GETTING TO THE BUSINESS OF DEFENDING LIFE
by Mary Beth Bonacci
Okay, enough about how we don't defend life. We've talked for several
weeks about one of those ways, killing abortion doctors. But now it's time
to get down to business. How do we defend life?
Obviously, we need to work to stop abortion. It's the biggest threat to
innocent life these days, as we've discussed in the past weeks. And as
Pope John Paul II says, woe to us if we don't succeed. The question is,
how do we succeed?
Well, there are a lot of ways. As I see it, pro-life activity breaks down
into four different areas. Today we'll discuss the first two, legislation
and education.
When the Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade was handed down, it took
the country completely by surprise. At that time, abortion was illegal in
most states and available under limited circumstances in the rest. But all
of that changed, literally overnight.
Under Roe vs. Wade, abortion is legal in the U.S. throughout all nine
months of pregnancy. In most states, minor girls can obtain abortions
without their parents' consent, when those same girls can't be given
aspirin or have their ears pierced without permission. Abortions are
easier to get in this country than anywhere else in the world. This is a
travesty.
There's plenty that a young, civic-minded individual can do to further the
cause of legal protection for the unborn. Do volunteer work for a local
pro-life candidate. If there's pro-life legislation being introduced in
your community, contact the sponsors and help them leaflet or gather
signatures. Talk to your voting-age friends about the importance of voting
pro-life.
Even if abortion were to be made illegal tomorrow, we'd still have a
problem. We have an entire generation which has never known a society
where abortion wasn't legal. The legality, and the acceptability, of
abortion on demand is etched into their consciousness. They've always
heard that abortion is a woman's "right," so they figure it must be true.
The average American has no idea how abortions are performed, or what is
done to the unborn child. They've been told that the child is just a "blob
of tissue" and they believe it. We need to change that. We need to show
them, every time and in every way we can, that the unborn child is a
living, and often moving, thumb-sucking, pain-feeling person from the very
earliest abortions. We need to show them the cruel abortion methods that
literally rip a human person limb from limb.
How do we show them? Several ways. First of all, learn the facts of fetal
development yourself. Dr. Wilke's book, <Abortion Questions and Answers>,
is very helpful for this and other abortion-related matters. Learn about
abortion methodology. If you really want the gory details, buy a video
like "The Silent Scream," "Eclipse of Reason" or "Hard Truth." Your local
pro-life organization can tell you where to get them.
And then, once you know the facts, share them. Talk to your friends about
it. If you really want to share the word, contact your local pro-life
groups about getting onto a speakers' bureau and giving talks on abortion
in schools. Write an article for your school paper.
And while we're talking about education, abortion education isn't the only
kind we need. If we're going to get to the root of the problem, we need to
get rid of the demand for abortion. And to do that, we need chastity
education. We need to figure out how to respect the sexual capacity so
that we're using it at the service of real love, instead of abusing it at
the expense of the next generation's lives. So spread the word on that,
too.
Even if you aren't directly involved in pro-life education, it's
absolutely crucial that you be well-versed on the issues. You don't have
to be standing in front of an audience to have your views on abortion
challenged. It'll happen all the time -- with your friends, at parties,
anywhere people manage to find out that you're Catholic. You can use those
opportunities to clear up some ignorance and make a difference in people's
lives, if you know what you're talking about.
Working in education and legislation are two good ways to follow the Holy
Father's admonition to defend life. But they're not the only ways. Tune in
next time.
Bonacci is a frequent lecturer on chastity.
This article appeared in the October 13, 1994 issue of "The Arlington
Catholic Herald."
Courtesy of the "Arlington Catholic Herald" diocesan newspaper of the
Arlington (VA) diocese. For subscription information, call 1-800-377-0511
or write 200 North Glebe Road, Suite 607 Arlington, VA 22203.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The electronic form of this document is copyrighted.
Copyright (c) Trinity Communications 1994.
Provided courtesy of:
The Catholic Resource Network
Trinity Communications
PO Box 3610
Manassas, VA 22110
Voice: 703-791-2576
Fax: 703-791-4250
Data: 703-791-4336
The Catholic Resource Network is a Catholic online information and
service system. To browse CRNET or join, set your modem to 8 data
bits, 1 stop bit and no parity, and call 1-703-791-4336.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
