Let Lauren Live!

ChristtheKingMaine ^ | May 7, 2008 | Judie Brown

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LAUREN RICHARDSON - YOU CAN HELP!
By Judie Brown

It has been a source of ongoing sadness to read of the difficulties Lauren Richardson’s father has had over the course of the past several months. For those of you who are not familiar with her case, Lauren overdosed on heroin on August 28, 2006. She suffered oxygen deprivation and, as a result of the overdose, is now in a coma and unable to speak out for herself. At the time of the overdose, Lauren was expecting a baby. Her parents honored what they knew would have been her wish and did all they could to keep her healthy and comfortable until the child was born. Today, though Lauren may not be aware of it, she is the mother of Ember Grace, who was born in February 2007.

Since the birth of her daughter, Lauren remains unable to speak of her concerns, but she has a loving father who is doing all he can to protect her from suffering the same fate as Terri Schiavo. However, Lauren’s mother, who has been named her legal guardian, is sadly not of the same opinion and is working with attorneys to pressure the courts to permit Lauren’s starvation.

Lauren’s father has kept hope alive, even at times when there appeared to be no hope in human terms. Lauren’s father is a man of hope in Christ and is dedicated to spending every breath he has on defending Lauren, regardless of what it might cost him in physical exhaustion and worldly goods. The most recent update for those concerned about Lauren tells us the following:

We struggle at times as we seek to share with the public the details of what is happening with Lauren because of the disagreement we have with Lauren’s mother. We cannot understand her reasoning in refusing a path of hope, healing and restoration for Lauren and insisting on causing her death by withholding food and water from her. The issue in Lauren’s case is the eternal truth that all people, no matter what their medical condition, bear the image of God and deserve basic care and an opportunity to be restored to health.

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s brother, has written about Lauren in an editorial earlier this year, "False Compassion," and is working closely with Lauren’s father in order to provide expertise that he is uniquely qualified to share during a trying time like this.

There are many links on the Life for Lauren web site that will assist you in tracking this case and learning who is supporting Lauren’s ongoing care and who is opposing it. More importantly, there is something you can do to express your concerns.

ACTION NEEDED NOW

The governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, is being asked by pro-life Americans across this nation to intervene in this case in order to save Lauren from what many fear is an imminent court order dictating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death. I am asking you to be one of those who communicates your passionate belief that Lauren’s life is sacred and deserves to be protected from those who would order her death. The governor’s e-mail address is governor.minner@state.de.us.

Further, it would mean a great deal to Lauren’s father, Randy, if you sent him a copy of your e-mail to Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Randy’s e-mail address is Lifeforlauren@aol.com. 

During a recent visit to Anchorage, Alaska where Bobby Schindler was invited to speak, he told a reporter from The Catholic Anchor, "Once we accept that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering, we lose any type of parameters. Euthanasia is a form of abandonment. It is not compassion."

Truer words were never spoken. As I frequently tell people who argue that we pro-lifers are being heartless and cruel for fighting to defend the rights of a "hopeless case," "God is the author of every human being’s life, and He has never given permission to a single one of us to arbitrarily rob another human being of life for any reason including disability or illness."

As Flannery O’Connor once wrote on the subject of false compassion, "In the absence of faith, we govern by tenderness. And tenderness leads to the gas chamber."

Lauren Richardson is not terminal – she is severely disabled. Lauren Richardson should not be murdered.

Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

[wagglebee]

I already know full well who the Devil is, who his agents are, what his agenda is and how it’s proceeding. I DO NOT care to listen to ANYBODY “advocating” for him on a pro-life forum.

Free Republic IS NOT a “big tent” where we just sit around and pat each other on the back for voting Republican; there are a few such forums out there, they are pathetic, boring and useless, I want no part of them.

[Lesforlife]

With apologies for Eve getting Lauren’s name
wrong, here is another!

Governor Ruth Minner
State of Delaware
governor.minner@state.de.us

Dear Governor Minner:

I am writing to you concerning the life of Lauren Richardson. I am asking that you intervene in order to save Lauren from what I fear is an imminent court order indicating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death.

I know that it may be easy for some people to say that in her current state her life is not worth living and therefore not worth saving, but I ask you to search your heart. There have been several people in recent years that have suddenly been awakened from comas. I ask you to consider that the same thing may happen for Lauren. She may wake up one day and ask to see her daughter.

What happens when this child grows up wondering how an entire state of people could stand by as they did Terri Schiavo—watching her mom starve to death?

As summer draws near I am spending more and more time enjoying bright skies and warm breezes. These are things…even in a coma that Lauren can feel. As I grow thirsty and guzzle down bottles of refreshing ice cold water, I can’t help but think that there are people who will go to great lengths to keep Lauren from receiving hydration. I can’t imagine being that thirsty.

I wonder if Lauren’s daughter will one day ask how so many people could stand by as her mother’s lips dried and cracked—her tongue swelling up—with dark sunken eyes planted in ashy, scaly, flaking, skeletal skin.

Governor Minner, I am begging you to do what others in your position, (and higher), were not courageous enough to do in Florida. I am asking you to use the power that your office holds to stand up for the life of this young girl.

In an era of “dead beat dads”, society presses fathers to step up to the plate to take care of their children. Lauren has a father who wants to do just that.

Please, grant Lauren Richardson a “stay of execution.” Please, allow her to live.

Sincerely,

Day Deborah Lipford-Gardner
Miss Delaware 1976
President, National Black Pro-Life Union

[Dante3]

I agree - “Innocent life is not negotiable.”

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Although today is a light news day as it goes with Terri's Legacy, we have a story anyway on Advance Directives, this one from Stanford, and one more of the usual negative reminder that the left can't forget, no matter how much they try. Terri's Legacy sticks with special tenacity.

Most people do not explicitly state on paper what kind of health treatments they want in the event that they lose the mental capability to decide for themselves. Thus others, such as next of kin, make decisions for them, and sometimes these decisions are not what the injured person would have wanted. Many conflicts arise when family members decide to prolong a loved one’s life when that person would have wanted to peacefully pass away, given the option. In other cases, one section of the family wants to let a person go while another faction wants to continue aggressive treatment. (The Terry Schiavo case was a prime example of this.) And in California, there is no legal hierarchy for naming the decision-maker......

Dirty Cal Student: Stopping personal tragedies in advance

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And here is the other, just to note it exists, not to waste time hashing it over, just plain old Bush bashing as a liberal brain hurts...

The report also advises blowhards to cup their ears, close their eyes and chant “Nah-nah-nah. I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you,” whenever bin Laden or one of his flunkies issues a statement. “Don’t take the bait,” it urges. “We should offer only minimal, if any, response to their messages. When we respond loudly, we raise their prestige in the Muslim world.”

Sheesh! That doesn’t leave Republicans ANYthing to talk about. Terri Schiavo’s dead!....

My brain hurts!

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We watch...

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Jim Robinson update...

Got a ping from Brad's Gramma and a link to the update post by JustAmy. Brightens the day! See post #1311 and click on the link.

Prayers for Jim Robinson (VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS updates at #1259 and #1362!!!)

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And a further update on Jim Robinson by JustAmy, be sure to note also #1,362. Link to thread in post above.

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Thread by wagglebee on a March for Life and how it touched some...

BARRYS BAY, ON, May 16, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With 90 students - two full buses - Madawaska Valley District High School had the largest number of public high school students to participate in the National March for Life on May 8. LifeSiteNews.com spoke with the chaplain involved in the success and received feedback on the March from some of the students.

14-year-old Alyssa Rogers reflected, "When I went on the March for Life I was amazed at how much emotion was in their voices while they chanted against abortions. In the beginning I only wanted to go to get out of school for the day, but during the march, it really made me think. I went there thinking that abortions were alright if the mother was going to abuse it while it was in her stomach. I now think that no matter what the circumstance, the child is still a human being, living, moving, and alive, which is the way it should stay."....

March for Life: "I Went to get out of Class; I Came Back Pro-Life"

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following that old theme, if a lie is repeated long and loud some start seeing it as truth. Thread by wagglebee:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A new poll finds a majority of Americans would support their own state following Oregon's lead and legalizing assisted suicide. The results, if accurate, should be a concern for pro-life advocates who are working hard to stop Washington and other states from following suit.

Knowledge Networks conducted the survey online and about 66 percent of the 1,100 people polled said they would favor legalizing assisted suicide......

New Poll Claims Majority of Americans Favor Legalizing Assisted Suicide

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Thanks, Mom, for getting me out of Minnesota alive! Thread by wagglebee on a growth industry...

Minnesota, MN (LifeNews.com) -- Minnesota taxpayers have been forced to pay for more abortions than ever before, according to new figures from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. State residents were required to pay $1.6 million for more than 3,900 abortions in 2006.

In addition, Minnesota residents paid for medical care for women who suffered from botched legal abortions.

“There is no end in sight for taxpayer funded abortions in Minnesota,” Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life director Scott Fischbach told LifeNews.com.....

Minnesota Taxpayers Forced to Pay for More Abortions Than Ever Before

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Interesting thread by Diago on The Obama Nation...

.........To be honest, I'm beginning to wonder if Kmiec is having second thoughts about his decision to go over to Obama, but feels "stuck" and has the need to intellectually save face. That might describe the increasing incoherence and illogic on display in each new justification he issues.....

Did Doug Kmiec Just Now Catch On That Obama and NARAL Are Politically Conjoined? [UPDATED]

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This letter was sent by Miss Delaware to Governor Minner!

Dear Governor Minner:

I am writing to you concerning the life of Lauren Richardson. I am
asking that you intervene in order to save Lauren from what I fear is
an imminent court order indicating that Lauren be starved and
dehydrated to death.

I know that it may be easy for some people to say that in her current
state her life is not worth living and therefore not worth saving, but
I ask you to search your heart. There have been several people in
recent years that have suddenly been awakened from comas. I ask you to
consider that the same thing may happen for Lauren. She may wake up
one day and ask to see her daughter.

What happens when this child grows up wondering how an entire state of
people could stand by as they did Terri Schiavo—watching her mom
starve to death?

As summer draws near I am spending more and more time enjoying bright
skies and warm breezes. These are things…even in a coma that Lauren
can feel. As I grow thirsty and guzzle down bottles of refreshing ice
cold water, I can’t help but think that there are people who will go
to great lengths to keep Lauren from receiving hydration. I can’t
imagine being that thirsty.

I wonder if Lauren’s daughter will one day ask how so many people
could stand by as her mother’s lips dried and cracked—her tongue
swelling up—with dark sunken eyes planted in ashy, scaly, flaking,
skeletal skin.

Governor Minner, I am begging you to do what others in your position,
(and higher), were not courageous enough to do in Florida. I am asking
you to use the power that your office holds to stand up for the life
of this young girl.

In an era of “dead beat dads”, society presses fathers to step up to
the plate to take care of their children. Lauren has a father who
wants to do just that.

Please, grant Lauren Richardson a “stay of execution.” Please, allow
her to live.

Sincerely,

Day Deborah Lipford-Gardner
Miss Delaware 1976
President, National Black Pro-Life Union
POSTED BY LESLIE AT 7:38 AM 0 COMMENTS

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I am away from my computer, have limited html editing resources today, hence limited formatting.

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Here is another. Thanks Leslie!!

Dear Governor Minner:

The bottom line regarding the preservation of Lauren Richardson’s life
is that she is a living person and guilty of no crime that would
demand her death.

Innocent life is not negotiable.

No lawyer’s brief or report from a team of physicians can change the
radical truth that Lauren Richardson’s Personhood is reason enough to
keep her alive. And not just “enough” but reason to call in the troops
to preserve, defend and protect Laurel’s life from those who would
dare to extinguish her God ordained being, in our world. It is
Personhood that must be protected at every single level in the
continuum of life from birth, through frailty and old age. Personhood
is reason enough to honor the living with life. Personhood is reason
enough to honor the dead. Personhood raises the monuments to our
fallen, our wounded, our heroes. Personhood raises the infirmary and
the missionary and the nursing mother at 4 AM. Personhood is enough to
preserve the yet to be born, the yet to die, the dying and the ill.

Governor Minner, as you consider your options regarding the situations
before you as a governor of the persons living in your state, let
Lauren Richardson’s Personhood recalibrate your mind, heart, spirit
and gumption sir; it is an easy decision to make, because Personhood
cannot be denied.

As the United States accepts the euthanization of its Persons, it
slips further and further down among its corpses, morally debased,
utterly hollow of spirit and conviction.

Be the strong voice against the lie. Stand up. Speak out. Lead:Save
Lauren Richardson’s Personhood.

I will then join my voice to yours.

Most sincerely,

Eve Sanchez Silver
Director
Cinta Latina Research

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All, please check out this link for the source and for a whole lot more in the quest to Let Lauren Live!

THE PASSIONATE PRO-LIFER

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Colorado and Personhood in the Denver Post today....

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Last week, supporters of the "Colorado Human Life Amendment" turned in petitions with more than 130,000 signatures to put their measure on the general election ballot. Since only 76,047 valid signatures are required, it's close to certain that we'll be voting on it come fall.

The measure looks simple. Article II of our state constitution would get a Section 31 that reads: "As used in sections 3, 6, and 25 of Article II of the state constitution, the terms 'person' or 'persons' shall include any human being from the moment of fertilization."

And to save you the trouble of finding a copy of the state constitution, here are those sections:

Section 3. Inalienable rights. All persons have certain natural, essential and inalienable rights, among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; of acquiring, possessing and protecting property; and of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.

Section 6. Equality of justice. Courts of justice shall be open to every person, and a speedy remedy afforded for every injury to person, property or character; and right and justice should be administered without sale, denial or delay.

Section 25. Due process of law. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.

While this presents some interesting questions about whether every miscarriage will have to be investigated by the county coroner, many supporters say that would never happen. The amendment is just about outlawing abortion.

One theory is that someday the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 decision which struck down state abortion bans. Then the issue will go back to the states, and Colorado will be all set to become the world headquarters for ambitious lawyers suing to protect the interests of zygotes whose unknowing mothers may have inadvertently exposed them to secondhand smoke.

One problem, though, is defining fertilization. From what I read, it doesn't happen in a "moment." Does it happen when the sperm meets the egg, or when cells start dividing, or some time in between?

Another complication is that if we define human life as beginning with one or two cells, then logically that should define the end of life, too. That is, no one is dead until the last body cell dies.

The current definitions of life are tricky enough, as evidenced by the Terri Schiavo case of 2005, where the question was whether to continue providing nourishment to someone in a permanent vegetative state. Modern medical technology often makes it possible to sustain some sort of life well beyond what nature offers.

Now consider that even after our bodies meet the customary definitions of departure — no respiration, pulse or brain activity — one medical research center points out that "after the criteria for legal and clinical definitions of death have been satisfied, many, if not most, cells of the body remain viable for quite some time. For example, it is well known that skin fibroblasts may be harvested and grown from a cadaver as long as three days after death." Even brain cells, if harvested within eight hours, can be kept alive in vitro for weeks.

So if a couple of living cells are enough to define the start of "personhood," then does personhood extend to the last few living cells — and how long does that take?

Perhaps the folks at Colorado for Equal Rights can tell us. They seem have all the answers about human life, so they should be able to tell us whether it ends with the last breath or after the last cell dies.

Ed Quillen (ed@cozine.com) is a freelance writer, history buff, publisher of Colorado Central Magazine in Salida and frequent contributor to The Post.

Personhood and death

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Great news! We hear it from Jim Robinson himself! Thanks, wagglebee and Brad's Gramma, for the ping.

......................

Dr. Zoo typing for Jim:

Howdy everyone.

Looks like I made it through the surgery OK, bad leg is gone. So far, so good.

Hope to be able to get out of this bed pretty soon and get back to work.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers and well wishes.

Freepers are absolutely the greatest.

The VA hospital is the best place to go for this kind of stuff.

1,556 posted on Saturday, May 17, 2008 5:00:04 PM by Jim Robinson

Prayers for Jim Robinson (VERY, VERY GOOD NEWS - Message from Jim at #1556)

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Dr. Zoo typing for Jim:

Howdy everyone.

Looks like I made it through the surgery OK, bad leg is gone. So far, so good.

Hope to be able to get out of this bed pretty soon and get back to work.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers and well wishes.

Freepers are absolutely the greatest.

The VA hospital is the best place to go for this kind of stuff.

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I was all for giving Elanor Clift a pass and still offer sympathy for all she went through with her husband. However, I am bothered just a bit about her pushing her book, riding on the high profile of the Terri Legacy to hawk her book about her husband dying. Looks like tying the two so tightly is a money maker for her book.

• Eleanor Clift, author of Two Weeks of Life: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Politics, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St. Clift's late husband, Plain Dealer columnist Tom Brazaitis, died at about the same time as Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman whose death was so controversial. The book relates the two stories to provide a look at dying......

Buchtel alumnus dissects '02 killing

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wow!

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May 17, 2008 at 8:41 am · Filed under Judicial Activism, Mating, Marriage & Divorce, Sex & Relationships, Vox Populi

Sorry to rain on everybody’s parade, but this isn’t a good thing.

Of course, I have already explained why I believe that civil unions would be better for us than gay marriage. I have also explained why at this point I don’t want gay marriage at all. (For those of you who don’t want to click, I can sum it up: 1) no-fault divorce, 2) alimony and 3) Terri Schiavo.)

Had California’s state legislature passed a law, I wouldn’t be complaining. I still wouldn’t be getting married, for the reasons I referred to above, but I’d have no objection to the ruling. Yes, I think we’d be better off with civil unions instead of gay marriage, but after what’s been done to heterosexual marriage for the last several decades, that wouldn’t really make that much difference. With no-fault divorce, an abandonment of all traditional obligations of husbands and wives to each other, and outrageously unfair alimony settlements, queers getting hitched in a couple of states is the least of the problems marriage has.

But this is a case of judicial activism, which, in case you don’t know, is bad. The courts are not supposed to decide what the laws will be, they are supposed to apply the laws that have been made by the people who were chosen by the voters to make them. When judges start taking it upon themselves to decide what the laws will be, they might decide anything, like that corporations have the right to force individuals to sell their homes to them, or that sluts have the right to murder the children who result from their irresponsible behavior if they don’t feel like looking after them.

If we’re going to have gay marriage, let’s do it through the proper channels, please.

Brunette Republican Sex Kitten... A Lesbian Explains What’s Wrong With the California Gay Marriage Ruling

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