The Global Life Campaign Briefing Paper to President of Dominican Republic

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

Authored by Thomas W. Jacobson, M.A. (May 2015)

Signatories are: Dominican Network of Christian Lawyers ★ Human Life International Regent University School of Law Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law Bradley Mattes, President, International Right to Life Federation, and Life Issues Institute

To H.E. Danilo Medina Sánchez, President of the Dominican Republic, and to church, government, and other leaders

Excellency,

This document contains wisdom from God, the Bible (upon which both our countries were founded), clergy, founders and rulers of nations, and scientists and scholars, giving you many reasons why the Dominican Republic should preserve its good laws prohibiting abortion, and some of the outcomes and accountability you should be aware of if you choose to authorize abortions. To help you make a wise and well-­‐informed decision, here are the 24 aspects covered in this special brief:

1. The human need and original Divine purpose for civil government.

2. God’s purpose for the Dominican Republic and every nation.

3. Lawful authority is to encourage good and punish evil, not the opposite.

4. The legitimacy of civil government is inseparable from protecting innocent human life.

5. Evidence in creation, science, and sociology.

6. Shedding innocent blood brings bloodguiltiness and curses.

7. Moral foundation in Laws of Nature and Nature’s God necessary for the rule of law.

8. Moral wrongs are not human rights.

9. The first inalienable human right is the right to life.

10. The God-­‐given rights of conscience, mind, and religion are inalienable.

11. Human laws must be consistent with conscience to be respected.

12. Abortion is not a human right.

13. History of nations prohibiting abortion & first international movement to protect life.

14. History of nations authorizing abortion since 1920.

15. When nations are likely to legalize abortion.

16. The Greatest Genocide in history.

17. Unreliability of abortion estimates.

18. Abortion increases exponentially after legalization.

19. Expected effects if a nation legalizes abortion.

20. Judgment of national leaders inevitable.

21. Judgment of nations inevitable.

22. Evidence of God’s judgment of nations.

23. Bloodshed unleashes power for good or evil.

24. Rule wisely and uphold the Constitution.

Concluding Comments.

1. Human need and original Divine purpose for civil government. What is

the need and purpose of civil government and from where does it get its authority? These realities cannot be rightly discerned without understanding their origins. When the LORD God created mankind, He made them good (Genesis 1:26-­‐27, 31). Thus, there was no need for any institution of force to restrain evil because there was no sin or evil within mankind prior to the Fall (Genesis 3). After the Fall into sin, the LORD exercised direct judgment over mankind. That is why when Cain killed Abel, God intervened directly, for Adam had no authority to bring judgment (Genesis 4:3-­‐12). Yet without internal restraint from reverential fear of God, and external restraint by force, evil flourished so rapidly that it overcame and consumed every person and culture on the earth within ten generations, that is, except for one man and his family whom the LORD found to be righteous. Consequently, the Creator God brought about the Great Flood that covered the entire earth as an act of direct judgment for the sin and evil of mankind; but He saved Noah and his family through the ark (Genesis 6-­‐8).

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. And the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created’ … But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD … Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. … Then God said to Noah … ‘the earth is filled with violence … I, even I am bringing a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh’” (Gen. 6:5-­‐9, 13, 17).1

After the Flood, the LORD God did a most gracious and benevolent act: He delegated some of His authority to mankind to punish evil and render justice. He said,

“Surely I will require your lifeblood … from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of GOD He made man” (Genesis 9:5-­‐6).

Thus, for the first time, God granted people (“by man”) the authority to establish their own civil governments for the purpose of acting on His behalf, establishing lawful order, protecting human life, and rendering righteous judgments.

Therefore, the first purpose of civil government is to exercise lawful authority that is delegated by God. It is a necessary institution to provide public order and restrain evil.

Great Britain, for example, formerly understood this foundation for civil authority. The Magna Carta, 1215 A.D., which actually restricted the king’s powers, begins with, “John, by the grace of God, king of England.” The First Charter of Virginia, 1606 A.D., begins, “James, by the Grace of God, King of England.”2 They understood that their authority to rule ultimately came from God.

The founding generations of the American Colonies, and later of the United States, built upon and substantially implemented the Biblical understanding of civil government that reformers had been developing in Switzerland, Great Britain and other nations. They came to understand that civil authority comes from God through the people, and that authority 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

2

was granted for the purpose of establishing lawful order based on the Laws of God, to provide a secure environment protective of the lives and liberties of all the people. (The Laws of God are fixed, uniform, and universal. But the opinions, rules, and laws of men are unstable and often pernicious, which drove the Americans to set up a better system.) The 1776 Declaration of Independence, asserts that the Source of the authority to form a separate nation and government – and protect God-­‐given rights – is God Himself:

“We hold these truths to be self-­‐evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

The “representatives of the Dominican people” did the same in forming your Constitution, by “invoking the name of God,” and recognizing that the authority for the civil government – currently entrusted to your leadership – comes from God, exclusively through “the People” of the DR (Preamble, Article 2).

2. God’s purpose for the Dominican Republic and every nation. If you could see the world and all nations from God’s universal perspective, and knew what was in His heart toward you and your country, here is what you would comprehend:

“The God who made the world and all things in it … made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God” (Acts 17:24-­‐27).

God’s purpose for the leaders and people of the Dominican Republic is that you seek God. The existence of the DR, the design of your national coat of arms, and your separation from Haiti, are in God’s providential purposes for your nation. In the center of your flag is your coat of arms; in its center is a Bible open to John 8:32, with the cross above it; and above this is your national motto, “Dios, Patria, Libertad” (Article 32, Constitution). These are the good foundations of your nation – anchored in the Bible as Truth, redemption through Christ, and the understanding that apart from God, and the good leadership and people of prior generations, you would not be free.

This is similar to the foundation of the United States. In fact, the United States would never have come into existence – especially as a righteous (not fully, but in many ways formerly), free, and prosperous nation – apart from the influence of the Bible, the cross, and the clergy. But for decades now, most of our leaders and people have rejected God’s purposes for themselves and our nation; now we are on a fast track to self-­‐destruction. Do not follow our mistakes! Legalizing abortion was one of those grave mistakes, entirely contrary to God’s proscribed purposes for every nation and government.

3. Lawful authority is to encourage good and punish evil, not the opposite. Regarding civil government, the authority the LORD God granted is not

arbitrary. The book of Romans gives clarity about the Divine design for civil authority:

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

3

“There is no authority (exousia) except from God, and those which exist are established by God. … For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil” (13: 1, 3-­‐4).

The Greek word “exousia,” often translated as “authority” or “power,” comes from root words meaning “right” and “lawful.” Thus, this authority (exousia) given by God is for the rightful exercise of lawful authority. It is not arbitrary! It is righteous and just!

The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness, yet He does not force us to do what is good and right (Psalm 89:14; 97:2). In like manner, righteousness is an essential foundation of stable civil government, but its power is not to be used to force people to do what is good and right (Deuteronomy 16:18-­‐20; II Samuel 8:15; I Kings 10:9).

The foundation of God’s throne is also justice, that is, right judgment, and He exercises force to punish all who do evil. The same is essential for stable civil government within its limited jurisdiction. Therefore, in a larger sense than stated before, the first purpose of civil government is to exercise lawful authority that is delegated by God to encourage (not force) good and punish (by force) those who do evil.

To do this, those in government must accurately discern between good and evil. If they fail to do so, they will misuse that power, encourage those doing evil, and punish those doing good. They do this either because they are deceived about what is “good,” or because of the fear of man, or as a strategy to gain or retain power. This is precisely what is occurring in the United States, where most of our leaders have lost their capacity to discern good from evil, and are using civil power to punish those doing good and encourage those doing evil.

Prohibiting abortion is the right use of civil authority, as “a minister of God,” to encourage what is good and be “an avenger” against “the one who practices evil.” It is true that every person has a sinful nature and is prone to do evil (Romans 3:9-­‐18, 23). But the Spirit of the LORD, who knows our every thought, is able to restrain us from evil (Psalm 94:11; 139:1-­‐ 12; Jude 1:24). Attorney Ernie Walton, Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, wisely stated the irreplaceable work of both the Holy Spirit and civil government:

“While only the Spirit of God can control the inner person and evil thoughts, God has granted Civil government authority to restrain externally, that is, actions that are evil (“one who practices evil”). Prohibiting abortion is one way the government can restrain external evil. Legalizing abortion, however, would be authorizing the practice of evil.”3

4. The legitimacy of civil government is inseparable from protecting innocent human life. Let’s review the LORD God’s original authorization to form what we call civil government, and His command therein, which He included also in one of the Ten Commandments: 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

4

“Surely I will require your lifeblood … from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of GOD He made man” (Genesis 9:5-­‐6).

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

What does this tell us about God, man, and what He requires of people and governments?

• God highly values every human life, for each one of us is created “in the image of God,” and this is the basis on which He requires justice for innocent bloodshed.

• God “will require your lifeblood … the life of man,” for every person or official responsible for the innocent bloodshed, that is, the murder, of any person.

• God commanded that His justice in these matters be exercised by civil government, for “by man his blood shall be shed.”

The Penal and Criminal Codes of every nation include provisions prohibiting murder.

Those provisions, whether knowingly or not, are based upon the Law of God if they are consistent with His Law, which is also written on every human heart (Romans 2:11-­‐16).

Some civil Codes protect human life from conception to natural death, and some do not.

The LORD God requires protection for innocent human life from the moment of conception, the moment He has created a new and unique human being. Scripture gives us evidence that we are created in His image, and He actively forms each human life from conception.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ … And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-­‐27).

“Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things” (Ecclesiastes 11:5).

“You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psalm 139:13-­‐16; see also, Genesis 4:1; Job 10:8, 10-­‐12; 31:15; 33:4; Isaiah 44:24; Jeremiah 1:5; Zechariah 12:1; Luke 1:12-­‐17, 26-­‐32).

Scripture is unclear as to whether civil government should authorize and implement the death penalty for those who murder innocent children in the womb. What we do know is:

•

For those who repent and ask His forgiveness, God provides atonement, forgiveness for sin (including murder), and eternal life through Jesus Christ (epistle of I John 1:9; John 5:24; Romans 5:15-­‐19); but that does not remove consequences (II Samuel 11-­‐13).

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

5

• • •

•

Thus, God will forgive a person responsible for the death of a child if they confess their sin; He may not remove consequences, but will work them for good (Romans 8:28).

“Each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-­‐12).

“No murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:15).

Those who do not repent will not be forgiven, and will face God’s judgment (Luke 13:3, 5; John 5:29; Acts 24:25; Romans 2:5-­‐12; Revelation 9:21). This includes every person responsible for the death of a child or mother, and who does not repent.

If there is innocent bloodshed, and civil government does not punish and prevent further murder, then God will judge those leaders and that nation (see later sections).

Civil government is the one institution God authorized after the Flood to use force to prevent the shedding of innocent blood, including of unborn children. From its original authorization, the legitimacy of civil government was inseparable from its duties to protect innocent human life and execute lawful justice. Each government should create and enforce laws protecting human life from conception to natural death.

The Constitution of the Dominican Republic affirms that the “essential function of the State” is “[t]he effective protection of the rights of the person” (Article 8), including the right to life. Title II, “Fundamental Rights, Guarantees and Duties,” declares:

“The right to life is inviolable from conception to death” (Article 37).

Dr. Brian Clowes of Human Life International, upon reviewing this paper, said that President Medina, those favoring abortion in Congress, and pro-­‐abortion proponents, must “prove that the unborn child is NOT a human being, not a person.”4

5. Evidence in creation, science, and sociology. The statements made below are from scientific research, medical dictionaries, sociological studies, the Bible, and personal reflection. For decades, the magnitude of scientific and medical discoveries and honest sociological research continue to reveal two basic truths: (1) life must be protected from conception, and (2) abortion takes the life of an innocent child and seriously harms mothers and fathers.

A. Support for Life in Creation and Science: • Human life begins at fertilization [conception].5 • A spark of life occurs at the moment of fertilization.6 • At the moment of fertilization, a rapid development process begins that forms all the cells, tissues, organs, muscles, and bones of a unique human boy or girl, provided there is no intervention to stop the process that is guided by the Creator (Ecclesiastes 11:5).7 • Humans come only from humans. Only the combining of the male sperm and female egg can create a new human being. From the beginning of creation, plant, fish, bird, and animal species have all reproduced “after their kind” (Genesis 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). So also do male and female humans create humans after their kind (Genesis 4:1; 5:3).8 • Every human being is unique. No two people are exactly alike in every respect, not even identical twins.9 The same is true in nature; not even two snowflakes are alike,10 and

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

6

every whale can be uniquely identified and tagged. The unique DNA of every person and living creature reveals the attentive, individual handiwork of the Creator.11 Human conception produces a human child, not a “mass of tissue,” or cat, dog, or ape.12 Babies in the womb feel pain, and a “late abortion is excruciatingly painful.”13 Abortion terminates the life of a unique and irreplaceable human being.

• • •

B. Sociological factors demonstrate that abortion harms mothers and fathers: • Abortion deeply wounds a woman spiritually and even deadens her soul. She was designed as a giver and nurturer of life (Genesis 3:20; 4:1). Thus, taking a human life, especially that of her own child, is self-­‐destructive. But she can be restored through the forgiveness and healing available through Christ Jesus alone (I John 1:9; Psalm 23:3).14 • Abortion causes women and men great emotional pain, which most endure in silence, until they receive encouragement, hope, and support to speak up. Hence, the “Silent No More Awareness Campaign.”15 • Post-­‐abortive women have increased risk of “mental health problems” – including “panic attacks, panic disorder, agoraphobia, PTSD, bipolar disorder, major depression, and substance abuse disorders” such as alcohol and drug abuse.16 • Post-­‐abortive women are “six times” more likely to commit suicide “than women who gave birth.”17 • Abortion is linked to increased breast cancer, because the natural transformation of the breast to “cancer-­‐resistant Type 4 lobules” that produce milk is terminated by artificial pregnancy termination.18 • Abortion adversely impacts the father of the child (e.g., emotions, stress, PTSD).19 • Abortion increases child abuse, which has risen by more than 1,100 percent in the United States since the legalization of abortion.20 A mother or father who is willing to kill one child is more likely to emotionally and physically harm other children.

• Abortion may become a form of contraception, as in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Cuba.

• Abortion allowed for rape victims permits murder of children conceived in rape. Laws prohibiting such abortions saved the lives of Rebecca Kiessling (founder of Save The 1, and mother of 6) and countless others.21

6. Shedding innocent blood brings bloodguiltiness and curses. From the beginning, when innocent blood was first shed, bloodguiltiness and a curse were upon the murderer and that land. These are not crazy ideas, but unseen realities with visible effects.

When Cain murdered Able, “the LORD said to Cain … ‘The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand’” (Genesis 4:9-­‐11).

Centuries later, when the LORD – for the benefit of all peoples – instructed His people how to build and preserve a righteous and free nation, He ordered them to make safe places of confinement for anyone who “unintentionally” killed another person. And He commanded, “Judges shall investigate thoroughly” such matters. If the act was committed with intent, which is murder, then there was to be a trial, and the murderer subsequently put to death.

In these ways, they would “purge the blood of the innocent from” their land (Deuteronomy 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

7

19:1-­‐13, 18). “So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and bloodguiltiness be on you” (19:10).

Unlike the nations they conquered, ancient Israel did not sacrifice their newborn children to false gods, at least not for many centuries. Eventually some of their kings authorized child sacrifice and sacrificed their own children. Manasseh, King of Judah, was the worst:

“he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had dispossessed … he made his son pass through the fire [child sacrifice] … and Manasseh seduced them to do evil … (and) shed very much innocent blood until he filled Jerusalem from one end to the other” (II Kings 21:1-­‐9, 16; see also, II Chronicles 33:2-­‐9; Deuteronomy 12:31; Hosea 9:10-­‐14).

What was the LORD’s response? “(F)or the innocent blood which he shed … the LORD would not forgive” (II Kings 24:4). The LORD brought His judgment through the Assyrians, and expelled most of His people from the land He gave to them.

As a government and country, you can authorize abortion. But a curse is upon any land, place, town, city, or nation where innocent blood is shed, and not atoned for by justice or repentance and forgiveness. Some evidences of judgments and curses (as opposed to blessings) are covered later in “Expected effects if a nation legalizes abortion.”

7. Moral foundation in Laws of Nature and Nature’s God necessary for the rule of law. Sir William Blackstone authored the Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-­‐1769), which were heavily relied upon in Great Britain and the United States to establish the rule of law. Blackstone rightly observed:

“Law, in its most general and comprehensive sense, signifies a rule of action; and is applied indiscriminately to all kinds of action, whether animate or inanimate, rational or irrational. Thus we say, the laws of motion, of gravitation, of optics, or mechanics, as well as the laws of nature and of nations. And it is that rule of action, which is prescribed by some superior, and which the inferior is bound to obey.

“Thus when the Supreme Being formed the universe, and created matter out of nothing, He impressed certain principles upon that matter, from which it can never depart, and without which it would cease to be. …

“Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his Creator, for he is entirely a dependent being. … And consequently … it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his Maker’s will.

“This will of the Maker is called the law of nature. For … when He created man, and endued him with freewill to conduct himself in all parts of life, He laid down certain immutable laws of human nature, whereby that freewill is in some degree regulated and restrained, and gave him also the faculty of reason to discover the purport of those laws.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

8

“Considering the Creator … laid down only such laws as were founded in those relations of justice … These are the eternal, immutable laws of good and evil, to which the Creator Himself in all His dispensations conforms; and which He has enabled human reason to discover ….

“This law of nature, being coeval [same age] with mankind and dictated by God Himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other – It is binding over all the globe in all countries, and at all times; no human laws are of any validity, if contrary to this: and such as are valid derive all their force, and all their authority, mediately or immediately, from this original.

“But … it is still necessary to have recourse to reason … But every man now finds … that his reason is corrupt, and his understanding full of ignorance and error.

“This has given manifold occasion for the benign interposition of Divine Providence … [giving the Bible] … The doctrines thus delivered we call the Revealed or Divine Law, and they are to be found only in the Holy Scriptures.”22

Thus human laws, to be lawful, right, and just, must conform to the laws of nature, which are revealed specifically in the Divine Law “found only in the Holy Scriptures.”

This is what the term, “Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” refers to, namely, the unchangeable laws of nature imbued into all creation and mankind, and the corresponding Laws of God recorded in the Bible.

This is the foundation of the United States as a nation, and the justification for its formation given in the first paragraph of the 1776 Declaration of Independence: “(T)he separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them” (par. 1).

That same year, John Adams (later 1st Vice President and 2nd President of the United States) observed what is necessary to preserve liberty and lawful government:

“Statesmen … may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.

The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a greater Measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty. They will only exchange tyrants or tyrannies.”23

President George Washington, in his 1796 Farewell Address after serving as the first president, warned his country to be sure and preserve “religion and morality”:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensible supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness— these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”24

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

9

Thus, the rule of law and liberty can be preserved long-­‐term only if the people and their leaders uphold the pillars of true religion, morality, and virtue. Otherwise, the society and nation will digress, gradually or rapidly, into unstable government and tyranny—Thus the current state of the United States and many other nations.

Legalizing abortion removes the government from its capacity to preserve the rule of law.

8. Moral wrongs are not human rights. Inalienable human rights are only those that come from the Creator. Rights that come from God are right, lawful, moral, inalienable, and in harmony with a rightly informed human conscience. True inalienable human rights never include moral wrongs. Other “rights” may be granted by government, but may not be right, moral, or permanently guaranteed.

True human rights can only be secure if anchored in the existence of the Creator God who made man in His own image, giving him certain rights and responsibilities within a state of nature, prior to and not from civil government.

James Madison (father of the U.S. Constitution, and later 4th President of the United States), in 1785 while a Member of the General Assembly of Virginia, said:

“If ‘all men are by nature equally free and independent’, all men are to be considered as entering into Society on equal conditions; as relinquishing no more, and therefore retaining no less, one than another, of their natural rights.”25

“Their natural rights” are those inalienable human rights given by God to every person.

No moral wrong is a human right. No wrong is among the “natural rights” given by God to man. Specifically, no one has a “right” to do an immoral act, sexual or otherwise; to lie or bear false witness; to punish a person for expressing a belief or opinion; or to take an innocent human life.

Further, the only true “sexual rights” that exist are between a husband and wife within the covenant of marriage (I Corinthians 6:18; 7:3-­‐5; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:5).

Finally, women are to be protected, cherished, and highly valued as the crown jewel of God’s creation, uniquely designed to be givers and nurturers of life (Genesis 1:26-­‐27; 2:18, 21-­‐23; 3:20). A woman should never be put in a position to have to take human life, except in self-­‐defense (Genesis 14:14-­‐16; Numbers 1:1-­‐3, 20-­‐46; I Samuel 30:1-­‐19). Further, “women’s rights,” as with any “human rights,” can never be rightly extended to include moral wrongs or murder, particularly of their own children.

Attempting to include “sexual rights” – especially with no connection to marriage, age, or gender – or a “right” to abortion, within human rights standards corrupts the very nature of inherent human rights. Doing so violates the original authorized purpose of civil government, and the Law of God, which were given to protect human life and preserve morality in civil community.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

10

9. The first inalienable human right is the right to life. The Creator God alone has absolute authority to give or take life. As seen above, His immediate priority after the Flood was to secure protection for human life, and that protection was developed further in the Law of God given to Moses. No human has the authority to take the life of another person, preborn or born, except in self-­‐defense or by means of official justice or just war.

That is why all penal codes have provisions prohibiting murder, and many constitutions include a guarantee to protect the right to life.

Thomas Jefferson (later 3rd President of the United States), in 1774 while a Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, said:

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time: the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them.”26

It is impossible to preserve liberty if respect for the right to life is lost.

The 1776 charter of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, affirmed human life as the first unalienable right:

“We hold these truths to be self-­‐evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life ... That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men” (par. 2).

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirmed the right to life:

“Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” (Article 3).

As quoted earlier, the 2010 Constitution of the Dominican Republic guarantees,

“The right to life is inviolable from conception to death” (Article 37).

No government has any rightful authority to affirmatively allow any person to perform an action that would take the life an innocent human being, such as a baby not yet born or newly born. The same principle applies to forcing citizens to pay for such services and procedures by means of taxation.

10. The rights of conscience, mind, and religion are inalienable. In the American Colonies from the 1600s to the early years of the United States in 1800s, clergy laid foundations for the people and their officials to understand the importance of protecting inalienable rights, particularly those of conscience, mind, and religion. That is why these rights were respected and protected until recently. In 1762, Rev. Abraham Williams delivered An Election Sermon to the Massachusetts Governor and General Court:

“Human Laws can't control the Mind.—The Rights of Conscience, are unalienable; inseparable from our Nature;—they ought not—they cannot possibly be given up to Society. Therefore Religion, as it consists in right Sentiments, Affections, and Behaviour towards God,—as it is chiefly internal and private, can be regulated only

by God Himself.”27

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

11

Many other clergy understood the same truths during the founding era, and even decades later. In 1794, Rev. John Leland wrote:

“Should a man refuse to pay his tribute for the support of government, or any wise disturb the peace and good order of civil (society), he should be punished according to his crime, let his religion be what it will; but … The rights of conscience should always be considered inalienable—religious opinions are not the objects of civil government, nor any way under its jurisdiction. Laws should only respect civil society; then if men are disturbers they ought to be punished.”28

This common understanding during the founding generations in the United States is derived from the Bible (e.g., I Samuel 24:5-­‐6; Daniel 3; 6; Acts 24:16; Romans 2:15), including Jesus’ words about the Law of God, summarized in two great commandments:

“[Jesus] said, ‘you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-­‐39).

To fulfill these commandments of the LORD God, the rights of conscience, mind, and religion must be inviolable.

In the highest sense, the exercise of true inalienable human rights is to be consistent with reverence and love of God, His moral Law, and love and respect for people. This includes respecting and protecting human life, the rights of conscience and religion, and the right of people to have differing opinions as long as opinions contrary to the moral Law are not imposed upon others and society.

The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirmed these inalienable rights:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observation” (Article 18).

The Constitution of the Dominican Republic affirms in part these inalienable rights:

“The State guarantees the freedom of conscience and of beliefs, subject to the public order and respect for good customs” (Article 45).

“Every person has the right to freely express their thoughts, ideas and opinions, through any media, without the establishment of prior censorship” (Article 49).

On the other hand, forcing individuals or medical institutions to perform, assist, refer, or support abortions, or citizens to pay for the procedures from tax revenues, violates the inalienable rights of conscience, mind, and religion.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

12

11. Human laws must be consistent with conscience to be respected.

When human laws are consistent with the Law of God, they are consistent with a rightly informed conscience, thus enabling citizens to live freely with a clean conscience before God and in obedience to civil laws. When the civil laws contradict the Law of God, this creates internal conflict, requiring each person to choose between obeying God or civil government. If they choose to obey God, they will in some form resist the unlawful law, and have difficulty respecting their officials and government. If they obey the unlawful law, they will violate their conscience, dulling their sensitivity to right and wrong, and will gradually lose respect for themselves, and their officials, government, and the laws they make. Then it will become increasingly difficult to maintain the rule of law.

12. Abortion is not a human right. Abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent human being prior to or during birth, and thus is murder. Infanticide is murder after birth. Therefore, abortion and infanticide violate the laws of nature and the Law of God, and can never be rightly considered as “human rights.”

What does the Law of God say about murder? In Exodus 20, the LORD God gave the Ten Commandments, upon which rest all His other commandments. The 6th Commandment is: “You shall not murder” (20:13).

In the next chapter, we find the following explanation of one application of the Law:

“If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life” (21:22-­‐23).

This law was designed to protect both the mother and the child in her womb. If someone caused her to deliver her baby prematurely, it would be a crime and they were to be fined.

But if the woman was injured, then there would be a higher penalty; and if killed, then the death penalty was to be applied. This law also indicated penalties for causing injury or death to the child, but that application is less clear. Why such serious penalties for causing the death of a mother or child? Because they are created by God, in His image and likeness, and thus are of the greatest intrinsic value to Him – and should be to us.

More specifically, how does God view abortion and infanticide? The Bible does speak in many places against child sacrifice, which we call infanticide, and abortion is infanticide prior to birth. The Bible reveals the following:

(1) God forbids human sacrifice, especially of children (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-­‐5).

(2) Child sacrifices were done on “high places” as acts of worship to man-­‐made idols, including Molech, Baal, and Asherah (II Kings 21:3, 6-­‐7, 16; 23:10).

“They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves … an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.

Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and … sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him” (II Kings 17:16-­‐17).

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

13

“They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-­‐hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin” (Jeremiah 32:35).

(3) Child sacrifice is actually sacrifice “to the demons” (Psalm 106:37-­‐38; Deut. 12:31).

(4) Shedding the innocent blood of children through human sacrifice is the only sin in the Old Testament that “the LORD would not forgive” (II Kings 24:4).

(5) God will judge any individual, leader, government, or nation that sheds innocent blood (covered later in sections on judgments).

Clearly, abortion and infanticide are great evils, and never “human rights.”

The next section is on the global consensus prior to 1920 that abortion is morally wrong and not a human right – a position that one-­‐third of the nations still hold.

13. History of nations prohibiting abortion and first international movement to protect life. Prior to the 1800s, abortion was rare because of the

extreme danger to women: at least 50 percent died after attempts to abort. However, child sacrifice and infanticide were common in some cultures.

During the early 1800s, several factors converged that increased abortion incidence: (1) the invention of fine surgical tools, which were developed over several centuries; (2) the invention of anesthesia in the early-­‐to-­‐mid 1800s; (3) the discovery of the process of conception and fertilization; (4) prior to this time, general ignorance of fetal development in the uterus; and thus, (5) no legal prohibition.

The inventions and increased medical knowledge reduced the risk of death to mothers, and abortion increased. This alarmed the trained medical communities, while the discovery of fertilization enabled scientists, physicians, nurses, and others to begin to better understand early child development in the womb. These factors strengthened the resolve of the medical community and civil governments to protect life.

Here is a summary of the nations that prohibited abortion between 1803 and 2013: • 73 nations – 100 percent of those who made laws pertaining to abortion between 1803 and 1918 – prohibited abortion, which was the first international movement to protect human life (attachment A); • 73 nations prohibited abortion between 1920 and 2013 (attachment B); • About half of these two groups subsequently legalized abortion, partially or fully; • 61 nations currently prohibit abortion (attachment C, groups 1 and 2).

14. History of nations authorizing abortion since 1920. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) was the first nation to legalize abortion in 1920.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

14

Including the Soviet Union (Russia and its 14 former republics), a total of 133 nations legalized abortion, partially or fully, between 1920 and 2014 (attachment D).

In the United States, every state prohibited abortion during the 1800s. However, between 1954 and 1972, a total of 20 states passed laws permitting abortion. After the 1973 arbitrary Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, unless they were willing to fight the decision, all other States were legally obligated to remove prohibitions. Since 1954, the lives of more than 58 million babies have been exterminated through abortion in the USA. Judgment is inevitable, and in many ways is already upon us.

Currently, 38 nations allow but restrict abortion. In addition, 96 nations permit abortion on demand; of these, 18 are in this category only because they authorized abortifacients (see attachment C, “195 Nations Grouped”).

15. When nations are likely to legalize abortion. The most likely time for the people of a nation to accept and practice abortion, and for their government to authorize it, is at about the midpoint or later in the decline of the nation. If the government authorizes abortion, it accelerates the spiritual and moral decline of the nation.

Every nation in history has gone through one or more periods of decline. Decline is inevitable; national self-­‐destruction is not. Decline occurs because of the fallen nature of man, with our propensity toward sin, thus corrupting ourselves and our nations.

Many of the steps of national decline are described in the book of Romans. At about the mid-­‐point of decline, God withdraws His restraining influence, and gives people “over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity,” and they use and dishonor one another with their bodies (Romans 1:24). As sexual sin escalates, countless girls and women become pregnant outside the protective covenant of marriage. That creates great social challenges, chaos, and pressure to legalize abortion.

The United States is now in the latter steps of national decline, with every step now visibly present in the nation and its governments (see attachment E, “27 Steps of National Decline”; full text available in Sanctity of Life section on: www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com).

The Dominican Republic could now be at the midpoint of its decline. But rest assured, if the civil government of the DR legalizes abortion, you would accelerate your national decline.

16. The Greatest Genocide in history. The combined human deaths by wars, genocides, and democides (murder by government regimes)29 of the past 2,000 years are significantly less than the greatest genocide in history: abortion. Since 1920, more than 1 billion babies have been murdered by abortion, and many millions die each year.

The best compilation of accurate statistics is by Dr. W. Robert Johnston, Ph.D., who has been compiling data primarily from government sources for about 30 years. Here is a link to the global summary table on his website, tracking 1.03 billion abortions:

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

15

http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/wrjp3313.html

The enclosed world graph tracks 1.026 billion abortions (attachment F, Total Abortions).

The second graph on the same page compares Total Deaths, abortion versus war totals.

17. Unreliability of abortion estimates. Pro-­‐abortion advocates and organizations deliberately overestimate abortions in nations to create political pressure upon the civil government to legalize or increase access to abortion. In 2002, I began tracking reported abortions in nations. At first I accepted estimates provided by the Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood, other pro-­‐abortion groups, experts writing in countless population and medical journals, and the United Nations (which relied in part on these sources). Finally, along with other honest researchers who study the documents and data, and track abortions in nations, I came to the following conclusions:

• • •

•

•

The only reliable abortion numbers are actual reported numbers.

In some nations that report, there is inconsistent or underreporting of abortions.

Those who promote the legalization of abortion in countries, or internationally, consistently bear false witness about the number of abortions, and do not provide verifiable documentation for their claims. They over-­‐estimate abortions to create political pressure upon governments to legalize abortion.30 Estimates that are not firmly anchored in, and based upon, actual reported numbers are not reliable and cannot be trusted. This includes estimates that are nation-­‐wide projections based on a small sample. It also includes unsubstantiated estimates by pro-­‐abortion individuals, groups, organizations, governments, or the UN. Reliable estimates of abortions for unreported years can be determined if anchored to, and based upon, actual reported numbers for other years. For example, pro-­‐ rating between two reported numbers that are five or ten years apart.

It is critical to require verifiable documentation to assertions and estimates. If you form a policy without doing so, you are most likely basing it on false information.

18. Abortion increases exponentially after legalization. During fourteen years of tracking national abortion statistics, the most common pattern I observe is that abortions increase exponentially after legalization. This exponential rise did not start immediately for the nations who legalized abortion during the 1920s to 1930s, except for the USSR, but has been typical thereafter.

The attached graphs of the United States and United Kingdom are illustrative of this pattern. Similar graphs for 30 other nations are on the Global Life Campaign website.

There is another exception to this pattern. In nations that legalized abortion in later decades, if abortion was already commonly practiced because there was no law or the law was not enforced, then for some legalization had little impact.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

16

19. Expected effects if a nation legalizes abortion. This matter warrants a

professional research study, but here are some preliminary observations.

Possible positive effects: • Increased educational level, particularly of women; and • Economic prosperity, but its duration is limited; it occurs as many more women are able to enter or remain in the workforce.

Negative effects (of moral decline, sexualization, and legalization of abortion): • The government and laws are removed from a fixed moral foundation, and (in violation of the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God), it promotes immorality and sanctions murder; • The government encourages evil and punishes good; • Confusion increases about what is good and what is evil; • Internal self-­‐control diminishes as sin is encouraged by public leaders, media, teachers; • Immorality before and adultery outside marriage increase exponentially; • Teenage and out-­‐of-­‐wedlock pregnancies increase exponentially, even if most are terminated by abortion or abortifacients; • Child abuse increases exponentially; • Marriage and family breakdowns increase exponentially; • Abortions increase exponentially; • The power of evil increases, for human sacrifice unleashes its power; • Lawlessness increases because leaders and people do not restrain their sinful passions; • Police become confused about what laws to uphold and who to protect; • Human-­‐made boundaries of morality are impossible to maintain because God-­‐given fixed boundaries were abandoned; • Initial allowance of exceptions “softens up public opinion and the politicians,” and leads to abortion on demand31 [In fact, 70 nations that first allowed abortion for one or more restricted reasons, have changed their laws to allow abortion on demand]; • Behaviors formerly abhorrent become acceptable, such as homosexuality and pedophilia, as people develop degrading and dishonorable passions; • Violence will increase against girls and women who don’t want to abort, and against those who stand for life and oppose abortion32; • Infanticide is eventually permitted; • Euthanasia is eventually permitted, for the culture has no basis for the intrinsic value of human life at its beginning or end; • Demographic imbalance with aging population caused by aborting the future workforce, resulting in economic crises with high risk of collapse of the economy.

On the last point, many countries that legalized abortion decades ago are now facing demographic and debt crises for which there is no foreseeable means of escape. The population of the Russian Federation has dropped by over 100 million. Many European nations are facing financial crises and demographic winter. The United States cannot replace the loss of 58 million current or future workers. Economists and researchers declare that the United States is on the verge of economic collapse and implosion (see notes for two recommended resources worthy of your review).33 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

17

If you legalize abortion, expect all of these effects and more, and the eventual destruction of your economy.

20. Judgment by God of national leaders inevitable. In the history recorded in the Bible, we are given insights into how God views and judges nations and their leaders.

For each king or national leader, the LORD God issued a short judgment with a few criteria:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Did he do what is right, or do what is evil, “in the sight of the LORD”?

Was his heart devoted to the LORD and to righteousness, or not?

Did he oppose, or did he promote and lead his people into, idolatry and evil?

Did he sacrifice children and shed innocent blood, and lead the people to do the same (this was the evil most abhorrent to the LORD)?

The first example is of a good king, King David, though not a perfect man:

“So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people” (II Samuel 8:15).

David “follow(ed) the LORD fully … doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances” (I Kings 11:6, 33).

“My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight” (I Kings 14:8).

“David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” (I Kings 15:5).

There were three kings who reigned over the united kingdom of the 12 tribes of Israel: Saul was evil; David was good, except for his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah; Solomon was good until his heart turned away from the LORD due to the influence of his foreign wives.

Because of Solomon’s sin, the LORD judged Israel and caused the kingdom to be divided, after which there were 38 kings, 19 over Judah, and 19 over Israel. All 19 kings of Israel were evil, though Jehu was the most righteous. In Judah, 8 were good, and 11 evil. Thus, out of 41 total kings, 10 were good.

The next example is of an evil king, Jehoram, 5th king of the separate nation of Judah (comprising the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin), the son of a good king, Jehoshaphat.

When Jehoram became king, “he killed all his brothers … did evil in the sight of the LORD … made high places [of idol worship]… and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray” (II Chronicles 21:4, 6, 11). Consequently, the LORD pronounced judgment through Elijah the prophet:

“‘The LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives, and all your possessions with great calamity; and you will suffer severe sickness’ … Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and the Arabs … and

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

18

they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives … So after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness … and he died in great pain … and he departed with no one’s regret” (II Chronicles 21:14-­‐20).

About 120 years later, Ahaz became the 11th king of Judah. He was descended from 4 sequential kings who “did what was right in the sight of the LORD,” but who did not remove places of idol worship (II Kings 12:2-­‐3; 14:1-­‐4; 15:1-­‐5, 32-­‐37). Ahaz was the most evil king of Judah to that point in their history, and the first one to practice child sacrifice.

“Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. Ahaz … did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel. He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree” (II Kings 16:1-­‐4).

Ahaz was the first leader of Judah to practice child sacrifice, about 500 years after the LORD had used the Israelites to wipe out the prior nations who did the same abominations. Israel had apparently already been practicing child sacrifice at this time in history, and the LORD used the Assyrians to end their kingdom and take many captive to Babylon (II Kings 17:1-­‐ 23). Ahaz saw how powerful Assyria was, and chose to trust their king and adopt their idolatries, including child sacrifice – instead of trusting God and doing right in His sight.

The 13th king of Judah, Manasseh, was the son of a good king, Hezekiah; but Manasseh became the most evil of all kings over Judah:

“he did evil in the sight of the LORD according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, ‘My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.’ … He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-­‐hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. … Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel” (II Chronicles 33:2-­‐6, 9; see also II Kings 21:1-­‐6, 9).

“Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD” (II Kings 21:16).

King Manasseh led his people into committing the same “abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed” through the Israelites 600 years earlier. The abomination most evil in the eyes of the LORD is human sacrifice. Of His own people building altars and burning their children as human sacrifices, the LORD Himself said that never “had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination” (Jeremiah 32:36; 19:5).

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

19

Because of “the sins of Manasseh … and for the innocent blood which he shed … the LORD would not forgive” (II Kings 24:3-­‐4). This is the only time in the Old Testament that the LORD Himself said He would not forgive a sin. Yet when the LORD brought judgment through the Assyrians, and King Manasseh “humbled himself greatly before God,” He was gracious and restored him to his kingdom (II Chronicles 33:10-­‐13). Even so, God brought judgment upon the nation for the innocent bloodshed.

21. Judgment of nations inevitable. Whenever innocent blood is shed, the LORD God sees it and will judge directly if civil authority does not accomplish justice according to His standards. For individuals, some may escape civil judgment in this life, but all will face certain judgment at the Final Judgment before God (Romans 2:5-­‐6; 14:10-­‐12; II Corinthians 5:10; I Timothy 5:24; Hebrews 9:27; II Peter 2:4-­‐9; Jude 1:6-­‐7; Revelation 14:7; 21:8).

Cities and nations, however, are temporal, and are judged by God in this life.

Whenever someone intentionally and unjustly takes an innocent human life, atonement by blood is required. There are only two means:

(1) Justice by the lifeblood of the person who committed an intentional murder, after due process (Genesis 9:5-­‐6; Exodus 20:13; 21:12; Numbers 35:30).

(2) Forgiveness by substitutionary lifeblood. Jesus Christ gave Himself as “a propitiation in His blood” for the atonement of sins, including murder, but His atonement is only applied to those who genuinely repent and accept His payment on their behalf, receiving His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-­‐26; I John 1:9; 2:2, 4:10).

Repentance and forgiveness do not preclude the necessity for civil justice. But repenting and accepting Christ’s atonement guarantees eternal life.

When innocent blood is shed and there is no justice or atonement, bloodguiltiness and a curse are on that land, as discussed earlier.

Legalizing abortion or infanticide, and the resulting innocent bloodshed, will bring God’s irrevocable judgment upon a people and their town, city, county, state, or nation.

When the LORD God promised Abram that He was going to give him and his descendants land in the area presently called the Middle East, it was not immediate. The LORD foretold that Israel would not possess the land for over 400 years, until “the iniquity of the Amorite is … complete” (Genesis 15:13-­‐21). What was their iniquity? Immorality, idolatry, and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18; Deuteronomy 7:1-­‐5; 9:4-­‐5; 12:2-­‐3, 29-­‐31; 18:9-­‐12). When the time of God’s patience was completed, He brought judgment by using Israel as His instrument to destroy the leaders and people of 34 kingdoms (book of Joshua).

Note also, that God judges His own people for innocent bloodshed. Once the Israelites had possession of the land, and after Joshua died, the book of Judges records the painful story of the people of Israel repeatedly forsaking the LORD and following false gods. Then the LORD “gave them into the hands of plunderers” and enemies, whom they would serve, and by whom they were enslaved and controlled. This created enormous financial, economic 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

20

and security troubles, as their crops were destroyed or over-­‐taxed, and their weapons of defense and warfare were confiscated. Then they would cry out to the LORD, and He would raise up a judge and deliver them, and they had peace for a time (e.g., Joshua 2:11-­‐23; 4:1-­‐ 12). Then they repeated the cycle, and God always judged the nation.

The same patterns were evident during the reign of the kings. II Kings 17 records the reasons why the LORD removed Israel (10 tribes at that time) from being a kingdom, when Assyria took them into captivity about 722 B.C.

“(T)he king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria … Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God … and they had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced. The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree … They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God … made an Asherah … served Baal. Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire … and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him. So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight … The LORD rejected all the descendants … and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight” (II Kings 17:6-­‐10, 15-­‐20).

The prophet Jeremiah further clarified that child sacrifice brought about God’s judgment.

“They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind. Therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of the Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place. The dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away. Then I will make to cease from the cities … and from the streets … the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin” (Jeremiah 7:31-­‐34; see chapter 19, and 32:35).

Judah (and Benjamin) remained, but God judged them through King Nebuchadnezzar (and several armies) who destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and took most of the people captive.

In more recent history, about two years into the United States Civil War, with already 300,000 war casualties, the U.S. Senate asked President Abraham Lincoln to issue a Proclamation calling the nation to fasting and prayer. Both Congress and the President, at 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

21

that time in our history, still recognized the sovereignty of God over nations, and accountability to Him.

“Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the LORD;

“And insomuch as we know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People?”34 (March 30, 1863 A.D.)

Two years later, after over 600,000 war casualties and a few weeks before he was assassinated, President Lincoln made clear his understanding that the Civil War was a righteous judgment of Almighty God for the national sin of slavery.

“One-­‐eighth of the whole population were colored slaves … localized in the southern part … These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war … Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. … Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered.

That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. ‘Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh’ [Matthew 18:7]. If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, ‘the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether’ [Psalm 19:9]. (Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865)35

Thus, “the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history,” is that the LORD God will judge every nation for their sins. He “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He will judge the United States for the innocent bloodshed of 58 million aborted babies; the United Kingdom for 8.5 million aborted babies; 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

22

Canada for 3.8 million aborted babies; the Russian Federation for over 200 million aborted babies; and for other sins, as He does for all nations. Yet each person and nation that responds with genuine humility and repentance before Him can be confident of His mercy, His compassion, and His goodness, even in the midst of judgment (Exodus 33:18-­‐19; 34:6-­‐ 7; II Chron. 33:10-­‐13; Luke 1:50; Romans 11:30-­‐33; I Timothy 1:15-­‐17; Hebrews 4:14-­‐16).

22. Evidence of God’s judgment of nations. If the LORD God had not revealed to ancient Israel and Judah the correlation between their sins and His judgments, they might not have understood the connection. So how can we know today if there is a cause and effect relationship? It is indeed difficult to discern whether contentions, crises, calamities, and troubles a community, city, or nation are experiencing are evidence of God’s judgment for sin. However, what we can do is look at what evidence is recorded in the Bible, and look for that same evidence in our nations. Here are a few examples, which include when God gives people over to their own sin:

• • • • • • • • • • •

A “deluding influence” causing people to believe what is false because they “did not receive the love of the truth” (II Thessalonians 2:10-­‐11).

Mistrust, contempt, and enmity within households (Micah 7:5-­‐6; Zechariah 8:10).

Standards of purity & morality abandoned; unrestrained lust, immorality, adultery, pornography, sexually transmitted diseases become dominant (Romans 1:24).

Gender confusion, lesbianism, homosexuality, deviant behaviors (Romans 1:26-­‐27).

No peace (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21; Jeremiah 6:14; 12:12; Ezekiel 7:25; 13:10-­‐16; Zechariah 8:10; Matthew 10:34; Revelation 6:4).

Lawlessness and despising authority increase, making it difficult to maintain the rule of law (Matthew 7:23; 24:12; Romans 6:19; II Peter 2:7-­‐10; I John 3:4).

Lack of courage and good leaders (Levit. 26:36; Isaiah 3:1-­‐3; 22:3; Ezekiel 7:17, 27).

Leaders dismayed and unable to solve overwhelming problems (Ezekiel 7:26-­‐27).

Economic, productivity, business, property, wealth losses and problems.* Calamities, famines, earthquakes, disasters in nature.* Attacks by enemies, destruction, servitude, ruled by foreigners.* * Too many references to list. See “Causes & Evidences of God’s Judgment on Nations,” part III of God and Nations Series, posted in Sanctity of Life section, Global Life Campaign website.

Currently in the United States, there is abundant and pervasive evidence of all of these aspects – and much more – of God’s judgments and giving us over to our own sin.

23. Bloodshed unleashes power for good or evil. Sacrificial bloodshed unleashes power for good or evil. Sacrificial bloodshed is “an offering made to God by killing and burning some animal upon an altar, as an acknowledgement of His power and providence, or to make atonement for sin, appease His wrath or conciliate His favor, or to express thankfulness for His benefits.”36 Its unlimited power for good is unleashed through God-­‐ordained means of atonement for sin, for “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Thus it has the power to restore people in right relationship with God.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

23

Those who don’t know, fear, or worship the Living God make similar sacrifices of animals, or humans, to appease, gain the favor of, or gain power from false gods (Exodus 34:13-­‐16; Deuteronomy 12:31; II Kings 3:26-­‐27; Jeremiah 48:35). Unlike God-­‐ordained atoning sacrifice, human sacrifice to idols, whether pagan gods or ideologies like radical feminism or the love of money, increases the power of evil and unleashes it in the idolater and community where it takes place.

From the beginning, animal blood was shed for the good purpose of covering the sin of mankind. Immediately after the first sin, “The LORD God made garments of skin (hides of animals) for Adam and his wife, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). When their son Abel became a grown man, he knew to bring a sacrificial offering “of the firstlings of his flock …

And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering” (4:4). When Noah and his family left the ark and stepped onto dry land after a year on the water, their first act was to build “an altar to the LORD,” and sacrifice one of “every clean animal and … bird.” This righteous act impacted God, and He made a promise that He has kept, witnessed by every rainbow:

“The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing … I establish My covenant with you … I set My bow in the cloud’” (Genesis 8:21; 9:11-­‐13).

In the generations after the Great Flood, people in cultures who no longer knew the Living God somehow knew the importance of blood sacrifice. But after they created their own gods, they eventually sacrificed humans instead of animals. In the nations utterly destroyed by ancient Israel, the practice of human sacrifice likely went on for more than 400 years.

Why did the LORD command that they be “utterly destroyed” – in some cases every man, woman, child, and animal (Deuteronomy 7:1-­‐10; 12:2-­‐4, 29-­‐31; 20:16-­‐18)? Because the “abomination” of child sacrifice unleashed the power of evil, with evil eventually permeating every person and creature in their cultures.

Human sacrifice to appease gods was practiced in civilizations in other regions of the world. The Mayan Empire in Central America built sacred cities and temples as places for worship and human sacrifice to their gods. For the Aztec Empire in Mexico, “Human sacrifice was the chief means of propitiating the gods.” On one occasion, the kings and priests dedicated a “great temple-­‐pyramid … by the sacrifice of twenty thousand prisoners of war … ripping out the throbbing hearts, throwing them into the … flames.”37 I do not know the history of this region well enough to understand all the evil that was unleashed from countless human blood sacrifices. But these civilizations, which for a time were highly advanced cultures, were destroyed and the sacrifices ended. Ever since then, there seems to have been an oppressive darkness over that region. For example, when I climbed pyramid-­‐temples in one area, there was an unmistakable sense of the presence of evil.

Consider ancient Israel again. The LORD restored the right practice of animal sacrifices for atonement by giving instructions to Moses which are recorded in the book of Leviticus (1:4; 4:1-­‐35; 6:1-­‐7; 16:1-­‐34). The purpose for blood sacrifice was stated as follows:

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

24

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Leviticus 17:11).

Thus, the LORD’s original purpose for animal sacrifice was to provide temporary atonement for sin, and point to the future sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who would provide permanent atonement for sin. The connection between the old and new pattern, the old and new covenant, was stated clearly in Hebrews 9.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. … Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. … And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. … For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:11-­‐26).

One sacrifice for all time! When Jesus Christ “poured out” His blood “for the forgiveness of sins” on the cross, He covered all sin for all time, and overcame the power of sin, evil, Satan, and death (Matthew 26:28). Thus, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). His forgiveness is available to every person, ruler, or nation, including for human sacrifice and abortion; and it is He who can lift and remove the power of darkness and evil.

24. Rule wisely, and uphold the Constitution. To be a good ruler, you must govern your nation with wisdom by doing “what is right in the sight of the LORD,” and respect and firmly “uphold the Constitution and laws of the Republic” (Article 127, DR Constitution), provided they are not contrary to the Law of God. The duties you owe to God and the people of the DR require you always to protect human life from the moment of conception.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

25

In December 2014, the National Congress submitted to you a revised Penal Code, designed to strengthen the capacity of the government to prevent and punish abortion, likely because of the alleged high number of illegal abortions. This action by the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies was consistent with the Divine purpose for civil government, and the authority (exousia) entrusted to them as legislators to make lawful laws and be “ministers of God.”

The reported support of the revised Penal Code by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Justice, Mariano German, was consistent with the same standards.

But according to those same reports, as president you vetoed the measure because you want to change the law to include exceptions for rape, incest, and fetal impairment. Your position is contrary to those standards, and all the Divine standards, recounted in this brief.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself and your cabinet members:

1. Is this consistent with the original Divine purpose for civil government?

2. Is it consistent with God’s revealed purpose for our nation?

3. Would it encourage good and punish evil, or not?

4. Would it protect innocent human life, and thus undergird the legitimacy of this government?

5. Have we humbly, carefully, and honestly considered all the evidence in creation, science, and sociology?

6. Would it authorize the shedding of innocent blood, bringing bloodguiltiness and curses upon us and our nation?

7. Is it moral and consistent with the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, so that it will also preserve security and the rule of law?

8. Would we be classifying a moral wrong as a so-­‐called “human right”?

9. Does this measure highly respect and consistently protect the inalienable right to life of every person, preborn and born?

10. Would this protect the God-­‐given rights of conscience, mind, and religion?

11. Would we in any way be pressuring people to violate their conscience, and thus encourage disrespect and rebellion against our laws and government?

12. Are we deceived into thinking that abortion is a “human right”?

13. What wisdom can we gain from the history of nations that prohibited abortion?

14. What wisdom can we gain from the history of nations that authorized abortion?

15. What does the Bible reveal to us about the spiritual and cultural state of nations who authorize abortion and infanticide, and the timing of such actions in their decline? Do we want to make the same mistake and accelerate our decline?

16. Do we want to partner with the nations who carried out the Greatest Genocide in history, or be among the nations who stood strong against this evil movement?

17. Have we been influenced by false estimates of abortions, and have we required verification of all assertions and estimates? If we have a crisis related to abortion, are we responding in God and life honoring ways?

18. Do we truly realize that if we authorize abortion, it will increase exponentially, wipe out much of our posterity, and never become rare or safe?

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

26

19. Are we willing to accept innumerable and immeasurable harmful effects from authorizing abortion, in exchange for short-­‐term political and economic gains?

20. Do I want God to judge me as a good ruler? Do I understand that He will judge me (and us) as an evil ruler, with innocent blood on my hands, if I authorize abortion?

21. Do we understand that God will judge our nation and turn His mighty power against us if we authorize the shedding of innocent human blood?

22. Can we identify any evidence of God’s judgment of our nation for our present sins?

23. Do we comprehend that we will unleash the power of evil if we authorize abortion?

24. By this action, would I be ruling wisely or foolishly? And would I be upholding or undermining the Constitution?

Concluding Comments. Clearly you are under pressure from some in the medical

profession and other groups within the DR, other nations (including the United States government), international pro-­‐abortion organizations, the United Nations, and more.

Appeasing those who have little or no regard for the sanctity of human life, who do not care about the posterity of your own people, and who do not fear God, would be unwise and eventually bring calamities to your nation. Making arbitrary unlawful laws that are in direct conflict with the universal Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God, would be foolish for you to do, and harmful to your people. This is what our current president is doing in the United States. You would be unwise to follow his example, for, based on prior known judgments, God will judge him as an evil ruler who led his nation to do much evil. Are you not better than that? Why not rather seek to be a good ruler of your nation, and uphold the Godly traditions and heritage entrusted to your leadership?

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land … But if your heart turns away and you will not obey … I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land … I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land …”

(Deuteronomy 30:15-­‐20).

Thomas W. Jacobson

Enclosures

Mr. Jacobson received a Masters in Public Policy from Regent University, Bachelors in Psychology from George Fox College, and Diploma of Biblical Studies from Lutheran Bible Institute. He is the Executive Director of the Global Life Campaign.

TJacobson@GlobalLifeCampaign.com † www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com

© Copyright 2015 by Thomas W. Jacobson 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

27

73 Nations Prohibit Abortion: 1803 – 1918 Attachment A The first multi-national and international movement to prohibit abortion started in the 1800s, and no nation legalized abortion during that century, or until 1920. A total of 73 nations and territories prohibited abortion between 1803 and 1918. The international consensus was clearly to protect the innocent lives of preborn children and their mothers.

1803 United Kingdom (UK)(+ 1837, 1861) 1898 Republic of Congo, Guinea (FRA) 1899 Nauru 1810 France (FRA)(+ 1832), and affected: 1902 Norway, Papua New Guinea Benin, Haiti, Mauritius 1906 Honduras 1821 United States (every state between 1907 Japan 1821 - 1900, most 1860s-1870s)

1824 Singapore (UK) 1845 Spain, and affected: Equatorial Guinea 1849 Russia 1860 Bangladesh, India, Pakistan 1861 Ireland; UK affected territories: Australia, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Sierra Leone 1864 Jamaica (UK) 1865 Tuvalu 1867 Belgium, and affected: Democratic Republic of the Congo 1868 Barbados 1870 1871 1873 1874 1879

Spain (2nd), and affected: Cuba Germany Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica (UK) Chile Luxembourg

1880 Japan 1883 Sri Lanka 1886 Netherlands; Portugal, and affected: Mozambique, Sao Tome & Principe 1890 Brazil 1892 Canada 1896 Burkina Faso

1910 1913 1916 1918

Sweden Tunisia Nigeria (South) Indonesia, Israel (UK), Tanzania (UK), Togo (FRA)

Year not known: Angola Grenada Guyana Kenya Lesotho Mauritania Micronesia Myanmar Palau Poland San Marino Senegal Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Suriname Swaziland Tonga Vanuatu Zimbabwe

Note: Current laws protecting life (or permitting abortion) for 181 nations, and a summary table of the policies for 195 nations, are available on the Global Life Campaign website. © Copyright 2012 -­‐ 2015, Thomas W. Jacobson (www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com) 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

28

73 Nations Prohibit Abortion: 1920 – 2013 Attachment B From 1920 to 2013, a total of 73 nations passed laws prohibiting abortion. A few of these nations had prior laws against abortion. Some subsequently legalized abortion.

1920 1922 1924 1925 1927 1929

France Niger (FRA), Panama Peru Sudan, Trinidad & Tobago Bahamas United Kingdom

1930 1931 1933 1934 1936 1937 1939

Italy, Malawi, Philippines Zambia Germany, Uruguay, Viet Nam Gambia Colombia Egypt Senegal (FRA)

1940 1943 1948

Rwanda Lebanon Dominican Republic

1950 1953 1956 1958 1959

Uganda Republic of Korea, Libya El Salvador, Portugal Benin Nigeria (North)

1960 1961

Jordan, Kuwait, Mongolia Central African Republic, Mali, Samoa Gabon, Solomon Islands Botswana, Venezuela Guinea, Kiribati Algeria Monaco Iraq

1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1969

1973 1974 1975 1977 1978

Guatemala Oman, United Arab Emirates Qatar Albania Spain

1981 1983 1984 1988

Cote d’Ivoire, Malta Ireland, Mauritania Burkina Faso Sierra Leone

1990 1992 1995 1997 1998

Andorra, Lao Saint Lucia Djibouti Paraguay Madagascar

2002 Marshall Islands 2007 Nicaragua 2008 Maldives 2008-09 Mexico (12 states) 2009 Timor-Leste 2013

South Sudan

Year not known: Afghanistan Brunei Darussalam Guinea-Bissau Iran Malaysia Yemen

Note: Current laws protecting life (or permitting abortion) for 181 nations, and a summary table of the policies for 195 nations, are available on the Global Life Campaign website.

© Copyright 2014 – 2015 by Thomas W. Jacobson (www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com)

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

29

195 NATIONS GROUPED BY LIFE-­‐PROTECTING OR ABORTION POLICIES Attachment C

Abortion is completely illegal (save whichever life possible, mother or child) ............................5 Americas & Caribbean (4 of 35): Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua Europe (1 of 42): Malta

Abortion is allowed only to save the life of the mother ........................................................ 56 Africa (22 of 54): Angola, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-­‐Bissau, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda Americas & Caribbean (13 of 35): Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Colombia, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Paraguay, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela Asia (3 of 32): Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar Europe (2 of 42): Andorra, San Marino Middle East (3 of 14): Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Oceania (13 of 18): Australia (New South Whales, Queensland), Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-­‐Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu

Abortion is permitted for 1-­‐5 more reasons ............................................................................. 38 Reasons subject to medical, psychological, or legal review: mother’s physical health; or mental health; rape or incest; fetal impairment or disability; or honor.

Africa (21 of 54): Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Zimbabwe Americas & Caribbean (4 of 35): Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Saint Lucia Asia (4 of 32): Bhutan, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia Europe (1 of 42): Monaco Middle East (6 of 14): Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria Oceania (2 of 18): Fiji, Vanuatu

Abortion on request (including abortifacients*, or for social & economic reasons) .................... 96 * abortifacients authorized or permitted. 18 countries in italics would be in one of the above categories except for abortifacients; underlined are from group 1 or 2.

Africa (11 of 54): Cape Verde, Egypt*, Eritrea, Ethiopia*, Liberia*, Madagascar*, Morocco*, Mozambique*, South Africa*, Tunisia, Zambia Americas & Caribbean (14 of 35): Argentina*, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia*, Brazil*, Canada*, Chile*, Cuba*, Ecuador*, Guyana*, Peru*, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, United States*, Uruguay Asia (25 of 32): Armenia*, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh*, Belarus, Cambodia*, China*, Georgia, India*, Kazakhstan*, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan*, Republic of Korea*, Russian Federation*, Singapore*, Sri Lanka*, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand*, Turkmenistan, Ukraine*, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam* Europe (38 of 42): Albania, Austria*, Belgium*, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria*, Croatia, Cyprus*, Czech Republic*, Denmark*, Estonia*, Finland*, France*, Germany*, Greece*, Hungary*, Iceland, Ireland*, Italy*, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania*, Luxembourg*, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands*, Norway*, Poland*, Portugal*, Romania*, Serbia, Slovakia*, Slovenia, Spain*, Sweden*, Switzerland*, United Kingdom* Middle East (5 of 14): Bahrain, Iraq*, Israel*, Saudi Arabia, Turkey*

Oceania (3 of 18): Australia* (Capital & 5 territories), Japan*, New Zealand*

© Copyright 2012 – 2015 by Thomas W. Jacobson (www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com) 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

30

133 Nations Legalize Abortion: 1920 - 2014 Attachment D The first nation to legalize abortion on demand was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

Between 1920 and 2014, a total of 133 nations and territories legalized abortion. Most did not legalize abortion on demand as a first step. Subsequent law changes increased, decreased, or prohibited access to abortion. The year listed is the first year of partial or full legalization.

1920 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1929

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Azerbaijan, Belarus & Ukraine (USSR) France Uzbekistan (USSR) Turkmenistan (USSR) Germany Tajikistan

1931 Mexico (parts) 1932 Poland 1933 Uruguay 1936 Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan (USSR); Cuba; Turkey 1937 Denmark; Switzerland 1938 Sweden 1940 Brazil; Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania & Moldova (USSR) 1948 Japan 1949 Syria 1950 Czech Republic; Finland; Greece; North Korea; Slovakia 1952 Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia & Slovenia 1953 Hungary 1956 Bulgaria; Thailand 1957 China; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Romania 1960 1962 1965 1967 1969

Ghana; Norway Somalia Tunisia Chad; Morocco; United Kingdom Canada

1970 1971 1972 1973

Costa Rica; Jordan; Singapore Ecuador; Venezuela; Viet Nam India; Zambia El Salvador; Palau; South Korea;

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

United States Austria; Cyprus Iceland; Italy; Namibia, South Africa Algeria; Bahrain; Fiji; Iran; Liberia; Nepal Israel; New Zealand; Rwanda; Zimbabwe Luxembourg Bangladesh

1980 Belize; Cameroon; Colombia 1981 Burundi; Kuwait; Netherlands; Seychelles; Togo; Vanuatu 1982 Comoros; Panama 1983 Barbados; Qatar 1984 Argentina; Portugal; Taiwan 1985 Spain 1986 Cape Verde; Mongolia 1987 Liechtenstein 1988 Guinea; St. Vincent & Grenadines 1989 Albania; Malaysia; Saudi Arabia 1990 Belgium; Pakistan 1991 Botswana; Equatorial Guinea; Peru; Sudan 1995 Guyana 1996 Burkina Faso 1996-2008 Australia (6 of 8 territories) 1997 Bolivia; Cambodia 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2009

Mali Benin; Egypt Bhutan Saint Lucia; Swaziland Niger Mexico (District Federal/Mexico City) Indonesia; Monaco

2010 Kenya 2013 Ireland 2014 Mozambique

Note: The laws protecting life or permitting abortion for 181 nations, a summary policy table for 195, and national graphs (showing patterns after legalization), are on the Global Life Campaign website. © Copyright 2012 – 2015 by Thomas W. Jacobson (www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com) 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

31

27 STEPS OF NATIONAL DECLINE Attachment E

Part II of GOD AND NATIONS Series

by Thomas W. Jacobson, M.A., 30 April 2013 (revised 30 April 2015)

When a nation begins to decline, there are at least 27 identifiable steps, though a few apply only to Jewish or Christian nations. These steps are taken from the Bible, particularly Romans chapter 1, and observations of nations. They are generally sequential.

1. The reverential fear and love of Almighty God diminishes.

2. The people increasingly do not honor the Sabbath or LORD’s Day as holy.

3. One generation fails to remember the LORD or pass on a vibrant faith to their children, and knowledge of His wonderful acts in Biblical history and their own history.

4. Impiety, unrighteousness, ungodliness, and wickedness start increasing unabated.

5. People wronging or harming one another, and injustice, escalate unabated.

6. The Truth is suppressed, distorted, perverted, and opposed.

7. Many deny “that which is known about God,” which He makes evident to/within them.

8. Many suppress the knowledge of the nature and character of God evident in creation.

9. They choose not to honor or glorify God as God. 10. They choose not to give thanks, or privately or publicly express gratitude, to God. 11. They develop futile speculations and theories, and become empty and vain in their thoughts, communications, art, media, debates, writings, and educational materials.

12. They develop an obscured and darkened heart, and become unintelligent.

13. They claim to be wise, while actually becoming fools, refusing wisdom or correction.

14. They reject “the glory of the incorruptible God,” and cease to acknowledge God. 15. They idolize, worship and serve self, people, created things, and material possessions.

16. God partly withdraws His blessing and protection, giving “them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity”; sexual sin escalates, followed by sexually transmitted diseases.

17. Marriage and family breakdowns increase sharply.

18. Abortion or infanticide may be legalized; shedding innocent blood becomes acceptable.

The foundations for fearing God, and respecting the sanctity and inherent value of human life, are largely abandoned; the government will be pressured to remove obstacles to absolute sexual freedom with no fixed boundaries or accountability.

19. They “exchange the truth of God for a lie,” forming their own changing “truths.”

20. Therefore, “God gave them over to degrading passions,” to lesbianism, homosexuality, whereby they “abandon the natural function” of the opposite sex, and burn with desire.

21. “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” – many develop reprobate minds; pedophilia and sexually deviant behaviors multiply.

22. They’re “filled with” greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, hatred for God, insolence, arrogance, pride; are untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.

23. The fear of God is gone! People give “hearty approval to those who practice” evil.

24. People demand absolute freedom to do what they want, with whom they want.

25. Absolute intolerance, open hatred, violent opposition to anyone who represents God. 26. God withdraws from the culture and protecting the nation; lawlessness takes over.

27. The entire culture (except the remnant who fear God) becomes corrupt and reprobate.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

32

Every nation in history has gone through one or more periods of decline. Decline is inevitable; national self-­‐destruction is not. Decline occurs because of the fallen nature of man, with our propensity toward sin, thus corrupting ourselves and our nations. There are three ways to prevent moral decline:

(1) Healthy reverential fear of God in the leaders and the people, a high level of commitment to righteous self-­‐government, righteous and just civil government, and correction or punishment of those who do evil; (2) external compulsion by religious leaders; or (3) external threat or force by civil government.

Any society can set up good moral standards, with aspects consistent with the Law of God. But the surest way of preserving high standards, moral integrity, and righteousness among a people – and freedom – is if it comes from within. If the people fear the Living God, and His Spirit is living within them empowering them to do what is right and be self-­‐governing, and they are responding in obedience to Him, then they have the greatest possible capacity to steward freedom with minimal civil government. The generations who founded the United States called this Christian self-­‐government.

The United States has been through cycles of careful building, followed by decline, followed by a spiritual revival and national reformation that restored the nation for a period of time. The first decline came during the middle of the colonial period until the first Great Awakening (1720-­‐1755), which revitalized the colonies and led to the birth of the United States as a free nation. By the late 1700s, the nation was starting to decline, but was revived during the Second Great Awakening (1790-­‐early 1800s). A partial awaking occurred in the late 1850s, bringing deep conviction of the sin of slavery, but it did not permeate the slave states. The hardening of hearts in the slave states led to the Civil War as a judgment of God for the sin of slavery, and resulted in over 660,000 Americans dead. Yet God was gracious after the judgment, gave wisdom (even to former slaves) to create countless inventions, and blessed the nation so generously that it became the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth.

Today the United States is on the verge of a spiritual, moral, cultural, and economic collapse. The current decline, especially since the 1960s, is the longest and deepest in its 400+ year history. For the first time ever, the country has declined through all 27 steps, with increasing evidence of the final steps. Most of our pastors, government leaders, judges, and people have lost the fear of God, the love and knowledge of truth, the capacity to discern good from evil, and courage to stand up for what is right in God’s eyes. We are self-­‐destructing as we worship self and pursue hedonistic desires with no limits; our governments sanction immorality; lawlessness and riots break out; and intolerance for Biblical truth and righteousness is encouraged by leaders. God-­‐fearing Americans sense things are wrong, but don’t know what to do, and are unaware of many judgments already afflicting us (see separate paper, “Causes and Evidences of God’s Judgment on Nations”). A nation-­‐wide spiritual revival and reformation are the only hope of recovery.

An elaboration of the 27 steps is available on: www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com

© Copyright 2013, 2015, by Thomas W. Jacobson 24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

33

1,025,851,246 Total Abortions (1920-­‐2012): 78 Nations Attachment F

30,000,000

25,000,000

20,000,000

15,000,000

10,000,000

0

1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

5,000,000

Total Deaths 1,025,851,246 1,200,000,000 1,000,000,000 800,000,000 600,000,000 400,000,000

1,326,612

16,500,000

63,185,500

200,000,000 -­‐ All U.S. wars: 1775-­‐2012

World War I: 1914-­‐1918

World War II: 1939-­‐1945

Abortion: 1920-­‐2012

© Copyright 2012 - 2015, Thomas W. Jacobson (www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com)

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

34

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

35

©!Copyright!2014!Thomas!W.!Jacobson,!Global!Life!Campaign,!!www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com,!TJacobson@GlobalLifeCampaign.com!

!

0!

200000!

400000!

600000!

800000!

1000000!

1200000!

1400000!

1600000!

1800000!

Total(abortions,(195452012:((55,444,577( (17%(of(current(population,(or(26(of(50(States)(

Black:!!abortion!legalized,!or!subsequent!changes!in!law!(9!=!decreased!access;!^(=(increased(access)( Red:((Innocent(bloodshed(–(the(number(of(reported(abortions(that(year.((( Italicized(number:((estimated(number(based(on(actual(reported(number(before(and/or(after((prorated).(((!

!

!

!195,092!!

Abortion(illegal:((1800s(–(1950s570s,(regulated(by(states( Abortion(legalized:((1954,(66570,(72(part(or(full(legal(in(20(states;(^1973(national(

440!!

328!!

337!!

336!!

345!!

357!!

365$$ 373$$ 381$$ 390!!

823!!

794!!

1,028!!

2,061!! !6,396!! !29,106!! !486,004!! !586,891!! !745,725!! !900,656!! !1,037,258!! !1,183,449!! !1,321,813!! !1,415,736!! !1,504,811!! !1,562,047!! !1,586,530!! !1,584,133!! !1,586,222!! !1,589,430!! !1,601,805!! !1,588,241!! !1,574,375!! !1,607,026!! !1,584,126!! !1,626,886!! !1,575,759!! !1,548,166!! !1,513,842!! !1,441,452!! !1,377,469!! !1,383,323!! !1,352,219!! !1,335,817!! !1,331,420!! !1,329,030!! !1,306,636!! !1,277,538!! !1,257,803!! !1,231,337!! !1,213,133!! !1,247,759!! !1,215,156!!

1,217,864!!

1,150,000!

1,110,000!

1,070,000!

1,050,000!

UNITED'STATES'

1954!

1955!

1956!

1957!

1958!

1959!

1960!

1961!

1962!

1963!

1964!

1965!

1966!

1967!

1968!

1969!

1970!

1971!

1972!

1973!

1974!

1975!

1976!

1977!

1978!

1979!

1980!

1981!

1982!

1983!

1984!

1985!

1986!

1987!

1988!

1989!

1990!

1991!

1992!

1993!

1994!

1995!

1996!

1997!

1998!

1999!

2000!

2001!

2002!

2003!

2004!

2005!

2006!

2007!

2008!

2009!

2010!

2011!

2012!

!

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

36

©!Copyright!2014!Thomas!W.!Jacobson,!Global!Life!Campaign,!!www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com,!TJacobson@GlobalLifeCampaign.com!

!

0!

50,000!

100,000!

150,000!

200,000!

250,000!

Total(abortions,(1958;2012:((7,997,033( (12%(of(current(population,(or(nearly(everyone(in(London)(

Black:!!abortion!legalized,!or!subsequent!changes!in!law!(9!=!decreased!access;!^(=(increased(access)( Red:((Innocent(bloodshed(–(the(number(of(reported(abortions(that(year.(((

!

!

92,132!!

Abortion(illegal:((1803;(1837;(1861;(1929( Abortion(legalized:((1938(court(decision;(^1967;(^1990;(1991;(2008(

13,734!

14,064!

14,030!!

14,323!!

16,829!!

16,621!!

18,324!!

19,521!!

21,430!!

28,003!!

25,279!!

58,717!!

133,174!!

168,232!!

175,656!!

171,265!!

147,688!!

137,240!!

140,320!!

148,835!!

157,269!!

168,339!!

170,442!!

170,352!!

169,339!!

177,658!!

179,695!!

180,640!!

182,712!!

192,922!!

193,252!!

196,216!!

186,676!!

178,887!!

175,625!!

173,961!!

170,527!!

184,317!!

185,895!!

193,194!!

188,363!!

190,238!!

190,966!!

193,185!!

198,888!!

203,129!!

203,627!!

211,684!!

216,945!!

213,668!!

206,560!!

206,692!!

206,334!!

203,419!

UNITED'KINGDOM'

1958!

1959!

1960!

1961!

1962!

1963!

1964!

1965!

1966!

1967!

1968!

1969!

1970!

1971!

1972!

1973!

1974!

1975!

1976!

1977!

1978!

1979!

1980!

1981!

1982!

1983!

1984!

1985!

1986!

1987!

1988!

1989!

1990!

1991!

1992!

1993!

1994!

1995!

1996!

1997!

1998!

1999!

2000!

2001!

2002!

2003!

2004!

2005!

2006!

2007!

2008!

2009!

2010!

2011!

2012!

!

1

All Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible.

2

Sources of Our Liberties: Documentary Origins of Individual Liberties in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, edited by Richard L. Perry (Chicago, American Bar Foundation, 1978), pp. 11, 39.

3

S. Ernie Walton, Administrative Director, Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, headquartered at the School of Law, Regent University.

4

Dr. Brian Clowes, director of Research and Education for Human Life International.

5

"The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote."

Quote from Langman’s Medical Embryology, 7th edition (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1995), p.

3. Scientists gradually discovered the process of conception between the 1600s and late 1800s. See short summary: “History of the Discovery of Fertilization,” from Restarting Life: Fertilization and the Transition from Meiosis to Mitosis, by Dean Clift & Melina Schuh, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 14, 549-562 (2013). http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v14/n9/box/nrm3643_BX1.html 6

“‘Zinc Sparks’ Fly During Human Conception,” news report by Chuck Bednar, redOrbit (http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113300122/zinc-sparks-fly-during-human-conception121614/). Based on study, titled, “Quantitative Mapping of Zinc Fluxes in the Mammalian Egg Reveals the Origin of Fertilization-Induced Zinc Sparks,” Emily L. Que, et. al., Nature Chemistry. http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v7/n2/full/nchem.2133.html 7

http://www.lifeissues.org/category/resources/other-resources/fetal-development/

8

There is no scientific or verifiable evidence (theories, but no evidence) that any creature has ever changed from its “kind” to a different “kind,” such as from a fish to an animal to a man.

9

“Identical Twins’ Genes Are Not Identical,” by Anne Casselman, Scientific American, April 3, 2008. Review of scientific research. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/identical-twinsgenes-are-not-identical/ 10

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/snowcrystals.html

11

https://answersingenesis.org/genetics/dna-similarities/dna-a-summary/

12

http://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-fetal-development

13

“In Brief: What Science Reveals about Fetal Pain,” by Arina Grossu, Director, Center for Human Dignity, Family Research Council. http://www.frc.org/fetalpainbrief).

14

For redemptive abortion recovery stories, of friend Carrie and others, and for help, see: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/promos/advocacy/be-a-voice; www.RamahInternational.org; etc.

15

www.silentnomoreawareness.org

16

Dr. Priscilla Coleman, Ph.D., and others conduct scientific research in these areas. See, Alliance for Post-Abortion Research and Training [APART], www.standapart.org. She is a Professor at Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA. See also, “Thirty Studies in Five Years Show Abortion Hurts Women’s Mental Health,” by Dr. Coleman, at: https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/30-studies-coleman/itemlist/tag/research. See also research by Dr. Martha Shuping, M.D., at: www.rachelnetwork.org/research.html 17

“Suicide Rate for Women Having Abortions is Six Times Higher Than Women Giving Birth,” Amy Sobie, LifeNews.com, December 19, 2014. Report on Finland study.

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

37

18

“Induced Abortion and Breast Cancer,” by Angela Lanfranchi, M.D., and Patrick Fagan, Ph.D., February 2014, Marriage & Religion Research Institute (MARRI), Family Research Council (www.frc.org; Washington, DC). See also report on study from Chinese researchers: “New Study Puts Abortion-Breast Cancer Link Back in the Spotlight,” by Patrick Goodenough, CNSNews.com, December 3, 2013. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/newstudy-puts-abortion-breast-cancer-link-back-spotlight 19

See “Resources” section on: www.standapart.org.

20

“By 1974, some 60,000 cases [of child abuse] were reported … By 1990, reports topped twomillion” throughout the United States. Stated in, “A Short History of Child Protection in America,” by John E.B. Myers, J.D., Family Law Quarterly, Volume 42, Number 3, Fall 2008.

Child abuse and neglect are usually traced to the perpetrator, not to the underlying cause (in this context, a prior abortion) of why the perpetrator harmed the child. The total estimate of cost related to child abuse and neglect within the United States during 2012 was $80 billion. See: http://www.preventchildabuse.org/images/docs/PCAA_Cost_Report_2012_FAQ_FINAL.pdf.

Reporting criteria may have changed. In 2013, there were 678,932 cases, which is still a 1,100 percent increase over 1974. See: Table 3-3, Child Victims, under “Child Maltreatment 2013 – Data Tables,” at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/child-maltreatment-2013-datatables.

21

Mrs. Kiessling’s mother tried twice to abort her, but the good law in her state forbid abortion, and her life was spared. She became a lawyer and founded the Save the 1 campaign, to save the 1 percent “of children conceived in rape or incest,” who are usually used to justify the legalization of abortion. www.savethe1.com 22

Introduction, Section 2, Of the Nature of Laws in General, Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769), Sir William Blackstone.

23

Letter to Zabdiel Adams, 21 June 1776, The Works of John Adams – Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams (grandson), editor (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1850), Vol. I, p. 195. http://oll.libertyfund.org/Vol. IX, p. 401.

24

A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789-1897, edited by James D. Richardson (Washington, DC: Bureau of National Literature and Art, 1910), Volume I, p. 212.

25

Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, delivered before the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Writings of James Madison, Gaillard Hunt, editor, 9 Volumes (New York & London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, The Knickerbocker Press, 1901), Vol. II, p. 186. Quote within the quote is from the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776).

26

Thomas Jefferson: Writings, Merrill D. Peterson, compiler (Library of America, 1984) [ISBN 0940450-16-X], p. 122.

27

American Political Writing During the Founding Era, 1760-1805, 2 Volumes, written, compiled and edited by Charles S. Hyneman and Donald S. Lutz (Indianapolis: Liberty Press, 1983), 1:8.

28

The Yankee Spy, (Boston, 1794). Reprinted in ibid., American Political Writing, 2:978-989.

29

“Democide: Murder by Government.” Professor Rudolph J. Rummel, University of Hawaii. https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/MURDER.HTM 30

Op. cit., Dr. Clowes, who has also observed this pattern for many years.

31

Ibid., Dr. Clowes.

32

www.abortionviolence.com; or http://www.prochoiceviolence.com/intro

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

38

33

“The New Economic Reality: Demographic Winter” (see www.demographicbomb.com); and Implosion: Can America Recover from Its Economic and Spiritual Challenges in Time?, by Joel C. Rosenberg.

34

Op. cit., A Compilation … Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume V, pp. 3365-3366.

35

Ibid., Volume V, pp. 3477-3478.

36

American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, First Edition, 1828 (San Francisco, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1983 reprint edition).

37

A History of Latin America from the Beginnings to the Present, by Hubert Herring (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961), pp. 37-45.

Contact information: Thomas W. Jacobson Executive Director Global Life Campaign TJacobson@GlobalLifeCampaign.com 1-719-651-3366 www.GlobalLifeCampaign.com

24 Reasons the Dominican Republic Should Preserve Good Laws Prohibiting Abortion

39