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.

Asia for Life

Human Trafficking and Abortion: What would you say?

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.

Hong Kong Human Rights Day Protest

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

Happy(?) Human Rights Day 2019!

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. ‧ But that's not why it's wrong. ‧ 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. ‧ 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. ‧ Remember, this stuff happens all the time, but it rarely makes international news. So, do people really care? And if so...why? ‧ #gendercide #letgirlsbegirls #india #china #sexselection #sexselectiveabortions #印度 #性別滅絕 #維護生命 #愛惜生命 #asiaforlifepodcast ‧ Read more: https://www.asiaforlife.com/remembering-why-its-wrong-to-commit-gendercide/

Remembering why it's 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

NYC 3—Praying at the UN, and Trump vs the Radical Pro-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/

NYC 2—Abortion in the Bronx, and Pro-Life Ministry

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

NYC 1—"Papa, My Papa"

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.

Priscilla and Aquila—On Marriage, Ministry, and the Father School

Welcome to the first interview on the Asia for Life Podcast! ‧ 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. ‧ 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. ‧ 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. ‧ 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. ‧ 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! ‧ For more info, go to: https://www.asiaforlife.com/kevin-lai-protests-herbal-tea-pro-life-ministry/ ‧ ‧ ‧ #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 ‧ 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

Kevin Lai—Hong Kong Protests, Herbal Tea, Marriage Ministry, and a New Pro-Life Movie

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.)

My "discussion" with Dr. Leana Wen

This is an introduction to discussing Dr. Leana Wen, who's been in the news this past year because of her hiring as the young new director of Planned Parenthood, and her firing 8 months later. Leana Wen's family moved to America soon after China's Tiananmen Square Incident. She says she was deeply influenced by the way Planned Parenthood helped her mom, her sister, and herself, and that this played a role in her own desire to take on the role as the national director of America's largest abortion provider. This episode includes some prayer points for Leana Wen and her family, and advice for how to understand Planned Parenthood as an organization.

Dr. Leana Wen—An Intro

This week's #asiaforlifepodcast is covering stories from the Xinjiang province of China. Many of the hundreds of thousands of Uyghur men and women in China's "vocational education and training centers" are detained involuntarily. But can these detention centers really be called "concentration camps"? ‧ This episode is about the ways that people are persecuted, whether they are in detention or not. We also discuss why it doesn't make sense to compare their situation to anything happening to any people group in the West. No, it's not the same--and no, it's not even close. ‧ Chemical sterilization and coerced abortion for women, and mass incarceration for children. These are just a few of the ways that China deals with its citizens in Xinjiang. ‧ Is there anything we can do? After listening to this podcast, please feel free to share any of your ideas. ‧ Follow on Instagram at @asia.for.life for all future episodes. Read the article at: asiaforlife.com/xinjiang-how-uyghurs-are-persecuted-in-concentration-camps-and-at-kfc/ ‧ ‧ ‧ #uyghur #uyghurs #uighur #xinjiang #china #culturalgenocide #religiouspersecution #prolife #church #christian #pastor #維護生命 #愛惜生命 #维吾尔族 #中國教會 #ئۇيغۇر #asiaforlife ‧ Photo: 2010 Photo of a KFC restaurant in Urumqi, Xinjiang.

Xinjiang—How Uyghurs are Persecuted in Concentration Camps, and Everywhere Else Too

今天的廣播是以英文及廣東話進行。 This week's #asiaforlifepodcast is covering stories from the Xinjiang province of China, where hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs are being detained for "re-education". And ten million more Uyghurs are persecuted in a variety of ways each day, simply because of their ethnicity. I share two testimonies about prayer and fasting for a mitigation of violence, and for lives to be spared in Xinjiang. At the end of this episode, I share about a time I visited Shenzhen, just a few miles away from Hong Kong. Chinese police walked into a hotel lobby where I was waiting for a friend, and they asked me if I was an Uyghur.   Later, they found the Uyghur man they were looking for. They were confused at first, because he looked like he was Han Chinese. But he was in trouble, simply because he had Uyghur DNA--and Uyghurs can't stay in hotels. The persecution that Uyghurs face all over China is truly unbelievable. There might not be much we can do to change the situation, but you can consider talking to your political representative, and ask them if there's anything they can do. I also encourage you to pray for them, and to identify with them in their suffering. (This episode is actually an introduction to a talk on the prophetic history of the pro-life movement in Hong Kong. Send me a message to hear the full talk.) Follow asia.for.life on Instagram for all podcast episodes. Read more at: asiaforlife.com/xinjiang-prayer-and-fasting-lives-saved-identifying-with-persecuted-uyghurs/ #uyghur #uyghurs #uighur #xinjiang #china #culturalgenocide #religiouspersecution #prolife 維護生命 #愛惜生命 #维吾尔族 #ئۇيغۇر #asiaforlife Stock photo: Chinese police checking hotel registration records.

Xinjiang—Prayer and Fasting, Lives Saved, Identifying with Persecuted Uyghurs

This week's #asiaforlifepodcast is covering stories from the Xinjiang province of China. It's not a standard "pro-life" topic, but we will look more generally at issues of life and death. No demographic on earth gets arrested at such a high rate as the Uyghurs. In 2017, it was roughly 30 times China's national average. (I made an error in the podcast on this point, and so it's not very clear, because I had to edit the sentence.) At the end of this episode, I share a story of a doctor who is in prison, because he removed a bullet from a protester's leg. About this photo: Information from Xinjiang is carefully monitored, so there are very few photos of any conflicts there. This photo was shared from an anti-terror police training drill in Urumqi, Xinjiang, 26 April 2014. (Depositphotos #241532576.) Listen to the podcast or read the transcript at: asiaforlife.com/xinjiang-doctor-imprisoned-for-treating-a-bullet-wound/ ‧ ‧ ‧ #uyghur #uyghurs #uighur #xinjiang #china #culturalgenocide #维吾尔族 #ئۇيغۇر #asiaforlife

Xinjiang—Doctor Imprisoned for Treating a Bullet Wound

This week's #asiaforlifepodcast is covering stories from the 2019 Japan March for Life. In this closing episode, I discuss one of the ways that Cathoilcs and Protestants are different, and how that affects pro-life efforts. The pro-life movement has made efforts around the world to be inclusive, while also holding strong principles about defending all human life. What can people do when they agree on pro-life issues, but disagree on religion? I don't know. But let's keep talking, and do our best to work together. Follow @asia.for.life on Instagram for future episodes. Read the transcript at: asiaforlife.com/japan-march-for-life-will-non-catholics-join-podcast/ ‧ ‧ ‧ #マーチフォーライフ #japan #marchforlife #marchforlifejp #churchinjapan #japanesechristians #hongkongchurch #prolife #prolifemovement #asiaforlife #asiaforlifepodcast

Japan March for Life—Will Non-Catholics Join?

The Asia for Life podcast discusses pro-life issues in East Asia from a Christian perspective. More at https://www.asiaforlife.com.

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Asia for Life

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