Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Tuesday that much of the blame for the seeming indifference of Americans to the horrific videos of Planned Parenthood trafficking in the body parts of unborn babies lies squarely at the feet of its pastors.
“Now more than ever it is the role of the church, as well as our pastors and faith leaders, to stand up and speak the truth with absolute clarity,” Cruz said in a telephone conference call.
He was referencing the various assaults on Christian liberty, including in the application of a new right to “same-sex marriage” and the revelations about Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby body parts through a series of shocking undercover videos.
More than 100,000 pastors received a special invitation to join the call. Media generally were not invited, however, WND was given access.
Cruz got right to a key issue, defunding Planned Parenthood, and laid out a strategy to galvanize Christians against the organization founded by eugenicist Margaret Sanger.
The Texas senator urged the pastors to preach this Sunday against the atrocities by Planned Parenthood seen in the videos by the Center for Medical Progress.
Cruz said if these types of acts cannot bring God’s people to stand up, they will have lost all moral authority to speak on any issue.
“I would encourage every pastor on this call to preach the truth about what is happening with Planned Parenthood. I recognize these are topics that are not without controversy, and they invite criticism when faith leaders speak candidly about them,” he said.
“If we cannot speak about this, there is very little that we can stand up and speak about. Preaching from the pulpit biblical values on life and comparing those values, the teachings of Jesus, to this nationwide business of trafficking in the body parts of unborn children is a message that needs to be heard across this nation.”
Cruz urged the pastors to lift up America’s leaders in prayer as well as pray for action against the sale of human body parts by the abortion provider.
“If each of the pastors on this call stands up and speaks out and preaches from the pulpit, prays and leads the congregation to pick up the phone and call their elected members of Congress and say ‘honor your oath, honor the Constitution and stop sending my tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood, this criminal organization,” Cruz said.
“It is important that they hear that a show vote will not suffice. An empty vote with no teeth will not suffice. Now is the time for Congress to act and actually end funding to Planned Parenthood.”
Pastors can go to defundtoday.com where they can obtain sermon notes as well as a link containing contact information for members of Congress.
“If the congregations that are represented by the pastors on this call will all light up the phone and call their elected representatives, their House members, their Senators, whether Republicans or Democrats, every elected member who hears from his or her constituents as the numbers grow and grow and the voice gets louder and louder and louder, that has an enormous impact on what Congress will do,” he said.
Cruz also referenced his father, a Baptist preacher, noting that America’s pastors have a responsibility to help educate their people on the horrific actions of Planned Parenthood that establishment media have largely ignored.
“My father fled Cuba and came to America with nothing,” Cruz noted. “He is a pastor now and travels the country. He has a ministry reaching out to fellow pastors and several years ago God laid a message on his heart. It is a message directed at pastors.
“The message that my father delivered at pastors conferences all over the country is that no one bears greater responsibility for the condition of this country than do the pastors. The analogy he uses is if the sheep, if the flock stumbles into a ditch, you don’t blame the sheep, you blame the shepherd.”
WND has reported as eight videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby parts have been released.
The most recent video, released Tuesday:
[jwplayer RiJygVb1]
The latest shows Cate Dyer of StemExpress, a company that until recently worked with Planned Parenthood, saying how she would like to have “another 50 livers a week” from infants to process for sale.
The Center for Medical Progress set up a fake company and sent undercover video investigators to Planned Parenthood to investigate the business of selling infant body parts.
Earlier videos showed Planned Parenthood executives callously negotiating for the best price for the remains of the unborn. One executive fretted about being “low-balled” and suggested if the prices should be higher, they could be adjusted.
She was the same executive who said, “I want a Lamborghini.”
Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and a board member for CMP, said there are ethical and moral issues associated with experimenting on human tissues derived from aborted babies.
“It is completely different than handling adult tissues,” he said.
“Babies can’t consent. Their remains are treated as a commodity, not with the respect of a human being. There is something innately exploitive and morally troubling about using baby remains in this way.” He said. “It is a fact that exploitive human experimentation on murdered people took a toll on the Nazi doctors during World War II. There is plenty of historical precedent to warn us against such barbarity. In truth, there are other ways to conduct beneficial research other than abusing the remains of pre-born babies.”
