NOTE: I’m still working on my CrMS Practitioner post, but I have to address a topic that calls for more immediate attention. This post was written as an answer to a few comments made about my ice cream & chocolate fast on the I Am Whole Life Facebook Page. If you’re curious about what was said, you can “Like” the page and find the post they put up called “Ice Cream and Chocolate”. It’s right next to a picture of my big belly, circa February 2011. 😉

Dear Stephanie and Tricia,

In response to your concerns, I respectfully do need to tell you: it’s more than just ice cream and chocolate. Until Abortion Ends has inspired awareness and dialogue…prayer and fasting. People all over the country have signed on to this movement to publicly voice their solidarity with I Am Whole Life for the sake of the unborn. And the sacrifices they make go beyond what you may hear about, or what may be seen as useless efforts to end abortion.

They give up their time in prayer. They spend hours reaching out to women who don’t feel they have any other options. They take on careers in arenas such as education, non-profit grassroots organizations, and pro-life community health clinics, not for six-figure salaries but for opportunities to change the culture. They even willingly open themselves up to ridicule for what they so strongly believe in.

Why? Because they are faithful. They do it for the over 1 million children who are aborted each year. For the mothers who grieve the loss they experience after such a desperate decision. For the fathers who were willing to raise those children, even if they had to do it alone. For the family members who never knew their brothers and sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. For the society that has condoned this horrific crime against humanity.

Pay close attention…the tide is turning. Never before has the United States seen so many young people this passionate about defending life. If you are looking for a way to curb the number of “unwanted pregnancies”, the solution lies within this new generation of youth and young adults who have committed themselves to this cause. Not only are they speaking up; they are promoting the dignity of the human person, advocating chastity, and rejecting the “use-and-abuse” mentality that plagues relationships all around them.

Abortion is not the answer to the pain we see in the hearts of these women who seek it out. The answer is a revolution of LOVE. Not a love that remains an abstract idea floating out there somewhere above our heads. It is a love that is concrete in ACTION. You can see it when you walk through the doors of a pro-life pregnancy center. It is evident in the compassionate words of a sidewalk counselor. It flows from the hearts of a couple that chooses to adopt these babies.

There are more resources out there for women than you may realize. And there are more women who would decide to continue with their pregnancies if they only knew how readily available these resources were. So in a nutshell, it’s our job to let them know. It’s going to take a lot of time our time. It’s going to take a lot of our energy. But those are sacrifices we are willing to make. And in the meantime, I’ll just keep praying, fasting, and being grateful for all the delightful desserts that constantly remind me of the cause I have devoted my whole life to. There are a few other things I do to help promote the culture of life beyond giving up yummy food. Feel free to browse around the blog for a while. It’s quite exciting work. 🙂

If you want to understand the reason behind the sacrificial fasts from a Catholic perspective, Kathleen Dunn does a wonderful job of explaining the powerful spiritual dynamic that takes place. http://kathleendunn.ca/
Graces flow, hearts are changed, and all are encouraged by our God who cares for each one of His beloved children.

As for factual research, here are some articles that you might want to read…

Study: Making Abortion Illegal Doesn’t Increase Maternal Mortality

Education, Not Abortion, Reduces Maternal Mortality, Study Suggests

Top Scientist Finally Admits Abortion-Breast Cancer Link

If you’d like to prevent deaths from occurring, then please help us teach the youth that their purity should be treasured. Guide them to make wise choices before choosing to enter into relationships. And should our pregnant women find themselves in a trying situation, I invite you to join us in protecting and serving the mother and the child – who BOTH have the right to live.

Yours truly,

Marianne Soratorio Dyogi

p.s. And guess what? “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade is pro-life. Watch this…