All I can say is WOW! Our priest spoke this weekend about right to life issues and how Catholics are mandated by their claim to be a Catholic to vote for life. He spoke of several things, not just Roe v. Wade and the Freedom of Choice Act but he talked about how we need to stop crisis pregnancy at the source and how we have to do everything in our power to help those in crisis pregnancy situations.
His arguments were very compelling. He spoke about how some laws were inherently bad and we recognized them as such. So, slavery was bad and no reasonably intelligent person would agree today that ‘a person should be allowed to choose whether or not they should own slaves’. He spoke that way in regards to spousal abuse also, so that no reasonably intelligent person would agree that ‘a person should be allowed to choose whether or not they can beat their spouse’. Yet we are willing to engage this same type of conversation about the murder of unborn babies. Like me, he followed the abortion argument to it’s logical conclusion (and then some) which is to say “Where do we stop?” There are some countries that are already arguing for and promoting euthanasia as a means of allowing people to die with ‘dignity’. He asked, “why stop there?”; what about the infirmed?, those born with debilitating diseases?, teenagers that we just can’t control? (he got a chuckle for saying this but I’m not sure that was his intention). One more statement that he made was important I think. He said (to the effect of) that the country is responsible for making laws but it is up to the Church to be a moral compass for the country. People didn’t just start believing slavery was bad, the moral climate of the country got to the point where everyone, not just those deeply involved with their church, began to realize that slavery was bad because all men are created equal. Many people died bringing this to fruition and there are still people out there who believe they are better than others strictly because of their race but that is certainly not the pervasive feeling throughout the country.
I believe that abortion is the same way; most people understand that murder is bad but they allow themselves to be bullied into believing that the unborn are somehow not human. Because they do not fall into the ‘viable’ category they are somehow not human yet if you wait a little while, would they somehow be something else? If you apply the scientific process what would you conclude? Every single time in human history when a human egg and a human sperm have united, they have produced a human child. Not 10%, not 50%, not 99.99999%, but 100% of the time. So the argument moves to ‘when does the sperm and the egg become a child?’ This is the argument I like the most because not too long ago, we did not have any real evidence. Today however we know that immediately after the sperm and the egg unite, the new life begins; the cells start splitting and (though it may not yet look like it) little Tommy or little Janey is on the way.
So what exactly are we left with in this whole Pro-Life argument? I’ll tell you. We are left with those who have the courage to stand up for what is right and have an open, honest debate with the pro-choice people. It’s not our job to try and understand what the other side is saying. It is not our job to agree that sometimes, just maybe sometimes, there is a valid reason for aborting a baby. It is our job to present a reasoned, well thought out argument for the sanctity of all life not matter what state it is in.
What about the safety of the mother? Come on Hobbit, you have to agree that if the doctor says the mother will die delivering this baby, we should be able to abort the baby. NO I DON’T! I cannot give life to anything therefore I should not be willing to take life from anything either. One of the arguments in this case is that “we cannot be sure that the sperm and egg are a life”. If we cannot be sure it is a life, it stands to reason that we cannot be sure it is NOT a life. Which side makes more sense, allowing it to grow and see if it becomes a life or killing it, ensuring that we will never know?
So what can you do? First and foremost, you need to educate yourself on the issue so that you can make an informed case for life. Secondly, you need to vote pro-life. This is not me speaking to you, this is Pope John Paul II speaking in Evangelium Vitae that the single most fundamental right of the human being is the right to life and that no government or power be allowed to create any law which would subvert that right. All Catholics must and all Christians should be compelled to vote for the candidate who will uphold the right to life. This has nothing to do with what you think is correct or, more importantly, what your conscience is telling you; this has to do with fundamental truths and, perhaps, the reason why we are Catholics in the first place. Sometimes, it is important for us to rely on those whose job it is to educate us in our morality. In this case, it is Pope John Paul II; a man who almost all religious leaders considered to be fundamentally grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ! He is telling us that this one subject is more important than anything else to mankind. It is THE foundational principal upon which all other moral decisions depend! Vote pro-life and then follow up to ensure that your candidates are keeping their word.
