Jeanette O'Toole

Pregnant and need assistance?

2012-01-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

Visit Option Line or call:

1-800-395-HELP (4357)

Please consider choosing life for your baby. Nine months is a very short period of time to endure the inconvenience of an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy, compared to a lifetime of regret. Sadly, I am talking from experience. Please dial the number above and seek out your options, keeping in mind you are going through a tough time now, and you do not want to make a decision quickly and with angst because of it. Also, please consider having an ultrasound first, taking a good look at your living baby before you make your final decision. It's very important (for the sake of the child and your own sanity) to be aware of what you are doing.

My silent soul for Santorum

2012-01-26T06:23:00.001-08:00

Reprinted on RenewAmerica.

Rick Santorum and Isabella

By way of introduction, my name is Jeanette O'Toole, and I am the wife (and proofreader!) of Catholic journalist, Tom O'Toole, and mother of our four children. While even my what-were-pretty-good proofreading skills have dampened in recent years, I've always been much less of a writer, so please pass (on this, the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of the deaf--of which I am--and of writers--of which I'm not) on commenting that this is poorly written; prepare yourself for that possibility.

The purpose of my post is to promote the one Truly conservative (and pro-life) candidate running for the GOP nominee for President of the United States, Rick Santorum. After dropping South Carolina rather significantly to two men, who in my opinion, are less qualified in general and less moral on their social stances, I felt the need to give a shout out to the women (and men) that have been the most damaged by our “progressive” way of life in America, certainly for the last 39 years. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade just came and went (Jan. 22) and we're now trudging into our 40th year of legalized killing of very tiny (and some not-so-tiny) human beings.

In 1977, I was living in the beautiful state of Colorado (running away from life in Illinois; just wanting to live somewhere pretty and be free), and met (in Boulder) an interesting “and fun” wine connoisseur. Several months into our relationship (and after we had, in fact, just broken off), I found out I was carrying my boyfriend's child, but (in an effort to make a long story short) a child I so dearly wanted to birth, was given up to the gods of abortion on 3-16-78. Only knowing Jesus very weakly at that time, I didn't have the strength or moral character to hang on to her life (or unbeknownst to me, my sanity) when I most needed to. I have since named my child Mary Elizabeth, as praying by the statue of the Visitation (in addition to the frequent reception of the Eucharist and the praying of numerous rosaries) has done more for my healing than I can explain. Now, after attending Mass daily for close to three decades (by the way, I have read that Rick Santorum started attending daily Mass in 1990), I realize well the importance of guiding anxious women to other alternatives when they most need to see the Light; that abortion is the killing of God's creatures, and the result is lost children that you never get back (until you greet them in heaven). This is why we need Rick Santorum at the helm, and not a flip-flopper, or bed-hopper, or cop-out-on-life to the states.

I hope mothers and fathers who have been through (or are processing) the painful (and ever-so-silent unwinding/healing) from an abortion will look into the candidates with keen observation. And I hope those that have not come to terms with their abortions will at some point in time look into their souls and start to heal this grave pain. We have the opportunity (however, he needs the votes to secure the nomination!!) to elect a pro-life president; one who will do everything possible to protect the lives of all babies born and unborn, disabled and not “perfect,” and just as importantly, as a byproduct of same, protect their selfish parents from a lifetime of needless remorse and regret...

As aforementioned, we are in the 40th year of legalized abortion. Could this signify a "preparation for some special action of the Lord"?

Pick Rick ! For Life ! Vote Rick !

P.S. Being enthused with the fight for Rick and for life, we started a Facebook page called Silent Souls for Santorum, its purpose listed as such: “Silent Souls for Santorum is for anyone who wants to join the uphill, but righteous journey of the former senator and father of seven to the White House, but is especially dedicated to the post-abortive women and men who see Santorum's pro-life fight as our country's salvation.”

TLC Singer Chilli Describes Abortion Grief: 'I Cried Almost Every Day for 9 Years'

2010-05-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK, May 14, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, better known as a member of the successful 1990s hip-hop trio TLC, has joined a growing number of women and men who have come forward with horrendous stories of post-abortion grief. In a recent interview, the singer revealed that an abortion that she got when she was 20 years old “broke my spirit,” and robbed her of her "strong self."

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The singer discussed her abortion on the May 9 episode of the VH1 reality TV series "What Chilli Wants," which follows the singer as she seeks help to establish a long-lasting relationship. Prompted to discuss her first relationship, with producer Dallas Austin, Thomas recounted her emotions upon realizing that she was pregnant for the first time at 20 years old.

"I didn't have the support, and so I was so scared and didn't know what to do," she said, "and chose to not have it (the baby) - one of the biggest mistakes."

Far from an empowering option, the singer said the abortion seemed forced upon her by her budding career – and that it was a choice she didn't really want to make. "I'm 20, my career hadn't even really started, you know, so how do I do all that? How do I be a mommy?" she recalled. "It messed me up. I don't know - it broke my spirit."

She continued, through tears: "I feel like I became, I don't know - kind of like, not my strong self anymore. I feel like I gave in and I broke to what someone else wanted.

"And I would break down and I would just cry - because I wasn't a mommy. I cried almost every day for almost nine years."

Thomas said that she eventually pursued the one way she felt she could "fix" the abortion - by having another child by the same man. The relationship later disintegrated.

Georgette Fourney of Silent No More Awareness, a group dedicated to raising awareness of post-abortion grief, said that Thomas' story is a common one, and that more and more women are stepping forward to tell their own stories.

"I think it's time," Fourney told LifeSiteNews.com. "It's almost like what's happening is that the reality of what the last 50 years of the sexual revolution - the havoc it's wreaked on women - women are starting to realize."

"Real feminism says that we can be women, and we can embrace our femininity, and we can say no to people taking advantage of our sexuality," said Fourney, who sympathized with Thomas' statement that the abortion robbed her of strength.

"People are waking up to the fact that abortion does not empower women, but undermines them, and women are much stronger and they don't need the weak solution of abortion," she said. "That's exactly what we're telling people - is that abortion doesn't empower you, it's the opposite, it takes the strength away from you."

Mama's boy, man's man ["she leapt from the [abortion] table and fled"]

2010-04-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

[Chicago Sun Times | 4-30-10 | Neil Hayes] It's why he accepted a position switch when others might have transferred. It's why the quarterback-turned-receiver who led the nation with 155 receptions and 19 touchdowns last season wasn't bitter when 255 players had been drafted by the NFL and he wasn't among them.

It's why he considers his against-the-odds opportunity to make the Bears' roster -- a journey that begins today at a three-day rookie minicamp at Halas Hall -- ''a dream come true.''

''It has everything to do with my maturity level as a 23-year-old man,'' ex-Bowling Green receiver and Homewood-Flossmoor standout Freddie Barnes said. ''People looked down at her. As she grew, I grew.''

Learning how she saved his life changed him forever.

His mother became pregnant at 14. It was decided that the straight-A student at Gwendolyn Brooks Junior High in Harvey would have an abortion. It wasn't until doctors were beginning the procedure that she leapt from the table, grabbed her clothes and fled.

''I couldn't do it,'' Clarissa Charles said. "I told my mom I was going to have this baby. I had no idea what I was headed for but I was determined."

When his mother finally shared her story Barnes realized he had been given a mission in life. "I always felt there was a plan for my life because my mom could have aborted me," Barnes said. "That planted a seed in my head: Maybe I'm here for a reason. From that point on, when bad situations took place, I always came out without a scratch, like God was protecting me because I had a purpose on this earth, and it's to give back to the community and teach others what I've learned."

Barnes was recruited to Bowling Green as a quarterback after teaming with current New Orleans Hornets star Julian Wright to lead Homewood-Flossmoor to the 2004 Class AA state basketball finals his senior year. When pressed into duty as a redshirt freshman, Barnes completed 12 of 19 passes and rushed for 158 yards and three TDs in a 2006 loss to Wisconsin.

He was too reliable of a playmaker to remain on the sideline when the starting quarterback returned from a suspension. They switched Barnes to running back and then to receiver, and he was a force his sophomore season. "Playing quarterback you have to account for yourself and everybody else on the field," Barnes said. "It's easier at receiver because I can just focus on my job. The most frustrating part is not having total control and being able to talk to the offensive linemen and running backs when I think I need to. But it's much easier to run routes and read defenses because I've done it on a much larger scale."

What stands out most about the 6-foot, 210-pounder is how he always seems to be open, even when defenses are determined to stop him, which explains how he caught 10 or more passes and had 100 or more receiving yards in nine of 13 games. Barnes had 22 catches and 278 yards against Kent State and 17 catches for 219 yards in the Humanitarian Bowl. Barnes is a smart, instinctive player who hopes to find a niche in coordinator Mike Martz's offense. "Since he understands the game it's easier for him to excel physically and athletically," said Barnes' former youth coach, Kevin Lucas, who remains a friend. "He has an advantage on a lot of guys because some guys are so athletic they rely mainly on their physical ability, whereas Freddie is a good athlete but because he has a high football IQ he understands how to deceive somebody and make them think he's going one way and then go the other. That's what he excels at."

Charles, meanwhile, worked by day and earned a bachelor's degree in business by night while raising Freddie and his younger sister Cayla. Now a fashion designer planning to launch her own line this summer, Charles openly discusses the low self-esteem and shame she felt during and after her pregnancy, hoping to serve as an example to others. That's also why she told her son what she thought he deserved to know.

"I shared with my children what I thought they could handle at an age-appropriate time," she said. "I didn't want to shield them from things in the outside world. I protected them, but I didn't want them to think they had a fairy-tale life. I wanted them to pursue their education and break the cycle of teen pregnancy and lack of generational education."

Barnes has made her mission his. "It's my job to help other young men because a lot of them don't know what they need to do to succeed," he said. "I can help provide them with the resources."

"A dream a lot like mine"

2010-02-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

"The lasting curse of abortion is that many are convicted in their own hearts of what they wrongly think of as an unforgiveable act of murder, so they can never face it and go deeper into hopelessness and sin. I firmly believe that showing our own hearts, now free of guilt because of the forgiveness through Jesus, is more likely to help 'free the captives' than anything else I know how to do. The verse where I hope for peace in the life of the mother probably did as much to help me resolve things within myself as any of it. I didn't realize until later how integral that verse was to the message" --Emmett Grayson.

I'd like to dedicate this beautiful song to my lost child, Mary Elizabeth (3-16-78), and to all children lost to abortion, and to their mothers (and fathers!) as well. Thank you, Emmett Grayson --Jeanette O'Toole.

An interview with Emmett Grayson can be found here. His Web site, EmmettGrayson.com is here.

For post-abortion assistance, please see links to Fatherhood Forever, Rachel's Vineyard, and Silent No More in the sidebar on this site.

March for Life, Washington

2010-02-04T08:22:00.000-08:00