I write this essay on the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The exact number of unborn children who have been murdered is impossible to determine, but most experts put the count between 50 and 60 million. Many historians consider the Holocaust, with over 6 million killed, the most heinous crime in history. But when ten times that many are slaughtered, rightful indignation is buried under the mantra of “women’s rights.”
As a person who has been active in the pro-life movement for over twenty years, both as a PAC Director for Right to Life of Michigan and as a counselor at a pregnancy center, I am often asked about the frustrations inherent with the work. There are many. Allow me to share them with the reader, in no particular order.
One source of frustration is the young woman who is cavalier about killing her unborn child. She is unmoved by facts, photos, videos, or prayers. In many cases, she has had one or more previous abortions, about which she has no qualms. If adoption is suggested, she firmly declares that she would rather kill her child than place it for adoption. After all, adoption is actually abandoning the child, and that is unacceptable. (I know, I know. It is totally irrational, but I’ve heard it often.) Besides, God will forgive her anyway, she asserts. After all, once saved, always saved.
A second source of frustration is the mainstream media, where truth always takes a back seat to a liberal agenda. Read any article or listen to any broadcast and you will quickly notice that those who defend the unborn are “anti-choice,” while those who support abortion are “pro-choice.” Of course, anti is a negative prefix, whereas pro is a positive one. The media characterize pro-lifers as fanatical religious bigots. Pro-aborts, however, are compassionate, tolerant sophisticates. Since Roe, millions of images of real and fictional murders, replete with blood and gore, have invaded our televisions and movies. But a video of a real abortion showing the brutal dismemberment of an unborn child has never been shown. Its absence speaks volumes.
Another frustrating group is “Catholic” politicians who consistently support legislation to promote abortion. People like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, who claim to be Catholics in good standing, have never seen pro-death legislation they didn’t like. Their “I can’t impose my beliefs on someone else” justification for their actions is beyond nauseating. They have no problem imposing their beliefs when it comes to mandated contraception/abortion coverage in Catholic hospital health plans or forcing states to accept homosexual marriage. The hundreds of phony Catholic politicians have done great damage to the Church in America and truly have blood on their hands.
Which brings me to another frustrating phony group–Catholic priests and bishops who do nothing to promote the pro-life position. They never talk about abortion from the pulpit. They allow no fundraisers for pregnancy centers and other pro-life organizations in their churches. They are never seen at rosary vigils outside abortion clinics. If confronted on their apparent lack of interest, they resort to the seamless garment argument, insisting that there are other “life” issues, such as poverty, economic disparities, and sexism. Or they mumble something about “too many other fundraisers.” In the end, their flocks are as indifferent as they are to the plight of the unborn, and so they are more like wolves than shepherds.
A final frustrating group is Catholic parishioners who, like the clergy above, will not lift a finger nor give a dime to help pro-life groups. If their church does allow a pro-life fundraiser, they will not support it in any fashion. They have no interest in learning about the reality of abortion and, thus, are woefully ignorant of what actually takes place in the abortion mills. These are the same people who have bumper stickers on their cars showing support for specific pro-abortion politicians or for the Democrat Party, which, of course, proudly proclaims its pro-abortion position in its platform. The bottom line is that they simply do not care if millions of unborn children have been, and will continue to be, murdered. They will recycle plastic to “save the planet,” but saving the life of an unborn child is the furthest thing from their minds.
I said that I was not going to rank the frustrating groups in any particular order, but I have to admit, the “Catholic” groups are a particular thorn in the flesh. The Church they claim to belong to has never deviated from the truth, especially when it comes to the dignity of human life. If the vast majority of Catholics would adhere to those teachings, I am convinced that abortion would soon end in this nation. But the sad reality is that the Church is virtually irrelevant in the public square, and so the slaughter continues.
So, yes, being active in the pro-life movement can be very frustrating. But, then again, Jesus was often frustrated by the unbelievers of his time, and yet he still loved them. With the help of his grace, I must do the same.
