro-life license plates which give financial and outward support to the life movement.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5)

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