Welcome to
​Watertown Area RIGHT TO LIFE
We are for WOMEN;
We are for CHILDREN;
We are for LIFE!
From our Chairperson...
Serving as the chairperson for Watertown Right to Life, I welcome you to check out the many resources on our website that we would like to share with you.
Raising my family has cemented my commitment to the sacredness of all stages of life. Over the years I have found making hard choices can lead to the most positive and meaningful growth.
Look for support on this site, use it, and share it!
Respect for all stages of life,
Carol Rinehart
Follow important pro-life legislation in the South Dakota Legislature by clicking the star below.
SD Right to Life website
2024 SD
Law Updates...
- Resources -
Alpha Center
http://alphacenter.org/
Lifeline Children's Services
https://lifelinechild.org/states/south-dakota/
Teens for Life
https://www.nrlc.org/outreach/ntl/
Chastity Project
https://chastity.com/
Help is everywhere, but sometimes we just don't know where to look. Check out our list
of resources for YOU.
"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. . . Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be."
Bible, NIV, Psalms 139:13, 16
life:
an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2015
staggering statistics:
an estimated 63,459,781 abortions have taken place in the United States alone since 1973.
https://www.nrlc.org/uploads/factsheets/FS01AbortionintheUS.pdf
Life Issues
Stem Cell
Research
Abortion
Assisted Suicide
What is it, and why is it wrong?
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Not all stem cell research is unethical. There are different types of stem cell research utilizing: 1) adult stem cells; 2) embryonic stem cells; and 3) fetal stem cells.
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Adult stem cells are generally taken from bone marrow or the spinal cord, and it does not have any negative impact on the adult.
Embryonic stem cells, generally taken from a human embryo that has been fertilized in an in-vitro fertilization clinic, destroys the embryo in the process.
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Fetal stem cells can come from the umbilical cord, from miscarried fetuses or still births, or from an aborted fetus.
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Scientists prefer embryonic stem cells, and potentially fetal stem cells, to adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are not as easy to manipulate and do not have the same durability, making the other two types of stem cells more sought after.
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It doesn't take long to make the connection that the fetuses of the abortion industry, and even the unused and stored fertilized embryos of the in-vitro industry, become the major suppliers of this type of research.
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Some restrictions have been passed by Congress, such as the Dickey-Wicker Amendment in 1995, to prohibit the Dept. of Health and Human Services from using federal funds for the creation of human embryos or for research in which human embryos are destroyed. But, more must be done to protect human embryos and human fetuses from becoming victims of a scientific supply-and-demand.
Whose body is it anyway?
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In the pro-choice message, there is only one body that matters, the mother's. But, what about the other bodies involved?
The father is another person whose body plays a major role in conception and the resulting pregnancy--but he has no choice. Fathers have only been successful in being given the right to notice of a woman's intent to abort their child. But, that's where a father's rights end. Fathers have been forgotten, and women told that fathers don't care or, if they do, what fathers want doesn't matter. Many fathers DO care and want to and should be a father to their child. Fathers have a right and responsibility to stand up for their children. Let's not forget them.
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Then there is the unborn baby's body. The default has always been that a "mother knows best" for her child, but today's society has forgotten that motto in favor of "my body, my choice." Abortion denies the existence of another body, the unborn baby.
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It's true that a woman's body is subject to the unborn baby within her for nine months, and then must make life choices of motherhood or adoption for her child. But, to deny those responsibilities because they are life-changing and difficult means embracing the only alternative--eliminating the source of her "difficulty"--the baby inside her.
The terrible truth of what abortion does to the unborn baby is not something the pro-choice movement wants mothers to think about when they consider abortion. But, it is
something that many mothers that made that choice admit they can NEVER forget. Don't do it to yourself, don't do it to your baby.
With so many resources available to young mothers, there is someone who can and will help, if you'll let them. You are not alone.
Assisted Suicide: It's not the answer.
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Assisted suicide, also called Euthanasia, is the intentional act or intentional lack of action with the purpose of causing death to a person.
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On its face, it sounds like murder, but supporters of euthanasia say its an act of compassion. They advocate the right of every "competent" person to end their life at whatever time and in whatever method they choose.
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Supporters of assisted suicide generally point to the elderly or terminally ill persons as people that should have this right. Rather than providing the end-of-life care a person needs to progress to a natural death, steps are taken to hasten the process, including injection of lethal drugs, prescription of lethal doses of drugs, or starvation and dehydration.
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The elderly or terminally ill, because of pain or fear of death, of being a burden, or from feelings of uselessness, turn to assisted suicide. True compassion is meeting their needs, not by death, but by loving them, by showing them they matter, and by making sure they have the medical help they need. We can start with our families.
But, the message of assisted suicide doesn't stop with the elderly and terminally ill. Who gets to decide if someone is "competent" to make a decision to die? The doctor providing and being paid for the services?
How many of us at some point in our lives felt like giving up, and maybe some even contemplated suicide? Would we be here today if we had been helped into that decision, rather than encouraged to continue on?
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The "right to die" message will spread to those who feel unhappy, unwanted, and to the mentally or emotionally ill. Teen suicide is premised on these thoughts of hopelessness. Should they be helped into suicide?
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For anyone who has had a suicide among their family or friends, you know it leaves terrible heartbreak and unanswered questions of why. Suicide in any form is not the answer.
by visiting these sites:
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National Right to Life: nrlc.org
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South Dakota Right to Life: sdrighttolife.org
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