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.

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Haleigh story excerpted from the Boston Globe...

Lawyers for the biological mother of 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre, who nearly died in her adoptive home from alleged child abuse, yesterday asked a Suffolk County Superior Court judge to force state officials to turn over two key documents that they say will show the girl was wrongfully removed from her first home. more stories like this

‘‘She should never have lost custody,’’ said Wendy Murphy, a lawyer representing Allison Avrett of Agawam in a lawsuit seeking $12 million from the state..........

Haleigh Poutre's mother seeks documents from DSS

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[8mmMauser]

"Right to die" is a favorite term of the far left specie of death dealer as if someone would demand that he/she be tortured to death by cold blooded killers. It is simply costumed tuned to fit their purpose and sound ok or at least not disturbing. "Death with Dignity" is another so obvious it insults reasonable people.

ELDR magazine and ELDR.com today released the results of a national survey on the "right to die" issue or what some call "physician-assisted suicide." It reveals that over 80% of adults say the right to die is a personal decision, not that of government or religion; that two-thirds want physician-assisted right to die legal, as in Oregon; that half of U.S adults could eventually face a right to die caretaker role for a loved one; and that only half of adults over 60 have a living will or health care directive.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 15, 2008 -- ELDR magazine and ELDR.com today released the results of a national survey of adults on the "right to die" issue or what some call "physician-assisted suicide." The survey showed that over 80 percent believe the choice to end one's life is a personal decision, with two-thirds of adults saying they want physician-assisted "death with dignity" legal, as in Oregon.

The ELDR Magazine "Right To Die" National Survey, conducted by Knowledge Networks and statistically projectable to the U.S. adult population, also revealed that only half of adults over 60 have a living will or advance health care directive. These legal documents specify what a person's wishes are if, for example, they are in a persistent vegetative state. Such a document could have prevented the prolonged and agonizing situation the family of Florida woman Terri Schiavo endured.........

Subscribe to this News Feed ELDR Magazine's "Right To Die" National Survey: Should Your Doctor Help You Die?

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[8mmMauser]

FindLaw findings...

The problem the group faces is obvious: In recent history, a subset of Christians often defined as "evangelicals" has striven and then achieved extraordinary political power, and their acts and history have come to define the word's very meaning.

The seeds were planted by the Christian Coalition and the Moral Majority, two groups that were cultivated during the Clinton Administration (which pandered to and used to its advantage evangelical Christians as well as other religious groups). Then, those seeds burst into full flower under the favorable sun of the Bush Administration. Outside the evangelicals' own universe, they were best known for their grasping and manipulation of national political power.

At no time was their power more apparent than the weekend when Congress reconvened and the President returned to Washington solely to enact the Terri Schiavo law, which I have discussed in a prior column. The law itself did not fulfill their dreams of controlling the country's debate over the morality of end-of-life care, but it did show their hand in a way guaranteed to swing the pendulum against them. (There is nothing Americans like less than seeing any one interest in control of their government, and religious organizations and coalitions are no exception.)......

An Evangelical Manifesto: How One Subgroup of Evangelical Christians Is Attempting the Redefine the Very Term "Evangelical"

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Youth in Asia and infirm in Oregon...

Thread by wagglebee.

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

Rita L. Marker is an attorney and executive director of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Deadly Compassion, that has been called a compelling, persuasive, well-written and revealing discussion of both the personal and public sides of the euthanasia debate.

No matter the event, the venue or the audience – in the United States or in another country – assisted-suicide activists portray assisted suicide as the exercise of personal autonomy that is used to end unbearable suffering.

Conversely, opponents raise concerns that transforming assisted suicide from a crime into a medical treatment would eventually result in its expansion to include euthanasia by lethal injection and to encompass everyone from children to the frail, demented elderly.

Now that assisted suicide has been legally practiced in Oregon for ten years, those who oppose assisted suicide must answer the question: "Why hasn't Oregon expanded its law?"

The answer is simple: Political expediency.

Expansion of Oregon's law would be counterproductive for those who have long sought to transform both euthanasia (by lethal injection) and assisted suicide (by a lethal overdose of drugs) into accepted medical treatments.

Why Hasn't Oregon Expanded It's Assisted Suicide Law Into Euthanasia?

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Meanwhile, Pro-life advocates of Colorado show what determination can do and set the model for the other states to emulate! Thread by wagglebee.

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

Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- The Colorado pro-life group supporting an amendment to the state constitution that would define unborn children as persons under law submitted almost twice as many signatures as necessary. Supporters needed 76,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot but turned in 131,245.

Colorado for Equal Rights, led by 20-year-old Kristi Burton, was behind the signature-gathering effort.

"The main thing the constitution is supposed to do is to protect us," the 20-year-old Burton said Tuesday at a press conference after submitting the signatures to the Secretary of State. "But who is that 'us'? There is currently no definition of person in the constitution."

State officials have 30 days to certify the signatures are valid and qualify the initiative for the November ballot, but Burton says she expected to hear back about the certification in a week or two.

Mark Hotaling, executive director of the Christian Family Alliance of Colorado, is also supporting the effort.

"Come November, Colorado is going to be ground zero for the issue of life in America," he said, according to a Denver Post report...........

Colorado Pro-Life Group Submits Near-Double Signatures for Abortion Amdt

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[wagglebee]

The culture of death has a history of trying to prevent ANYTHING that can possibly improve the lives of those who have been targeted for extermination, not allowing Lauren to see her baby certainly fits that criteria.

[JustAmy]

Thank you.

[Lesforlife]

Father God, we pray for your angels of mercy to
surround Jim as he recovers from this very difficult
medical trial.

Shower him with your love and healing light and station
those who love you, in his care, to prevent any harm to come to him.

We beseech your blessings upon this man, who has given
so many the gift of liberty, to share the truth in this time when
it is so desperately needed in our land.

We pray for a total restoration of health, vitality and spirit
that he might continue to carry the torch, for those who have
no voice.

In the mighty name of Jesus, lover of our souls.

Amen

[Lesforlife]

And I’ve been saying this since I was a national delegate to the
Republican National Convention in 1992!

I wish I could say there has been some improvement.

[Lesforlife]

Just curious if anyone else thinks it odd that the usually
oh so open minded crowd would be so hasty to blame the
victim?

[Lesforlife]

Notice how these “gag orders” allow the death peddling
crowd to do their dirty work in the dark without
the public knowledge, until it is too late!!

[Etixos]

Now that assisted suicide has been legally practiced in Oregon for ten years, those who oppose assisted suicide must answer the question: "Why hasn't Oregon expanded its law?"

Because there really was no conspiracy after all?

Best,
Etixos

[8mmMauser]

Etxios, I notice you just can't resist visiting our threads and you still presist as the devil's advocate. Is there some special reason you haven't mentioned yet? Maybe you could surprise us by being on the side of pro-life once or twice.

Because there really was no conspiracy after all?

BTW, your link doesn't work.

Yes, I can tell that to my Mom in Oregon. Oops, nope! I can't. She got mysteriously worse and died very quickly while in care in the Eugene area. Maybe she was suicided and they forgot to ask her or tell us.

But they must have meant well. Those laws are great for people who like to suicide others.

[Etixos]

Sorry about that. It wasn't meant to be a link at all; I just cut and pasted from your post. I am not a very good HTML Jedi--have never posted on a forum where you had to do your own, and I'm still learning.

That said, I didn't realize I was being a devil's advocate (though what's wrong with that, by the way?), just saying what I think. That's what conservatives do, isn't it? I find the comments interesting on "your" thread, though I was unaware that a person could "own" a thread, and so I read here and sometimes comment, fairly often. I don't believe I have been impolite or offensive, though I sometimes disagree with a poster. I try to do so civilly.

If there is something I could be doing to make you more comfortable, or something I am doing you would rather I didn't, please say so outright and I will consider your position.

On a happier note, our daughter went into labor 2 weeks early yesterday, and though the baby was breech, was delivered safely by C-section, and I have a new grandson! Hope your day ended well, also!

Best.
Etixos

[floriduh voter]

Praying for Jim Robinson, our founder and a great American.

[8mmMauser]

From an email...

Thanks, Leslie...

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

Dear Governor Minner:

The bottom line regarding the preservation of Laurel 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 Laurel 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
Laurel 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
Laurel Richardson's Personhood.


I will then join my voice to yours.

Most sincerely,

Eve Sanchez Silver
Director
Cinta Latina Research
director@cintalatina.org

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[8mmMauser]

hat said, I didn't realize I was being a devil's advocate (though what's wrong with that, by the way?), just saying what I think.

Noooo, not quite. When pro-life conservatives say what they think, it turns out be pro-life comments. And I don't accuse by saying you are a devil's advocate, as you appear to think. I just stated an observation proving true, with no negative connotations implied, just observation. Your comment that I "own" this thread is typical of what comes across as hostile approach. It doesn't make me uncomfortable at all with your tone, just wary.

Whether you believe it or not, what is key is how readers react to your words, and that proves to be negative, too.

That said, I hold no animosity, wish your daughter well and am glad you mention it so we all may have warm wishes and congratulations for your new grandson.

God bless your new grandson, and you and your family for this gift.

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[8mmMauser]

Another update on Jim Robinson!

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

I haven’t talked to any of the family but I received this via FReepmail from Saundra Duffy. I tried to ask her permission before posting but she is probably on her way home .... I know she wouldn’t mind so .......

Jim Update!

Hi, Amy.

After work, I went to talk to Sheila. Jim’s sister and Jim’s brother was also there. Anyway, while I was talking to them, they wheeled Jim out of surgery. He was sleeping peacefully. So it’s over. The family was going to talk with the doctors and so I left and came home. Sheila wants everyone to keep up their prayers. I will check in on him tomorrow. I heard the nurse say he came through just fine. OK.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Love, Saundra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saundra .... thank you for checking on him for us.

Our prayers are continuing.

924 posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 8:18:24 PM by JustAmy (I wear red every Friday, but I support our Military everyday!!)

Prayers for Jim Robinson (Good news update at #991!!!)

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I haven’t talked to any of the family but I received this via FReepmail from Saundra Duffy. I tried to ask her permission before posting but she is probably on her way home .... I know she wouldn’t mind so .......

Jim Update!

Hi, Amy.

After work, I went to talk to Sheila. Jim’s sister and Jim’s brother was also there. Anyway, while I was talking to them, they wheeled Jim out of surgery. He was sleeping peacefully. So it’s over. The family was going to talk with the doctors and so I left and came home. Sheila wants everyone to keep up their prayers. I will check in on him tomorrow. I heard the nurse say he came through just fine. OK.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Love, Saundra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saundra .... thank you for checking on him for us.

Our prayers are continuing.

[8mmMauser]

More Haleigh update...

BOSTON— A judge is considering whether to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the biological mother of a girl who was allegedly beaten into a coma by her adoptive mother and stepfather.

Allison Avrett, of Agawam, is suing the state Department of Social Services for damages for what she calls the wrongful adoption of Haleigh Poutre by Avrett's sister, Holli Strickland.

Strickland and her husband were charged in the 2005 beating that left the girl with brain damage.

During a hearing Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court, lawyers for the state asked Judge Linda Giles to dismiss the lawsuit. They say Avrett voluntarily consented to allowing her sister to adopt Haleigh at age 7. The judge did not immediately rule on the request.

Haleigh is being treated at a rehabilitation hospital.

State asks judge to dismiss lawsuit by mother of beaten girl

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[8mmMauser]

Have limited time at the computer this morning, will be back later.

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