By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
May 17, 2019
Big red bows are most often associated with Christmas, or perhaps with a new car presented to a surprised teenager. But to Craven County mother and activist Tyker Gonzales, the bow is all about the blood of life and what North Carolinians should be doing to protect our most precious gift.
“Red signifies the blood of life, the red ribbon symbolizes the blood supplied through the umbilical cord to the unborn child and the born-alive child, and a bow shows that life is a gift. Most importantly, keep in mind it was the blood of Jesus Christ that redeemed us all in love,” Gonzales says. “We are asking everyone who agrees with these truths to place a red bow on your mailbox, on a tree in your yard, on your front door or somewhere it will be clearly seen.”
She and Deliver Life N.C. are also asking Christians to speak up to their lawmakers, urging them to override the Governor’s veto of the HB 359 – Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and to approve other pro-life bills now languishing in the Legislature.
“Perhaps with others seeing these bows, lives will be spared, and our lawmakers will become educated in these truths. The time is now for those who believe in making a stand for life,” Gonzales says.
Read the short mission statement of Deliver Life N.C. here
A hair salon owner and operator, wife, and mother, Gonzales says the idea of using red bows to signify support for ending abortion hit her when she was cleaning her home at the beginning of the Lenten season and pondering how people in New York could be celebrating the legalization of infanticide. I suspect that there are tens of thousands of people who disagree with this, she thought, and began to wonder how those who believe in the sanctity of life could easily share their commitment.
“Then came a thought into my mind — if everyone who stood for life placed a red bow out in the open where the world could see the rest of us, maybe that would not only wake up our legislators, but open the door to share the significance of the red bow,” Gonzales says. With the help of two close friends, she began to create bows with seven loops on each side pointing to God’s perfect number for completion — his creation of life and all that is needed to sustain it in six days, resting on the seventh.
The three have already used more than 3,000 yards of ribbon, making the bows to help draw attention to the cause for life.
“What Gonzales and others are doing can certainly raise awareness about the Born-Alive legislation and the other pro-life bills,” says the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “The bows are more than just a simple reminder of the blood — Deliver Life N.C. points to Leviticus 17:14, which says ‘the life of all flesh is the blood,’ — they also open the door for those who display them to share why they believe in life; they can tell their own story.”
Gonzales’ story sheds light on why her passion for stopping abortion runs so deep.
”When I was 18, I had an abortion. The circumstances behind it don’t matter, but it was a day that burns inside of me even though I am now in my 50s,” she says. “I had remained publicly silent about this until this campaign began, knowing I would have to share this — for who better to fight the battle than one who has been on both sides?”
Trusting God’s power to “turn such an atrocity around 180 degrees for His glory,” Gonzales has been sharing her testimony in area churches.
“I want all to know of that day, I knew in my heart it was wrong. While I waited for my turn, I tried to get myself to walk out, but I didn’t. When my time came, I remember the emotional and physical pain, my grabbing the nurse’s hands to stop her and my screaming…,” she says.
Gonzales was later told her screams could be heard throughout the facility.
“It was almost two decades before I learned God would forgive me, at least another to forgive myself,” she says. “I know today; the Lord will allow me to meet that precious one when I go home. Until then, I will fight to save others from those that don’t know the truth.”
Gonzales says if she had seen an ultrasound of her baby, her story would be different. She has strong words for lawmakers.
“We have made abortion as easy as mole removal and are treating it with the same insensitivity. The fact that we even have to debate allowing a child to live that survived a botched abortion is insanity,” she says. “We have also watched as bills put forward in the North Carolina House have remained in committee since February proving abortion is not a priority for our legislators.”
While the Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, the issue is stalled in the House, where the needed three-fifths majority is more difficult to find.
“The House could pass the bill if enough Democrats choose to support it, if enough opponents are absent when a vote is taken — or a combination of both scenarios,” explains a recent article in the Raleigh News and Observer.
North Carolina, in particular, needs lawmakers who will push forward on the issue of life, since a federal court earlier this year struck down the state law that prohibits abortions after the 20th week of gestation. U.S. District Judge William Osteen stayed his ruling to give the state 60 days to come up with a new law or file an appeal. That stay ends late next week.
Also on lawmakers’ plates are a bill that would make abortion illegal once a baby can feel pain (SB 547 – Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act); one that would require physicians who perform drug-induced abortions to give patients information about the possibility of reversing the effects of the drug after the first dose (SB 52 – A Second Chance For LIFE); and a measure that would ban a certain type of abortion altogether ( SB 51 – Unborn Child Protection From Dismemberment). None of these bills have been heard in their respective committees.
“All of this means it is up to us to push this forward, to demand change in North Carolina,” Gonzales says. “You can start by placing a red bow on your mailbox, front door or anywhere it will be easily seen. Contact your North Carolina legislator by phone, letter, or email.”
She urges supporters of life to write letters to the editor, post on social media, and share the Deliver Life N.C. Facebook page, especially with elected officials.
“Talk to your local city and or county boards about a resolution for life. We need to paint this state red for the sake of the unborn, educate those who don’t see the truth and pray for God’s forgiveness and mercy for our failures in letting it go, while praying for His hand to guide and help us,” Gonzales declares. “Being silent is not an option.”
The Christian Action League Recommends the Following Actions:
- PAINT YOUR CITY RED by placing a red bow on your front door, your mailbox, anywhere it may be easily seen as a show of your support for life, more specifically, as a show of your support for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and the other pro-life bills languishing in the state legislature.
- Send a picture by email of your red bow to your state Representative with a short note from you expressing your support for the Born-Alive legislation. Urge him/her to do everything possible to override the Governor’s veto.
- Post a picture of your red bow on social media. Be sure to explain what the red bow stands for and state your support for the Born Alive Legislation and other pro-life bills in the NCGA.
- Share with other Facebook friends the Deliver Life N.C. Facebook page.
If you don’t know who represents you in the North Carolina House, go to this link on the NCGA website: https://www.ncleg.gov/RnR/Representation
Then, do the following:
- Click on “NC House” in the left margin.
- Enter your residence address in the box in the right margin.
- Look back at where you first clicked on “NC House” in the left margin again, and you should see your House District sited and your State Representative’s name listed beside it.
- Click on the name of your state Representative. It should provide you with his or her contact information.
- Save this information to your computer so it will be easily accessible for future reference.
