the facts

If we're being intellectually honest, the whole abortion debate comes down to one question.

Pro-choicers make it seem as if that question is whether or not we trust women to be their own moral agents or to have "control over their body." Drawing attention to the vague notion of "choice," they mysteriously leave out exactly what choice they are talking about. They proudly proclaim "a woman's right to choose..." Choose what? Why don't they ever finish their statement?

If abortion does not kill innocent human beings, then I absolutely support a woman's right to choose it, too. But if it does, then it never has been, nor ever will be, a legitimate decision. Unfortunately for abortion advocates, there is nothing intrinsically noble about the concept of "choice;" we always have to look at what is being chosen. If it is choosing vanilla over chocolate ice cream, that is one thing; if it is choosing to kill an innocent unborn child, that is quite another. Thus, it seems there is no way around it. We have to determine if abortion does or does not take a human life. It all comes down to this single question: When does human life begin?

My friend Caitlyn* is convinced that this can't be determined. She once told me, "I don't think anyone knows when life starts. That's a complex philosophical and religious issue that will never be answered in one single way. It should be up to the woman to decide." Caitlyn's form of response is quite typical among the pro-choice crowd. On the surface, it may not sound unreasonable. But upon further examination, her contention is quite silly. In essence, she is suggesting that if one woman decides her 6-month-old unborn child is not a living human being, then it's not (and she can abort her); meanwhile, if another woman decides her 6-month-old unborn child is a living human being, then it is (and she can "keep" her). In other words, both women are right. Obviously, this position is logically ridiculous since the two children are biologically identical. Though I love Caitlyn dearly, she is terribly mistaken.

The fact is, every medical, biology, or embryology textbook says life begins at conception, and no other time. With all due respect to those who would like to think differently, this really is 3rd grade science class stuff. There is nothing complex, let alone religious, about it.** Fritz Baumgartner, MD, puts it succinctly when he says: "There is no more pivotal moment in the subsequent growth and development of a human being than when 23 chromosomes of the father join with 23 chromosomes of the mother to form a unique, 46-chromosomed individual, with a gender [and distinct set of DNA], who had previously simply not existed." He goes on to explain that the moment of fertilization is the only accurate moment to begin calling a human "human," and that to claim it is any other point is a blatant degradation of factual embryology. People have a right to their own opinion, but they don't have a right to their own facts.

If universally undisputed science isn't enough, simple reasoning tells us when life starts. Wherever we draw the "life line," whether at conception, 3 or 6 months after that, or at birth, we need to have good reasons for doing so.

So what are the pro-lifer's reasons? Stephanie Gray (President of Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform) explains. The pro-life person starts with the recognition that the right to life is an inalienable right— an inherent right. I can't give you the right to life, because if I give it to you, that means I can also take it away. Thus, I don't earn the right to life by accomplishing something, or performing another thing, or appearing a certain way; I have the right to life by virtue of my existence. And the only changes that a child undergoes between fertilization and 3 months after that, 6 months after that, or 9 months after that at birth are his larger size, his increased level of development, his lessened degree of dependency, and his location. But these are changes that occur after the baby has been born, too. The least arbitrary of the lines, the one which is most reasonable, is the one drawn when the child begins to exist. And we know the child begins to exist at conception.

It doesn't make sense for me to say, "I once was a sperm," because I wasn't; nor does it make sense for me to say, "I once was an egg," because I was not an egg. But it does make sense for me to say, "I once was five, I once was a newborn, I once was a fetus, and I once was an embryo." Since each of us began to exist at fertilization, that is the only fair and rational time to begin to protect a human's right to life.

I'm not sure where my pro-choice friends were led astray. I trust they have good intentions; I just think they have bad facts. To any of these such readers, thank you for venturing to see things from the other side. If, after looking through the lens of science and reason, the pro-life position actually proves to be as irrational and absurd as you may have been led to believe, fine; by all means, give it the rejection it merits. But, if it rather proves to be sensible, I encourage you to rethink your position and side with the strongest evidence. One thing is certain: If abortion really does kill innocent children, there is too much at stake to falsely believe otherwise.***

Vita Pro Omni!

*Name has been changed

**If religion happens to reaffirm what science has settled, the fact does not cease to be a strictly scientific truth. Those who maintain that life begins at some point other than conception need to contend only with science, not religion. To deny this certainty of biology does not indicate a lack of faith, but a lack of basic knowledge of human genetics.

*** Randy Alcorn makes and expands on this point in his book Why Pro-Life?

Note: The above 4-D ultrasound shows a 22-week-old baby, capable of fine hand and finger movement. This baby scratches, rubs, and pats his cheek before doing the same to his nose.

top 10 reasons why babies rock my socks

Let's face it. Babies are really stinkin' cute.

Even if you don't think of yourself as a "baby person," you can't help but notice the adorable way they coo and giggle and grin that toothless grin, making you smile right along with them. Their eyes are clear and sparkly, which is cool. And who doesn't love when a little newborn falls asleep in their arms?

Sure, their diapers smell, and they kind of cry a lot; but I tear up pretty easily, too, and my friends still like me. Basically, I think it's time we reminded ourselves of just some of the many reasons we love babies. And so I present:

Top 10 Reasons Why Babies Rock My Socks

10. Baby clothes. Tiny tennis shoes, miniature mittens, itty bitty bathings suits... Anything they wear looks darling on their little bodies.

9. The fact that every one of them is somehow the cutest thing in the world. Whenever I see a baby, I find myself exclaiming, "Aww, that is the cutest baby I have ever seen!" But, mystifyingly, so was the last one I saw... and the one before that... and the one before that...

8. New baby smell. Enough said.

7. You get to see the world through their eyes. Watching babies take in their surroundings is one of the greatest gifts they give you. When they look with wonder at their first flower, bird, or butterfly, it makes you see everything through new eyes, too. You get a refreshed appreciation for life you never knew you needed.

6. Chubs. Chubby tummies, chubby cheeks, chubby fingers, chubby thighs. You name it, and it's probably adorably round and pinchable. Plus, their super soft skin makes hugging and touching all those plump parts that much sweeter.

5. They can't talk back. You can dress up your newborn girl in frilly dresses and she'll never be opposed. When you need to drag your baby boy with you to the grocery store, he won't whine about wanting to go home now. Babies are usually fairly pleasant little people, and they aren't really into the whole attitude thing. Awesome.

4. Observing baby faces is arguably the most entertaining pastime ever. Yawns, scrunches, pouty lips, toothless grins... You could stare forever at an infant who isn't really doing anything at all.

3. Watching new parents love on their baby is amazing. There's nothing better than the way a new mom looks at her daughter or a first-time dad takes pride in his young son. The moment a parent sees their newborn child, it's love at first sight.

2. Babies bring a family together. They fill a home with love, strengthening the bonds between husband and wife, brother and sister, parent and child. If you want to learn love, patience, sacrifice, or just how to warm a bottle, welcome a child into your life.

1. They love you and need you. Babies are beautifully dependent upon their parents for everything from food to lullabies to kisses. They want you just as you are. And you love and need them right back.

Vita Pro Omni!

the great american lie

"No collection of U.S. Supreme Court opinions has been more misrepresented to the general public, than Roe v. Wade and its jurisprudential progeny."

These words of Francis J. Beckwith, a current American philosopher, scholar, and author, are just one representation of the countless dissenting arguments posed against the famous case that legalized abortion on demand. The ever-popular online source Wikipedia calls Roe v. Wade "a landmark case... one of the most controversial and politically significant cases in U.S. Supreme Court history."

So, what did Roe v. Wade actually conclude on that fateful day 37 years ago?

The case concerned Jane Roe (a.k.a. Norma McCorvey), a 22-year-old Texan who claimed to be pregnant as a result of gang rape (which was found to be a false claim years after the Court issued its opinion). Seeking an abortion, Roe sued the state of Texas, which, at the time, only allowed for abortion if the mother's life was in danger. She first filed a class action suit in the federal district court in Dallas in 1970. This federal court ruled that the Texas law was unconstitutionally vague and over-broad, claiming it infringed on a woman's right to reproductive freedom.* Thus, the state of Texas appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the case had to be argued twice before it. Nearly three years later, on January 22, 1973, the Court issued Roe v. Wade, declaring that the Texas law was unconstitutional— and that not only must all states, including Texas, permit abortions in cases of rape, but in all other cases as well.

Does the American public fully understand the scope of what the Court declared as a constitutional right that day? The current law in the U.S. does not restrict a woman from getting an abortion for practically any reason she deems fit during the entire nine months of pregnancy. When I tell that to my pro-choice friends, they are almost always shocked; but that is the truth. Perfectly healthy, nine-month-old, ready-to-be-born, "full-size" babies are legally killed in the U.S. every single day, for no reason other than that their mothers would rather not have them. If that's not horrifying, I don't know what is.**

So, how did this happen? Where did the Court find an apparent right to abortion?

The Court had already established a right to contraceptive use by married couples followed by single people based on the right of privacy, so wanted to use this as a kind of precedent for protecting abortion under the right of privacy, too. But, to make this move, there were two legal impediments that Justice Harry Blackmun, the Supreme Court Justice at the time (see image) had to eradicate: 1) Anti-abortion laws had been in the books in virtually every U.S. state since the start of the 19th century— each with a primary purpose of protecting the unborn from unjust killing. And 2) Constitutionally, the unborn is a person protectable under the Fourteenth Amendment. Thus, to justify abortion, Blackmun had to first account for the purpose of all anti-abortion laws in the U.S. from the past 170+ years, and then demonstrate that the unborn are not persons under the Fourteenth Amendment. He started out with the conclusion he wanted to find, and then set out for a way to defend it.

Blackmun argued that the purpose of anti-abortion laws was not to protect the unborn, but rather to protect the pregnant woman from a dangerous medical procedure. So, because abortion was now a safer procedure, he claimed, there was no reason to prohibit it. But Blackmun was wrong about the primary purpose of anti-abortion laws. Although protecting the woman was an important purpose of these statutes, it was secondary to their primary purpose of protecting pre-born children from harm. Law professor James S. Witherspoon conclusively established this in what is perhaps the most definitive scholarly article on the subject. After an extensive analysis of these 19th century regulations, their legislative histories, and the political climate in which they were passed, Witherspoon concluded that the terms of the statutes themselves prove their primary purpose in protecting the unborn. The terms include the following elements:

1) an increased range of punishment for abortion if it were proven that the attempt killed the child

2) the same punishment for attempted abortions killing the unborn as for attempted abortions killing the mother

3) the designation of abortion as "manslaughter"

4) the prohibition of all abortions except those necessary to save the mother's life

5) multiple references to the fetus as both a "child" and a "person"

6) the categorization of abortion with homicide and other offenses against born children

7) severe punishments for abortions

8) the provision that attempted abortion killing the mother is only a felony rather than murder

9) the definition of abortion as "destroying the child"

10) the incrimination of the woman's participation in her own abortion

Furthermore, legislative histories of these statutes recognize the personhood of the unborn child. Clearly, Blackmun's first attempt to find the fundamental right to abortion fails by means of at least ten pieces of evidence within 19th century U.S. anti-abortion laws. Blackmun never accounted for a single one of them.

Next, Blackmun enlisted the Fourteenth Amendment to argue that the unborn is not a person. He maintained that the Constitution does not define 'person' and went on to list all the places in it in which the word "person" is mentioned, including the Fourteenth Amendment ("the listing of qualifications for Representatives and Senators," "the Appointment Clause," "the Migration and Importation provision," etc.) He then concluded that "in nearly all of these instances, the use of the word is such that it has application postnatally" with "no possible prenatal application." Really, Blackmun? No possible prenatal application? Blackmun's attempted reasoning failed again inasmuch as he begged the question. For readers unfamiliar with this term, a person begs the question when he assumes the very point he is trying to make, or argues circularly. Blackmun fell into this logical fallacy, for none of the provisions, as he admitted, define a 'person' and thus could not possibly exclude the unborn. Thus, ultimately, Blackmun came to naught with both his first and second attempts to find the legal right to abortion (Beckwith, Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice).

But Blackmun is not the only actor in this case who was deceptive. Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff previously mentioned, later admitted to her complete fabrication of her story of gang rape that won her case. In the 1980's, McCorvey revealed herself to be the "pawn" of a young and ambitious lawyer named Sarah Weddington who needed a plaintiff with whom she could set out to change Texas law regarding abortion. McCorvey, who today says she was "young" and "dumb," was blatantly used to further Weddington's personal agenda. Little did McCorvey know, her case would legalize abortion in all 50 states (priestsforlife.org).

Though she won her case, Norma McCorvey has never had an abortion; she gave birth to the little girl who she wanted to abort and has dedicated her life to the Pro-Life Movement for the past 16 years through public speaking, political action, and her own pro-life ministry, Roe No More. In 2003, she became the plaintiff in McCorvey v. Hill, a second lawsuit filed to take back and reverse the Court's criminal decision 30 years before. Roe v. Wade is the only case in U.S. Supreme Court history in which the plaintiff won and later asked for a reversed opinion. McCorvey feels incredible remorse and shame for the 51 millions babies who have been killed as a result of her case— a case in which, unbeknownst to her, she was manipulated and used by a pro-abortion extremist to scar America forever. Meet Norma by watching her 1 minute ad below:

Today, on the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade some 400,000 pro-lifers gathered at our nation's capital for the annual March for Life. Knowing full well the duplicity of that decision, they stood up against the great American lie that is abortion. Thousands of women and men from the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, Rachel's Vineyard, and Operation Outcry, among dozens of other post-abortion healing programs, assembled in Washington, D.C. to tell the truth about abortion through their personal stories of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Thousands more who have seen their friends, mothers, sisters, cousins, girlfriends, and classmates suffer from abortion marched in honor of the women who are crying and the children who are dying. And others, still, stood for the millions of tiny children they will never meet— in solemn remembrance of the past three generations that have been obliterated by one-third in the name of "choice." I stand in spirit with each and every one of them, praying evermore fervently today for an end to abortion, once and for all.

Nothing is hidden from God. Roe v. Wade may have deceived the American people, but it did not deceive Christ. For He tells us, "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain" (Isaiah 40:4). We can rest assured that He will make all wrongs right, since even the greatest lie cannot stand before Truth Himself.

Vita Pro Omni!

*Pro-lifers absolutely support reproductive freedom. We are not, nor have we ever been, in the business of making any woman reproduce or have a child. But it is a biological fact that when a woman is pregnant, she has already reproduced and has a child. Our contention is simply that she shouldn't have that child killed.

**It should be noted that early-term abortions are just as deplorable as those that are done farther along in the pregnancy. By the same token, the abortion of a handicapped or afflicted child is an equal loss as that of a healthy child. Pro-lifers don't rank certain lives as more important than others.

movements for life

"Everyone who supported segregation was white. Everyone who supports abortion was born. That is how oppression works."

This quote illuminates just one parallel, among many, between two historical movements for equality in U.S. history: the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's and the Pro-Life Movement since 1973. Though no one wants to carry an analogy too far, their likeness cannot be denied; both of these social reform crusades peacefully but vociferously demand the equal treatment of an exceptionally oppressed group of persons.

Martin Luther King Jr. and his adherents refused to remain silent when their black brothers and sisters were segregated, harassed, disenfranchised, exploited, and kicked to the fringes of society as so-called "non-citizens." Acts of nonviolent protest, including marches, demonstrations, mass mobilization, and other forms of civil resistance, were central to their fight for justice. In the words of this hero who we celebrate and remember this week, "he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."

Likewise, pro-life leaders and their adherents will not stand by while their tiniest brothers and sisters are dismembered, crushed, burned, and killed as so-called "non-persons." These activists, from ex-abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson (whose video "The Silent Scream" went national) and Norma McCorvey (the "Roe" of Roe v. Wade who is now ardently pro-life) to religious leaders like Father Frank Pavone (of Priests for Life) and Dr. A Majid Katme (of the Muslim Division of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children), are inspiring other pro-lifers, young and old, to also protest in nonviolent ways. Pickets outside abortion mills, letters to and meetings with elected government officials, and the annual March for Life on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are but a few of the means by which pro-life activists stand up for the oppressed of our day with the dream of equal rights for all.

I always try to make clear that pro-lifers are for all life— not just the unborn. However, they keep a particular focus on the unborn since they happen to be the most targeted and oppressed group of persons in America today. If Blacks were still being lynched by the thousands, pro-lifers would be fighting that injustice with the same intensity that they fight abortion. But Martin Luther King reminded us that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." And abortion is the place where injustice thrives more than anywhere else in 2010. In short, the Pro-Life Movement is the Civil Rights Movement of our day. I am proud to be a part of it.

It would seem that certain groups of Americans would be especially proud to be a part of this human rights crusade. African-Americans, for one, know more than perhaps any other group how it feels to be classified as "less-thans" and "no ones;" yet, ironically, these are the same labels which our first Black president has consistently bestowed upon the unborn. Perhaps even more ironically, Obama referenced the Civil Rights Movement in his inaugural address. Yet, America's elected leader continues to reaffirm and place in public policy his long-standing unwillingness to uphold the right to life for all persons. He has succeeded in bringing the American government into the business of directly destroying human life more than any other president in history.

When I think of Obama and his passionate pro-choice stance, I am always reminded of his speech at Notre Dame's commencement last year. In it, he encouraged pro-life and pro-choice Americans to "work together," keeping "open hearts... open minds." He is a man of eloquent speech, and his words are often moving and compelling; but we mustn't be deceived. While coming together on the abortion issue and singing "Kumbaya" does sound lovely, Obama himself admitted that the pro-life and pro-choice positions are irreconcilable. This means that one of us is right, and the other is wrong. As pro-lifers, we must demonstrate love to those who do not think like us; but we cannot compromise. We mustn't settle for the scraps that pro-choicers throw us in the form of parental consent laws and mutable bans on partial birth abortions. Do not misunderstand: these provisions are good and just; we should do everything we can to make and keep them. But we cannot stop there and presume our work is done. African-Americans did not win equality by "finding common ground" with white lynchers. Pro-life Americans will not win equality for the unborn by meeting pro-choicers in the middle, either. Abortion, like racial discrimination, is non-negotiable. It objectively kills innocent persons. It has no place in our society or any other. There is nothing left to talk about.

I believe with all my heart that I will live to see an America without abortion. That is not to say the road will be quick or easy. Indeed, it will be long and hard. "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." Martin Luther King Jr., when making this assertion, realized that rights are never given over freely by the oppressor; they must be demanded by the oppressed. In the case of abortion, the oppressed have no voice. That is why we must speak for them, refusing to submit to silence.

Martin Luther King Jr. will forever be loved and remembered as an American hero. His tireless activism for human rights through non-violence and unconditional love is a model for every pro-lifer. And I know that if he were alive today, he would be fighting for the unborn right by our side.

America's spirit is one of liberty and justice for all, not just for some. Our nation finally realized that Blacks should not be considered "non-citizens," and it, too, will see that the unborn should not be considered "non-persons." I believe that my grandchildren's history textbooks will tell of the day when mothers were actually allowed to have their children executed through all nine months of pregnancy in the United States of America. They will, naturally, be shocked and appalled. They will ask me: "Grandma, weren't you alive when all of those babies were being killed? What did you do to help?"

I pray that I will be able to tell them that I, indeed, did something. I hope I will be able to say that my friends and I were willing to shout until our last breath to see that every unborn child got to take his first. And I know that pro-lifers, like Martin Luther King Jr., will be remembered as the ones who "loved peace and sacrificed for it."

Vita Pro Omni!

per la vita

Love for life is universal. My friends and I saw this pro-life sign tonight in Rome while struggling to find our way back to our new apartments. Spotting it made the trek more than worthwhile.

Per la vita!

Vita Pro Omni!

to all men of good will

I recently came across a letter that my boyfriend, Tommy, wrote to his family last year after the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. His words of wisdom are just one among the many reasons that I love him and am always so proud of him.

I had only known Tommy for about a year and a half when we first went to the March for Life together in high school. (The image shows him at that march in January of 2008.) I was (obviously) impressed! It takes a man of courage to make a stand on an issue that is not only controversial, but has been unfairly pegged as a "women's issue" alone. Yet, abortion hurts men, too, robbing them of their fatherhood and leaving many with feelings of shame and cowardice for the rest of their lives.

Men, as the leaders of families, have always had the great honor and privilege of caring for women and children. Thus, men do not need to be given permission to speak out against abortion; they already have the responsibility to do so. Good men do not just stand around with their hands in their pockets while countless women are harmed and helpless children are murdered. The good man would fight to save them. And men were made for greatness.

I give my sincerest gratitude to Tommy, to my loving father, and to all men who have the bravery to stand for this most noble cause of life. In my few years as a part of the pro-life movement, I have already had the privilege of meeting and befriending hundreds of these such men. To them, to those pro-life men I have yet to meet, and to the millions of pro-life men who I will never know, thank you. We need you. Keep fighting the good fight.

Below are some excerpts from Tommy's letter. For those of you who know Tommy, yes, we are all well aware that he is usually a total goof :) But he also has a very real and profound love for Truth. I have found his words to consistently ring with beauty, sincerity, and holiness. I hope they will be an inspiration to all readers, and especially to all men of good will.

Vita Pro Omni!

Written to my beautiful family:

May the peace and love of our Lord fill you with consolation, joy, and increased faith this day and all days. I write to each of you as your younger brother or son, and as your companion in this journey we call life: the love story of creation and His Creator. This “life” I speak of is of infinite and sacred value, for man’s life is the grand finale, the culmination of God’s creation as is illustrated in the first creation story (Gen 1). And it is for this reason that I write to you.

This past weekend, I had the honor of marching in the March for Life at our nation’s capital. Following the protest, I attended a ‘Students for Life of America Conference’, which enlightened and encouraged student groups within the pro-life movement to continually get involved and promote such a divine cause. During this short pilgrimage, I was able to reflect over man’s contingent relationship with God, and the importance of protecting life. Please take my reflections to heart, as I write from the heart. Though I am aware that what I will write may be controversial, I cannot keep silent: there is no time for silence when it comes to injustice. In the words of the great advocate for justice, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “[T]ime is always ripe to do right.” I refuse to be silent when millions aren’t given a chance to speak, when those who are voiceless are exterminated. I, as their brother, am now their voice.

My beloved family, we are living in the midst of the greatest genocide, and quite possibly the most horrific holocaust. The Nazi’s exterminated some 11-12 million human beings in the Holocaust... In one year there are approximately 42 million abortions performed globally[1]. 42 million children, every year, are having their skulls crushed, their brains sucked, their lungs smashed, their bodies ripped apart, and their very earthly existence taken away. There has never been a greater scale of murder in the history of mankind. We are witnessing the most terrifying moments of man’s history. What are you doing about it? At our death, when we stand before the gates of Heaven, will we hear the voices of the millions martyred speak: “Father, this one wanted to save me! This one heard my cry when so many refused to listen to my beating heart! O, Eternal Father, let them enjoy Your glory as I do!” Or, on the contrary, will the millions martyred from abortion be silent at our death… just like we were during theirs?

Why? Why is it that so many children are having their lives taken away? It is because they are inconvenient... Millions of children are murdered, not because they pose a threat to humanity (as Hitler thought the Jews did) or because they pose a threat to a religious belief, but because they are inconvenient: they pose a threat to one’s “progress.” Abortions occur because the child is a simple inconvenience. In a world where modern philosophy has plagued the average mind so that the future is the only means of hope, so that “progress” means mere technological advancement, so that one is always looking into tomorrow, so that the only truly valuable things are those that are material, it just so happens that when a newborn poses a threat to one’s social position or convenience, then that child is brutally murdered.

What is next? Because people tend to walk down the path of cowardice and refuse to face suffering, the philosophical thinking of eliminating one’s pain has gained great success: If you are in pain, eliminate the pain. (Just look at the youth: a young boy’s hormones are causing him pain, so he masturbates to relieve himself; a young girl’s lack of feeling acceptance causes her pain, so she dresses immodestly, revealing to others’ eyes what should be reserved for her future husband; a teenager is stressed because of school, so he gets drunk to have a stress-free time.) This type of thinking is detrimental to our very humanity. Suffering is not to be eliminated! (The Christian message of suffering is one of redemption; to suffer is to participate in the redemptive offering of Love as implemented by the God whom so courageously suffered for man.) And, because of its byproduct, it is detrimental to our existence: a woman is petrified of giving birth or raising her child, so she eliminates the little one living inside of her; a man is not ready to be a father because he wants to do more with his life first, so he forces his partner to get an abortion. Are we so blind as to see what is actually happening? Our society is allowing one person to judge another’s life based on his own emotional stability: we are allowing the existence of a child to be placed in the realm of a mere “convenience test.” Fortunately for you, you have passed that test—otherwise, you would not be alive and reading this text before you.

So, I propose the same question again. What is next? With a rising national debt, are we going to kill the poor, the unemployed, and those who do not benefit society? Are they not a mere inconvenience to the wellbeing of our country? Or perhaps, we should consider killing the mentally unstable or physically handicapped. If anything, they are nothing more than an inconvenience, as they require consistent help, guidance, and can hardly do anything productive (productive in the modern meaning of the word). What if we kill every criminal? Surely, they are an inconvenience to the country as a whole: even in jail they require food, maintenance, etc. We already kill the unborn because they pose a threat to another’s wellness… what is to stop this nation from killing more?

Furthermore, how can we call ourselves Christian if we allow this injustice to thrive? In order for the Word to have become flesh, the Word had to enter into human form. In order to enter into human form, the Word had to be conceived in the womb, nurtured in the womb, and born from the womb. This incredible miracle—the Word made flesh—lies at the core of Christian thinking: we worship the God of Man, who is also the God that became man. Now, it is pure ignorance to say the Word becoming flesh was not an incredible inconvenience. Consider the story: an angel tells Mary, a young, unmarried Jew, that, if she accepts his message, she is to give birth. At that time, if you were unmarried and became pregnant, the penalty was death. She knew that accepting this pregnancy meant that her fiancé, whom she was deeply in love with, could easily leave her. Accepting this pregnancy will completely change her life; her entire life-plan will be changed if she says yes: whatever future hopes she had in mind would be erased if she accepted such a pregnancy. She knew all of this. And she still said yes: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

Given this understanding of the incredible inconvenience regarding Mary’s pregnancy with the Word—Jesus—a clearer understanding of abortion begins to develop. Whenever we are lukewarm in our belief about abortion, we are lukewarm about the birth of our God. Whenever we do not exclaim boldly the evils of abortion, we are not exclaiming joyfully the news of our living God. Whenever we do not seek to defend the unborn, we are not honoring the great acceptance of Mary. Perhaps what we need is a renewal of belief in our Lord Jesus; perhaps we no longer recognize the importance of the Godbecoming man, of the birth of our King, of the Eternal Word taking on human form in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Let us, then, remember why He came: to destroy the sting of sin that is death (1 Cor 15:54-56), to give us eternal life (Jn 3:16), that we may inherit divine majesty and glory (Rom 8:17), to set us free from the slavery of sin (Gal 5:1). He came so that we may live life abundantly and to the full (Jn 10:10). Are we so ignorant as to forget why the God of Love became man? Who are we to act so god-like as to be in charge of who is lucky enough to be born?

Finally, let us not forget whom the Christ has made us into by his life, death, and resurrection: He has made us to be dwelling places of the Almighty God. In the words of Saint Paul: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which are, is holy” (1 Cor 3:16). I need not say more.

I want to quote another passage from scripture: “God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him” (Wis 2:23). It seems that Pope John Paul II the Great understood this passage when he wrote: “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase… [Life] remains a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters.” Abortion says “to hell” with all of this. We have a responsibility to protect and preserve life. It is our duty to treat God as He is: a God of life, and treat His creation as He intended: as a sacred entity.

Therefore, I invite you, reader, to partake in a movement — to be pro-life. I do not ask that you label yourself as one who is “anti-abortion,” but to label yourself as definitively "pro-life:" one who is the voice for the voiceless, the cry for those without rights, the warrior for those who cannot fight, the life for those who have it taken away. I invite you to exclaim from the rooftops the evils of abortion. Where has ethics gone? Or moral law? Or dignity? I encourage you to take a stand; not one of mediocrity, as one who simply disagrees with abortion, but rather as one who agrees with life, who is a defender of what is sacred, and who is willing to do anything and everything to save one unborn life of God! These children are not dying from natural causes, from lack of food, or from a disease… these children are being murdered. All these children have is you: whereas a survivor of a genocide may write an inspirational book, or starving families may be noticed in films or pictures, or governmental injustices may be seen through the media, the aborted child has no voice, no way of crying to a camera before he is taken away to the modern “gas-chamber.” All that the unborn has is the voice of others. It is their only hope; for it is no longer feasible for them to have hope in life, because life is no longer an inherent right to them. Family, please, be that voice.

Saint Irenaeus once said “The glory of God is man fully alive.”[2] How true this statement is. It is only natural for the creator to manifest his majesty in his creation. In order to cultivate a culture of God’s glory, we must cultivate a culture of life—not only one that nurtures the quality life, but, even more importantly, one that accepts life. To accept life, to allow one the opportunity to be born, is the absolute foundation of freedom: to disregard one’s right to life is simultaneously to disregard one’s right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These two democratic ideals—and natural human rights—are dependent upon the right to life. So, because God’s glory is made manifest in the life of man, we must fight to preserve the natural right to live, to be given the very chance to have life.

At the closing of this letter, perhaps one more quote will suffice, if what I have written has not already inspired, changed, or encouraged your desires to fight this social injustice. One of the most respected women and persons this world will perhaps ever see is Mother Teresa. She is one who tirelessly gave herself to others so that they may experience a more full life; it is no wonder that she said:

“Life is the life of God in us. Life is the greatest gift that God has bestowed on human beings, and man has been created in the image of God. Life belongs to God, and we have no right to destroy it.”

It doesn’t take a great deal of research in bioethics to understand why abortion is immoral and ethically unsound. All it takes is simple reason to see the beauty of life and the evils of destroying it.

May all of us continue to pray for not just an important cause, but quite possibly the greatest cause we can pray for this very day. For it is a cause for our nation, our world, our humanity, and for the glory of the God of all Love.

Praised be Jesus Christ… now and forever.

Pax Christí Mea Familia

Tommy Piolata

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[1] http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

[2] For what other reason would Saint Paul had said: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). This truth also seems apparent in his preaching: “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Eph 2:10); see also 2 Cor 4:7-11.

at the gravesite

Early yesterday morning, as I drove the short mile from my house to the Planned Parenthood at 3255 East Main St. where I would pray, I felt uneasy. I always carry a pit in my stomach and ache in my heart as I pull up to that place. From the outside, the white-bricked, green-roofed building looks like any other. It sits generally unnoticed next to a computer repair shop and Jiffy Lube. The sign in the parking lot reads, "Planned Parenthood: Central Ohio Women's Center." That's it.

Undoubtedly, the abortion crime tricks and deceives many since it happens right in our neighborhoods amidst the white walls and sterile tables of a “health center.” It is a crime that not only remains approved and legal, but receives $350 million in government funding on top of $650 million in private donations each year, making for an annual budget of $1 billion. It is performed by a trained doctor and staff*. It happens quickly and quietly behind a medical facility's doors.

But while he uses terms like “removing a pregnancy” and “emptying uterine content” to try to mislead the expectant mother, dishonest euphemisms cannot change what the abortionist does; under his paid instruction, tiny children are deliberately and violently killed by gruesome methods including dismemberment, suffocation, burning by saline solution, and piercing the child's neck with scissors so as to vacuum out her brain. Indeed, behind Planned Parenthoods and other abortion mills across the country sit dumpsters where torn limbs and bloodied bodies are carelessly tossed after the procedure. How inexcusable that a rotting dumpster would become an innocent child’s grave! How terrifying that we have let this go on… and on… and on… for nearly 37 years! The death toll has surpassed 51 million**. Haven’t we had enough?

Most of us have. So why does legalized abortion persist? After all, pro-lifers are in the majority and are working from, rather than towards, victory (Father Frank Pavone, President, Priests for Life). But laws, congressmen, senators, and especially our president continue to propagate and glorify a culture of death. Thus, it is not uncommon for the pro-lifer to look at the many pro-choice politicians in power, become discouraged, limit his vision, and perceive the day of triumph only from a distance. He may feel helpless to make a difference for even one life; it seems there is just too much stacked against the unborn.

What we must realize is that the abortion genocide is too large, too deep, and too entrenched into every corner of our society to be defeated by human means alone. Of course, we have a duty to act; activism has been and will continue to be a crucial component in the fight for life. But, ultimately, combating the abortion evil requires the recognition that, in a very real way, we are fighting a spiritual battle. Do not think that the abortionist performing these slaughters is acting merely from his own will; he has been tricked toward evil and whispered lies by Satan, the Master of Misery. Abortion mills are fortresses of death under his grinning command. We must get down on our knees. We must root our action in prayer.

To wage spiritual warfare against the abortion demon, some of us are called to march directly to the battle fields— to fight in the front lines. Positioned as soldiers at these gravesites, we beg Our Lady to wash Christ’s blood over them so that He may conquer sin once again at this modern day Calvary. Our Lady will give us that victory— but she needs our help (Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, President, Human Life International).

The Helpers of God's Precious Infants, in their mission, beautifully describe what it is that we do to help: Outside the abortion mill, we lovingly and prayerfully unite ourselves with each mother and child. We stand in solidarity with these victims’ pain as unborn children are sentenced to death. We pray in reparation for the injustice being accomplished on their tiny bodies. Like Mary nestled at the foot of the cross, we kneel at the site of their crucifixion, staying beside these little ones at their hour of death.

We pray to secure God’s mercy for the abortionist and his staff who do the killing at that clinic. Our message to them is that, although we love them, we will never accept what they do. We encourage them that they can do better!— for women, for children, for families, and for society. We challenge them to turn from their past and embrace that which is good, true, and noble. We ask them to have courage.

We plead with our voices for the lives that are scheduled to be taken that morning. We reach out to all mothers and babies with the love of Christ. We ask each woman to change her mind. We neither judge nor condemn her for what she is planning to do, only promise our support and assistance should she choose life, and prayers for her healing and conversion should she go through with the killing of her child. We will love her either way.

We love deeply the tiny children who will be brought there that day. Rejected by their parents, they are helpless and doomed to die. The only human love they will ever encounter in their short lives may be from those of us standing on the sidewalk. We wish we could tell them how precious they are and how much we value their lives, no matter how young. We want to show them the comfort and compassion of Jesus.

In Mother Teresa’s home for the dying, she had the privilege of giving human love to the poorest of the poor and the sickest of the sick— people who were dying alone and abandoned by all. She would pick up the discarded and homeless from the streets and tenderly care for them so that they would not die having never experienced the love of Christ. This is what we do, spiritually, for the children who will be killed by an abortionist that day.

We recognize them as our brothers and sisters, welcoming them into the human family and entrusting them into the loving arms of our Mother Mary. We embrace them, spiritually, in their time of fear, pain, and death. We stand with them as they die. No one wants to be alone when they die. Even Jesus, before His death, asked His apostles to be with Him in prayer through the night. In loving these children, we are comforting Christ's heart, because they are His; they are fearfully and wonderfully made by Him. As Jesus told us, "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me" (Matthew 25:40).

This battle will come to an end. We can find peace in the knowledge that the outcome has been determined since the beginning of time: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). The same Christ who conquered the world is our Commander in this great crusade for life. We can be certain that light will destroy all darkness— that life will prevail on the last day; for His Resurrection is precisely that promise to us made flesh. Let us pray for Christ's power to defeat the grave once again, turning even the hardest of hearts toward life, until the day He comes again in glory.

Apage Satanas! Annuit coeptis. Consummatum est. ("Be gone, Satan! God has favored us. It is finished.")

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host—
by the Power of God—
cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Vita Pro Omni!


*It seems that many abortionists and staff members are hardly trained at all. The abortion industry has managed to avoid regulation and inspection from state and federal health departments since abortion-on-demand became legal in 1973 (physiciansforlife.org). Abortionists consistently graduate medical school at the bottom of their class. They often have previously lost legitimate practices and find that the abortion industry welcomes them (cnsnews.com).

**This statistic represents only children killed by surgical abortions. Yet we mustn't forget the other vast portion of victims: the untold number of children who have been killed by the abortion pill, RU-486. They are often forgotten, but are equally deprived of their right to life as any other aborted child. In other words, the abortion pill is preferred to a surgical abortion only insofar as a man poisoning his wife is preferred to him stabbing her to death—either way, she is just as dead.