Hear Fr. Frank Pavone, Stephanie Jacobson, and Jacob Barr discuss the importance of speaking out against abortion, sharing personal stories, and highlighting the dangers of proposed abortion amendments in various states.
Transcript
The transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Brothers and sisters, pro life leader Frank Pavone here. Well, today, we are going to have a beautiful, wonderful conversation with a wonderful witness to life and to god’s mercy. Her name is Stephanie Jacobson. She’s got a story you’re going to wanna hear, and she has beautiful resources you’re going to wanna connect to. And then we’re going to talk about one of the biggest dangers to the pro life movement ever to exist that is on the ballot in many places this fall. This is an episode you’re not going to wanna miss.
Jacob Barr
So welcome to the pro life team podcast. Father Frank and Stephanie, I’m excited to have you on here. Father Frank, would you open us in a prayer, and then we’ll let Stephanie, go from there and start sharing her story.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yes. Absolutely. Good to be with you, Stephanie and Jacob and all of you brothers and sisters who are watching. Let’s turn to the lord of life and mercy. Father, we, we we praise you. We praise you that you have brought us into existence out of nothing. We praise you that, you have given us the wisdom and the opportunity to defend life, our most fundamental good, our most basic right, our most sacred treasure, and we thank you for being a part for us being part of the pro life movement.
Lord god, today, in a particular way, we want to, seek your blessing. First of all, as we speak for life, as we speak for healing, because, lord, we who reject abortion do not reject those who have had abortions. Rather, we embrace them with the love, mercy, and and and peace that come from you and from your son, Jesus Christ, and that the world cannot give and that the world cannot take away. So we pray today for the healing of all those who have been ensnared by the violence of abortion. And furthermore, lord god, we pray for your protection because those who promote abortion, who care nothing for the babies or for their moms or for any of us, want to advance this so called right even farther through dangerous amendments being proposed on the ballots in 10 different states. So, lord, today, we wanna help our listeners gain a greater understanding of this threat and greater confidence in speaking about it and in helping to prevent it from happening. Give us your guidance.
Give success to the work of our hands. Give power to the words from our lips, and we pray that they be your words, lord god. And we pray in the name of Jesus, the lord. Amen.
Stephanie Jacobson
Amen. Amen. Wow. I you you brought me to tears.
That’s that was a beautiful prayer. Thank you so much.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Thank you, Stephanie.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yes. I am so honored to be here with both of you and all of your listening audience today because I feel like God has brought me into this fight from something that I would have never ever thought that I would be talking about the grace and mercy of our lord. I I do wanna say that, you know, this is a sensitive subject. So if someone is having struggles with having had an abortion, you know, we’ll give some, things at the end that you can, call and talk to us. We would love to be able to speak with you, but we’ll we’ll start with what I feel is, why I fight this this battle. It’s very personal to me. I, I was raised in a a very loving home, and my parents, they took me to church and taught us about Jesus.
And I knew him as as my personal savior when I was very young, and my world was very safe. And we don’t think about abortions happening in these kinds of families, though. Right? I mean, it’s kind of we don’t even think about that. We think of somebody being maybe out on the street or someone who’s in prostitution or something like that. But life took a detour that I never saw coming. I had 2 abortions while I was still in my teens, actually, and one was at a Planned Parenthood in Kansas City, Missouri, and the other one was at KU Medical Center.
But at the Planned Parenthood, I remember being in this tiny sterile room. It was just this white sterile room, and the woman who was given the job of educating me about my procedure that she was they were about to do, slid the speculum across the desktop to explain this process, that process to take the tissue from my body, which is that’s all she ever called it was the tissue. At that point, I asked if I could go get my boyfriend out of the car, and I wanted to hear what he had to say because I was 16. I was alone, and I was afraid. And she told me that I wouldn’t need him, that this was my choice now, and he can’t help me with this now, but they could. And I wanna say right here that this is the same lie that they’re telling women today. It it is not any different.
So, this was 40 years ago, 45 years ago now, I guess. Then she told me that abortion abortion was a decision between a woman and her doctor. And I’ll tell you to be clear, I never saw or discussed my pregnancy, my benefits, risks, or alternatives of either abortion with any doctor. So there was nothing medical about this. She said abortion was safe.
Death isn’t safe. In any shape or form, death is not safe. But the aftermath of those abortions, it didn’t stop at at the death of my children. The aftermath of those abortions was something that was never even mentioned in that small, tiny, sterile room. Depression, anxiety, anger, miscarriages, and suicidal thoughts plagued my life for many, many, many years. It actually led to a misdiagnosis at the age of 27 of bipolar. I’m not bipolar.
I had unresolved grief. And, you know, having life sucked from your body, it leaves you very angry. And that anger plagued me for those 40 years until I found healing. And we wonder why we have such an angry nation when we don’t value life, nothing has value, But I have 2, Liam Elias and Victoria Isabelle. And you may wonder why I named my children. It’s because they existed, and they have personhood. That’s right. Gives them
Fr. Frank Pavone
Persons have names. Right? Stephanie, persons have names. That’s why I I you may be familiar. Some of our listeners might be familiar. We have a project at Priest for Life called name the children. Name the children dot org and part of our overall, mission of of promoting healing after abortion.
It gives people, whether they’ve had an abortion or not, the opportunity to name 1 or more of the countless millions who have been aborted and have never been given a name. And that’s so significant to give them a name because it it’s for the precisely the reason you just said. You know, you’re among the the the really blessed and courageous people who are able and who see the value of sharing their abortion story. So many suffer in silence. Many others are healed, but they still remain silent. And, it’s not that everyone has to share their story publicly, of course. But you and I are both involved with, this great movement of Operation Outcry, and and, we’ll let you say more about that.
But our our friend, Alan Parker, and the whole team there, do so much for healing those wounded by abortion. And, of course, as you know, I’m I serve as pastoral director of the silent no more campaign, a kind of a sister, effort and movement to give a platform to the voices like yours and to Absolutely. As a result, help people understand, first, how how harmful abortion is, but also help those who are locked in shame and silence to know that there’s a savior and that they can take his hand and that they can rise up from that that despair and that pain.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yes. And, you know, you can you can even have joy after this. I talked to so many women.
I’m with h three helpline. I’m a phone coach on h three helpline.
It’s 247, 365 days a year. We answer phone calls. I’m answering in the middle of the night, sometimes women in the middle of their abortions, sometimes women that have had abortions 40 50 60 years ago. But they can have joy after their abortions once they find healing. You know, the scripture, Esther 414 is kind of the banner that I fight under. And we look at that scripture, and a lot of times you’ll hear the end of that scripture, and I call them coffee cup scriptures because Yeah.
Fr. Frank Pavone
A
Stephanie Jacobson
lot of times they’ll put them on coffee cups or your t shirts or something. But, one day I was going back and really studying that verse, and I went back to the beginning of the verse. And it says, for if you keep silent this isn’t even the beginning of the chapter. This is the chap the the verse, and a lot of people will not have heard this part of for such a time as this. But it says, for if you keep silent, that tells us right there, we’ve gotta speak. We cannot stay silent.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Right.
Stephanie Jacobson
And then it says, god will accomplish his will. It doesn’t matter if we say if we keep silent or not. He’s gonna accomplish his will, and it says, for if you keep silent, relief and deliverance will rise.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Oh. And it
Stephanie Jacobson
says for the Jews, but I say babies and mamas. Right. The deliverance will rise for the babies and mamas from another place. He will accomplish his will. Yeah.
Fr. Frank Pavone
And
Stephanie Jacobson
but if you don’t, there’s a consequence. And what is that consequence? That you and your father’s house will perish. That’s an extreme consequence for not protecting life. Because if you don’t protect life, you don’t have liberty or pursuit of happiness.
You have nothing. There’s there’s life doesn’t exist.
Fr. Frank Pavone
The lord Jesus echoed that theme when he said, if you don’t speak out, the very stones will cry out. You know? He said, take one way or the other where the word is gonna get out. Right? And,
Stephanie Jacobson
It is.
Fr. Frank Pavone
And and what you’re also saying is reminds me of of something I I preach about that, you know, in Deuteronomy when when Moses said to the people, you know, I set before your life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life. Notice, we can choose which way to go, life or death, but we can’t choose where that road leads. Life will lead to blessings. Choosing death will lead to curses. And and the lie behind the culture of death and the abortion industry is you can choose death and have blessings. Doesn’t work that way.
Never can work that way.
Stephanie Jacobson
Not work.
Fr. Frank Pavone
You can choose life or death, but the consequences are fixed. Life will lead to blessings. Death will lead to curses.
But That’s right. When the death leads to curses as you are a witness of, repentance can lead you back to life, and that’s the beautiful thing.
Stephanie Jacobson
That is the beautiful thing. And and and in the repentance, there is something that, you know, it’s hard when a woman has gone through an abortion, and they want to find a place that’s safe. For years, it’s been difficult to find those places because everything seems so hidden. We have so many more, valuable places that women can go and women can call, and it’s more open. And yet I believe that we have so many women, even in the church, that are stuck, and they don’t feel like they can come forward and tell a soul. And so repentance is one thing, but speaking out is another. And, you know, healing is one thing.
So they can come forward. I know there’s Rachel’s Vineyards. There’s there’s a place in Kansas City called well, it’s not If Not for Grace now, but it was If Not for Grace. That’s where I went, and Karenette’s and all of these different places, but and healing is one thing, but there’s a there’s another step in there that I feel like we’ve failed to talk about, and and true freedom comes from this next step. It is to speak about the deepest, darkest hurt that you’ve ever had because when God heals you, then we should speak about that because then others will understand that there is healing and that there is forgiveness. And so these women feel the shame and the hurt, and that’s the old man. When when you ask for repentance and you ask for forgiveness, that’s the old man at the foot of the cross.
It is freedom there, and that’s what I want for these women. I I can’t wait to see what God’s gonna do because I believe that the enemy tries to to, give his or give his best, but God is the one that he he he provides the healing and he the enemy tries to get people with his best, but God gives his best. That’s what it was. You he the enemy gets his best at people, but but God gives his best people. And so that’s where we have to go is to the foot of the cross.
Fr. Frank Pavone
We should share with our audience where they can connect with this help. You talked about the, the helpline, h three helpline. Why don’t we give people the the number and, and or web sites or whatever information you can give them that, will connect them with the help they might need or or a friend might need?
Stephanie Jacobson
Absolutely. That number is 866-721 7 881. And, we love to talk to these women. When the phone rings, I get excited because I know that somebody on the other end of that line is looking for help. That’s right. Looking for something that they don’t have. They’re looking for Jesus is what they’re looking for.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Stephanie, do if if you could repeat that number once again, please.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yes. 8866 721-7881.
We also have texting. If you go to h three helpline.org, you can text, and we will talk with you on text as well. And,
Fr. Frank Pavone
h
Stephanie Jacobson
three It’s it’s a pleasure.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yeah. Well, you know, you I’m sure you’ve you’ve experienced and you’ve heard what I also have heard so many times in in helping, not only the moms, but the dads after abortion. They say, you know, you saved my life. I I I I couldn’t I didn’t save the life of my baby, but you have saved my life. And and those that work, for example, in CareNet, and the other pregnancy center networks, We would just have the CareNet conference, of course.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yes.
Fr. Frank Pavone
They they they hear the same thing too when they’ve when they are able to dissuade some from one from abortion. They’ve saved the life of that baby, but they’ve saved the life of that mother too because death you know, the devil doesn’t flirt with anybody. He he he the devil’s not interested in playing games. He wants to possess, us. He wants to he doesn’t just wanna harm. He wants to destroy. And, so it’s so easy to underestimate the power and destructiveness of sin, including abortion.
So it’s so so great when we’re able to both save someone from it in the first place and heal them afterwards. So once again, one more time. So h three helpline dot org, and then that number one more time.
Stephanie Jacobson
866-721-7881. And could I mention one more, ministry that I’m involved in? I just became the lead for Florida in a ministry called Operation Outcry, and I know that that you know who Alan Parker is and just a wonderful man that’s that helped to to to fight Roe in in the Supreme Court. And, you know, you, the the listening audience, can get involved a couple of different ways and help us fight this. Women that have had abortions, men that have had abortions can, go to operation outcry.org and sign a declaration that tells how abortion hurt them. You know, the the, left always touts that it’s healthcare. Abortion is healthcare.
Well, those are just white coats that and now we don’t even have the white coats. These women are taking pills in their bathrooms, aborting their babies in the toilet, not knowing what to do because now they see that it’s a baby and they can’t flush it down the toilet. And I know that that’s excruciating to hear, but this is the reality of what’s happening. And or they don’t wanna get the baby out of the toilet and wrap it up in a in a towel and put it in the trash because they see that it’s a valuable thing that they were lied to about. And so it’s hard to imagine that you could you could even think that you could be lied to about something like that. But when you’re in a place that you don’t know what to do and you turn to someone you think is going to help you and they give you an option of this, they don’t tell you the truth, they give you an option. That option then becomes a nightmare because now they don’t want know what to do.
And sometimes I get these phone calls of what do I do, you know. So we will take those phone calls as well. But operation outcry will give you an opportunity to confidentially tell a little bit of your story or you can sign your name. It you don’t have to sign your name. It can be completely confidential, but we take these declarations, and this is what helped turn Roe over, Roe v Wade. It was almost 5,000 declarations from across the United States were codified in a brief and put before the Supreme Court. And so these this is the way that we sometimes can battle this, and we need voices.
We need you to speak up. We need you to come confidentially and tell us your story. Or not confidentially. My name’s in there, so I’m pretty much of an open book.
So it’s it’s good. It’s freedom. We can also the moral outcry is on there too. So if people have not had an abortion and they still want to say that abortion is harmful, please go on there and and sign a declaration. We would love to have your your, voice in as well.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yes. I was, worked closely with Alan, as the moral outcry, was being crafted. It gives the various reasons why abortion is a crime against humanity and why it should be abolished. And this, of course, was issued this moral outcry before the reversal of Roe v Wade, but very many of the arguments in there, were actually things that the court ended up embracing as it overturned Roe v Wade. But this is an it’s an opportunity to do exactly what the words say that all of us who are morally outraged by abortion as we should be need to do what the scriptures say.
I think of Isaiah 58. Cry out full throated and unsparingly and tell the house of Israel their sins. But we tell have to tell the house of America its sins and the house of the whole world its sins when we’re killing our our tiniest babies. Moral outcry. Yeah. I I really I I wanna, add my encouragement to yours for everybody to get get involved in that. And, you know, testimonies like yours, Stephanie and like all the the women of operation outcry and all the women of silent no more too together with the men who have spoken out.
Many of those can be found at abortion testimonies. com. That’s another helpful website, abortion testimonies. com. And they can watch them. They can search for different types of testimonies, and it’s all very, very helpful. So you and I are involved in a big battle.
You and I are both in Florida. But it’s not only in Florida. It’s in 9 other states where there are these very, very dangerous amendments, abortion amendments. And I’d like to transition that into that, Stephanie. You can give us a kind of an overview. But let me tell right at the outset here, our listeners, the states we’re talking about because some of you may be in these states, and we, but even if you’re not, all of us every one of these state battles is a national battle, and we all need to be involved. So we’re talking, of course, Florida where where Stephanie and I both reside.
But in addition, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota. 10 states are facing really although there are variations in the wording, they’re all about the same thing, aren’t they? They were about unlimited abortion imposed on the people, imposed by the state constitution. Stephanie, talk to us a little bit about this.
Stephanie Jacobson
Oh, well, I had my abortions in Missouri, but now I’m in Florida. And it just so happens that both of those states are fighting this at one time and with all of the others. And if it’s not if it’s not happening this year, it’s coming to a state near you. Yeah. And it’s already happened in, what, 7 different states, have already fallen to this very this very, constitutional change. I don’t have that list in front of me, but but if you haven’t had it, check it out in your state and see if it’s on your ballot because it’s something that it is so deceptive. The wording is so deceptive that if you don’t start looking at it now, you may be deceived when you go into the ballot box because they make it look so tasty and so loving and kind and, you know, flowery or so, something that only a lawyer could understand, and you don’t know what to do.
So don’t be deceived. Be be forewarned and know that this is your warning to look to find someone in your state that knows what’s going on, and and I know that Florida I don’t know if you’ve seen the signs no one for, but it is
Fr. Frank Pavone
We’ve got them in front of our office on
Jacob Barr
the Yes.
Fr. Frank Pavone
On the on the roadway there. Yeah.
Stephanie Jacobson
And you can get those, at no, see, it’s vote no on 4. com. You can go on there, and you can get signs on there and, rack cards and different things. So I think each state, hopefully, I know Missouri is fighting tooth and nail as well.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Oh, yeah.
Jacob Barr
So Well, well, we have
Stephanie Jacobson
They had a big decision today.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yeah. Yeah. Just today. Exactly. Be before we before we came on to do do this taping, we, we, I had just sent out a press release to Missouri. They they they were trying to, I think a very, very valid effort to keep the amendment off the ballot because it’s because it it it’s not transparent. It doesn’t tell people the implications. Right? The things the many Missouri has so many pro life laws.
And and and and they would all be threatened. They would all be challenged. They would all ultimately be invalidated if they went to court. And, it’s only right that the citizens should know some of these implications. And and that’s what I it’s definitely I’d like you to delve into some of these implications of these these these in other words, they do a whole lot more harm than the words say that they do. Right? We wanna explore this a little bit for people.
But there is a website that we can get Yes, Jamie?
Jacob Barr
So it’s, vote it’s a vote no on 4, the number 4, florida. com.
Stephanie Jacobson
Okay. That might be Yeah. That’s, Florida family voices is the one that’s putting that out.
But thank you.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Family voices. Yeah. But there is a web page, state ballot measures. So state ballot measures dot org will give you the information on each of these 10 states that I mentioned and the websites for each of those states where well, you’ll see I I we put the pro abortion websites there too so you can see the the deceptive strategy that the other side is using. But you’ll also see the links to the pro life coalitions in each of these states that are working to stop these dangerous, measures. But go ahead, Stephanie. Let’s ex let’s explore why these are so dangerous and deceptive.
Stephanie Jacobson
Well, the first thing it will do, it will wipe off every law that y’all have fought for in your state. So every every every measure that protects not only the baby, but the mother. We have one here in Florida. We have a law on the books in Florida that if a baby or a mother is pregnant with this baby and the baby is struggling and it’s going to, the mother is going to die or the mother is going to have problems from this, then they will they will they have measures that they know that they have to take the the mother’s save the mother’s life and not take, you know, not let the baby live, or they they will take and and do a c section or something for that baby. Mhmm. And so sometimes the baby will live, but sometimes it doesn’t. And so the mother is valued as well as the baby.
So we we try to get the best possible effort out of that, but it will it will wipe away any law that’s on the books that we have fought for. It will make pregnancy it will make abortion legal all the way up to and through the the birth. So All the way.
Jacob Barr
All the way.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yep. It will there is nothing to stop it. Yeah. And, Stephanie, doesn’t that
Fr. Frank Pavone
go directly against the will of the people? I mean, the American people have never agreed to late term abortion. Never. Any opinion Never. Whatever opinion poll you want, any year you want, you won’t find it. Not only that, but Florida. Look what we did just in the last couple of years.
We we we we passed the law first limiting abortion to 15 weeks. And then just the following year, 2 2 2 to 6 weeks. And that just went into effect, just a few months ago.
Stephanie Jacobson
April 1st.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yep. Right? The will of the people is clear. I mean, we’re electing these pro life lawmakers, pro life governor. They’re they’re passing these laws. They’re signing them. That’s the will of the people, not not abortion until birth.
Stephanie Jacobson
Well, this is the this is the thing that’s really hard to understand about this particular thing, this particular, ballot initiative is that if the people walk into that ballot box and are deceived and they vote yes on this, no no lawyer, no legislator, no governor, and no supreme court can turn it over.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Right. It’s the constitution.
Stephanie Jacobson
No. It will be completely engulfed in the constitution, and you will not be able to turn it over with a legislator. This cannot be fought again, and it has to go back to the vote of the people, which costs 1,000,000 of dollars. And so the deception isn’t just now, it will be later too. And they’re not gonna stop if they if this passes, this will not be the end of it. This is constitutional law. Constitutional law is the basis for every other law that’s built on top of it.
So if this if homicide is is codified into the constitution of these states, trafficking, sex change, all these other laws are gonna be so much easier because if you codify homicide into the to the constitution, what else do you have? I mean, it will be so much easier for the lawyers to come in and build on that.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Stephanie, talk to us about parents’ rights. Parents’ rights are affected by this amendment 4 and likewise by the other amendments in these other states.
Stephanie Jacobson
It’s not only affected, it’s taken away. So you will not have the right to tell your child that they can’t have an abort I mean, you can keep them from going to the abortion clinic, but the problem is the wording is deceptive because in Florida, and I’m sure it’s in the other states as well, it takes away the consent of a parent, and it gives them where they will notify the parent that their child has had an abortion or is having an abortion. And the problem with that is these kids are probably lying. I know I did when I had my abortion. They’re not going to give the correct number or the correct email to their parent. And, if even if they do, they don’t have to notify them. They’ve not said when they’re gonna notify them.
It might be the morning of. A parent gets a notification that, oh my gosh. They’re going my child’s going to have an abortion today?
What was what’s that all about? Or 2 days later, my child had an abortion. So, I mean, they take away the consent, and we we can’t even give cough drops in or cough medicine in a school, but this leads to the next part. The health care provider, they do not summarize who that is. And in the state of Florida, and I’m they they it could be the the school nurse giving your child the abortion pills to take and abort your grandchild. So it’s I mean, there’s a bigger there’s a bigger issue to this. Abortion is a symptom of a deeper problem, but this is what we’re fighting right now, and we have to be very much on guard and and keep our watch up because, in in the state of Florida, the definition for health care provider has 50 different, definitions. So
Fr. Frank Pavone
Physical therapist. Right?
Stephanie Jacobson
Massage therapist. I’m a massage therapist.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Optometrist.
Stephanie Jacobson
Would have the right. Yes. It it makes no sense. And they did that on purpose.
It’s very deceptive. So they can, I mean, I don’t think you’re gonna go to your optometrist and get an abortion pill or get you know?
But you never know.
Jacob Barr
You can get abortion
Stephanie Jacobson
pills online.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yeah. Well, as you know, what they can do is they can certify that this person should have an abortion. You see, this is where it’s so deceptive just like you’re saying because to your earlier point, this allows abortion throughout pregnancy. But if you read the words of the amendment, it says up until viability. Okay. Yeah. First of all, viability is not defined.
And and viability is not even a point in time. It’s a prediction of how the baby how well the baby will survive after birth. It it it’s a it’s a prediction. But putting that aside, then it says the word or.
Stephanie Jacobson
Or. Or.
Fr. Frank Pavone
So it’s not just until viability. It’s viability or what?
Or when needed for the health of the mother. And what else is not defined? Health. But who determines it? The health care provider, which is also not defined. So any of those, like you said, 50 different categories of of people considered health care providers could say, oh, well, this woman is she’s too anxious.
She’s too nervous. She’s too worried. Yeah. Even though she’s 30 weeks pregnant, she needs to be able to have an abortion. And this is what happens. Right?
Stephanie Jacobson
It is what happens. And, you know, like I said, I’m a massage therapist, and so the sciatic nerve is a problem. When you’re pregnant, it will sometimes flare. And to the point where you you wanna die, I mean, it’s like, oh my gosh. This is horrible. Sometimes they are bedridden. You know?
It is a horrible pain. And, you know, they could go to a massage therapist or a doctor and say, I’m having this horrible pain. Like, well, the best thing for you to do is to abort your I mean, it’s crazy because I I was talking to someone the other day and they said, well, that doesn’t happen. That doesn’t happen. And planned parenthood also also said it doesn’t happen. But I will tell you this. I was on the phone the other day with a 27 week pregnant mother.
Well, actually, she had aborted her baby the day before, but she was 27 weeks. And her and her boyfriend had a fight, And so she just flippantly went out and got the abortion pill and had that and aborted that baby.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yep.
Stephanie Jacobson
And then she was calling me because she realized this was not what she wanted. And it’s interesting because 40 years ago, 45 years ago, when I had my abortions, we had to we had to go to a book to see a fetus. We didn’t have the 40 sonograms that they have now and the heartbeat.
But you know what? Women are becoming desensitized to that even. And so I pray that God will open their hearts and their minds and their eyes and, to see that he has he has put a sanctity of life with inside of the marriage, and there is an order to all of this, and there’s a reason for it. And so I would you know, I know we don’t wanna talk about, you know, the I won’t go there because that that raises a whole another question. But but the whole sexual part of it and everything is is such a a hard issue these days because we’re such inundated with the sexuality of everything, and these kids growing up don’t have a chance to not see these things because they’re in their phones. Right. And so if we could if we could tell the parents, be proactive with your children so that they don’t have to come to a place where they’re checking online or they’re talking to their peers and their peers have had abortions, well, it’s no big deal.
Or to have sex, it’s no big deal. It is a big deal, and it’s sacred. And God put an order to it that is beautiful within marriage and and beautiful. So, if you are suffering from an abortion or if you are in a relationship that you don’t know what to do, talk to somebody.
Talk to us. Talk talk to father Frank Pavone. He you know, there are people out there that will that will listen and that care.
It’s time to rise up. You know, it’s,
Fr. Frank Pavone
it’s incredible what’s going on here and and and what people have to have to realize about these amendments. And and, again, stateballotmeasures. org. You can see what’s going on in all these 10 states. What they have to realize is they’re not just putting a right to abortion. They’re making this a right to a speedy and unhindered abortion. Now especially those that work in pregnancy centers have to understand, the abortion industry sees the pregnancy center movement as a hindrance and a delay to getting an abortion.
What these amendments do, and and this is true across these various states, they’ll have this word burden. The abortion right has to be unburdened. They have the they use the word delay. We have that in the Florida one. You cannot delay an abortion. You cannot hinder an abortion. Well, what do these words mean?
Well, they they don’t define them, but we know how the other side is gonna is gonna try to use them because they’ve done it before. If you have health and safety regulations in the clinics or even if you have, you know, this informed consent and, you know, you gotta get some basic information, including about the alternatives, you might wanna go and visit a pregnancy center before you get your abortion.
The other side Yeah. Considers that a delay, a hindrance, and interference with the abortion. And now what these amendments are doing is they’re making that not only illegal but unconstitutional, which as you explained, Stephanie, it’s a higher level of, it’s a higher level of public policy. This is really bad. And peep we have gotta sound the alarm, and people have got to oppose these amendments.
Stephanie Jacobson
They sure do. And they’re dangerous and deceptive, and, you know, we just we need to to defeat it. I would ask this too that, you know, we’re kind of a echo chamber right here. Us 3 are an echo chamber because we know it.
We’re fighting it. We’re gonna do it. But there is no way to fight this except through the grassroots. The people that are listening to this podcast, you’re the answer. We’re not I mean, I can speak to to maybe a 1000 people, but you have a circle of influence that I don’t have. And for you to step out out of your comfort zone, find these these, websites that he was he was saying. What what did you say?
It’s out at stateballotmeasure. org. Exactly. Go on there and find out what your the measures are on your ballot. Find out what they are and why they’re deceptive and and then talk. Just have conversations. I have I have a hairdresser that I know does not think like I do, and he was we were talking about it the other day, and I said, can I ask you a question?
And he’s like, sure. And I said, do you think it’s okay to kill a baby when it’s more than likely going to be born within the next 6 weeks, 5 weeks, 3 days, and the look on his face was horror.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yep.
Stephanie Jacobson
And I said, you don’t think so? And he goes, absolutely not. And I said, well and this is in Florida. And I said, well, we’ve got a measure on our ballot this year, amendment 4, that if you vote yes, they there will be abortion up to birth. And I thought that man was gonna come unglued. He goes, I will not be voting for that. I will be voting no. So, you know, you just have to have the conversation.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Speak up. That’s right. Yeah. Just speak up.
You’re a good example
Jacob Barr
of that.
Fr. Frank Pavone
And it’s to the people that you know, we don’t have to wonder, oh, how are we gonna reach all these be it’s the people God puts right in front of us. Right?
Stephanie Jacobson
Right? Do you know what yes. Do you know what do you know what Planned Parenthood said about, this measure? Was that they are counting on a sleepy and lethargic church.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yes. Well, Stephanie, that echoes that echoes the words that doctor Bernard Nathanson said, as you know, one of the founders of the abortion movement in America decades ago. He said the only way they got the only reason they got away with it was that the church was asleep.
Stephanie Jacobson
Mhmm. Wake up. Yep. Wake up.
The it’s it’s time. It is time to you know, the scripture talks about being hot or cold. God said he would rather you would be hot or cold. He said that the lukewarm heat spew you out of his mouth. Yes. That’s a scary thought too because God is not mocked, and he created life in his image. And we are we are taking you know, the enemy thinks that he if he can kill the image bearer of God before she’s taken a breath, he’s won.
But I’m here to tell you that those of us who have had abortions, we understand the value of life, and we understand that at the foot of the cross, we have forgiveness of sins, and it’s for an eternity. It’s not just for this life.
So don’t just think this life. Think about the platform that you can have if someone’s had an abortion. You know, I ask forgiveness. When I give my testimony, I ask the audience for forgiveness.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Mhmm.
Stephanie Jacobson
Why do I do that? I give them an opportunity to search their heart and say, do I forgive this woman for having her abortion?
You’d be surprised. I had a representative in, in Missouri when I was giving my testimony one time. He come up to me afterwards, a friend of mine. He goes, I had to think about that for a minute. He said, because that’s what I fight all the time in in Missouri. I’m getting Florida and Missouri mixed up. In Missouri, he said, I fight against this at the capitol.
He said, I had to think about whether I forgave you or not. And here’s the key to that. If you can’t find forgiveness in your heart for these women that have had abortions, why not?
Why can you not? Is there something holding you back? Do you have something in your life that maybe you need forgiveness for or that that you have a, an unforgiveness towards someone else? And if so, make that right, and then help these women understand that there is forgiveness at the in men, that there is forgiveness at the foot of the cross. That is just that’s the most important thing today, but these ballot measures, we have got to get on that. And talk to your friends, talk to your pastors especially, and see if they will my pastor just spoke about it for and it’s it’s legal to speak about it from the pulpit.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Good. That’s right.
Stephanie Jacobson
It is legal.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Important point. Yes. You
Stephanie Jacobson
can speak about issues. You cannot speak about a candidate, but you can speak about the issues.
So it’s our right. It’s our right to know this. It’s it’s your right to talk to the people that you know. So in any measure, it’s your right to talk to the people you know.
Jacob Barr
The and the domain name for that that you were mentioning before is, stateballot, b a l l o t, measures, plural with an s with an s at the end, dotorg. And then that redirects to a a Preach For Life page with these different states that are facing these ballot measures along with, some more some more clinics for information.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Exactly.
Stephanie Jacobson
That’s awesome.
Fr. Frank Pavone
And, you know, we’ve won some victories already. We’ve kept this the the the pro abortion people in Arkansas wanted to put it on the ballot there, and the pro life people got it stopped. And the same thing in Minnesota. They wanted to put it on there. Pro life people got it stopped. You know, in most of these states, it takes just 50% plus 1 to pass these these these amendments. However, Colorado has a threshold of 55.
And we in Florida weren’t the best position. We have a threshold of 60. 60%.
Stephanie Jacobson
Yes.
Fr. Frank Pavone
So that can help. I I mean, we can’t take anything for granted, but that’ll certainly help us to defeat this thing.
Stephanie Jacobson
It will. I will tell you that that my friends up in Michigan that had this passed in Michigan, the last cycle, and they’re now fighting. They’ve come they’ve they’ve already got it in their constitution, and now the left has come back and they’re fighting they’re suing to have abortions now paid for by the by the government.
Fr. Frank Pavone
That’s what these amendment that’s right. These amendments do that. They’re gonna they get they don’t only take away protection from the baby. They take away protection from our tax dollars, to go to fund the bill, these babies. And that’s the people have gotta see that as a problem too.
Stephanie Jacobson
And I would tell the people of Florida to please read the whole thing because there is there is going to be something under the summary that that you’re gonna vote on. But underneath that is going to be, the budget, what the what how it will affect our budget, and that is a really important thing to read. So don’t just read the top and say this is about abortion, and I don’t know how to vote. I don’t know what to do. Read the read the whole thing before you it’s the first part’s deceptive, but I believe if you read the second part, it will become more clear. I don’t know about the other states, and I I apologize for not knowing. Well well But,
Fr. Frank Pavone
You know, Arizona, they had a victory there because they put some clarifying language there too that talks about the unborn child. You know? And this is where, you know, this is where the I think the battle over these coming weeks besides getting out the vote is is, you know, is is precisely there. The clarifying of the language is is so much of of what this boils down to. And, yeah, we, we do have an advantage there in in in in Florida, but some of the others too. K. Like Arizona, for example, are making it clear that what this is.
Jacob Barr
In Arizona, we actually had, a legal fight. There was a legal fight, by the Arizona Right to Life of Arizona, fighting to, you know, use certain words to describe the unborn person as an unborn child. Yep. And, essentially, there was there was a fight there to to use certain language and it was yeah. I had he went through the courts over the over the last several weeks.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Yep. That’s awesome. It was a recent it was a recent thing. It was a recent recent victory. Well, Jacob, you’ve been a great, gracious host to us, and, we don’t want to overextend our time, but we’ll throw it back to you. And, Stephanie, you’ve been a great, a great witness.
Stephanie Jacobson
Thank you, sir. I appreciate being on with you both today.
Jacob Barr
Well, in what and so in wrap in the wrap up here, father Frank, would you close us in a pregnancy, and really just, yeah, just ask for God’s favor and his blessing on our country and
Fr. Frank Pavone
Absolutely.
Jacob Barr
All of the yeah. And especially when it comes to these ballot measures that are coming up soon.
Fr. Frank Pavone
Absolutely. Let us let us pray. God, you are the God of truth, and you have sent us the spirit of truth. So we pray right now against the spirit of deception because this is the only way, Lord, that the pro abortion people advance their cause. They not by proclaiming the truth, but by hiding the truth. And they hide it well in these ballot measures. Lord, we ask that the spirit of truth will will will will expose to the light of day what is really going on here and will help our fellow citizens have clear understanding before they cast their ballots.
Lord, protect the rights of these babies. Protect the rights of parents, which would be decimated by these these amendments. Protect the rights of legislators, to to to to pass laws to protect these babies because these amendments would take those rights away. Lord god, bless our nation and, preserve us in your grace. You are the god of life. You are the god of love. You are the god of compassion.
May we stand for life. May we reflect your compassion, and may we build truly just society that protects especially the weakest among us. Make us strong witnesses for life. We pray in the name of the author of life and the conqueror of death, the only savior of the world, Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen.