From All Girls Allowed. I am particularly sadded by the failure of our government to help. One of the things President Clinton did that I really liked was save another famous Chinese activist.
At the end of last week, exciting news broke out of the escape of Chen Guangcheng, the blind attorney who was imprisoned in 2006 for filing a class action suit against the Chinese government on behalf of 130,000+ victims of forced sterilization. The western media immediately picked up the story, as Chen's escape was daring and occurred at a critical time ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Beijing.
Unfortunately, recent reports have revealed that the U.S. government has reneged on its promises to help Chen and his family to safety, as Chen was sent out of the U.S. embassy to a hospital with no embassy escorts. He is now pleading for the opportunity for his family to safely leave China.
In a statement, Chai Ling said, "It's disappointing. Chen's escape gave the U.S. a chance to demonstrate its commitment to freedom and be on the right side of history-and now the chance is all but gone." Chen's friends have said that he is already under intense government surveillance and has not been allowed to make outside contact. Ling continued: "Secretary Clinton, whose work I've admired, had the power to provide asylum for Chen and his family. But she gave way under pressure-and now we don't even know what will become of the activists who were arrested last week after helping Chen escape." (Read Ling's Huffington Post article here.)
While the mainstream media has been quick to point to Chen's daring escape, there has been very little mention of the cause for which he has suffered–the defense of millions of women who have suffered forced abortion and forced sterilization under China's brutal One-Child Policy. Please join us in lifting Chen up:
3) Pray for the people of China to stand up, particularly the Church, in solidarity with Chen and in opposition to the One-Child Policy. Pray for Jesus' message of Good News and hope to be proclaimed at this time!
4) Pray that God would raise up leaders from within the Chinese government who will stand for this tragedy no more and take a stand against the treatment of Chen and his family, as well as the treatment of women under the One-Child Policy.
While the situation may seem bleak, we know that we have a God who is greater. He is able to use this as a world stage to perform his miracles and to draw people to himself. So above all, please join us in praying that the name of the Lord will be lifted high as a result of this, just as the Apostle Paul proclaims: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
in Christ,
the All Girls Allowed team
