In many ways we have reached a crossroad in the Right to Life movement. As a latecomer to the movement, I can only deeply admire and respect the people who were involved in the late sixties and early seventies. We, the silent majority stood by and watched as this small vocal for our cause and the cause of God.
The saw our political, judicial, and medical leaders making a grave mistake. They foresaw the hundreds of thousands of babies who would not be given the right to be born. They alone stood for life.
The gathering at Queen’s Park
Now we are entering a new period in our struggle. More and more people are expressing their true feelings on the issue. The numbers have been reversed as was seen in Toronto, Ontario when 35,000 men, women, children, and babies gathered on the lawns of Queen’s Park. In silence and prayer they walked to show Ontario, Canada and the world that they want all mothers to love their babies, so all babies are given the right to life.
Now, with God’s help, tens of thousands of Canadians are telling their neighbors, friends and relatives that they want to support life, mothers and the unborn. They are doing this by signing a Pro-Live pledge card, contributing a small amount to cover advertising and printing, and the reading their names in fine print in long columns in the newspaper.
I wish I could meet every person whose name I have read because I admire their courage and thoughtfulness and I am sure the Lord is with them. I also am sure many of these people had to speak up for the first time and explain their beliefs to their friends, family, and colleagues at work. Some may have faced criticism, rejection or other hardships.
We can feel we have accomplished a great deal by just getting people to take time to examine their conscience and feelings. We can only hope that our actions will encourage people to look into their hearts – after that, all is in God’s hands. We know that everyone has their own free will and their own choice to make. It is our belief that good will prevail over evil and, since we are made in the “image and likeness of our creator,” it can only be a matter of time, persistence, patience, and prayer that is needed.
New admissions from pro-abortionists
Some subtle, but very significant changes have taken place, which raise our hopes for the future. First of all let’s look at the few supporters of abortion that are still speaking out. In the media, these people are now starting too admits that they don’t really like the idea of abortion either – that nobody really likes abortion but it us still a necessary evil and still the woman’s choice. Just the fact that they are beginning to admit it’s not a nice thing to do is an important change in wording. We all know that in the past the unborn was described as only a “blob of tissue” and the vas majority of pro-abortionists expressed no remorse whatsoever.
Secondly, fewer and fewer medical professionals are willing to do the operation. More doctors are refusing to sit on the rubber-stamp hospital abortion committees. Of course, we are all aware of the active “Physicians for Life” groups that are in many of our cities. As more doctors and nurses examine their conscience, more will come to the realization that the operation is inhuman. They will simply stop their involvement with abortion.
Changes can also be seen in the political arena. Many politicians and citizens fought hard to have the rights of the unborn included in the new Canadian Constitution. Dr. Stan Hudecki, the Liberal MO from Hamilton West, was one of a small number of MP’s who voted against the constitution bill. Immediately after the historic vote, he spoke to a live television audience of millions of Canadians and clearly explained his position: he could not support a constitution that did not protect the life of the unborn.
More pro-life campaigns
In Canada and the United States more and more candidates for political office are running campaigns with a strong pro-life platform. They are succeeding in forcing other candidates to address the issue. Many are being elected to government bodies as can be seen in the close votes on the issue in the American Congress and Senate.
The tide is even beginning to change the media. I watched in total disgust and disappointment as the CBC and CTV evening news granted equal time to the Pro-Life and Pro-Abortion rallies in Toronto on Oct. 1st. This is spite of the fact that the Pro-Life rally was ten times as 1 age. However, the thousands of letters to the editors complaining about unfair and unbalanced reporting are having an effect. More writers and journalists are reporting the Pro-Life message.
Another fundamental change is the increased public awareness of the responsibility of pregnant mothers to their babies. Mothers are caring for their babies by abstaining from smoking, alcohol, and even caffeine during pregnancy. The contradiction is obvious. As society accepts thus principal how can we justify abortion? Without a doubt, respect for life is growing.
These changes and others have convinced me it is time to stop emphasizing the negative aspects of abortion. We have heard enough of the gore of the operation and the tragic consequences that often follow. In any case, it is only a matter of time before medical technology advances to the point where these problems are minimized.
By being positive we will show the general public we really care. If we use beautiful words, such as love, life, babies, mothers, pregnancy, birth, family, fathers, and others, our true message will come through. By showing our financial and moral support for organizations that help unwed and teenage mothers we will show the public that we have the whole issue in view and are not only concerned with a Band-Aid resolution to the problem.
Let’s put more effort into lobbying the various levels of government for more and better-financed programmers to support mothers who are in need.
When writing letters to the editor and making banners and signs for our rallies, let’s emphasize the themes of Love and Live and stay away from the negative and derogatory language.
On a personal level there are many other things we can do. How many of us have arbitrarily separated the Pro-Life issue from birth control? How many of us have recently took a serious look at Natural Family Planning and its promise of a truer and deeper love among husband, wife and children? Do enough of us make the effort to spend time with our young?
Wouldn’t be wonderful if more of us got really excited when we hear the news of a friend, relative or even acquaintance becoming pregnant? Let’s greet every mother with a warm embrace and kiss each time we see her. This is a wonderful way of showing our respect and love of life.
Finally, let us take heed of the predominant theme of Mother Teresa when she says, “Love begins in the family.” It is only be developing a growing love in our own families that we can hope to love all others.
Let us pray for love in the family.
