New York Teens Honor Planned Parenthood in School Fashion Show

By Whitney Dotson
Planned Parenthood
Two teenage girls honoring Planned Parenthood with a fashion show Getty Images

The realization of the significance of multi-generational teaching is coming to an obvious head in recent stories. One of the latest examples concerns the record of two teenagers who contrived a creative way to express their admiration for the abortion-enacting institution of Planned Parenthood. Women's "reproductive rights" is at the forefront of their cause; so much so, in fact, they they have been featured in various media venues.

In a collective fashion show which prohibited the use of fabric, 17-year-old Karolina Montes and 16-year-old Zoe Balestri decided to participate in a way which left no one in doubt of their personal priorities. The dresses were designed by a painstaking ritual of sewing Planned Parenthood brochure (500 leaflets, to be exact) and even  a bodice of condoms citing the presumably humorous phrase:

"Don't eff with us, don't eff without us."

Ballestri grinned in repeating the phrase; she also described the amount of thought and detail in planning out the gowns' forms:

"Hoop skirts were really popular at a time when women weren't given the same access to things that men are."

The girls' incentive in the project, they expressed, was to promote education:

"It just seems like such an important part of our culture, that we need to have safer methods [of family planning] and we need to educate. That's the main the point, is to educate people."

The young women are of course unhappy---"saddened," even---by Donald Trump's plans to defund Planned Parenthood. They also participated in the Women's March on Washington:

"They're trying to shut down Planned Parenthoods and make abortion illegal, and that really frightens and saddens me, because it's such an amazing thing that is provided to women. I have friends who use Planned Parenthood services. It's been there for people in high school, in college, in adulthood, for people who can't afford to have a child, or for other circumstances. It's necessary."

Montes and Ballestri conclude by expressing their hope in the media exposure:

"This year we thought after everything that's been happening in the world and with this country, it was important to make our dresses beautiful and fun but also to give them some sort of meaning. We decided this was the perfect way to support something we both strongly believed in."

Such remarks prove the importance of infiltrating the younger generation with Gospel Truth; moreover, the situation stands as a remarkable sign of contrasting irony against the simultaneous discrimination against Pennsylvania teen girls whose only desire was also to "educate" their peers in creating a pro-life group.

  • ‘Wang Mingdao’s Diary’ reproduction highlights complexities of contemporary Chinese Christianity

    On December 9, the China Graduate School of Theology (中国神学研究院) hosted a public lecture titled “A Courageous Witness in the Times—Launch of Wang Mingdao (王明道)’s Diary.” The lecture, themed “Faith Patterns in Beijing’s Christian Churches Through the Lens of Wang Mingdao’s Diary,” featured Dr. Ni Buxiao (倪步晓), Associate Director and Assistant Professor at the Christian Faith and Chinese Culture Research Center of Alliance Bible Seminary (建道神学院), as the keynote speaker.

  • Floating library ‘Doulos Hope’ arrives in Taiwan; spreading love and hope from a former cruise ship

    Doulos Hope, the international floating book fair ship, has returned to Taiwan and is now docked at Kaohsiung Port, open to the public from December 18, 2024, to January 12, 2025. Originally built in 1991 and renovated in 2022, the ship features over 2,000 books on various topics, including faith, science, and art. It is operated by a diverse crew of 140 volunteers from 25 countries, offering services such as education, healthcare, and community outreach. The ship's mission is to spread hope and

  • Chinese Online School of Theology publishes annual ministry report: Expanding Chinese theological education through new strategies

    In the 2023-2024 academic year, New York-based Chinese Online School of Theology (COST) has seen significant development in expanding its ministry in theological education and mission outreach. They have promoted a series of new events and projects to explore different strategies that expand theological education for Chinese ministers. The following are some highlights from the 2023-2024 annual report:

  • Dr. Fenggang Yang: How foreign forces transformed traditional Chinese legal systems

    In a recent lecture to Chinese Christians, scholar Dr. Fenggang Yang (杨凤岗) gave an in-depth analysis of the historical evolution and contemporary significance of the modern legal system in Chinese society. He explored the tensions and integrations between traditional law and modern rule of law, highlighting the distinctive characteristics of China’s traditional legal system and emphasizing the role of foreign influences in introducing modern legal practices into Chinese society.