Pat Gaumer has served as Excecutive Director of Hope Pregnancy Centers in Dixon and Sterling for 8 years.
She lives in Sterling with her husband and four children.
You may contact her at: gaumer@prolifecorner.com
Pat Gaummer
October 2005
What Elephant
What a gloriously beautiful fall we have had! I had heard late summer that it wasn’t going to be a colorful fall because of the lack of rain. They aren’t always right are they? The trees have been breathtaking! As fall progresses, it’s just a matter of time before those strong winds and rain strip the trees of their beauty. I would like to thank everyone who participated in our Fall Festival of Hope. Dan Pearson was wonderful and really spoke from the heart. A big thanks to you Dan!
Once again it is October, the month that is set-aside for Breast Cancer Awareness. I count it a blessing that I have the vehicle of this column to inform the readers of crucial information pertaining to issues relevant to our ministry. A dear friend of mine, CJ Payne, director of two pregnancy centers in the quad cities, recently wrote an article about a subject that is dear to my heart that being the subject of abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer. She entitled it Let’s Not Ignore the Elephant in the Room. She caught a news story on TV about the link scientists have found between eating French fries as a child and breast cancer. She wondered if the world had gone crazy or was she just getting old and cranky? Why do we get that kind of information in the news but not the fact that abortion is a breast cancer risk factor? There have been more studies done on the abortion risk factor than the French-fry connection. Don’t get me wrong; I am not stating that the French fry factor should be ignored. ALL risk factors for breast cancer should be identified! I am amazed that the issue of abortion is so steeped in political correctness in our society that we ignore medical research when it pertains to abortion!
Abortion interrupts the natural process of breast development, leaving the breast with more cells that can become cancerous. Elevated levels of estrogen during pregnancy cause both normal and pre-cancerous cells to multiply dramatically. Third trimester hormones of a full term pregnancy turn cells into milk producing cells and turn off their growth (cancer-forming) potential. Carrying a pregnancy full term gives protection against breast cancer that cannot be gained if abortion is chosen.
In her article, CJ sited numerous studies that have been done around the world. Of the 41 studies which have been previously published, 29 show increased risk of breast cancer among women who have chosen abortion. According to the Breast Cancer Prevention Institution (BCPI), some 16 of those studies are “statistically significant”. This is a technical term which means the data provided at least 95% certainty that the association measured was not due to chance. Abortion was legalized in the United States in 1973. According to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, there has been a 40% increase in the incidence of breast cancer among American women in the last quarter of the 20th century.
The abortion breast cancer link prominently affects teenagers. According to BCPI, a teenager who has an abortion between 9 and 24 weeks of pregnancy- when most are performed has a 30% chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime, compared with a 12.5% risk among all women. Please understand, not all women who have breast cancer have had an abortion, but it has been determined to be the most preventable cause of breast cancer! Breast cancer is the leading cancer in women with an estimated 193,700 American women being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 40,600 women dying from breast cancer disease each year, yet women are not being told of the connection between abortion and breast cancer. We at Hope Pregnancy Center care about all women. The women who come to us who are experiencing indecision about an unplanned pregnancy as well as those who have chose abortion. We’re here to help them all. For more information about our ministries please visit our website at hopepregnancy.com. For further information about the Abortion/Breast Cancer link visit www.AbortionBreastCancer.com. Another website that may help anyone wanting more information about breaking the silence that surrounds the pain of abortion can go to www.HelpAfterAbortion. com. This is the official site for Silent No More an organization dedicated to conveying the message that abortion does hurt women but that there is help and hope for those who do choose abortion.
Pat Gaummer
August 2005
Our Clients: What are they looking for?"
There is a commercial for “Friskies” cat food that starts with the question, “Is your cat searching for something new?” It’s a clever commercial, but let’s remember- the advertisement is directed at us.
As a society, we’re always looking for something new, aren’t we? Some educators are always looking for a “new” approach to teaching our children. And every other week, there is a new study on how to parent kids-telling us something “new”. The tried and true- many believe- is simply quaint and out of date.
However, those clients that come to Hope Pregnancy Center are looking not for something new, but for something they can count on. And that is precisely what we offer. With that in mind, what can they count on from us?
The truth
This generation (the Millenials) wants the truth, without the sugar coating. They live a life where there are few boundaries and fewer truths they can rely on. Research has shown that the Millenials are more positive, optimistic, and community and service minded. Here, we love them enough to tell them the truth- not in a judgmental way- but in a way they can relate to. That’s why the overwhelming majority of our clients recommend us to friends. They trust us enough to be truthful with their friends. They want the truth, and they get it here.
Love- without conditions
Unconditional love does not mean that we condone every lifestyle choice. It does mean however, that we are here for our clients and that we will listen. So many of our clients come in so wounded! Their lives are incredibly complicated. But when we put ourselves aside and truly put them first, walls are broken down and true relationships are built, one client at a time. With a trusting relationship built, we are then able to reach out to them with the love of Jesus Christ, who loves us as we are- and loves us so much that He wants to make us more like Himself. That’s true love, and we offer it to those we see.
Hope
From a human perspective, some situations appear hopeless. Yet when one of our clients tells us her situation is hopeless, we provide the hope that only the Lord can offer. No situation- not one- is impossible for Him. We want a client to know that, and to know that we are also here to provide practical assistance for her situation. Again only through that relationship building can we show the hope that is within each one of us.
What are our clients searching for? We believe they want those three simple things: truth, unconditional love- and hope. To many of those we see, these three gifts are truly something new- which will and does change their lives forever.
Hello everyone! What happened to the summer? I’ve already taken my third college-aged child off to school and our Fall Festival is right around the corner. I don’t know if you have seen any of the ads for this annual event but we are blessed to be having Dan Pearson, a local celebrity and sportscaster, as our keynote speaker. I’m looking forward to hearing him present life through the eyes of a sportscaster. You are invited to join us for “Dessert with Dan” on Monday, September 26, at the Holiday Inn of Rock Falls. The silent auction will begin at 6:00 with the program and dessert beginning at 7:00 p.m. Like last year, the bearer of tickets to the event will be entitled to a 15% discount on a meal at Bennigans (excluding alcohol) to be used that evening. Call us at 625-5300 to purchase your tickets. I’m looking forward to enjoying the evening with you!
Pat Gaummer
April 2005
The early spring of 2005 will be remembered for the story of Terri Schiavo’s tragedy. For weeks, the story dominated the news, talk show hosts of every persuasion bantered it about, and newspapers headlined the details of the event over and over. During this time I compiled as much information as I came across to try to help me sort it all out. Well, it’s been over a month now since Terri died, killed by her husband in the sense that he chose to deprive her of food and water, an act supported by what many are calling a culture of death.
In gathering the information about Terri’s plight, I heard one of the best commentaries I’d heard done by Rosalie de Rosset. Roset is a frequent guest commentator on Christian radio. I heard her on our local station out of the quad cities, WDLM 89.3. Her commentary was titled Death by Language. She feels that one of the issues that has gotten too little attention is that this crime against Terri was assisted by the distortion of language. This is a moral problem, she says, that George Orwell predicted a long time ago in his well-known novel 1984 calling it “new speak”.
One very blatant error that the media kept reporting was the portrayal of Terri’s poor physical condition. At the time of this final tube removal, Terri was NOT in a coma. Medical experts confirmed that 41 year old Terri was aware of her surroundings. She was a healthy individual with a disability, she breathed on her own and her body operated normally. Terri also responded to the people around her. She could have lived for years if given sustenance, as we all live because we eat and drink. Pretty basic isn’t it? Rosalie quotes Rich Lowry, editor for National Review Online as saying “We cannot “pretty up” this killing”. Those in favor of ending her life say she was being “allowed” to die. No, I say she was made to die! Here is a huge difference in the use of words blurred by the misuse of language that I alluded to earlier. If we did the same to the people across this country in hospitals, mental wards, and institutions for the severely disabled, people would mortified. We wouldn’t call it “allowing” we would call it “criminal neglect”.
I ask you now, who are the next victims to fall prey to this warped thinking? Those with Alzheimer’s? Those with incurable cancer? Those who are paraplegic? Terri’s lawyer, George Felos, said ”I firmly believe in the right of individuals to make their own medical-treatment choices”. Terri didn’t make her own medical choices; choices were made for her without any legal foundation but just on hearsay. She signed no will stating her desire to be starved to death. How her injury occurred remains a mystery. Her parents offered her home and care at no expense to anyone than themselves. Interesting that Terri’s husband refused to divorce her but was overheard to say he wanted her dead. Strange that he said nothing about wanting her to die until seven years into her disability. For the past 14 years he had denied Terri any therapy. Thirty allegations of abuse, neglect or exploitation were filed in court by the Florida Department of Children and Families. That all seemed to be clearly stated and easy to understand. But the judges disregarded all of it.
Then there is the misuse of words again that were directed at the Republicans and conservatives that they weren’t respecting the sanctity of the Schiavo’s marriage. What marriage? Michael Schiavo long ago abandoned Terri and moved in with another woman with whom he has had two children. That’s not a committed marriage partner that’s called an adulterer! Language games to avoid guilt and personal responsibility have been around since the Garden of Eden when Adam blamed Eve for his failure, and then she turned around and blamed the serpent. The rest is history and humanity has been affected forever. The playing of these word games has the potential to take us very quickly down the already slippery slope we are on. The Bible is full of references to the power of the tongue-“It is like a sharpened razor”. It is capable of bringing about death and life. Our language is a precious gift that must be used honestly and correctly but just as importantly heard carefully.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, aunts, stepmothers, nieces, and Godmothers and sisters.
Pat Gaummer
March 2005
Happy spring and Happy Easter! I would like to take care of some business before I add my 2 cents to the feature article about Stephanie and Brian’s pregnancy that caused such reactions.
Our annual Walk for Life is coming up on Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Northland Mall, Sterling, and we’re looking for more walkers. The Walk is important because one time each year, supporters of Hope Pregnancy Center ask friends to join them in publicly making a stand for life.
The Walk is effective because many of those who sponsor friends in the Walk would never think of writing a check to this ministry otherwise. Because of this, Walkers are actually multiplying support of the center and reaching out to people we would never find. And because the Walk brings in needed funds, lives are changed-one at a time.
Registration begins at 9 a.m., the Walk at 9:30 a.m. and we will be done with our two-mile walk in less than an hour. We’re not going to dominate your day, and we won’t even make you collect the money. We’ll take care of that. All you need to do is turn in your form. And back by popular demand is the Basket Auction. Come see the beautiful and interesting variety of baskets, then bid on your favorite one! Bidding begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. Hope to see you there!
In regard to the above mentioned article, I would first like to thank both Lisa and Jonie for their continued effort to keep all sorts of issues in front of the people in the Sterling/Rock Falls / Dixon and surrounding communities. Upon first reading it, it does appear to have a very flippant, unrealistic, childish message to it. But maybe that is what Lisa was trying to convey. They are in fact two children having children. Along with that, I’m not sure how you can put the two words complicated and fun together when talking about a pregnant teen soon to give birth to twins!
But I can’t help but see the many positives that have come from running the story. A story that is not so uncommon in all of our communities.
The first positive is that Stephanie and Brian chose to continue with the pregnancy instead of ending the baby’s life. Life is precious at any stage.
Secondly, I am so encouraged by the outcry and reactions to the article. What’s encouraging is that so many people expressed their negative and positive opinions. I had two people leave me messages on my home phone about how upset they were about the article and what was I going to do! Many months ago I expressed my discouragement about the lack of response to “issues” I had written about in my columns. I asked if anyone was out there. I said “Doesn’t anyone have anything to say, positive or negative, about the things I was writing about?” “Doesn’t anyone care out there?” Well the readers have shown that they do care! You just have to hit the right buttons.
Another positive is the evidence that there are so many people in way of services that really care about the teen pregnancy and sexuality problem. They are the volunteers and employees at Lee, Ogle and Whiteside County Health Departments and Hope Pregnancy Center. The one thing we all know and agree on is that abstinence only, not being sexually active, is the only, 100% “safe“ and effective way of preventing not only pregnancies but also the contraction of sexually transmitted diseases (STD)s. In the article, Stephanie advised teen girls to “try to prevent getting pregnant if you can” Well you can and that would be by not being sexually active! She went on to say that she and Brian used protection but not regularly. Doesn’t that say enough there? That is why we do not promote birth control here at the center. It doesn’t work! Abstinence only works. That is the only thing we can truthfully tell our clients. People say we are unrealistic in using that approach. Let’s talk unrealistic. Expecting our teens to be responsible about something that adults can’t even be responsible about is unrealistic. Telling them to use condoms, that are known to be ineffective in preventing the contraction of four very serious, rampant STDs is not only unrealistic but deceptive!
What is realistic is that we believe our teens can hear an abstinence only message, understand it, believe it and then follow it! In defense of abstinence education, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows abstinence only education is working as fewer teens are having sex and that the age in which young people begin having sex is on the rise. Teen pregnancy rates are on the decline. In fact, the report shows that abstinence education has been so successful the total number of teens abstaining from sex before marriage nearly achieves the 2010 targets previously set.
Well hopefully with reaction comes action. That is what we are all about at Hope Pregnancy center. No, we are not real happy about the situation like Stephanie and Brian’s but what we can do is be there for those finding themselves in an unplanned pregnancy situation, like we have been for the past 15 years.