We asked Mercy Alarid, such a strong woman of God, to write a post following the Church Service at the New Mexico State Capital this past Sunday. Mercy’s husband, Pastor Brian Alarid, delivered such an AWESOME message at the first ever non-denominational worship service at the Capitol! Such an historic day in New Mexico! Thank you Mercy for writing this outstanding post!
Winds of Change
The last four days in New Mexico have been marked by chilling winds, which remind us that although Winter is fighting tooth and nail to overstay its welcome, Spring is slowly but surely moving into the land. Interestingly enough, the chill was also felt in the House of Representatives, albeit for very different reasons. Let me explain.
If a baby is aborted in New Mexico, but somehow survives the gruesome procedure, doctors and nurses are not required to provide the baby with medical care, even though he or she is alive outside the womb. That baby is left in a bucket or trash can as it experiences a painful death after surviving the unthinkable.
The bill to stop this policy was killed last Thursday in the House of Representatives. Two more pro life bills, which were supposed to be heard on Thursday, were tabled and then conveniently slated to be heard on Sunday morning.
The first bill sought to require medical personnel to notify parents when their children seek to have an abortion. In New Mexico, schools need parental permission to even give an aspirin or Tylenol to our kids. But if a minor wants to get an abortion, parents are not notified.
We are trusted to say when to kill our children’s physical pain but dismissed when our children struggle to make the life changing decision to kill or keep their babies. When the rights of parents are stripped, so is the canopy of protection we provide for our children. That needs to change. Parental Notification Prior to Abortions is one of the bills that was killed in committee at the NM House of Representatives on Sunday, March 5.
The second bill slated for Sunday sought to make late term abortion illegal in the state. Although abortion is legal nationwide, many states have restrictions on late term abortions. In New Mexico, however, even a 9 month pregnant woman can enter a clinic and abort her fully developed and viable baby. While it is true that late term abortions in New Mexico account for only a fraction of the total number of abortions in the state, babies that experience that trauma deserve to be given a voice that demands change in New Mexico’s policy.
Once again, democrats decided on Sunday that abortion should not be restricted in New Mexico leaving the status quo untouched in our state.
After these three blows to human life in New Mexico, defeat may be all we see, but if we look closer, we can see that winds of change were also blowing vehemently at the State Capitol last week. When the bills were tabled and then scheduled to be heard on Sunday, it was almost sure that pro life supporters would stay within the four walls of their homes and churches, safely guarded from the chill that would fill the Capitol. Legislators placed a call to my husband, Brian Alarid, to lead the first ever non-denominational worship service at the state Capitol.
In a matter of 36 hours, pastors and leaders answered the call and 250 Christians gathered in the rotunda for a historical worship service. Catholics and Protestants stood shoulder to shoulder as we lifted our voices and welcomed the Law Giver to the Capitol. We prayed and listened to a stirring message that brought 10 people to salvation. Many of us stayed and filled the gallery for the 10am hearings, much to the surprise of many.
We showed up to make a statement–not so much to the legislators–but to the principalities in the state, that the Church is awake and ready to fight for change in New Mexico. We know winter may hold on for a while longer, but we are already ushering in Spring with our prayers and our actions. 36 hours served us to gather 250 Christians. Imagine what we can do in the next two years as we unite to pray and get out the vote for pro-life candidates.
It’s cold outside but our hearts are on fire with God’s call to make this desert bloom again with life and hope for New Mexico’s unborn. You may have not been one of the 250 who gathered on Sunday morning in the Rotunda, but you can be one of the thousands that gets involved in the pro-life cause over the course of the next two years. What can you do?
- Pray. Ask the Lord what part you can play in this fight for life and when He answers, be obedient to his orders.
- Inform yourself on the issues of life and how they affect our state. Use your voice to speak for the unborn and rally others to do the same.
- Vote, not for a party, but for life. When the next elections come around, ask candidates the hard questions and vote your biblical values.
- Run for office if the Lord calls you to the halls of government.
- Be pro-life in every sense of the word. Get involved in the foster system and help the thousands of fatherless and motherless children who need our support and godly influence. There are many options available for volunteers, from providing respite for foster parents to actually becoming foster parents ourselves. Pray about adopting and go through the process if the Lord leads you down that road.
We have two years until the next election. Let’s seize the days and do what we do best–effect change.
God Bless you, Mercy Alarid
Pastor Dewey Note: 10 people gave their lives to our Lord Jesus Christ at the service!!!!!! PTL!!! Hallelujah!!!!
