The following paragraph was written by Kerry Kellogg as the intro to her English III Research Paper. It brought tears to my eyes…I’m so proud of her!
You are surrounded by warmth. Red light is dimly illuminating your small little home. It’s a tight fit, you’re squished inside there, but you love it. You can hear them talking outside. You kick with delight as you hear her. She has the sweetest voice. Gravity shifts and the world around you moves as she does, but you’re still comfortable. You almost never want to come out of your warm, bubbly home. You don’t know what they’re saying but you trust it’s good just because she’s talking. She loves you. Or so you thought. Suddenly you feel a pinch. Something cold and hard grabs you and you have no way to get away from it. You flinch and wish you could scream out to her to save you, but you can’t. Then a sharp pain shoots through your body. You’re jerked and twisted as that foreign “thing” grabs you’re ankle and twists. SNAP. You are slowly torn limb from limb. You’re last little thoughts are why? Why didn’t you save me, mommy? Why didn’t she save me? What happened to you also happens to millions of unborn babies year round. An unborn baby’s biggest danger is their mother. The one who is supposed to protect them, love them, and raise them, kills them before they have a chance. Abortion is murder and cannot be tolerated.
I am subscribed to your RSS feed and I consider your website and Youtube Channel to be my entertainment and that of my family. It is incredible beautiful and refreshing to see a family with such cohesiveness and positive attitudes. I must admit this post is my favorite. I cried and couldn’t read anymore. I showed it to my husband who is a Christian writer and he sat down and read it 3 times over and said whoever Kerry is and however old she is, she is an extremely talented writer. He said she touched his heart like nothing he’s ever read before. That is a compliment not to be taken lightly. God Bless you Kerry for your beautiful heart and soul. I am printing this and taking it to our Pastor tomorrow.
This was very difficult for her to write, thank you so much for your kind comments!!
“Abortion is murder and cannot be tolerated” I don’t agree with Abortion being used as a birth control method. However, I cannot say its OK for a woman who has been raped to NOT have the choice to NOT have that baby. I mean what would be the argument there? God willed her to be raped, therefore she should have this baby? Just my thoughts on a very complex issue. Its not as black and white as many make it!
-lee
Hi Lee, I actually did a lot of research on abortion and wrote an entire 14 page essay on the topic. I was wondering if you would let me send you the “rape and incest” portion. It is only about a page long, so you wouldn’t have to read much, but I just feel like you should hear it.
excellent prose BTW Kerry! Well written.
=0 thanks lee. the argument there is that abortion continues the violence. there are so few studies on the rape argument because it is so incredibly rare, however, she did find and source the studies she found and the number of women who chose abortion was ridiculously low, but of those women the number that regretted it was sad. And studies show that the majority of women who do indeed have abortions, live to regret them. It’s a permanent solution to a temporary issue … pregnancy is 9 months … death is forever. =(
I can see that side of that argument. But rape is a very under reported crime. Date rape, incest, one could go on and on. I just think there is a place for choice for women who have been raped. It might be rare, but it does happen, and it happens more than people think. Its something people should consider when thinking in terms of making abortion outright completely illegal. Its not a matter of pro-life or pro-choice, but pro-human when you approach it from that view point.
Well the rape victim would not be permitted to kill her attacker, so it doesn’t make sense that she would be able to kill the baby, who is guilty of nothing. Nor should one assume that she would be relieved of the trauma in any way by doing so.
Well in my humble opinion she should have the right to kill her attacker! I am not assuming that she would be relieved of any trauma, I just think she should have the choice. I mean what if it were her dad. That kind of stuff does happen. Should she by law be required to carry that baby to term. What kind of life would that baby have? What kind of trauma would that inflict on both the mother and child? I realize these are rare events, but I believe the woman in those extreme cases should have a choice or option. I am in no way using this as an argument for abortions to be used as birth control, and/or be common practice, like they are now. I am simply saying that in extreme cases woman should have that right, and not be label or placed in the same group as those using it for very wrong reasons. Thanks for your opinion Jerry.
=0 Heya Lee! I think the choice lies in adoption. You can’t parse the issue, either it’s a life or it’s not. If it is you cannot kill it, if it’s not you can get rid of it up until it is a life, regardless of your reasons. If it’s not a life, you can use it as contraception even. I believe life begins at conception, some say not until a heartbeat is detectable (usually around 8 weeks), others say not until the baby is viable and then the crazy groups of peeps say it begins when the baby is born and then the extreme nut cases claim around 5!! =0
Wow, Kerry! That’s an amazing perspective from the baby’s POV. I’m sure most people have never thought of it that way – I know I haven’t. If you change one person’s mind about having an abortion, imagine how many lives will be touched by that baby’s life.
I’m very proud of you for taking a stand. I know it’s not easy to put yourself out there, no matter what your beliefs are. Your peers and teachers should be very proud of you, too.
Thanks. Ha ha, I take a stand on everything.
I agree with Lee, the woman should be able to kill her attacker who is the victimizer. The baby, however, is an innocent life. I agree with Susie in that the baby needs 9 months, it is not too selfish to ask someone to give up 9 months of their life to enable another to live. I’ve never thought of it that way before. But, adoption is a real option. Those for abortion do you believe prostitution should be legal? Polygamy? Suicide? Drugs? These are all things that have to do with ones own body, do not affect anyone else at all, yet they are illegal based on morality. You cannot kill a life when it is inconvenient. If you believe the baby is alive and don’t believe in using abortion as contraception, how can you say it’s ok in the case of rape. It is either not living and ok across the board or it is and it’s never ok.
Again, Lee, I agree with you on the point that Kerry’s prose is beautiful and very well written. Are you interested in writing as a career?
Thanks Cathy. I am pro-life across the board, even when it comes to the death penalty. I believe life begins at conception and that life is to be valued and respected regardless. I believe every life is a blessing. Have a great day!
I see y’alls point, however my point is that it is not as black and white as life and death for me. I don’t have to pick life or choice. I think there is always room for middle ground. Seems like that is a huge problem in this country right now, no middle ground. People are either at one extreme or the other of an issue. Cathy, I think you could consider not allowing a rape victim that choice (at an early stage) a moral wrong. And yes, I think some of those moral wrongs mentioned above should be legal in varies degrees. Again finding middle ground. I also love this blog, I love good honest debate among regular folks. It is the very thing that could fix this country. Simply listening to one another and finding the middle ground!
I agree about middle ground, but you can’t take the middle ground when life is at stake. Sure about taxing and drilling and immigration and pat down’s … but not life. You can’t, unless you believe murder is ok under certain circumstances. First, abortion is never as easy as taking a pill. Even if you abort prior to 7 weeks, its a 2 week step. And even the pro-abortion camp admits the baby feels pain. What is 9 months? Adoption is a gift. I myself am lucky as hell to be alive. 1974, 16 year old mom, 18 year old dad…adoption was the option. I too agree that some of the moral wrongs above should be legal. If you want to destroy yourself, it’s not the govt’s job to make laws governing that. It is the gov’t job to preserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (opportunity). That’s it though. They overstep at every turn. But life, life is a right. You have a right to life.
Wow, what a beautiful piece of work. Kerry certainly does have a way with words. I don’t really want to get caught up in the whole pro/anti abortion issue as I do believe there can be grounds for both sides.
While you say that adoption is the way to go for unwanted babies (for whatever reason) here in the UK there is an acute shortage of people wanting to, or being able to adopt and there are literally hundreds of babies growing up in the care system. On top of that there will be a time when that adopted baby grows up and, naturally, would want to find out who his/her parents are and why they gave up the child in the first place. Can you imagine the impact it could have on a person to find out they were the result of a rape and were never wanted or loved or even thought about after they were born?
I don’t know the answer but I do believe there can be cases where abortion should be allowed. It’s not black and white, there are a lot of grey areas to. I certainly don’t feel it’s OK to go and take the life of another because you were careless or drunk and got “caught”.
Well that’s my 10 cents worth,
My 2 cents was free!
love to all.
Ian
What gives your family the right to have so many children when the world is over populated? Seems kinda selfish.
Not everyone has drunk so deeply of the overpopulation myth as you have. What gives us the right? It’s a divine right. The claims of individuals like yourself crumble in any encounter with the facts. You’ve drank of the Mass Media has fed you. You will argue ad nauseum that the earth has too fragile an environment, not enough space, and too few resources to sustain population growth. Historic and scientific facts prove these arguments false. More importantly, Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church on man’s nature and the purpose of the earth provide a proper understanding of the issues and offer just solutions to the social problems of our day.
This “fear” dates back to ancient times. You do realize that the belief that Jews and others were crowding them out, the Hitler waged a World War against them to regain the space he belieed belonged to the Germans. Because they claim there is little room and not enough resources, people such as yourself are declaring “World War III” on the growth rate of those groups they believe are less worthy of consuming the world’s limited room and resources. But your contentions lack merit. We are not close to running out of anything God giveth and he gaveth plenty. “Go forth and mulitply” …
Wow…way to put the “mental” into fundamental. While my daughter and wife and I conserve as many resources as possible, our efforts will be drowned out ten-fold by your religious conquest. It’s a shame that people still think as narrow minded and selfishly as that.
No reason to get nasty, really.
For the overpopulation alarmists, like yourself, the child is the consummate consumer. As one silly little ad of the 1970s put it: “Every 8 seconds a new American is born. He is a disarming little thing, but he will consume 56,000,000 gallons of water, 21,000 gallons of gasoline, 10,150 pounds of meat, 28,000 pounds of milk and cream, 9,000 pounds of wheat, and great storehouses of all other foods, drinks, and tobaccos.”[16] No mention is made of the fact that this same child will also grow up to be a producer and contribute to society in tangible and intangible ways.
Certainly you will not refuse my children’s Social Security and Medicare contributions to you, when the time comes … on principal, now will you?
I love being married to a hacker … howdy neighbor! 😉
Well Jim & his wife will be completely dependent on the gov’t at some point in their lives as the burden of caring for 2 elderly parents will prove to be an insurmountable problem for an only child. You, sir, are the one being utterly selfish. One child deprives your daughter of having siblings (aka best friends) when you have passed and/or are too old to participate in her life. Who will she have? That is the most selfish act of all. Aside from the cruelty you have afflicted upon your own child, you are contributing tot he under population the UN forecasts for 2050 – you haven’t even offered replenishment for you and your wife. And, surely your wife works, how selfish of both of you to have jobs when so many people in this country need employment. I say, forget spread the wealth, spread the employment – 1 income per family!
Spread the employment, ha ha ha. Good one. Why not, actually?!?!?!?! I stay home and raise my own children …
You are joking right? This is not the 1800’s and it is alright for a woman to be employed. My wife and I do not feed our daughter lies, and she is able to make plenty of friends. I am not sure where you got the “under population” forecast, but it’s much better that the world have less people than too many. Actually, in 1960 the population was 3 billion. It only took 39 years to double.
Not joking, buddy. You farm your kid out to daycare, don’t even bother to raise the one pidly kid you made and produced, you horde jobs because you and your wife believe material things are most important, you complain about people having large families, you lay an undue burden on your “daycare baby” for when you are old and decrepit, she will have her own family, you won’t be a priority cuz she wasn’t a priority to you and all of today’s kids will be paying for you, should you live that long. Spread the wealth, you libs cry, how bout just spread the jobs so we don’t have to spread the damn wealth? Selfish to fork the kid you made over to other people to care for so you can have your wealth. Every large family I have ever met takes care of their own kids!
Nothing replaces siblings.
Richard,
To be fair, you can only say that every large family that YOU have ever met takes care of their kids. There are a lot more people with 3 or 4 kids who do not properly provide for their families.
Whoa. amazing.
Selfish? Raising 11 kids, surely you can’t call these folks selfish. They most likely don’t drive a new car like you and your wife (do you call her your wife or your partner?), they most likely don’t eat out as often as you and your partner, they most likely conserve water and heat more so than your family, they likely waste little to no food. And, mom has devoted herself to her children! Selfish, no. Crazy, perhaps, but they are happier than any family I’ve ever seen.
I don’t think his point was that women shouldn’t work, his point was that the 2-income family phenomenon has ruined the family.
Does God pay your bills? You can sit on your high horse and preach No Daycare, No Abortion, etc because you are obviously extremely wealthy. Could you say that making $15,000/year?
He absolutely provides for us and we are not wealthy, we simply forgo the luxury cars, the big vacations, the beautiful kitchens … we choose where to spend our money. But, HUGE BUT … we did make it and we did say it when Dan made $9,000/yr!!! No help, no assistance (too proud to go on WIC or Food Stamps), It was not easy, but we did do it, so there ya go!!!
It appears to me, having read all of the comments from start to finish, that there are some incredibly rude and uncaring people in this world. What difference does it make to you “Jim” if this family have one or one hundred mouths to feed? They obviously do this from their own hard work and ask for nothing from anyone else.
This fallacy you post as the truth (over population) is a scare tactic used by people who have nothing better to do than upset and alarm others and is listened to only by those who don’t bother to find out the facts for themselves.
Attacking this god fearing, hard working family is simply you way of dealing with your own inabilities and short-falls in life. You take this “moral high ground” and spew half truths and lies because (in my own opinion) you are just a miserable, probably bad tempered, person with no real focus to life.
When was the last time you actually spent any time with your one child? How often have you taught your offspring, played with her or even listened when she spoke to you?
Go about your business “Jim” and be happy in your own putrid vision of the world and those that live in it.
Haha. It’s funny how you think you have a valid argument based on assumptions about my life and my relationships with my daughter. Then again, maybe god told you so.
Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black? You can make all sorts of assumptions about my family and the way we live our lives but someone else does it about you and you get even more nasty. I know you are a liberal, because liberals are angry angry people who lash out at religion and scoff at happiness and laugh at people with morals and values — but, we non-liberals always have the last laugh. I will be praying for you and your family, I can’t imagine going through life so inherently angry. God Bless you, Jim.
Susie,
I think you should read your post. I have never understood why so many Christian people claim happiness and then leave comments like yours. It seems that if you were truly happy, your reply would have shown more kindness. How can you leave a comment like “we always have the last laugh” and then expect people to take you seriously as a follower of Jesus? Then you say you will pray for him. Make up your mind—are you going to pray for him or ridicule him?
Christians can claim happiness and be everything from kind to rude, to patient and impatient because we are only human, we sin just like everyone else. But my comment is being taken out of context — it was not a ridiculing of him. But regardless, even if it was meant to strike despair within him, you cannot make such a jump as to say I am not a happy person or not a Christian person. That is beyond the scope of reason. Let’s discuss issues at hand and agree not to call each other out on spelling errors or remotely off-handed comments.
Mr Judgemental doesn’t like being judged? Typical liberal cry baby. Betcha drink bottled water and use those $2 grocery bags made in china with plastic and formaldehyde? Hypocrite of the highest level. Your daughter is in daycare while you and your wife collect money – already we know your priority, know your type. You can deny and decry all you want, but you’d rather have stuff than prioritize your daughter.
This just brought tears to my eyes. This was the most touching, painful writing on abortion. My heart is aching.
Character is what you are in the dark.
Awesome post! I will keep an on eye on your blog.
Really? And you know this how? A fetus is not alive, stupid.
Wow. Powerful.
I have read this before and it’s amazing. Incredibly insightful and eye opening. Very well said from Jerry. I have never even thought about your comment on a woman not being permitted to murder her rapist. No one could force her to keep her baby. There are plenty of families waiting to adopt babies.
Ok, just finished reading all these comments. Margaret, really? How old are you that you are calling people stupid. Even my 4 year old knows we use more intelligent words.
I think this whole feed is sad. I have 2 adopted children, who yes someday will wonder where they came from and why. Just because there stories aren’t all rainbows and butterflies doesn’t mean they don’t deserve life! They are going to grow up to do incredible things. I also have 6 kids. Yes, we use a lot of water and produce a lot of trash. But we also produce a lot of love, compassion and kindness. We can help 6x the amount of people who are in need. How’s that! If you want to save the world my having 1 kid go for it. If you want to send that one kid to daycare, that’s your choice. I won’t judge you and you don’t judge me.
And for the record the Kellogg kids are amazing. Every single one of them. They love eachother, they are kind and respectful. I never have to think twice about my kids hanging out with them. My thought would be for all of us to learn to love more and respect more. You can have an opinion without judging others or calling them stupid.