Written testimony for The heartbeat bill before the health & Aging Committee

HB 248 - Heartbeat Bill Testimony - Pastor Rodney Lord, Marietta, OH - 11/20/14
Mr. Chairman and members of the Health Committee, it is an honor to be here today. I am Pastor Rodney Lord standing here as a proponent of House Bill 248, the Heartbeat Bill.
I know that I am a representative voice for hundreds of clergy in this state and many more tens of
thousands of their church members. This legislation has captured the attention, the hope and the
expectation of so many because of its clear, simple message and application.
I ran across this story a few days ago. Two young brothers, Bert and John Jacobs dreamed of having their own t-shirt business. For 5 years they tried with very little success... traveling in an old van together, up and down the East Coast, going from college campuses to local businesses. Out of money, they almost gave up...until one day they went back to something Jake designed out of his own creativity and added these three simple words to their t-shirts...”life is good.” This became the turning point. The hope found in that short phrase printed on a t-shirt birthed a 100 million dollar company, Life is Good.

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There is a verse in 1 Peter 3 that starts out.. "Whoever would love life and see good days …
The Heartbeat Bill represents a hope for life just as the heartbeat itself has always represented a hope of life.
I do a daily radio show in Southeast Ohio. I often speak of the hope found in the Heartbeat Bill legislation and the need for courageous civil leaders that will lead it forward.
Since I am a pastor, I will add a little Bible to my testimony here today. Historically, Israel was carried into exile in which they would remain for 70 years. In this circumstance of hopelessness and despair, the prophet Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles and essentially tells them...carry on with life, build homes, get married, have children...and then you read this often quoted Scripture that is still true today. “I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, ...to give you a future and a hope.” We believe that Jeremiah 29:11 applies to every life, including the life of the unborn.
Before I was a father to seven children, I was a young newly married man in Dallas Tx. There is an image still captured in my mind of over 20,000 people... young and old, moms and dads, children and
grandparents... marching through the center of that vast metropolitan city on a beautiful spring day to
stand for the life of the unborn and pray that days like this one...where legislation of life... would
become a reality.
Thank you for joining us in this sacred pursuit, the pursuit of giving life and hope to thousands of
unborn babies waiting to discover for themselves that “Life is Good. “
Thank you.

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