Category: Character

I was praying for such courage when in the midst of a highly emotional discussion on abortion at the 2022 Little People of America (LPA) national conference. In a post Roe v. Wade world, the group was intent on getting LPA to advocate for abortion rights for women with a pregnancy where it was known the baby had a terminal genetic condition and would only live a short-time after birth. Although the group did not agree with my pro-life position, at least they listened.

Organizations with a pro-life mission, such as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), are a special target of abortion advocates. They are often attacked for providing care and resources to women facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies. For example, Planned Parenthood has described CPCs as “fake clinics” with a shady, harmful agenda based on lies, misinformation and propaganda about abortion. But this is a distortion of CPCs mission and practice. In 2022, a survey of pregnancy centers disclosed free services to women, men, and children, including: pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting education programs, prenatal care, linkages to vital community and public health resources, and baby diapers, wipes, formula, clothes, and more. CPC refusal to offer or refer women for abortions does not make the clinics fake.

In 2015, the State of California passed the Reproductive “FACT” Act which forced life-affirming pregnancy centers to display information, including a phone number, on how women can obtain a free or low-cost abortion. With help from the Alliance Defense Fund, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) sued California Attorney General Kamala Harris in federal district court, alleging that the Reproductive FACT Act violated its First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise. In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) agreed with NIFLA’s allegations. In NIFLA v. Becerra, SCOTUS found that the California law was an unconstitutional content-based regulation requiring NIFLA to advertise abortion—the very practice they were devoted to opposing.

After SCOTUS’ June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization found that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t contain a right to abortion, CPCs have been subjected to violence and vandalism requiring 24-hour security, anti-graffiti paint on buildings, reinforced doors, and bulletproof walls. Please pray for the protection of “life” advocates.

You may also want to read:

• Tom Campisi. “Pregnancy Centers Are Key to Regaining the Moral High Ground on Abortion.” January 10, 2024. https://www.care-net.org/abundant-life-blog/pregnancy-centers-moral-high-ground-on-abortion?utm_campaign=Weekend%20Update&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=289800015&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_REFqseXO-SRHUUhgkqCsbiHZKWwdpenNkSfxYSRpnBjqqO4XlWaksSI5YLo3g0oaSDS__zluWkJ_qg4JHc30DYXU1Uw&utm_content=289801464&utm_source=hs_email
• Ryan Foley, “Vandal sues pro-life pregnancy center for ‘medical malpractice’ after defacing clinic.” December 26, 2023. https://www.christianpost.com/news/vandal-sues-pro-life-pregnancy-center-for-medical-malpractice.html?utm_source=The+Christian+Post+List&utm_campaign=CP-Newsletter&utm_medium=freedom_post
• Tom Campisi. “Report: Pregnancy Centers Have Transformational Influence on Communities.” December 21, 2023. https://www.care-net.org/abundant-life-blog/report-pregnancy-centers-have-transformational-influence-on-communities?utm_campaign=Weekend%20Update&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=287603973&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_jrvEu36U-fM3JMfXXXslxAylDfRafKdHeGV-B6UeXbxYHLpFPSzlEnOs0_I-2FHRf–gpgAHiWeCItvkoR174FavI1w&utm_content=287607838&utm_source=hs_email
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “Legalization of Infanticide Looms After Dobbs.” Blog post. January 16, 2023. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/legalization-of-infanticide-looms-after-dobbs/
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “End Disability as Reason to Terminate Pregnancy.” Blog post. January 17, 2022. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/end-disability-as-reason-to-terminate-pregnancy/
• Kendall @ Planned Parenthood. “What are Crisis Pregnancy Centers?” November 4, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/blog/what-are-crisis-pregnancy-centers
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “Death with Dignity Laws Deadly to Disabled.” Blog post. January 18, 2021. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/death-with-dignity-laws-deadly-to-disabled/
• Pasquale Toscano and Alexis Doyle. “Legal Abortion Isn’t the Problem to Be Solved.” 2019. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/selective-abortion-bans-treat-disability-tragedy/592000/  
• NIFLA v. Becerra. Supreme Court of the United States. June 26, 2018. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-1140_5368.pdf
• Ardee Coolidge “What the Paralympic Games Reveal About Abortion and Disability Rights.” September 8, 2016. https://www.care-net.org/abundant-life-blog/what-the-paralympic-games-reveal-about-abortion-and-disability-rights

Every act of generosity counts and

everyone has something to give.

If your postal service and email boxes are anything like mine, they’re stuffed with solicitations from charities. So many that it gets annoying, especially when it’s from a charity we’ve never even heard of. But rather than getting irritated, I sort through the mail to look for those charities I approve and support. Rather than automatically tossing or deleting, I stack the snail mail and move emails to a donation folder for future consideration.

Although I haven’t always donated on GivingTuesday, it’s beneficial to do so since the concerted effort of millions encourages more giving on this day and throughout the year. Also I’ll time a gift to my chosen charity if they have notified me of a matching grant for every dollar given.

Of course, there are so many things we can give that are not calculated in dollars: food to a pantry, blood to a bank, essentials to a homeless shelter, and kindness to others. Among the 50 kindness gestures suggested by GivingTuesday are the following:

1. Bring popsicles to a park on a hot day.
2. Clean out your closet and donate some items.
3. Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts.
4. Cheer up a friend in need of cheering up.
5. Compliment five people.
6. Tell someone why they are important to you.
7. Let someone go ahead of you in line.
8. Send three cheerful postcards to people who won’t be expecting it.
9. Forgive someone.
10. Include someone with a disability in your plans.
11. Call someone and talk instead of texting.
12. Refresh a delivery person with a snack or beverage.
13. Put kind notes inside some library books.
14. Smile at everyone you see.
15. Pay it forward.
16. Give voice to your favorite cause on social media.

You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Acts 20:35 (New Living Translation)

And for the greatest gift of all, remember:

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
1 John 5:11 (New American Standard Bible)

Many thanks to the https://givingtuesday.org website for informing this post and providing motivation for joining the movement.

And for details on my blog and dwarfism memoir trilogy, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com.

Image credit: RDNE Stock project, https://www.pexels.com/photo/an-elderly-mab-receiving-a-cup-of-drink-from-a-volunteer-6646992/

Robert was confident when he hired another little person we had known since she was a teenager as Secretary #7 in his rehabilitation engineering practice serving people with disabilities. He saw no reason to run a background check. Not that it would have exposed a problem; she like 96% of employee thieves had no prior fraud convictions. Robert expected her to do well with her bright personality, four-year degree, personal knowledge of disability issues, and work experience. She was in her 20s and nowhere near 49, an embezzler’s median age.

One of #7’s duties was to prepare checks for Robert’s signature. Her degree made learning the accounting program easy, but did not insulate Robert from becoming a fraud victim; 49% of employee theft is performed by those with a university degree.

After only six weeks of employment, #7 embezzled the first of 21 checks. She took advantage of being in a smaller organization where check and payment tampering is four times more likely. After seven months, #7 was fired for poor performance, unpredictable behavior, and lying. We didn’t know if she was living beyond her means or having financial difficulties, but it was evident that she coveted my new car. In hindsight, we know these were embezzlement red flags.

After #7’s termination, Robert noticed bookkeeping anomalies and requested copies of canceled checks from the bank. We were stunned to see his forged signature on checks totaling $9,164.68. She even forged a check to pay her taxes. And the reason #7 gave for stealing? She needed the money.

Only 16% of companies call the police to launch an employee theft investigation. But Robert agreed to be a support witness in the banks criminal prosecution of #7. She was arrested, charged with 21 felony counts of forgery and altering business records. Although she could have served prison time, a plea bargain led to three years’ probation, counseling, and restitution. Her father was a big part of this generous deal because his restitution payment of $4,000 persuaded the district attorney to plead the charges down to misdemeanors.

We didn’t want #7 to go to prison, but in his victim statement to the judge, Robert recommended community service hoping it would give her an appreciation of those truly in need. We were amazed when she did pay all the court-ordered restitution. The bank manager told us that this almost never happens. According to employee theft statistics, businesses typically get back less than half of their stolen money.

If you’re a victim, get help during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 24-28, 2023. Contact Carla at CILO at 561-966-4288 ext. 125 or email cpazmino@cilo.org.

Image credit: Tumisu from Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/stealing-money-cash-dollar-case-3937735/

This post is based on an excerpt from the second book in my dwarfism trilogy, “Pass Me Your Shoes: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith.” For more information and memoir buy links, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can also subscribe to my weekly blog.

The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022—prohibiting governmental restrictions on abortion services—passed the House of Representatives on July 15, 2022 (it was not approved in the U.S. Senate). In 2022, states enacted 50 pro-life laws and 77 pro-abortion laws. In the November 2022 election, California, Michigan and Vermont all passed referendums enshrining reproductive rights in their state constitutions.

In the past, pro-choice rationalizations for abortion claimed “life begins at birth, not conception” and “a fetus is not a baby until it can live outside the womb.”  Today’s ardent pro-choice advocates make an even more egregious attack on life by alleging that  babies born alive after a botched abortion should not be protected because they’re not “actual persons,” “morally relevant,” or fully human until they are “self-aware.” In so doing, they promote infanticide—euphemistically called after-birth or perinatal abortion. They hold that the well-being of parents outweighs the interests of a living child. Just as progressive is the idea that a newborn imposes no obligations on a parent because whether a child will exist as a person in the future is a parent’s choice.

Are these the reasons why—as of 2019—19 States allow infanticide and let abortionists leave babies to die if they survive an abortion?

Does this explain why California passed an infanticide law in September 2022 permitting perinatal (post-birth) abortions of babies due to a pregnancy-related cause without civil or criminal liability or penalty?

Will the California law be a forerunner of similar laws in other states, or will states back off because the Maryland bill sanctioning “perinatal” deaths up to the first 28 days after birth did not pass?

Will infanticide—a deliberate killing of a child that is under a year old—be decriminalized or denounced as murder subject to criminal penalties?

Will American society sacrifice the lives of innocent infants born to women who choose not to raise a child with a disability or illness and decline to take advantage of abortion alternatives like safe haven laws and adoption?

The answers to these questions lies squarely with the American people.

So let your voice be heard on January 22, 2023, Sanctity of Human Life Day, with a stand for prenatal and perinatal life. Celebrate the January 11, 2023 passage in the 118^th Congress of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 26), and call your Senator to nail down a vote for the bill when it comes up for a vote.     

You may also want to read:

• Carolyn McDonnell. “Federal Policymakers’ Guide to a Post-Roe America.” Americans United for Life. November 14, 2022. https://aul.org/2022/11/14/federal-policymakers-guide-to-a-post-roe-america/
• “Life-Saving Laws in the States: Pro-Life Laws Tracker (early abortion limits) Following Dobbs Decision Overturning Roe.” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. December 2, 2022. https://sbaprolife.org/lifesavinglaws
• STATE LEGISLATION TRACKER: Major Developments in Sexual and Reproductive Health as of November 15, 2022. Guttmacher Institute. https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “End Disability as Reason to Terminate Pregnancy.” January 17, 2022. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/end-disability-as-reason-to-terminate-pregnancy/
• Angela Muir Van Etten. “Death with Dignity Laws Deadly to Disabled.” January 18, 2021. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/death-with-dignity-laws-deadly-to-disabled/

Clearly the failure of eye drops to resolve the eye schisis and a November diagnosis of a hole in the macular was not good news. But I’m thankful that I was referred for surgery to the world renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Palm Beach Gardens with a highly acclaimed surgeon. The decision of my brother and sister to fly more than 9,000 miles from Sydney, Australia to West Palm Beach, Florida and the timing of international COVID-19 travel restrictions being lifted to make this possible was a blessing. Their support were crucial to my making it through the post-surgery constraint of being face down 24/7 for seven days.

Robert repeatedly falling out of bed was a major concern, but highlighted his need for a bedrail, to put the ‘botox in the bladder’ procedure on the schedule, and for physical therapy. I’m glad that all three interventions helped to prevent further falls. Although I confess I’m still working on appreciating his refusal to follow his exercise regime.

The prayer and practical support of my church family during the weeks of our incapacity were indispensable and gratifying.

I’m thankful that God protected us from being exposed to COVID-19 and that our double vaccination came without side effects. One way of staying safe at home was to order home delivered groceries. Our neighbors even benefited when my order for nine individual bananas was misinterpreted as an order for nine pounds of bananas!

Every two weeks we appreciate Dilma’s house cleaning services. She even discovered a leak in the toilet soon enough that we could benefit from the generosity of Robert’s cousin who fixed the problem before major damage was caused. Maintenance issues in an aging home are inevitable so when the pool pump and water softener both needed replacing we were grateful our savings were sufficient to cover the cost.

Through it all, I appreciate being able to complete the last book in my dwarfism trilogy, Always An Advocate. I’m thrilled at the excellent contributions made by the editor, book cover designer, typesetter, endorsers, and book reviewers. (NOTE: the audiobook is expected to release in January 2022.)

So I wrap up the year with this advise, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 (New Living Translation)

For information on my writings, go to my website at https://angelamuirvanetten.com.

I no longer live in Rochester or know the current character of the city, but I do know that God shows kindness to all people regardless of whether they follow Him: the sun comes up every morning, birds sing, flowers bloom, the list is endless. Likewise, God gave us all the capacity to be kind. Yes, everyone. Wherever we live, whatever our faith, we can be kind to one another. “Kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.”

Kindness to a complete stranger, a family member, or a coworker makes the world less caustic and more caring. February 17^th, #RandomActsOfKindnessDay, encourages kindness. According to actor Morgan Freeman, we can change the world one random act of kindness at a time. And the world surely needs changing!

We can all share examples of how a simple act of kindness made our day. I have certainly benefited from neighbors showing me kindness by bringing in my garbage bin from the end of the driveway, dragging fallen palm fronds to the vegetation pile for pick up, or helping to lift or carry something heavy. Church and family members have been kind in too many ways to count. Plus, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” This is true for me when grocery shopping, pumping gas, or retrieving luggage from an airport baggage carousel. But Tennessee Williams gets credit for the quote. 

So this February 17^th how will we show kindness to people with disabilities? Sometimes a smile is all it takes. According to William Arthur Ward, “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” Other ideas include:

• Allowing someone with a mobility impairment to jump ahead of you in the line
• Helping someone in distress like the driver who pulled over to help a woman whose front wheel on her wheelchair slid off the sidewalk and got stuck in a garden
• Calling someone who is staying safe at home during the pandemic
• Donating to a thrift store that employs people with disabilities
• Volunteering at a food bank serving people whose disability income does not put enough food on the table

For more of my writings, go to https://angelamuirvanetten.com where you can subscribe to my weekly blog, find several retail links to my book—“Pass Me Your Shoes”—and get updates on the Fall 2021 publication of the third book in my dwarfism trilogy, Always An Advocate.