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Remarks of the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, Birmingham, AL (BARF Alert)
NARAL Pro-Choice Texas ^ | 7/21/2007 | "Rev." Katherine Hancock Ragsdale

Posted on 05/06/2009 8:18:17 AM PDT by markomalley

Well Operation Save America came, they saw, they harassed, and they annoyed; but they did not close the clinic. The clinic stayed open, no patients were turned away, and the doors never closed. We remain victorious. And that victory is a good thing – but, make no mistake, even though OSA has gone home; our work is not done.

If we were to leave this park and discover that clinic violence had become a thing of the past, never to plague us again, that would be a very good thing, indeed; but, still, our work would not be done.

If we were to find that, while we were here, Congress had acted to insure that abortion would always be legal, that would be a very good thing; but our work would not be done.

If we were suddenly to find a host of trained providers, insuring access in every city, town, village, and military base throughout the world, that would be a very good thing; but our work would not be done.

When every woman has everything she needs to make an informed, thoughtful choice, and to act upon it, we will be very close; but, still, our work will not be done.

As long as women, acting as responsible moral agents, taking responsibility for their own lives and for those who depend on them, have to contend with guilt and shame, have judgment and contempt heaped upon them, rather than the support and respect they deserve, our work is not done.

How will we know when our work is done? I suspect we’ll know it when we see it. But let me give you some sure indicators that it isn’t done yet:

- When doctors and pharmacists try to opt out of providing medical care, claiming it’s an act of conscience, our work is not done.

Let me say a bit more about that, because the religious community has long been an advocate of taking principled stands of conscience – even when such stands require civil disobedience. We’ve supported conscientious objectors, the Underground Railroad, freedom riders, sanctuary seekers, and anti-apartheid protestors. We support people who put their freedom and safety at risk for principles they believe in.

But let’s be clear, there’s a world of difference between those who engage in such civil disobedience, and pay the price, and doctors and pharmacists who insist that the rest of the world reorder itself to protect their consciences – that others pay the price for their principles.

This isn’t particularly complicated. If your conscience forbids you to carry arms, don’t join the military or become a police officer. If you have qualms about animal experimentation, think hard before choosing to go into medical research. And, if you’re not prepared to provide the full range of reproductive health care (or prescriptions) to any woman who needs it then don’t go into obstetrics and gynecology, or internal or emergency medicine, or pharmacology. Choose another field! We’ll respect your consciences when you begin to take responsibility for them.

- Here’s another sign. Did you notice the arguments that were being shouted at us in front of the clinic? They’ve been trying for years, and seem to be pushing especially hard now, to position themselves as feminists – supporters of women. You heard them – yelling that they understand that it’s all men’s fault. That men must do better at supporting women and children so that women, presumably, won’t feel the need to abort. They yelled that they understood that the women going into the clinic had been hurt by men and were reacting to that pain and betrayal. They pledged to help men be more responsible so that women wouldn’t want abortions.

Let me tell you something. Any argument that puts men alone at the center – for good or for bad -- any discussion of women’s reproductive health that ends up being all about men, is not feminism. Nor, for that matter, is it Christian, or reflective of any God I recognize. And as long as anyone can even imagine such an argument, our work is not done.

- And while we’re at it, as long as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States can argue, as Justice Kennedy recently did, that women are not capable of making our own informed moral decisions, that we need men to help us so that we won’t make mistakes that we later regret; as long as a Supreme Court Justice can deny the moral agency of women simply because we are women – and can do it without being laughed off the public stage forever – our work is not done. What has happened to us that he could even think he could get away with publishing such an opinion? Our work most certainly is not done.

- Finally, the last sign I want to identify relates to my fellow clergy. Too often even those who support us can be heard talking about abortion as a tragedy. Let’s be very clear about this:

When a woman finds herself pregnant due to violence and chooses an abortion, it is the violence that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman finds that the fetus she is carrying has anomalies incompatible with life, that it will not live and that she requires an abortion – often a late-term abortion – to protect her life, her health, or her fertility, it is the shattering of her hopes and dreams for that pregnancy that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman wants a child but can’t afford one because she hasn’t the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion is a blessing.

And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight -- only blessing. The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing.

These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.

I want to thank all of you who protect this blessing – who do this work every day: the health care providers, doctors, nurses, technicians, receptionists, who put your lives on the line to care for others (you are heroes -- in my eyes, you are saints); the escorts and the activists; the lobbyists and the clinic defenders; all of you. You’re engaged in holy work.

Thank you for allowing me to join you in that work for a few days here in Alabama. God bless you all.


TOPICS: Mainline Protestant; Religion & Culture; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: abortion; bloodthirstylesbian; childmurderadvocate; childmurderess; ecusa; enemyofchrist; enemyofthebible; episcopagan; episcopal; falsepriestess; fauxchristian; feminazi; feminist; infanticide; jezebel; lesbian; lesbonazi; missragsdale; moloch; moralabsolutes; proabortionfeminazi; proaborts; prolife; ragsdale; religiousleft; seminary
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There have been a few articles posted about this Ragsdale since she was made the dean of the Cambridge Divinity School, but I don't recall her actual speech being presented.

This is wrong on so many levels.

It reminds me of a few Biblical passages:

Mic 3:1 And I said: Hear, you heads of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not for you to know justice?--

Mic 3:2 you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people, and their flesh from off their bones;

Mic 3:3 who eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a kettle, like flesh in a caldron.

Mic 3:4 Then they will cry to the LORD, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.

Mic 3:5 Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.

Mic 3:6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;

Mic 3:7 the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.

Mic 3:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

Mic 3:9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert all equity,

Mic 3:10 who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with wrong.

Mic 3:11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for hire, its prophets divine for money; yet they lean upon the LORD and say, "Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us."

Mic 3:12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.


Eze 22:1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Eze 22:2 "And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominable deeds.

Eze 22:3 You shall say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A city that sheds blood in the midst of her, that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself!

Eze 22:4 You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and defiled by the idols which you have made; and you have brought your day near, the appointed time of your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

Eze 22:5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

Eze 22:6 "Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood.

Eze 22:7 Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you.

Eze 22:8 You have despised my holy things, and profaned my sabbaths.

Eze 22:9 There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and men in you who eat upon the mountains; men commit lewdness in your midst.

Eze 22:10 In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they humble women who are unclean in their impurity.

Eze 22:11 One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you defiles his sister, his father's daughter.

Eze 22:12 In you men take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and increase and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; and you have forgotten me, says the Lord GOD.

Eze 22:13 "Behold, therefore, I strike my hands together at the dishonest gain which you have made, and at the blood which has been in the midst of you.

Eze 22:14 Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.

Eze 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your filthiness out of you.

Eze 22:16 And I shall be profaned through you in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the LORD."


Isa 24:1 Behold, the LORD will lay waste the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

Isa 24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

Isa 24:3 The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly despoiled; for the LORD has spoken this word.

Isa 24:4 The earth mourns and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth.

Isa 24:5 The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

Isa 24:6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

Isa 24:7 The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.

Isa 24:8 The mirth of the timbrels is stilled, the noise of the jubilant has ceased, the mirth of the lyre is stilled.

Isa 24:9 No more do they drink wine with singing; strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.

Isa 24:10 The city of chaos is broken down, every house is shut up so that none can enter.

Isa 24:11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine; all joy has reached its eventide; the gladness of the earth is banished.

Isa 24:12 Desolation is left in the city, the gates are battered into ruins.

Isa 24:13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, as at the gleaning when the vintage is done.

God have mercy on us.

1 posted on 05/06/2009 8:18:18 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: wagglebee; NYer; sionnsar; Huber; DirtyHarryY2K; Salvation; Coleus

ping for your lists


2 posted on 05/06/2009 8:21:38 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley
To paraphrase King of the Hill, "I'm not sure if there's a Heaven, but that woman's going to Hell!"
3 posted on 05/06/2009 8:30:11 AM PDT by GodBlessRonaldReagan (Refugee from the World of Doomed Olsens)
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To: markomalley; 185JHP; 230FMJ; 50mm; 69ConvertibleFirebird; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee or DirtyHarryY2K to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]


4 posted on 05/06/2009 8:32:10 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: markomalley
"Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned."
- Jeremiah 2:34,35

"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" - Jeremiah 5:29

5 posted on 05/06/2009 8:34:05 AM PDT by Dr. Thorne (Buy Gold and Guns Now.)
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To: markomalley
But let’s be clear, there’s a world of difference between those who engage in such civil disobedience, and pay the price, and doctors and pharmacists who insist that the rest of the world reorder itself to protect their consciences – that others pay the price for their principles.

Lady, a baby is MURDERED EVERY 24 SECONDS in the United States, when and how are we going to pay the price for that?

6 posted on 05/06/2009 8:35:15 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: markomalley
As long as women, acting as responsible moral agents, taking responsibility for their own lives and for those who depend on them, have to contend with guilt and shame, have judgment and contempt heaped upon them, rather than the support and respect they deserve, our work is not done.

****************************

Clear as day, their goal is not just abortion on demand but to control the minds of those that would oppose it. In this way they are very similar to militant homosexuals.

7 posted on 05/06/2009 8:39:12 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: markomalley

My God!! Reverend of what? Church of Satan?


8 posted on 05/06/2009 8:41:03 AM PDT by chesley (A pox on both their houses. I've voted for my last RINO.)
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To: markomalley
And whosoever shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me; it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and he were cast into the sea. (Mark 9:41)
9 posted on 05/06/2009 8:43:50 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: chesley

Religion? Episcopal


10 posted on 05/06/2009 8:55:32 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley

Quite probably. It was a sarcastic remark. But factual. Anyone who believes that way worships Satan, whether she thinks so, or not. Or even knows it.


11 posted on 05/06/2009 9:10:09 AM PDT by chesley (A pox on both their houses. I've voted for my last RINO.)
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To: markomalley
Man, I couldn't even finish reading the evil screed.

God told Cain.. “Your brothers blood cries out to me from the earth” ...
Where there's blood there's life.. In the case of these babies it's innocent blood.

12 posted on 05/06/2009 9:11:28 AM PDT by DirtyHarryY2K (The Tree of Liberty is long overdue for its natural manure)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K; wombtotomb; cpforlife.org

It’s important to understand exactly the evil we are fighting in this pro-life battle.


13 posted on 05/06/2009 9:14:10 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley

“Barf alert” is right. She has the unmitigated gall to close with “God bless you all.”


14 posted on 05/06/2009 9:36:44 AM PDT by rockrr (Global warming is to science what Islam is to religion)
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To: markomalley

If we were to leave this park and discover that clinic violence had become a thing of the past,
_________________________________________

Little editing needed there “lady”

“If we were to leave this park (we would) discover that clinic violence had become a thing of the past,”

At least at your clinic...


15 posted on 05/06/2009 9:40:18 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: markomalley
Listen to this woman's insanity, made clearer by replacing the word "abortion" with "murder of the unborn innocent baby":

When a woman finds herself pregnant due to violence and chooses an abortion to murder the unborn innocent baby, it is the violence that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman finds that the fetus she is carrying has anomalies incompatible with life, that it will not live and that she requires an abortion to murder the unborn innocent baby– often a late-term abortion murdering of the unborn innocent baby – to protect her life, her health, or her fertility, it is the shattering of her hopes and dreams for that pregnancy that is the tragedy; the abortion is a blessing.

When a woman wants a child but can’t afford one because she hasn’t the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion murdering the unborn innocent baby is a blessing.

And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion way to murder the unborn innocent baby – there is not a tragedy in sight -- only blessing. The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing. These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion murdering an unborn innocent baby is a blessing and our work is not done.

Dear Lord, forgive us all.

16 posted on 05/06/2009 9:48:19 AM PDT by Terabitten (Vets wrote a blank check, payable to the Constitution, for an amount up to and including their life.)
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To: Terabitten

I think a deluge of photos of her ‘blessing” might be in order.....


17 posted on 05/06/2009 10:06:14 AM PDT by wombtotomb ( ITS NOT ABOUT RIGHT VERSUS LEFT, ITS ABOUT RIGHT VERSES WRONG!)
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To: markomalley
And, if you’re not prepared to provide the full range of reproductive health care (or prescriptions) to any woman who needs it then don’t go into obstetrics and gynecology, or internal or emergency medicine, or pharmacology. Choose another field!

What a narrow-minded, inotlerant little Fascist this woman is! So abortion is the only component of "reporductive health care, obstetrics, gynecology or internal or emergency medicine? Pro-life Christians are supposed to be second class citizens and exiled from the medical profession because they have pro-life consciences?

18 posted on 05/06/2009 11:28:58 AM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: markomalley

abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.

Ask the children if it’s a blessing to them.
Oh thats right, they’re DEAD.
Abortion isn’t a blessing, it’s MURDER.


19 posted on 05/06/2009 11:32:18 AM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: tet68
Abortion isn’t a blessing, it’s MURDER.

How dare you, you misogynistic dog. /sarc

20 posted on 05/06/2009 12:00:40 PM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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