Life Letter
METUCHEN, NEW JERSEY
Spring 2014
Our Services:
Our Mission: Promoting the Value of Life
 24 Hour Hot Line
 Free and Confidential
Pregnancy Tests
 Ultrasound
 Peer Counseling
 Adoption, Medical &
Housing Referrals
 Abortion Recovery
 Material Aid
 STD Information
Happy
Mother’s
Day!
Dear Life Choices,
I just wanted to take this time to thank you for all the help you
have been throughout my entire pregnancy. When I first found out I
was pregnant, I didn’t even know where to start. Not only did your
entire service put me on the road to take, you drove me through it as
well, from helping me with making decisions I never knew I was
strong enough to make.
Thank you for everything from day 1 to month 9. Without your
support and guidance I wouldn’t have been able to be blessed with
such a healthy, beautiful son. You guys showed me the real meaning
of “life” and I am glad there are places out there who give such
assistance and guidance. You guys showed me that it is possible to
work, stay in school and have great support in every corner I turn.
Remembering back to day one, walking in your office to take
the pregnancy test I didn’t know what to do. From the second we saw
the second line on the pregnancy test everyone in your office made me
feel like I just entered a new family. Not a question went by that you
didn’t help me with.
Even now, four days after having
my blessing, you guys are still in
my corner helping me provide for
my son and answering questions
to everything I am unsure of.
Thank you for all you have done.
I couldn’t have done it without
you guys.
God bless,
Melanie
A.
In Loving Memory of Gene Baker & Rich Collier “Champions for Life”
Rich Collier
President, Legal Center for the Defense of Life
May the Lord bless his soul in Heaven
In Honor of
Dot Dunn & Gen Pfister
By: Pat Walsh
Gene Baker at Life Choices beside our brand new Ultrasound
Machine which the Knights purchased for us in 2012.
Gene was a dedicated Knight and defender of human life.
May the Lord bless his soul in Heaven.
Tributes - Gifts of Hope
What better way to remember a loved one,
honor someone special or acknowledge a
special event?
I am enclosing a gift of hope in the
amount of $_______
This gift is__________________________________
(In memory of, In honor of, Birthday gift, to Celebrate…)
Name:_____________________________________
Address:___________________________________
My Name:_________________________________
My Address:_________________________________
Phone:_____________________________________
To send your own tribute, clip form and mail it with your
donation to:
Life Choices Resource Center
503 Main Street
Metuchen, New Jersey 08840
In Loving Memory of
Florence Keating
By: Gene Horan
In Celebration of
Our Grandchildren
By: Bob & Dee Sneddon
In Loving Memory of
Delores Fitzgerald
By: Betty Paulikas
In Loving Memory of
Kathleen Smith
By: Russ Lawyer
A Gift of Hope
By: Ferry Firmansjah & Mitzy Budiono
In Loving Memory of
Marie Fallon Lawyer
By: Russ Lawyer
In Loving Memory of
Supremo, Patria, Ernie & Riza
By: N.F. Padernal
A Gift of Hope
By: Ann Demico
Volunteer Voices …
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the
believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love,
in faith, in purity” -Timothy 4:12
By: Joanna Linn
For the past couple years, I believe God has been teaching me
a lesson about consistency. As an overemotional teenager, I
used to (and still often do) follow my emotions like a
rollercoaster. But often, there are going to be times that your
heart just isn't in it, and yet the cause you are fighting for is
still worth all of your effort anyways.
A
t the end of my eighth grade year, my social studies teacher
gave us the opportunity to present our views on a controversial topic. First, we had to present both sides of
the issue and then our opinion based on data. I chose my topic which was abortion. My presentation was
supposed to be 3 minutes long; I begged and she extended the time limit to five minutes; my presentation
went 10-15 minutes long. She gave me a good grade anyways.
After studying the growth and development of a human baby and reading these heartbreaking stories
by mothers who had aborted their children, I was so moved against abortion. It is the killing of a human
life! Who are we to say against God that this person's life is worth less than our rights as women? I passionately presented my case to my class, and then I started to look into places I could help. That summer, I
found Life Choices on the Internet, but I kept on putting off getting in touch with them about volunteering
until I hit my freshman year.
Freshman year was a rollercoaster of emotions, grades, and this unshakeable feeling of being lost.
Life was almost too busy to think about. Soon it was summer, and I found myself staring at the website
page for Life Choices and wondering if I should call to volunteer. Sitting there, I thought, I don't know, I
just don't feel that passionate about this anymore.
Then, like a lightning bolt, the thought came to me. How could I not feel passionate about preventing the horrific murder of a child of the living God?
That thought was enough. I picked up the phone and called.
Some people say that they just don't have a stance on abortion. Others claim that it isn't so big an
issue. Yet how can we stand here and not defend the defenseless? How can we call ourselves followers of
Jesus if we don't reach out and help the one person that no one actually counts as a person? Whatever you
do for the least of these, you do for the Lord himself. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how lethargic or scared
or nervous or disheartened we feel – these precious children need us to defend them anyways. Love is often
when you don't feel like it; I am sure Jesus wasn't feeling wonderful when He was dying on the cross or in
the Garden of Gethsemane. But he went all the way anyways. For these children, in whatever way we can,
we need to protect them.
My time as a volunteer at Life Choices has been wonderful, full of people who are earnest about
who they want to protect, and as welcoming as any I've met. I am thankful that God has led me here to help
a child in whatever way I can.
Thank you Joanna for your beautiful soul! We are so happy to see you every time you walk through that
Thank you, Joanna, for your beautiful soul!
2014 Banquet “Precious in His Sight”
Deacon JP & Cheryl Saggese, recipients of
our Faithful Servant Award with
Deborah Vokral, Chairman of the Board
Client Testimony
God Bless Mom & Baby!
Dr. Jeffrey T. Beauchamp , recipient of
our Stewardship Award.
Pictured here with Rosanda Grau
Our annual Fundraising Banquet, “Precious in His Sight” was held on February 23rd at the
Pines Manor in Edison. WOW, it was a GREAT evening! After a winter’s long battle with snow and
ice, we were graced with a 50 degree, sunny day. The room was packed with over 300 guests and not
one of them made a sound during the compelling talk by keynote speaker Julia Holcomb. What an
honor it was for us to present awards to Deacon JP & Cheryl Saggese along with Dr. Jeffrey T.
Beauchamp. Our Silent Auction featured a wide spectrum of items like a set of beautiful pearls and
full camping gear. We auctioned off a handcrafted, showstopping dollhouse created just for Life
Choices by our very own Gen Pfister. Rev. John Kavas of St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen, was so
impressed with the evening and Julia Holcomb in particular, that he stopped by our office for a visit
the very next day. Here’s his impression of Julia: “I heard the testimony of Julia Holcomb and was
spellbound. There was absolute silence in the dinner hall packed with people of different walks of
life. It was so touching and I did a bit of soul searching … I admire her courage, honesty and simplicity.” Thank you, friends, for making this night a huge success. We are so grateful for you, your
friendship and your sacrificial love and support. May God Bless You and Your Families!
Keynote Speaker Julia Holcomb with Maria &
Robert Dolan. Thanks to Maria for capturing
some great photographs during the evening.
Life Choices founder, Rose Mary Lyons,
accepting a rose from Bridget Callahan,
one of our ultrasound technicians
Angelina Brower beside the handcrafted dollhouse made especially
for Life Choices by Gen Pfister
.
40 Days for Life: Woodbridge
Campaign
Paul II
“The Lord hears the cry of the poor”
─Psalm 34:4-5
.
─R
Pictured above: Hundreds of members of Couples for Christ for Family and Life
gathered in prayer in front of the mill one very cold night in December of last year
Kathy Dowling
Bill Dowling & Nora Brower
With Steve Karlen, Northern American Outreach Director
The 40 Days for Life peaceful, prayerful vigil ran from March 5th thru April 13th (12 hours
per day) in front of the Woodbridge Abortion mill; a.k.a. American Women’s Services or “Wellness
Center” which provides surgical abortions up to 24 weeks and does referrals up to 36 weeks. It is
owned by the notorious abortionist Dr. Stephen Chase Brigham. Learn more about him here:
www.AbortionDocs.org. This one mill alone is responsible for taking the lives of thousands of
children each year, but by God’s grace many of them have been saved by this powerful witness.
40 Days for Life was founded in a small Texas town in 2004. Since then over 8,200 babies have
been saved, 88 abortion workers quit and 44 clinics have shut down.
Thank you Nora Brower for your dedication and resolve in organizing this year’s Woodbridge
campaign. Thanks also to the countless faithful prayer witnesses that filled the 12 hour daily shifts,
like Bill and Kathy Dowling and Bill Draghi, who are a constant presence in front of the mill, and
have been for many years now. There are too many to name, but we thank God for them all.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them,
for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.
He will not leave you or forsake you.”
─Deuteronomy 31:16
Faces & Places. We’re “Entertaining Angels”
St. Joseph High School
Metuchen
Christine is all smiles with
students from St. Joe’s who held a
bountiful Baby Shower on our behalf.
It is such a joy to be able to provide
our clients with the things they need
to care for their babies.
Thank you, St. Joe’s!
Second Baptist Church
Metuchen
Pastor
Mark McCreary from
Second Baptist Church stopped by for
a visit with the Church’s youth group.
Nurse Manager Jenny and Rosanda
gave them a tour, but of course, most
of the time was spent in the ultrasound room learning about the life
saving power of the miraculous
images from inside the womb.
Mount St. Mary’s Academy
Watchung
Students
from beautiful Mt.
Saint Mary’s Academy dedicated their
service day to Life Choices again this
year. Not only did they sort and fold
12 bags of baby clothes, they also gave
vital input on our website, as only
teenage girls can do. We are so
impressed with these lovely ladies
and their wonderful teachers,
Kathleen Burke and Jacqueline Conti.
Their spirit of joy and enthusiasm
was truly inspiring. We look forward
to seeing them again in the future
and we wish them all the best!
“We are fearfully and wonderfully made”
-Psalm 139:14
Since February is the month we celebrate Black History, it’s fitting to take a look at the effect the
pro-abortion culture in our society has had on African Americans, specifically, women and children. Let’s take
a brief look at this effect from a few perspectives: historical, statistical, geographical, and spiritual.
Historically speaking, abortion has been around for centuries dating back to before the
5th century and was popular in many cultures including India, and Ancient China among
others. What is interesting and disturbing is the connection between the pro-abortion
movement and a type of science called “eugenics”. The purpose/definition of eugenics is
it’s a science that deals with the improvement (as by control of human mating) of
hereditary qualities of a race or breed.
Margaret Sanger was a pioneer of legalized abortion and the founder of “Planned Parenthood”, the largest
provider of abortions in the U.S. Sanger was also a well-known eugenicist whose writings make clear the historic connection between abortion on demand and eugenic thinking. In an 1article published in May 1919,
Sanger proclaimed, "More children for the fit, less for the unfit." By unfit, Sanger meant the mentally retarded
or physically handicapped; later her definition expanded to people of color 2.
Abortion is definitely a numbers game. Below are some statistics taken from 2009 on “Who has Abortions 3”:
51% of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all
U.S. abortions, and teenagers obtain 18% (AGI).
In 2009, adolescents under 15 years obtained .05% of all abortions, but had the highest abortion ratio, 785 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC).
Black women are more than 4.8 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women
to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.7 times as likely (AGI).
The abortion rate of women with Medicaid coverage is three times as high as that of other women (NAF).
37% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 28% identify themselves
as Catholic (AGI).
From a geographical standpoint what many African American women don’t realize is that most of the
“women’s health centers” are strategically located in lower income neighborhoods with a large African
American or Hispanic population. When you search for pregnancy centers or clinics in our area, the first ones
to pop up are in Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Elizabeth, and Newark. The same is true if you go directly to Planned
Parenthood’s website. To be sure this is not coincidental, but strategic on the part of our world health
system that quickly promotes death instead of life of an unborn.
Now from a spiritual perspective on all this, the Psalmist David said it best when he praised our Lord’s marvelous works in creating us: “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My frame was
not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret…Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your Book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when
as yet there was none of them…” Psalm 139:14-16 Even before we were formed in our mother’s
womb, God knew every aspect of our being. What we must also remember is that the love, grace and mercy of
God extends to those who are both proponents of the abortion industry and those who are victims of it. As
the Church, the Body of Christ, who were bought with a price, we need to be ready to extend that same love.
However, we cannot continue to be oblivious and complacent while such a demonic practice is taking place in
our culture today. Abortion and the effects of it, is not a white, black or even political issue. It’s a life issue.
Which will you stand for…life or death?
─Stephanie Torrey
Non-profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
New Brunwick,NJ
Permit #40127
503 Main Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840
Email: [email protected]
(732) 516-0911
www.LifeChoicesRC.com
Board of Directors
Deborah Vokral, Board Chair
Michael Gilligan, Treasurer
James Vokral, Secretary
Birger Brinck-Lund, Director
Bunny Brinck-Lund, Director
Rose Mary Lyons, Founder
James R. Leathem, Director
JoAnn Gerling, Director
Rene Cordero, Ph.D., Director
Janet A. Morana, Director
Dr. Jeffrey Beauchamp,
“Rejoice in hope,
be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer”
Medical Director
─Romans 12:12
Sam Convery, Esq., Legal Advisor
Please support our work so that we can continue to
Serve Mothers and Save Babies … Thank you!
.
“Nothing we do to defend
the human person,
no matter how small,
is ever unfruitful or forgotten.
Our actions touch
other lives, and move
other hearts in ways we can
never fully understand
in this world.
Don’t ever underestimate the beauty and
power of the witness you
give in your
pro-life work”
- Archbishop Charles Chaput
Photo by: Human Life Alliance