Miss Delaware:

Maria Cahill is not your typical Miss Delaware. Underneath the glittery dresses, and dazzling smile is a girl who is down-to- earth, motivated, and courageous.

She is determined to redefine the “pageant girl image” by proving that your favorite meal can be a Big Mac from McDonald’s (don’t forget the large fry!), and you don’t have to think twice before playing video games with your brothers.

She couldn’t care less if she broke a nail; but most importantly she couldn’t care less about what people think of the principles she lives by and the causes she is adamant about. Where is the golden rule that if you are a beautiful and confident young woman in the spotlight you must either conceal your conservative values or pump your fist high for “women’s rights”? Well, it’s her body, her choice, and she has chosen to stand for life.

Maria is the second oldest of seven children, and has always been passionate about the pro-life movement: “It came from growing up in a household where the value of life was respected no matter what the case. I became even more involved when I met women that were contemplating abortion. Seeing the pain in their eyes and hearing them talk about the fact that they believed that there was no other way out was heart wrenching; and honestly made me want to make a difference”.

Standing firm amidst today’s opposition is not an easy task, though. Shocking right? No, but one would hope that in a society that promotes the “liberation of women”, a young woman would be free to speak her mind on one of the biggest controversies that has enveloped her generation. “Thinking of the lives that will be lost, and how these children have not had the opportunity to make a name for themselves”, only compels her even more to be their voice. She continues to spread her message regardless of the harsh criticism she sometimes receives along the way. “One of my mottos is, “it is better to be hated for who you are than to be loved for who you are not”.

Four days after returning home from the Miss America competition, Maria was back on the road again; only, this time to a less flashy destination. The 2012 March for Life in Washington, D.C. couldn’t have been a more perfect opportunity for Miss Delaware to be a public witness for this powerful movement.

In an interview with EWTN’s Teresa Tomeo during the march, Maria stated “it doesn’t matter whether I’m a Miss Delaware or just Maria Cahill walking the streets. My message is still the same, and that is that life is beautiful and life begins at conception”.

Maria is proud to be a voice for a movement that she has stood for all her life, and honored that the Miss Delaware organization would give her the opportunity to publicly share her beliefs. She says: “I have heard that because I am in the public eye, I have no right to speak about the pro-life movement. I feel the total opposite. There is a crown on my head for a reason. I am trying to save innocent lives and if it takes a crown for people to maybe consider this issue a little further, then my mission has been accomplished.”

With crown and sash in hand, Maria Cahill not only continues to defy the status quo, but is becoming a source of encouragement for those new to the pro-life movement and those who have fought in it tirelessly for years. Perhaps it stirs an excitement in each one of us to rediscover the talents we possess that can be instrumental in swinging this culture of darkness to the light. Maria’s crown is her means to inspire… what is ours?

Quoted from: http://liveaction.org/blog/miss-delaware-life-is-beautiful-and-life-begins-at-conception/

Keep on standing up for what you believe!

Football Star who is Pro-Life

For all of y'all who like football:

More than 24 years ago, Pam and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink.

She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety, telling her the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times, but still refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football.

His name is Tim Tebow.

A Real Story of Choosing Life

A few years ago I met an amazingly talented artist and her story is a truly moving one:

"I was only 17 when I got pregnant with my daughter, just barely out of high school. I was scared and I had no idea what to do. I grew up in a Christian home and knew I didn't want to abort, and couldn't stand the thought of giving my baby up for adoption but I didn't know how my parents would react and what I would do if things didn't go well. My boyfriend was supportive, but didn't have the money to help. I went to a pregnancy resource center, where they gave me lots of encouragement and a long list of programs that could help me out if I couldn't stay at home. Having a back-up plan gave me the courage to tell my parents. Luckily, they were supportive of my decision to keep the baby, although my dad didn't talk to me again until after she was born. Being as young as I was, and without a ring on my finger, I had a good amount of dirty looks when I would go out, and it bothered me quite a bit, but not as much as some of the comments I got. My boss actually told me I was stupid for not getting rid of "it" and that "it" was going to ruin my life. But holding my baby girl in my arms that first time was the most amazing feeling I had ever felt, and I can't imagine my life without her, or how empty my life would be if I had taken the easy way out.
When my daughter was only 9 months old, I got pregnant again. It seems like it should have been easier, since I had gone through all of it before, but it wasn't. You mess up once, and it's just a mistake, but doing the same thing again is not so easily forgiven. I felt so ashamed that I had messed up again, despite all the warnings I had gotten. I was sure I wouldn't be able to stay at home. I was going to school, and I had a little girl to take care of, and there was no way I could take care of 2 babies by myself. I didn't want to take my daughter out of the home that she was used to living in, where there was enough money that she could live comfortably and lots of people who loved her. I knew I couldn't provide her with the same by myself. My boyfriend continued to be in and out of work, and the relationship had gotten abusive, and I eventually left. So there was no back up there either. I went to the pregnancy resource center again, to get the information about the programs that would help, but the life that we would have to live to make it would be a very difficult one, and I didn't want tto do that to the child I already had. I was encouraged by several of the few friends I told to get an abortion, and despite my firm beliefs against it, I looked into it. My self-esteem was at an all time low, with the rocky relationship I was in and the shame and embarassment I felt for messing up again. I looked at several pro choice programs, including planned parenthood, and the procedure sounded humane, but I knew the reality. At that point, I was past the point of a simple pill abortion, and would have to go in for a procedure, as I was about 11 weeks along. In the end, I couldn't make myself do it, but I was sitll left with the problem of what to do. I went to a counselor who helped me figure out a way to tell my parents... again. I had decided that I would be willing to give the baby up for adoption, if it wasn't an option to keep it, so that we could stay in my parents house. I let my parents decide. God answered my prayers, and my parents gave me the grace that I really didn't deserve. I was able to stay with them, and so were both my kids. The rest of my family was not so understanding, and some of them still don't talk to me, but my son is such a blessing, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. I thank God every day for my kids, and for my family and friends who supported me through the rough times, and I am so greatful that I didn't follow through on the abortion. I'm now in nursing school and on my way to being able to provide for my little family. It's hard, I hardly get any sleep, I never go out, and my friends don't see me much, but I wouldn't want things any other way."-(Name will be kept annoymous)

Life is precious and even though choosing life isn't always the easy descison, it's the right one. An abortion doesn't just involve one person, it involves two. So please encourage those around you to choose life.

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-Angela