Watch the Personhood Amendment video above, featuring Kristi Burton.
Kristi Burton, founder of Colorado for Equal Rights, was thirteen when she decided to spend her life defending the unborn. “It just came to me,” she told the Denver Post earlier this year. “I prayed about it and knew God was calling me to do it.”
Eight years later, Kristi is spearheading the Colorado Personhood Amendment — an effort she began at nineteen — to define a constitutionally protected person as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.”
In May, with the help of over 1,300 volunteer petitioners and 500 churches, Kristi turned in 131,245 voters’ signatures to the secretary of state — nearly twice the number required to get the amendment on this November’s ballot.
“She’s an incredible leader for her young age,” says Judie Brown of the American Life League. “It took one person to get the campaign started in Colorado.”
Brett and I were honored to meet Kristi at a gathering in Denver a few months ago. Her passion and determination were evident, but so was her love for God and for people — no matter how small. Kristi, we applaud you. We’re praying for you.
The Task is Far from Over…
Kristi’s organization was founded less than a year ago in her family’s living room, with a budget of $200. In the face of fierce opposition, it has accomplished what some would have said was an impossible task. But the work is far from over.
In the video at the top of the post, Kristi invites people to get involved in this historic effort. Brett and I would love to see rebelutionaries rise to the challenge.
Everyone can do something — I hope many of you will do something hard. Share the video. If you can give, give sacrificially. And be willing to give of your time.
Finally, pray. Pray that God would give Kristi and her colleagues wisdom and favor. Pray that He would raise up laborers — young and old — who would join Kristi in defense of all human life. Who knows? He just might pick you.
That is incredible what Kristi been doing! Thank you!
Wow!…!
Keep it up Kristi! I’m praying for you.
J. Nair
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LAUDAMUS DOMINUM IGITUR
THEREFORE, LET US PRAISE THE LORD
That is so amazing. I live in Washington so I can’t do much about Colorado but that video has really given me a vision. I will give it my best shot to replicate that exact same movement up here. Thanks Kristi and Alex and Brett for posting this spectacular video!
Wow! Sounds great!
Wow! This just goes to show that nothing is impossible with God on your side. =D
Keep up your hard work Kristi! I’ll be praying!
In Christ alone,
Rebecca Whitpan
Can someone help? I can’t see the video.
Sarah
Wow!!! It is amazing what God is doing. I will be praying for you, Kristi and everything that you are doing. God is working and I can’t wait to see what happens.
In Christ,
Rebeca
That is really, really cool! Next stop: Congress! 🙂 Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could eventually overturn Roe v. Wade for the entire United States? (I just got chills…)
Wow, that is awesome. We were just discussing (partly debating) abortion in my Political Science class this morning… I attempted to make the same point that “a person is a person.” As open as my classmates are to listening, they are also set in their beliefs. So, unfortunately for the most part, it fell on deaf ears.
This is so awesome though. I’ll definitely be praying for this.
WOW.
I am in awe in the face of that victory; seeing God pour out his spirit in a movement like that. This is perhaps the single most encouraging thing I have seen or heard all year!! Just…. wow!
I’ve watched this video several times, and the emotions only grow with each viewing.
I pray that we all learn not to despise the day of small beginnings, that we would all start our own 200 dollar movements, and that we would rise to the challenge of impacting our culture with hope and beauty, like Krista has done so well…
~ In Christ, John.
I got goose bumps watching this video. I live up in Canada, so I am not sure as to how to petition for something like this, but I am going to find out. This is so encouraging, and if this can happen in Colorado it can happen anywhere, including Canada!
This is amazing Kristi! You don’t look 19, nor do you act like it. (which is what this is all about) Thanks for standing up for something so wrong. What is a person that lives all the way over in Tennessee supposed to do to help?
This effort is so wonderful! I will definitly be praying, and hopefully there are other things we can do to help Kristi. She is definitly a blessing from God for the unborn.
Wow! That is awesome! Go Kristi!!
Alex and Brett,
I know you are both really busy with college and I don’t want to bother you but I am very interested in abolishing abortion and I really want to see this video. For some reason my computer won’t load it. Could you guys tell me where else I might find it? If you can’t or if you just don’t have the time to answer me I perfectly understand.
God Bless!
Sarah.
Wow, that is great. Some people are really taking some great steps here!
Wow, praise God! Keep up the good work Kristi; and everyone else who works to protect the unborn!!
Sarah: try going to this link and viewing it.
http://vimeo.com/user526261
Alex and Bret, thanks so much for posting this. i was just like, wow. thats amazing!!! with love in Christ, Quinn Emery
Thank you for yet another encouragement to push us on to do things that people don’t expect us to do. You are an encouragement, an inspiration, and a leader. May God bless the work that you’re doing and give you the grace and strength to accomplish this mission. May He work in the hearts of the voters and may He be glorified through you and your work. God bless you Kristi and team!
Hi Kristi! I am so impressed with your work you are filled with the Holy Spirit. I will keep you in my prayers. Bless you my dear.
Katie
Hannah Y, you are so right. It would be awesome if we could reverse Roe V. Wade for the whole country. But first, we’d probably have to get Congress to PAY ATTENTION to the March for Life (it’s an annual protest against abortion, where thousands of people walk the streets of Washington DC). It hasn’t been.
WOW. keep it up Kristi! that is so awesome.
This is amazing.
One of my professors recently said that faculty members are sick of reading papers on abortion. It’s been written about so much, spoken about so much, and petitioned against so much that people don’t really care anymore. It’s not fashionable to be outraged about it anymore. But as long as children are being killed, shouldn’t we be outraged anyway?
The necessity for perseverance does not make something less of an issue. It only shows that we have to hit harder against the forces of darkness that would promote such a thing.
I’ve been wondering what I was going to write my school newspaper’s editorial about this week, but you know, Kristi just might make the cut. Look out faculty! It’s another one of “those” essays.
Wow! If only this movement could spread nation, maybe even world wide! What a powerful and IMPORTANT message. I will be praying!
I think this is a great “movement”.I am very inspired.
Hey Kristi
I am so encouraged by what God is doing through
your life as a young lady !
I also will be getting involved with a group at our church
to fight abortion. My brother has down syndrome, so the fact that
you are fighting against having children ( who are absolute joys! )
killed for the way God made them ! Its absolutly absurd! But even some people don’t treat these children ( who ARE born ) with respect and I want to raise awareness also that these people have worth
and a purpose and emotions and everything that they need to be a PERSON !!!!!! Every conceived , is every person !
Thank you so much for listening to God’s call for you !!!
Prayers !
Laura
Wow. I live in Colorado and didn’t even know this was happening. Thank you for this video. It seems very non judgmental – that they’re fighting not because they think their mothers are irresponsible but for the rights of the children.
I know there has been a lot of talk about abortion, but maybe I just wasn’t listening…or didn’t want to hear harsh words.
Thank you!
Thanks, Alex and Brett, for this great post.
I just finished reading your book the other day, and “do hard things” has been weighing heavily on my mind. I want to be willing for God to use me, but the first step seems really hard. I’ve talked with my parents about it, and they told me to write down a list of hard things that I might be able to do. Fighting against abortion was on that list. It seems like such a huge goal, but according to Matthew, “…with God, nothing is impossible.” I believe that.
Kristi is doing amazing things. I agree wholeheartedly with what she is doing. The video was definitely emotionally stirring. It really painted a picture of people — Christians and non-Christians — joining hands, declaring that life is important. It doesn’t just begin when the child is born; it began before the beginning of time, when God thought about each and every one of us, and created us all. No human being should be considered as just a microscopic object that allegedly isn’t a person because it isn’t fully formed. I want to see a national law made against it.
Although I don’t live in Colorado, I’m sure God could use me to make a difference where I live. What can I do to help?
Sarah Pena:
You can watch the video on you tube at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52zCho2yQZ0
Hope that helps!
-Miss S.
Thanks for the post! I watched the video and I was – and still am – so amazed. I will be praying and spreading the word.
God bless! =)
[…] (h/t benny b + the Rebelution) […]
Kristi, that is amazing! You are glorifying God through what you do, and I’m sure he’s pleased. Keep it up and God will bless it and you beyond your wildest dreams 🙂 I’m praying for you, this world needs teens to start standing up against the brutality of abortion.
God bless, 🙂
Great post! It totally inspired me…I am currently looking into starting a petition here in Ohio. It might take a couple years getting everything legalized, but I’m working on it! Thanks for the inspiration guys! Ironically, I had just had an experience at work where I didnt’ voice my opinion on abortion when I had the opportunity to and I felt horrible. I prayed that God would just give me another chance to show how I felt about abortion. Talk about an answer to prayer! Thanks for everything you guys, you have helped me do hard things for God!
Wow. That is so amazing. I kept getting the chills through that entire video. Like Caleb I live in Canada, so I’m not sure what I could do… besides send this video around to all my friends and maybe even make an LJ post about it. This is just… amazing. I really hope they pass this amendment.
In Christ
Char C.
Wow!!!! How did you do that? Can any State do that? I think maybe Oregon tried to do that once upon a time and failed. Anna H.
Wow! I would love to help out with this!!!! It’s so amazing that someones doing something about a crisi that has killed more humans then Hitler did.
Whoa! Talk about hopping out of the comfort zone and doing what needs to be done! Thank you SO much!
Yeah, I’m getting chills on this one too. Imagine: we’d be able to overturn the murder of thousands and thousands of people who can’t even defend themselves. People made in the image of God Himself! But we need God’s grace to do it.
Thank you to Kristi for being a teen that stands up for what she knows is right. I praise God for what He has done through this wonderful servant of His. I pray that many more servants such as this young lady will pop up and that the world will wonder “What’s going on? Where did all of these young people come from.” The answer? From God, who prepared their hearts and gave them a passion for what they believe in.
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Hayley Drew and Miss S.,
Thanks so much! I finally got to see it.
Way to go Kristi! I want to do the same here in California but people would think I am to young and I know nothing about politics. How did you even get started? Especially with such a low buget?
God bless!
Sarah.
This is amazing! I had no idea that this was going on! I think abortion will go down just as slavery did, and our generation can defeat it! Kristi is in my prayers. God bless.
Wow. I live in Colorado and I had know idea that this was going on. Thank you Alex and Brett for bringing this to everyone’s attention. This is really exciting. Way to go Kristi! I’ll definitely spread the word and pray.
Blessings!
Caleb Nathaniel
Wow! I’ll be praying and try to spread the word. Is there anything specific that Rebelutionaries can be doing together, besides giving to and supporting the Personhood movement? I mean, like signing something– we’ve got strength in numbers!– or, well, just some specific thing?
I am so excited about this movement!! Lord, let Your kingdom come and Your will be done!!!
I’m just in awe of God… AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!!!
Madeline & all:
If anyone is interested in some more pro-life ministries and gatherings, you might consider Bound 4 Life (www.bound4life.com) and The Call (www.thecall.com).
Thank you, Kristi, for your hard work and dedication on Colorado for Equal Rights.. God bless you!
~E.
GO KRISTI!!!
It’s so cool getting to know you, I am so inspired and encouraged by what you’re doing! Keep it up!
This is so encouraging to hear and see how God can work through each person and how He wants to use us for others. Saving lives! Thank you Kristi for your example!!
Thanks for your example Kristi! This was pretty amazing. I’ll be praying!
Wow, what an incredible story!!!
I live in Maryland and im really concered with this issuem do u know some good ways to get involved with this or other pro life things besides giving money? Thanks !
Im praying for you guys!
This is awesome! Keep up the good work Kristi and Equal Rights for Colorado!
I’ll definitely be voting YES on 48 this election.
Praise God for this victory and many more to come!
God Bless,
-Abby
( Isn’t Colorado great?) ; )
This is truly amazing.
Kristi, I love that you are doing this & I am praying for you. You are a gift from God!
I have been a long time Pro-Life Teen & I participate in a silent protest every year against abrotion! I have never broken my silence when protesting & it honestly feels amazing by the end of the day.
Thank you Kristi for stepping out…unfortunitaly, i will not be able to vote just yet 🙁 ..i miss it by a few months, but if i could i would!
How wonderful! We will be praying for Kristi and her God ordained efforts! Thanks for sharing this!
Allie:
I live in Maryland too. One thing I found is the Call for Life (www.monthlycallforlife.com). Every month on a set date (next is Oct. 3, 2008), you can either call or email our state representatives, governor, and the White House to let them know that we are pro-life and wish for them to end abortion. FYI: be sure to read the webpage http://www.monthlycallforlife.com/callforlife.htm in its entirety before contacting anyone on October 3.
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. HALLELUJAH. Oh my word, the power of God is working in this nation,
Kristi may the Lord of all wisdom and understanding, continue to bless you, and those who are working with you. My heart over flowth with joy for you all.
I think every teen should see this.
Ah man Praise the Lord…..
; )
This is AMAZING!!! Kristi, I support you TOTALLY with your God-given passion to end the “American genocide”, or at least, that’s what I call it. God bless you richly and may His hand of favor be upon you and all the people that work with you. God is so good and He is sooooo AMAZING!!!
Hello everyone –
I just wanted to let everyone know that there are ways we all can get involved with amendment 48. Including those who live out of state. If you go to the website http://www.coloradoforequalrights.com/ you will find the phone number to call. Call this number to see what you can do to help.Like many of you, I don’t live in Colorado. But I called this evening and they said that there are ways I can help too. Now I’m just waiting for a call back about the details.
If you believe in what Kristi is doing then please, please, call and see how you could help. This is so important. And in reading what the pro-abortion people have put out about this it scares them, a lot.
Like Madeline said we rebelutionaries have the numbers. If we all do everything we can to help Kristi get this past, we could make a huge impact.
For Jesus –
Hannah W
Praise the Lord that yall are doing this! I live in Texas but am so excited about the work yall are doing in Colorado. My husband and I found out a little over a month ago that we are pregnant with conjoined twins although this has been a long month and a half we have been so blessed by what the Lord has been doing on our lives. Psalm 139:13-14 is one of our favorite verses right now For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. I pray that this amendment would be passed and form the time of conception the world starting with Colorado would know that a human life is being formed in the womb. I pray that babies lives would be saved through this work.
Thanks
Vanessa D
Way to go Kristi!! This made me so happy I now feel like dancing! This is so amazing, God is so awesome. I shall keep you in my prayers. keep up the good work!!!! =D
Hey, an idea (which I got from someone else, but it’s a good one.): would it be possible to take this thing out on a national level, rather than state by state? And, if so, how would one go about doing that? It’d be an amendment to the 14th amendment, making a “person a person no matter how small” (all in legal speak, of course). Any ideas?
Do you all have any posts on courtship? And if you don’t, would you mind posting some? =)
Hey Elizabeth:
If this amendment is passed on the state level at Colorado, it could possibly be brought to the supreme court, where it could have the power of overturning Roe v.Wade. That is why this one initiative is so important.
Hey Elizabeth:
If this amendment is passed on the state level at Colorado, it could possibly be brought to the supreme court, where it could have the power of overturning Roe v.Wade. That is why this one initiative is so important. So everyone, even those who live outside of Colorado, should do everything they can to help this initiative get passed in Colorado.
Like I said above, they have a phone number on their website to call for volunteering. There are some opportunities, I believe, that you can participate in even without traveling.
If we all band together and do everything we can, we could make a national difference. This could be what God uses to finally end the American hollocast. And the beauty of this is its simplicity. The amendment doesn’t even have to mention abortion, it simply destroys the foundation on which abortion currently stands legally.
Hey Allie and Hannah Y., I also live in Maryland and have contacted the MD State board of Elections. Maryland does grant certain civilian petition rights and I believe that means we could get a similar petition going here in MD. What I need to do now is figure out what to do next…lol. I have also contacted Krysti, and she has given me some helpful tips. If you two are interested in helping that would be great. My e-mail is [email protected], if you want to contact me.
God bless,
Jordan
I’ve been trying to post this for several days (I wrote it back when we were discussing abortion in the previous entry’s comment section), but it hasn’t been going through due to some glitch (I’ll be surprised if it goes through now!). Hopefully people who were interested in getting involved are still reading.
Cry Action,
Nicole
I do think this would be a great project for Rebelutionaries. I had no idea so many people (even just as many as who wrote in here) had the same conviction as I on their hearts. It’s cool how God is working. We can be the generation that brings an end to abortion. And we will be.
Every one of us may not necessarily be able to get involved politically right now (or may not live anywhere near Colorado), but we can all help with the great cause Kristi is part of by making people’s hearts ready for such laws to be passed.
I’ve been finding some really cool resources that we can get started with and I also have some other interesting ideas. Below is a list of some things I’ve come up with — which I’d like to invite all of you to add to.
No, we can’t right every wrong. But we can save some lives. And even if all of us just saved one life, it’d be worth it. Jesus gave His Life for each and every one of us. May we give our lives back to Him for the sake of the children. We, too, were once sentenced to die and He Saved us. May God give us hearts like His.
My mom was supposed to be aborted — her mother found out she was pregnant and chose abortion. But a friend simply stepped in and provided what she needed and encouraged her to give the child (my mom) up for adoption. Every single one of us can make a difference. But also imagine what we could do if we band together — something no other generation before ours has really done regarding this issue. God has called all of us to save lives. Are you willing?
Some ideas to start with:
1.) Get out word about Bella and Come What May.
See the movies. If you have a movie night with friends or a group from church, recommend them; if you don’t, initiate one. According to this article about Come What May, you could have a sway in this election (by getting word out) — even if you aren’t yet voters age.
2.) Get a Bound 4 LIFE bracelet and commit yourself to praying for this cause.
I think this bracelet is a great idea. It’s a reminder to pray throughout the day for the cause and a great (inexpensive) way for us to make a small statement to others that we have bound ourselves to seeing the end of abortion. I think every Rebelutionary should have one.
Also, if your church (college, or school) has a youth/student group, it’d be great to get these in bulk (at a discounted price) and make sure everyone has one. You can talk to your group leaders about this — or, if you want to Do Hard Things, you can talk to your parents about making an investment in the cause by perhaps buying them and then selling them at school or to people at church (or even events) for the regular price and giving the money profited to a crisis pregnancy center.
I don’t recall whether it was Bound 4 Life or a different group, but I read somewhere that the year a like prayer group for the unborn was started was the year the most pro-life laws were passed — ever. Imagine what could happen if just everyone you know would pray daily and persistently for this cause.
3.) Do what it takes to get your church involved — ask your youth group and church leaders to consider “adoption.”
Checking out the Bound 4 Life website the other day, these words caught my eye, “If 740 churches would rise up and take on one abortion clinic each with sustained fasting and prayer, what would happen?”
I challenge each of you to encourage (and inspire) your youth group and/or church to take responsibility for the unborn children in your area (as did the early church with the orphans and the widows) by taking on one abortion clinic primarily through prayer — at church and privately, organizing groups to hold prayer meetings at the clinic itself, and to ask that God would enable and empower you to provide resources, advice, and help to the women in need. This would also include “adopting” a pro-life crisis pregnancy clinic through prayer and practical help (I’ll get to this a little more in point 4).
I recently read that in Denmark during World War 2, when the Nazis tried to round up the Jews to send them off to concentration camps, it failed — in good part because about 90% of all ministers took part in the rescue and resistance efforts. This struck me as… well, incredible. This is what it said (after stating that astounding fact):
On Sunday, October 3, a little over a day after the failure of the Nazi roundup, Lutheran ministers read a letter from pulpits across the country. Bishop Fuglsang-Damgaard had sent the letter to the German officials and to every Danish Lutheran minister. He wrote that the Lord Jesus Christ was born a Jew. He continued:
“Persecution of the Jews conflicts with…the message which Christ’s church set out to preach. Christ taught us that every man has a value in the eyes of God…. Whenever Jews are persecuted because of their religion or race, it is the duty of the Christian Church to protest…, because it is in conflict with the sense of justice inherent in the Danish people and inseparable from our Danish Christian culture through centuries…”
Imagine if American pastors and ministers did the same in response to the atrocities of abortion.
4.) You can also begin by doing what you can individually, and learning more in the process — get practically and personally involved at your local pro-life crisis pregnancy clinic — these people save lives and you can help (regardless of your age or inexperience).
Call them up and tell them that you’d like to help — and ask what they need and where you can start.
5.) Educate yourself (from trusted Christian resources such as Abort73.com, etc.) and request that your pastor or youth leader present the truth on this topic to your church or small group — be and inspire others to be a voice for the voiceless.
You and I learned from someone what’s wrong about abortion and that is why we are pro-life today. It’s time for us to take up our the torches of truth passed to us and pass them on to others.
We need people who know in depth and can effectively articulate why we are pro-life, why its important to both Christians and non-christians that we have pro-life leaders for our country, and what still needs to be done to change hearts and laws.
And in addition to using logic and rhetoric to share the truth, we also need rebelutionaries to raise awareness in unexpected, heart-changing, creative, and effective ways. For example, write pro-life poetry and stories and the like or get some friends together and do an art project to benefit this cause. Generation Change, by Zach Hunter, has a great wealth of ideas for things like this.
6.) Lastly, ask questions, share your ideas, and pray to God to give you the strength to persevere. And be sure to dream big.
Go out there, find and ask people already active in the pro-life movement for creative ideas, ask God to help you to be creative in new ways — and share your ideas with people like us who are ready and wanting to Do Hard Things.
A lot of this is hard and the fight can be tough and even discouraging, but God always reminds me that all the hard things I could ever do or go through for the sake of the children could never compare with what one child would most definitely go through if I don’t speak out.
That’s awesome!! Go Jordan! 🙂
Dude!!!! Alex I loved you book. I am still reading it and untill the part that I have read it has been awesome. I can see christ acting through you and I feel amazed at the bunch of believers you have made for him.
This is awesome! Totally awesome! I love it!
Just a thought as I was watching this. South Dakota is voting this November on a law that would ban abortion in all cases except rape and incest. (They tried incest and rape included recently and it did not get through.) So that is making at least two states that are voting on something like that this year.
Miss Burton has inspired pro-lifers everywhere. By the end of this year we will be collecting signatures in Mississippi. My father and a friend of his (the gentleman on the Colorado video that waves the sign and yells ‘Victory!’) are organising the effort.
We are glad to see the pro-life movement breaking free of its obsession with national-level efforts. Roe v. Wade was in fact an overturning of state law against murder. If abortion is to end in America it must be by a grassroots, state-by-state, community-by-community effort. My parents learned this fifteen years ago when they helped close down the abortion mill in their own neighbourhood. Now only one remains in the state.
Thank you, Miss Burton.
~Emma, age 20
Wow. That’s so incredible!!!
Keep up the good work. I hope it encourages many others to do the same!!!
What Kristi is doing is just great!! keep doing what you are doing! I’ll be praying!! =]
This is really incouraging. I live in Illinois and am hoping to help in some way as well.
Thanks!!!
Amazing. Definitely praying for her and looking for any way to support and get involved.
Thanks for posting.
Praise God! This is such an amazing opportunity. I am so happy to be in Colorado, and this is the first time I can vote. I can’t wait to vote YES!!!!!!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isn’t God sooo amazing?
This is a huge step to questioning our coutry’s views! GO GOD!
thank you kristi for being humble and letting Him work through you. you’ve done amazingly!
s.n
Just for clarification, is this intended actually to stop abortion in Colorado, or just as a step in that direction?
Penny, it would define a person as from conception. So, to my understanding, it would stop abortion (because unborn babies would be people, making abortion murder) I’m not exactly sure about all of the technicalities though.
Penny, it has been forth with the the intent to help stop abortion in Colorado, but it really is just a step in that direction. However, in today’s day and age it’s an incredibly big step and I know took much time and self giving on the part of hundreds of citizens, and especially on the part of Kristi! God bless you Penny, and God bless you and your efforts Kristi!!!
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I have mobilized over a hundred pro-choice organizers.
The right to choose MUST be respected.
amazing. keep up the good work!! thanks for posting this video Brett and Alex.
CONGRATULATIONS KRISTI!! This is absolutely amazing, I wish you the best and will be keeping you in my prayers! You inspired me quite a bit to do the same in Florida c:
peace
Wow! I know Kristi!
Giovanni, we obviously disagree on some fundamental issues. However, I will point out that if the hundred pro-choice organizers you organized were not already aware of this effort — which has received national attention all year — I can’t imagine they are very active, engaged, or experienced. 🙂
[…] Swing by the Rebelution and see what God is doing in the lives of young people passionate for the heart of the Lord. You’ll be encouraged. […]
This emphasis on completely stopping abortion bothers me. There are situations where abortion is necessary for the safety of the mother. Stopping casual abortion I heartily approve, but unless there is a clear exception made I cannot support outlawing abortion completely. However, I am glad that Kristi is mobilizing people to insist that life begins at conception, and I hope it will cause people to think more before using abortion casually.
Penny – if you believe life begins at conception how can you think that abortion is ever okay? If life begins at conception (which it does) than abortion is murder. Right? That baby has as much right as the mother to live. It was (almost always) the mother’s choice to become pregnant. You cannot kill an innocent human being for doing nothing. That’s just as wrong as killing a new born baby…
You say you want to depoliticize the matter of life…and yet you’re stuffing envelopes, asking for donations, going “on a campaign,” trying to get an amendment passed.
Political.
Hypocritical.
To change the way of the world, let it fall to shambles. Be strong. Have FAITH.
True Christians will save the world one day…but not by changing the rules with this sense of pride and a “we know better” mentality.
A flower is alive. How do you know God isn’t crying when you cut your grass?
True BELIEVERS will rebuild the world when it falls if we stay humble, keep to ourselves and preach to all those who are WILLING to hear.
Be humble. Put down your signs and break your picket lines, and truly stand for something DIFFERENT. Because if you can tell the government to change what a LIFE is, someone else might be able to decide what way of LIVING is unacceptable. And a tax free christian sub-culture might be next on the chopping block.
And if we run low on humans because everyone’s killing their babies, we’ll still have ours!
RBMA – I agree with you that the baby and the mother have an equal right to life. You are also right that the mother’s choices are almost always what results in a pregnancy (with an emphasis on the almost). Unfortunately, there are some women who are unable to carry a baby to term safely. Certain psychological conditions, which could easily be triggered by that “almost,” encourage people to injure themselves in a variety of ways. Many of these methods (particularly suicide) make the child extremely unlikely to survive–a self-induced abortion, if you will. How much damage should we allow the woman to do to herself, in the name of saving a life, especially if that life has a low chance of survival? I realize that this argument does not apply to many abortions–as when someone is simply removing the consequences of casual intercourse–but if we value life so highly, we must recognize that in some cases the choice is not one life or both, but one life or neither.
As for the argument that it is just as wrong to have an abortion as it is to kill a newborn–I was thinking about this subject lately, and I realized it is a very interesting argument. Suppose a woman does have a newborn. What are her options? Well, you mentioned one of them: kill it. She might keep the child if she can be convinced to do so. Another option she has, though, is adoption. Give the child to someone else. Now suppose that instead of dealing with a newborn, the woman is three months pregnant. What are her options? The first is to carry the child to term. The second is to abort. But what else is there? She cannot give the child away, transfer it to another woman’s body. That young, it could not possibly survive even in a hospital. The only available option that I see, then, if a woman cannot carry a child to term, is to abort. That doesn’t make abortion a good thing, just sometimes necessary. Killing a child already born, however, is not necessary–there are other options.
Penny – I see where you are coming from. I’ve actually wondered about this myself, but I know what I would say if one of the people I love was faced with a situation where they would die if they didn’t abort their baby. I would tell them not to. The psychological effects of killing your own child are devastating. You just cannot justify taking one innocent life to save another. You did not give that life, you have no right to take it away. But I know that it’s hard to think about.. and I’m not trying to be judgemental or anything..
Vanessa D – You rock! I have two little cousins who were born conjoined. Many people would have had an abortion when they found out their babies were conjoined. My aunt and uncle decided not to, and I’m sure they’ve never regreted that decision. They have some problems. They have to have surgery at least a couple times a year, but they are awesome, normal, happy kids! I love them like crazy. God definitely has used my aunt and uncle, because of their decision, to witness to people, and I’m sure he’ll use you and your husband too! He also blessed them with amazing doctors to get them through all of it. I will be praying for you, your babies, and the rest of your family!
Wow! This is awesome! I had no idea this was going on, I live in Oklahoma and wish I could be a part of something like this! To think that she started this at the age of 13 just proves that God uses everyone. I think it is so wonderufl when you hear about teenagers doing stuf like this, it just proves society wrong! – Singing 4 Him! -Jodi
RBMA,
I was just going back through the comments to read them and thought I would just give you something to think about. I believe that abortion is wrong no matter how you look at. It is killing a person who mught just be the next great world changer like Martin Luther, Billy Graham, or even like Alex and Brett Harris. Maybe God has a greater plan for the child than humans give it credit for. Maybe, just , maybe God’s plan is for a mother to die, for a greater cause than even she had hoped for… so her child could grow up in a world that desperately needs God’s light. After all God can take sin(like sex before marriage) and transform it for his good! – I hope this did not offend you in anyway because it wasn’t the intention.
Singing 4 Him- Jodi
OK, first off, I hate abortion & believe that life begins at conception.
But scientifically, fertilized eggs often don’t implant (estimates range up to 3/4 don’t), and women don’t even find out if they’re pregnant until after implantation occurs. If a fertilized egg doesn’t implant, the woman will even get her next period right on track.
My point is there are many reasons a fertilized egg doesn’t make it to an implanted & developing state, most of which are completely non-intentional (since the woman doesn’t even know!)
So how can this possibly be enforced? The very concept is nebulous, and raises the specters of further legislation—not to go into slippery slope arguments, but if a fertilized egg is an officially recognized person, to what length can it’s safety be legislated?
Will this lead to making the Pill & IUDs illegal even for married women? And who decides if a mother is negligent with a fertilized egg? What are the consequences for infertile couples trying with in-vitro fertilization? What about a woman who suffers a miscarriage? What about ectopic pregnancies?
Now, I’m not saying this is all going to happen, but these are the types of critical-thinking, independent questions that I feel need to be at least asked.
As Christians, we really need to look at ALL sides of an issue, not just blindly accept the default one. In this case, though I can see why she’s doing it, I think it leaves way too much room for interpretation & intrusion. Just think there are better ways to stop abortion.
Respectfully & Prayerfully,
Pari
Jodi – I think you have me confused with Penny. I agree with you totally. Although.. you are better at saying what I want to say than I am. 😛
RBMA:
“You just cannot justify taking one innocent life to save another.”
I can think of situations where I would agree with this. However, I would ask, can you justify letting two lives end when you could have saved one?
Jodi:
I’m not talking about situations where the mother would die and the child is guaranteed to live. I’m talking more about what the response should be if the child is very unlikely to survive. Before 20 weeks, if the mother is engaging in dangerous behavior, it is unlikely to be a case of the mother dying and the child surviving. I heard of one case where a woman would binge drink to cope, which was out of character, damaged her, and killed the child. That and some other coping mechanisms put the mother’s life in great danger, and if she dies, a very young child has pretty much zip chance of survival. And then where are we? Either two people dead, or one dead and one severely injured, both psychologically and physically. What should we do to prevent this–lock the woman up until she gives birth?
As to the comment about God taking sin and transforming it for good, I heartily agree with you. Please keep in mind that I’m dealing primarily with RBMA’s “almost”–I would not consider rape to be a sin on the victim’s part. In addition, I would be interested to know how you arrived at the conclusion that consensual sex before marriage is a sin. I’ve never heard anyone come up with Biblical passages to support that.
OK, I see that, if it gets passed in Colorado (or any state, for that matter), it has the potential to get up to the SC. But, is there a reason we can’t go there directly? (Here I am, displaying my ignorance of politics… 😀 )
Woops! sorry about the mistake! thanks!:D
Penny:
Your comments about the arguement that it is just as wrong to have an abortion as it is to kill a newborn really made me think. I’ve come to this conclusion. God never said that being a Christian and following His commands would be easy. More often than not, His way is the harder, more difficult way. It involves faith, trust, and most importantly, obedience. But no matter how hard the descision and consequences may be, we MUST obey. God didn’t nicely ask us to obey Him when we find it convenient – He commanded us to obey Him unconditionally. And according to God’s standards, aborting an unborn child is murder. No ifs, ands or buts.
Also, I noticed you said, “The only available option that I see, then, if a woman cannot carry a child to term, is to abort.”
I would like to disagree that abortion is NEVER the “only option.” What about the days – not so long ago – before abortion, when it wasn’t an option? We all lived without it then. When we choose to abort a child, we are taking things into our own hands and basically, telling God He made a mistake. He placed that child in the womb – who are we to try and take it out?
Anyway, please don’t take this too harshly! Sometimes I come off stronger than I mean to. 🙂
Joy M. — thank you for that. Your comment really encouraged and blessed me. And first of all, before I go into what I’d like to add, I just want to say that I think you said what you said in a very articulate, respectful, and loving way. And it’s really interesting how God works in all our lives because I met with someone yesterday because a friend gave them my new pro-life blog and we had a long, long talk about what it means to be pro-life in all situations. From our conversation there are a few things that came up that I’d like to share with you, and with you two, Penny and RBMA. This particular person was quite upset at first that God would call us to such a hard road — a road that sometimes includes the death of us, or our loved ones. They claimed that some people go that way because they are in some way “special” — i.e. missionaries or other “extreme” Christians. I shared with them that I believe that God values each and every life immensely — we see that because Jesus died on the Cross — God gave His only Son to die that each and every one of us might be saved! The truth is, God Loves us more than we love ourselves — and He Loves each and every person more than we could ever, in any way, love or care for them. And that is why He commanded us such things as in the Ten Commandments. Each and every one of us is special to Him. He wants the very, very best for each and every one of us. So He calls each and every one of us to the best standards of righteousness. It is my choice and each person’s choice, and that choice is between each of us and God for Him to Judge, whether we will take hold of the best He is offering us by obeying His commands diligently, in all situations, and trusting Him to fulfill His Promise in His Word that “no good thing will He withhold from he who walks uprightly” — of course, that is the condition, that we walk uprightly. There are no guarantees, one might say, that God will come through for us if we do obey Him — that’s what has been said to me quite often, at least. But the truth is quite the opposite — there are frankly no guarantees if we take the matter into our own hands and trust ourselves, the world, or anybody or anything else — any other route or means besides God’s commanded righteousness and love — to protect ourselves and others. The only guarantee, ever, is in obeying God’s commands — and trusting Him. Also, as a final note, I want to clarify that when I said that our choice is between us and God, I simply meant as far as how we are judged — God has brought me to these beliefs, by His Grace, and I am not saying these things to say, “I am righteous — you better get your act together!” I am saying these things because I believe that God has called me to these standards through certain individuals’ encouragement and by other means because He wants the best for me — and I know He wants the best for you, too, so I want to encourage you as I have been encouraged to take hold of all that He is offering you and to be able to rest in trusting in His goodness. I do not believe this way and will not achieve this way of living because I am good — I am far from good! I believe this way and I will achieve this way of living simply and only because God is good — and only as I rely on His Grace. As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives and our rights for the sake of others — we are called, if we choose to be Jesus’ disciples, to lay aside self, take up our crosses, and literally walk in Jesus’ Footsteps of compassion and sacrificial, adoptive Love. Jesus didn’t pick and choose who He would bear the Cross and die for or when — it was the Father’s choosing, and He simply submitted, and He died for all of us — even though we were the very ones, by our sin, who crucified Him! It is hard to walk in Jesus’ Footsteps and to take hold of what God offers! But it is worth it — like no other path is. And it is the truly blessed life. God calls us away from the sin of murder and towards sacrificial love because He Loves us and wants the best for us — He knows what sin will do to us and He Loves us so much that He calls us to a better path even though we all initially resist and accuse Him, “That’s not love!” He Loves us so much that He does it anyway. And as Christians, we cannot allow murder to remain legal — murder in ANY form, of any person, at any time. We must do all that we can to promote earthly laws and discipline to protect, in this case, women and doctors or nurses, from the eternal ramifications of sin — just as a loving parent or guardian would institute rules that children under their care must live by, and disciplinary action if they don’t, so that they can learn before they have bear the harsher punishment that would surely come in the future (such as losing friendships, a marriage failing, being fired from a job, going to prison for a crime, etc.) if they don’t learn such things during their childhood. We must, as Christians, stand for both the earthly life of the baby (so he or she has every chance to live and love and get to know God) and the eternal life of the mother (so she has every chance to choose God and His best for her eternal well-being) — stand to protect them both from the harms of the murderous sin of abortion.
Questioneer,
I believe that when people refer to “depoliticizing”, they do not mean avoiding politics altogether. It means that the matter of life should not be subjective to whether or not you believe in a stronger centralized government…it means that you should not support murder simply because you’re hoping to win the next election. politics so often become a game, an unethical race for power and success.
the issue of abortion, in contrast, is a matter of life and death…which, by the way, is not up for definition. Kristi and others like her are not seeking to “redifine LIFE”, they are [b]fighting against a culture that is redefining it [/b], because people do not want to take responsibility for their actions.
also, i am wondering how you defend your views on the Christian life with Scripture. Does Jesus ever command us to [b] only [/b] witness to those who want to hear what we have to say? Are we ever once called, in the Bible, to mind our own business? What about the martyers? What about the disciples – all but John the Beloved were killed horrible deaths because they were preaching a message many did not want to hear.
And Jesus himself. He did not “keep to himself” or preach only to the people he knew would embrace the Truth…but in obedience to the call of His Father, He offered himself up in order that we might be saved.
I think you may have humility confused with fear, and apathy. We are not called to live a comfortable, safe life until the world “falls” (which, by the way, has already happened. Check out Romans 8:18-23)…
instead, we are called to “deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus” (Matthew 16:24).
We are called to be radical, we are called to be “fools for Christ”, some of us are even called to die for what we believe – but we are not called to sit by and watch Satan wreak destruction, unhindered, in this world.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we are in a spiritual battle, against unseen forces rather than “flesh and blood”…and yet the definition of FAITH is to [b] take action [/b] based on what we believe to be True. As Christians, we are called to do exactly that…and I challenge you, in love, to consider why you believe that we are wrong.
Nicole:
Thank YOU so much for your sweet and encouraging reply! I just love how God uses us to bless each other! 🙂 I’ve read your post several times, and you pointed out some really important things. I love the way you put it that God loves us SO much that He called us to the “best standards of righteousness.” So many people think that the Ten Commandments are utterly pointless, seeing as they are physically impossible to keep. But I love them with all my heart, as they are a constant challenge for me do my best to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. They constantly remind me of what Jesus went through to follow His heavenly Father’s standards, and keep me breathlessly amazed at my Savior’s perfection. I love a good challenge, and what better challenge than pefection? There is always something to strive for, always a way to improve, always something to draw me closer to Him. Of course, I know I can never keep them perfectly – in fact, it is by God’s strength alone that I get through most of my days! But that is all the more reason to thank my Savior for His death on the cross. And yes, it will be hard – that is all part of the challenge – but as you said, it IS worth it like no other path is.
Also, I thought you put it so well towards the end of your post, when you explained what essentially is the reason behind Christian pro-lifers. We are taking a “stand to protect them both from the harms of the murderous sin of abortion.” I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you!
Also, how do you get your italics and boldface type? I can’t figure it out for the life of me! 🙂
I picked up your book “Do Hard Things” just this week and was led here. And this post really caught my eye. Only a few months ago did I hear God’s call to open a crisis pregnancy center in the future, so my heart is totally for helping girls considering abortion. Kristi is definitely in my prayers! This video gave me chills, and I’m now encouraged to do something in my own state. Thanks guys!
In Christ,
Caitlin
Wonderful to hear of Krysti’s activities! I’m 21 as well, working in a Crisis Pregnancy Clinic and often feel alone when it comes to other young people seeking to make a difference! Here in Arkansas, we have a similar amendment, “The policy of Arkansas is to protect the life of every unborn child from conception until birth to the extent permitted by the Federal Constitution.” I know it helps, but here’s the crazy thing: first trimester abortions are still legal apparently. Right now I’ve focused on working to remove the desire for abortion through education and helping the girls, but I’d like to figure out what to do about our amendment. Perhaps Krysti and her organization may have some ideas! Thanks for the heads-up!
Joy M.,
Thank you so much for your reply — and your previous comment. What you said was very encouraging to me, and also helpful. To be 100% pro-life can be unpopular so it’s a true and rare blessing to meet someone else with the same passion and love for God’s Law and who seeks to share God’s Heart for the children — for all children. Thank you! And may God richly bless you.
Joy M.,
The only possibilities which occur to me are carrying the child to term or aborting in some way. I concede there may be a third option; if you can think of one, I would love to hear what it is.
Penny:
I agree with you that those are the only two options. However to me, there is just one answer, and that is to carry the child to term. True, the woman’s body may end up rejecting the child and the baby dies through miscarriage after all. But then it will have been God, not us taking things into our own hands and murdering an innocent life. We have no way of knowing what God’s plan for that baby might be, therefore we have no right to interfere. It is much better for a woman to suffer through a miscarriage than having to forever live with the knowledge that she disobeyed the living God by murdering her own child.
Anyway, thank you for discussing this with me! God bless!
Penny,
About your last comment, the Bible is packed full of verses about not having sex before marriage. God told us right in the ten commandments not to commit adultery : Exodus 20:14- You shall not commit adultery. He says this many places in teh Bible He also said this in Proverbs 6:32- But a man who commits adultery lacks judgement; whoever does so destroys himself. This verse is so true sex before marriage does destroy your life. You have probably heard of many accounts where peoples lives were ruined because they commited adultery.
Hope this helped with your question! – Jodi:D
Jodi,
I understand adultery to mean involvement between a married person and another person not his or her spouse. Clearly you interpret the word differently. Mind explaining why?
Penny,
I have always been told by sunday school teachers and parents and others that adultery is not just between a married person and a person they are not married to, but between two people who are not married. God has said that marriage is a sacred thing between two people and in 1 Thesselonians 4:3-5 it says “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;” God wants us to save ourselves for the one person He plans for us to be with someday, If you are still questioning about this issue my suggestion would be to read, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris, he is an excellent, godly author and is actually Alex and Brett Harris’ older brother! He talks about being pure in every relationship we have. I’m certainly far from perfect but I am doing my best to answer your questions. I hope you make time to read the book I suggested, you won’t regret it and it may answer any other questions you may have.
Hope this helped! – Always here- Jodi 😀
Dear Kristi,
You are doing a great job, I know you must get a lot of junk these days for the movements you are pushing for. You have thousands of people behind you going for the same goals. Thanx for being a good example and being a world changer
Kristi serves as an example for Christians all over the world. She is showing us how capable we are to do amazing things if we Give God the chance to work through us!! Paul ain’t kiddin in Phillipians 4:13!! I am inspired in crazy ways, and I hope more people see that impossibilites DO NOT exist when we got Daddy on our side. This is so amazing! Thank you so much Kristi!
Kristi,
Don’t let the results discourage you! Maybe the state just isn’t ready yet. This doesn’t mean that they won’t be one day. This is getting national coverage and that is working for us! God can use win or loss to accomplish His purposes!
Keep going!
Amy
What we can learn: teens can accomplish political victory. Here in CO, I know I’ll do what I can to get this on the ballot again every year until it’s in. But you guys in other states, you can do it, too! Let’s take a stand for life, and be willing to work hard for it.
Wow! I am amazed at all the stories I have heard about teenagers making a difference. I am amazed at all God has done through the lives of one so small. I also am 13, and I also wanted to help out with the Abortion bann in my state, South Dakota, but couldn’t muster up enough courage and stability to make it happen. Frankly, I didn’t know where to start. Thanks, Kristi, for listening to what God said to do and for being courageous and standing out in this world of Darkness. May God Bless. Also thanks Brett and Alex for posting this on your website. It has definately given me faith and courage to stand for what I believe is right. Thanks alot Guys!
With Love,
~Katelyn Rochelle~
I went to one of these confrences and i really learned alot. I am fired up and need prayer because i want to make a diffrence. I believe that anyone can make a difference. I want to get a book published. I want it to be a christian book. Yet i guess that i hae to put all my wants behind me and go with God wants me to do. i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Brett and Alex, if you are reading this, i want you to know that i would be amayzed to be half the rebolutioner that you two are. Thanks.
God Bless you,
K.J.B
Kristi you r so amayzing
Hi Kristi! I think its awsome of what u r doing and I just want u to know that i’m prayin 4 u! Go make a difference!
Awesome! My mother is a contractor for a pro-life organization in Pennsylvania, and I am a big pro-life advocate myself…keep up the good work!
You go Kristi! You keep it up cause those babys may not be born but they still have rights just like us!!! God bless you!
One more topnotch post! I shared this one on Twitter – you really should add a “like” button to your blogposts. 🙂
Hey – Super post, signed up to your website before. Looking forward to more insightful thoughts from your blog…
This is often a wonderful site, could you be interested in doing an interview about just how you designed it? If so e-mail me!
It seems to me that this site doesnt load up in a Motorola Droid. Are other folks getting the exact same problem? I enjoy this blog and dont want to have to skip it whenever Im away from my computer.