from the HLI newsletter:
Today we heard the news of the death of Students for Life of America (SFLA) field director Kortney Blythe Gordon and her preborn daughter Sophy in a tragic car accident in Georgia, and of the critical injury of SFLA coordinator of the Pregnant on Campus Initiative Jon Scharfenberger. The prayers of the staff and pro-life missionaries of Human Life International are with Kortney's husband Benjamin, with the Blythe and Gordon families, and with all the great champions for life at Students for Life of America. We also pray for the full and speedy recovery of Jon, and for his family.
From our staff who have worked with Kortney, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about her courage, her creativity and her determination to save every unborn child. Kortney was truly an exceptional young woman, working tirelessly to make the world safe for the unborn. All who knew her had great respect and admiration for her.
from the website of SFLA:
On Monday, we hosted a national webcast to honor the lives of Kortney and Sophy and to offer intercessions of prayer on Jon’s behalf. Pro-life leaders and students from across the country joined us in prayer and discussion, including representatives from Rock for Life, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Claude Allen of the Gerard Health Foundation, Reverend Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, and Jeff White of Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust. Hundreds of listeners offered their words of support and praise for the lives of Kortney and Sophy and for the work that both Kortney and Jon have accomplished within the pro-life movement, and we were overcome by the beautiful words from friends and families of our dear friends. For those who were unable to listen in on Monday night, the recording of the webcast is available here: http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=23295666. The webcast focused many prayers toward Jon and his family and helped greatly in his healing.
And although Jon has made various, gradual improvements, he has a long road of recovery ahead of him. His stability has fluctuated since the accident and, despite making a number of medical advancements that keep us all optimistic about his recovery, his condition continues to rise and fall throughout the day. We are beyond thankful to Our Lord for delivering Jon from the horrible accident that took the lives of Kortney and her daughter, but Jon is in need of many more prayers from us all to recover fully from his near-fatal injuries. Please make time to keep him in your thoughts and check back with us for details on his condition as we receive them.
