How pro-life laws and everyday acts of compassion work together to save lives

(Bound4Life) North Dakota passed legislation in 2013 stating that, if there is a beating heart present, the baby was not to be aborted unless the life or health of the mother is at stake. I authored the Human Heartbeat Protection Act, which two court rulings have challenged; the North Dakota law is now being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Heartbeat bill is very simple: everyone understands that a beating heart means life. Everyone accepts a heartbeat as the sign of life, and each baby’s heartbeat is compelling testimony from the womb.

Even Planned Parenthood sees the value in a heart; as recent videos exposés revealed, the going rate for an aborted baby’s heart is about $600—let that sink in: $600. Such unethical destruction of life should wake us up.

Technology now enables us to see into the womb, watching a baby’s development from conception to birth. Considering medical advances of the past 40 years, it is time for a debate about what protections are due to the most defenseless members of humanity. We must talk openly about the deception and lies that the pro-abortion community has been telling women for more than four decades.

We must let women grieve the death of their unborn children, allowing forgiveness and healing to flow. Many women, like Luana Stoltenberg and Sue Thayer, have come forward to explain the pain and suffering they have experienced post-abortion. The judges of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals cited these women’s very compelling testimonies in their opinion.

It is time to address that the unborn child feels pain and suffers during an abortion. Throughout the time we worked on the Heartbeat bill, pro-life legislators heard from mothers who chose not to have an abortion because they heard their baby’s heartbeat—or saw an ultrasound of the baby and learned there was a beating heart.

Public prayers through 40 Days for Life campaigns and Bound4LIFE chapters are awakening people to the cause of life. These vigilant ones bear witness to the worth of each life, causing more women to consider: is abortion just a “choice”? Is a “right to privacy” more precious than a life in the womb?

We face a critical time to stay the course. We must continue in prayer and petition to Father God. We must educate the public in every way we can, to give every child the opportunity to live. We must do all we can to support pregnancy care centers, right on the front lines every day saving mothers and babies.

The rhythm of a heartbeat, its constant life-giving pace, is a reminder to each of us: what have I done lately? We can give to shelters for unwed mothers with their children; help with costs for underinsured women; begin the adoption process; consider foster care; or support those following these vital callings.

Bette Grande holds her newborn grandson.

Many lives are being saved, as committed people diligently work to inform and enlighten our culture on the real truth about abortion.

Pray, become the hands and feet of God, and be steadfast in your love for post-abortive women, who truly need love and understanding. Too many have suffered, and by God’s grace we will see the healing begin from our nation’s greatest tragedy.

Bette Grande represented Fargo for 18 years in the North Dakota House of Representatives. Grande holds a bachelor of science degree in education from the University of North Dakota. She has been married to her husband Don for 34 years; they have three adult children and one grandson.

Reprinted with permission from Bound4LIFE.