In The News

By Meagan Ellsworth
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, speaks across from the Planned Parenthood location Saturday in Spring. Catholic churches in Montgomery County are encouraging their congregations to play to end abortion at the facility and others as part of their 40 Day for Life campaign.
Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

From millennials in Montgomery County to a bill soon to be considered on the federal level, pro-life supporters are continuing the fight to change hearts.

Abigail Burnstead of Spring received a scholarship for helping launch Pro-Life Timberwolves this fall on the Lone Star College Tomball campus as part of the Millennials Moving Nation Toward Life. She stood among at least 70 people gathered in prayer throughout Saturday morning in front of Planned Parenthood in Spring.

"This is the issue of our nation right now," Burnstead said, joined by Alexis Bonin of Conroe and Braiden Letsinger of Magnolia who felt moved by their faith to become involved. "Millennials are turning from it because we are gaining understanding of how awful abortion is not just for the babies but obviously for those women. We are exposing that. We are here not to judge but to love."

Since 2007, Montgomery County Right To Life has stood outside the Planned Parenthood on Louetta Road to kick off the national 40 Days for Life campaign. This year, the group of millennials-- who also started the Lone Star Pro-Life Club at Lone Star College-Montgomery in 2013 as part of MCRTL's vision to sponsor Dr. Joseph Graham Pro-Life Fellows on each of the area Lone Star College campuses-joined for the first time.

The goal of the "quiet and peaceful" assembly is to educate and inspire the community about "hope" and "options like adoption" for the women inside who may be challenged with a difficult personal decision that may first arise at the visit at the clinic, which does not perform abortions.

"The new model for Planned Parenthood is to have one large center in a metropolitan area and then the smaller outlying facilities that feed into big ones, so they are just as much a part of the abortions as the main facility off of (Interstate 45)," MCRTL President Teresa Strack said. "It is here where the girls are first initially told they are expecting, here where they are first counseled to have the abortion, here where they make the connection to the I-45 (location) to have the abortion performed. That's why we are here, because they are the ones in our community, so we are taking the message of life to the folks in our community."

As a father who chose adoption, the annual event is one of the most important mornings of U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady's life each year. He believes the event aims to change hearts with love and care with the hope God can help women who may be struggling with an unplanned pregnancy, the fathers to be, the families, and the workers.

"This is really about gathering much of God's grace in a very positive way and for those who choose to have an abortion also praying they heal as well, because these are tough decision that women, especially young women face," Brady said. "We also pray for adoption that in this process they think perhaps they don't have choices, but the choice to choose life …."

As an elected official who joins others in a push to create a pro-family, pro-life country, he said speaking out about adoptions is as important as changing laws.

"…We hope Americans rethink abortion and put more resources into nurturing that life and that mom and providing hope in really troubled times," Brady said. "Changing laws is important. Changing hearts is even more important and that's what this is about."

He also strongly supports the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that imposes a federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks and includes criminal penalties such as a fine and/or up to five years in prison with the exceptions of if it is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.

"It says is when a baby feels pain at 20 weeks that we have all agreed that is a life not a choice of some type and that abortions won't go forward when you put a baby in excruciating pain," Brady said. "So I'm hopeful we have a good strong vote out of the House this week, that we have a president that is willing to sign it, and I'm hopeful the Senate will take it up and approve it as well."

Planned Parenthood was contacted by the Courier, but was not available for comment by press time, more information is available at ppgulfcoast.org. For more information about the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, visit https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr36ih/pdf/BILLS-115hr36ih.pdf. To learn more about the MCRTL or 40 Days to Life, visit.mcrtlife.com.

CLICK HERE to read more and see photos on the Courier of Montgomery County.