Asia for Life

In this recording, I share my experience of sitting by a woman and her traffickers, while they were in the process of kidnapping her. I wasn't able to help her, and I couldn't find anyone willing to help. It was one of the most horrifying experiences I could imagine (besides, of course, being in that woman's situation myself).

I draw comparisons between human trafficking and abortion, considering both of them as a violation of human rights. Then I use a very personal example to drive the point home.

When I recorded this at the end of the protest, the Hong Kong Police were nearby--and there were far more than I realized! They were ready to take action at any moment.

I brought eye protection, and had my tear gas mask in my backpack. INCREDIBLY, though, there was no tear gas fired that night!

800,000 people came to protest the anti-democratic policies of the Hong Kong and CCP government, as well as the police's shockingly indiscriminate use of tear gas during the past 6 months. But despite such a HUGE turnout, with so much anger and anxiety, the demonstration remained non-violent!

This is an update and a short prayer I recorded at the end of the Hong Kong Human Rights Day Protest, which took place on December 8, 2019.

71 years ago the United Nations voted on the Declaration of Human Rights. How far have we come? Do we really believe in the rights of all human beings? And are we actually going to do anything about China's concentration camps?

Maybe it's up to you and me.

During a hike at Wo Hop Shek (Hong Kong's largest cemetery grounds), I shared some thoughts on what we can do, and why the world must focus on human rights abuses in China now.

You can read the depressingly evasive statement from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights here:

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx…

To read more about the church I mentioned in the video, you can see Early Rain Church's Facebook Page (link below).

In case you missed it, China's high-profile crackdown of this church took place last year--on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! China continues to send a very clear message about what they think of human rights and religious freedom, which the world must not ignore.

https://www.facebook.com/prayforearlyrain/posts/486982141922637

In this #asiaforlifepodcast, we discuss "gendercide". Everyone agrees that if we get rid of too many girls, then it will create massive demographic problems in Asia, and will probably lead to serious human rights abuses.

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But that's not why it's wrong.

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As a background for the discussion, we talk about Sita, the baby girl who was buried alive in India a few weeks ago. Incredibly, she survived, and will be adopted.

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Obviously, the people you know are going to say that gendercide is wrong. And you might never personally encounter an instance of it. But the root problem is still very widespread, and it's very uncomfortable--and it's easier to ignore.

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Remember, this stuff happens all the time, but it rarely makes international news. So, do people really care? And if so...why?

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#gendercide #letgirlsbegirls #india #china #sexselection #sexselectiveabortions #印度 #性別滅絕 #維護生命 #愛惜生命 #asiaforlifepodcast

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Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/remembering-why-its-wrong-to-commit-gendercide/

"[M]any United Nations projects have attempted to assert a global right to taxpayer-funded abortion on demand, right up until the moment of delivery.  Global bureaucrats have absolutely no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that wish to protect innocent life." (U.S. President Donald Trump, United Nations General Assembly, September 24, 2019)

In this #asiaforlife podcast, Joe shares about visiting the United Nations Headquarters. (Actually, it was a coffee shop nearby—but it was still cool!) The discussion includes:

—Donald Trump helps religious freedom (even if he might not be a religious believer himself)

—Some nuance about Trump's support of the international pro-life movement.

—There are people praying at the United Nations

—America is speaking up for countries that want to keep their anti-abortion laws

Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/nyc-3-praying-un-trump-radical-choice-lobbyists

The state of New York has 62 counties. Bronx County is consistently #62 in the "Quality of Life" ranking. The pro-life movement must be there to serve the community and give people hope that life is worth living.

Today's discussion includes:

—Pro-life ministry in the Bronx

—40 Days for Life and how it's strengthened the global pro-life movement, as well as our public image

—The need for churches to respond to the culture of death in their communities

Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/nyc-2-abortion-in-the-bronx-and-pro-life-ministry-podcast/

In this #asiaforlife podcast, Joe shares about some experiences and insights from a recent trip to New York City. The discussion includes:

--A man who jumped in front of a train while holding his daughter

--A governor who loudly celebrated the world's most radical abortion law

--The incredibly urgent need for fathers in places like New York City

Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/nyc-1-papa-my-papa-podcast/

#nyc #newyorkcity #bronx #dads #plannedparenthood #reproductivehealthact #governorcuomo #suicide #prolife #antiabortion #chinatown #愛惜生命 #asiaforlifepodcast

This #asiaforlifepodcast is a conversation with the Hong Kong couple Priscilla and Aquila. They met while working together to spread the Gospel to Chinese tourists. After getting married, they have also helped to build the Father School in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/priscilla-and-aquila-marriage-and-ministry/

For over 10 years, Priscilla and Aquila's ministry has reached out to tourists from China and around the world, who visit Hong Kong and Macau for vacation. By offering "blessing bags" and initiating conversations, they have reached out to literally millions of people with the Gospel message.

But in this episode, we focus more on their personal story. It was a joy to talk with them about the story behind their marriage, and how God has worked through their marriage to bless their families, and also to bless the nations. Priscilla and Aquila are preparing to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. 

They also share their work with the Father School, to help men become better fathers.

Welcome to the first interview on the Asia for Life Podcast!

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This episode is a casual conversation about pro-life ministry in Hong Kong. Joe Woodard talks with Kevin Lai, from the pro-life NGO Joy of Life. First, they discuss what's on everybody's minds now—the recent events in Hong Kong, and especially the massively popular protests against the extradition legislation.

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People take different sides on issues like this, and even little differences of opinion can cause a lot of tension in families. But Kevin is a good listener and a conscientious father, and he shares about how his son decided to join the protests in a very creative and positive way—and ended up with donations from strangers—including sports drinks and even homemade Chinese herbal tea.

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After zooming in on the recent protests, we talk about Kevin and his work in marriage ministry. He also shares about the surprising growth of pro-life ministry the past few years, and the production of a new pro-life movie project that will be released at the end of this year.

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Kevin Lai has worked for the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong for 28 years, in the Diocesan Pastoral Commission for Marriage and the Family. So his full time job is coordinate ministries that help couples and strengthen families. Besides that, he helps run a small pro-life NGO, 喜樂生命 (Joy of Life). And last week, he actually took annual leave to volunteer for the 6-day Cana Marriage retreat in Hong Kong.

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He's been pouring out his life for years, to bless families and to protect life through pro-life initiatives. So I'm very grateful to have him on the podcast!

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For more info, go to: https://www.asiaforlife.com/kevin-lai-protests-herbal-tea-pro-life-ministry/

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#chineseherbaltea #dpcmf #hongkongdads #hongkongprotests #JoyofLife #喜樂生命 #婚委會 #教區婚姻與家庭牧民委員會 #維護生命 #愛惜生命 #asiaforlife

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Photo from Joy of Life's 2017 "First Photo Last Photo" exhibition on sex-selective abortion. The accompanying website is no longer in operation, but you can see the original video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Egx7ljjAOpY

In this #asiaforlifepodcast, get an inside look into why the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) fired Dr. Leana Wen. Joe Woodard dissects a New York Times op-ed, written by Dr. Wen about her firing, and also some info from Planned Parenthood's email list.

Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/leana-wen-discussion/

Dr. Wen tried to strengthen the reputation of the Planned Parenthood, by offering more comprehensive healthcare services. But PPFA is America's largest abortion company, and they ultimately refused to let her change their business model.

In 2016, PPFA doubled its political giving to $30 million, to try to get Hillary Clinton into the White House. It's possible they'll double their political giving again in 2020. (So they're probably very disappointed that they've just lost $60 million of U.S. government funding!)

But even though PPFA's reputation is getting worse, they will continue to focus more on abortion, and less on comprehensive health care. And so they will continue to become a redundant (and hopefully obsolete) organization.

Moving forward, pro-life people should keep an eye on Dr. Leana Wen. She's not radical in the way Planned Parenthood told her to be, but she is still radically pro-choice. And she still has a powerful voice in the medical field, and may try to steer public discourse about abortion and other life-and-death issues in the future.

People in a position like Dr. Wen are especially influential, because American laws, medical standards, rhetoric, and attitudes all have an outsized impact on global trends. For better or worse, America's treatment of abortion will influence the rest of the world.

So, as always, the pro-life movement should be ready to engage with people like Dr. Wen, in a spirit of clarity and honesty. And we should be willing to pray, too—in a spirit of faith, hope, and love.

#prolife #plannedparenthood #ppfa #expendable #replaceable #unnecessary #dispensable #redundant #leanawen #drleanawen #newyorktimes #cecilerichards #sfla #ippf #immigration #美國計劃生育聯合會 #維護生命 #香港 #愛惜生命 #asiaforlife

*There are several misleading statements in Dr. Wen's article, but one of the obvious ones is the common belief that there were many women dying every year before abortion was legal.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson was America's most prominent abortion doctor in the 1960's and 1970's, and he explained how this belief became popular.

"How many deaths were we talking about when abortion was illegal? In NARAL (National Association for Repeal of Abortion Laws) we generally emphasized the drama of the individual case, not the mass statistics, but when we spoke of the latter it was always 5,000 to 10,000 a year. I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, But in the "morality" of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics?" (Bernard Nathanson, Richard Ostling. Aborting America. Pinnacle Books. New York 1979.)