After the March

So this year's March for Life has come and gone. Thankfully, I was able to attend this year- I knew this would be an important March and I didn't want to miss it. I have to express my great pride in my fellow pro-lifers. Despite all that was working against us, we actually ended up with one of the largest turnouts in the history of the March!
What was more impressive was the prayerful atmosphere of the marchers. Many prayed Rosaries, others sang songs; it was all done in the awareness that only God will be able to get us out of this, only God can stir the hearts of those in power to protect life rather than to destroy it. There was an atmosphere of joy that couldn't be shaken even by the most unspeakable evil. Kathryn Jean Lopez has a great article on the March that you should check out.
Despite the positive witness and the wonderful experience of the March, however, I was struck by a couple of sobering thoughts. The first was before Mass at the Basilica. I looked at the music handout and glanced at the front where it said "36th March for Life". That just really struck me, how it's been so long since Roe vs. Wade, and how most of this year's marchers, myself included, have never known a world without Roe. Then my mind went to Psalm 95:10-11: "Forty years I endured that generation. I said 'they are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways', so I swore in my anger 'they shall not enter into my rest.'" If the Lord endured that generation for forty years, how much longer can he endure this generation, which slaughters its young and disrepects human dignity so much?
Then after the March, I read the words of our new President to mark the occasion of the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. He almost seemed to think that his stance on abortion was protecting families! I couldn't understand how he could be so blind, so callous, so cold.
But in the midst of these thoughts, I was reminded again of how God is merciful. For all of those people to be out there at the March, God had to have done something powerful in their lives to lead them to witness as they did. And if God can work in our hearts, he can work in the heart of our new President. There is no need for despair, because God desires to save His people. An evil like abortion cannot stand forever. The victory may not come quickly, but it will come.

On the Eve of the March for Life

Two days after a massive crowd of people gathered for the inauguration of Barack Obama, another large group will take to the streets of Washington for a different reason. The March for Life takes place tomorrow, January 22nd, the 36th anniversary of the catastrophic Roe vs. Wade decision. The March generally draws large crowds of pro-lifers from all across the country, but tomorrow's will have a new significance. This year's marchers will not receive a message of support from their President, as they have for the past eight years. In fact, they will be marching largely to protest the proposed policies of the new President. This year's march takes place at the beginning of the term of a President who seemingly spells the defeat of the pro-life movement. Never has there been a President as extreme on abortion as Barack Obama, who even voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Obama came to office on the themes of hope and change, but what hope is there for the pro-life movement? With our government so firmly in the grasp of those who want abortion to remain legal, what possibility is there of change?
Now is not the time to despair. The pro-life movement has made tremendous strides over the last several decades. Legislatively, yes, we will suffer setbacks; much of the progress made over the last 8 years will soon be lost. However, we must remember that the pro-life movement is not as dependent on the changing of laws than on the changing of hearts. Millions of Americans have come over to the pro-life side, and we must continue to speak to those who are willing to hear. An evil such as abortion cannot stand forever, and eventually the consciences of Americans will be stirred to rise above the evil of abortion just as we rose above the evil of slavery. How pro-lifers conduct themselves, especially at the March tomorrow, will provide a glimpse to others of what we have to offer. If we are angry about our situation and disrespectful of those who disagree with us, we will never win them over. If we behave as we have in Marches past, with love and joy in our hearts despite the darkness of the situation, we will prevail.

Pope Benedict on Population Control

In the Pope's message for the World Day of Peace (January 1st, 2009), he discusses the relationship between poverty and population control. He rejects the widely held belief that higher population leads to more poverty; in fact, he says, the evidence shows otherwise. He points out that there are four billion more people than at the end of World War II, yet many nations have managed to come out of poverty.
A LifeSite article explains that rather than coming out of altruistic motives, developed nations developed a strategy in the 1970's to reduce the birth rates around the world so as to limit competition. This strategy was drafted by Henry Kissinger, and in many ways has been realized through the promotion of abortion and contraception abroad.
Pope John Paul II spoke of this in Evangelium Vitae:

The Pharaoh of old, haunted by the presence and increase of the children of Israel, submitted them to every kind of oppression and ordered that every male child born of the Hebrew women was to be killed (cf. Ex 1:7-22). Today not a few of the powerful of the earth act in the same way. They too are haunted by the current demographic growth, and fear that the most prolific and poorest peoples represent a threat for the well-being and peace of their own countries. Consequently, rather than wishing to face and solve these serious problems with respect for the dignity of individuals and families and for every person's inviolable right to life, they prefer to promote and impose by whatever means a massive programme of birth control. Even the economic help which they would be ready to give is unjustly made conditional on the acceptance of an anti-birth policy. -Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae 16

A way in which this plan has backfired is the demographic decline of the Western world. The birthrates of European nations have fallen below replacement levels. The European average of 1.3 children/woman falls well below the 2.1 needed to sustain the population. The Russian population is expected to decline by a third by 2050. Here in America, it's right at 2.1, but that is largely due to higher birthrates among immigrants. At some point in this century, the world's population is going to plummet dramatically. Economies will follow if there are not enough people to sustain them. Our own country's strategy could prove to be its undoing. This topic is explored in the documentary Demographic Winter.

Whether it is in developed or developing countries, we should not view this decline as a positive. All should be welcome at the table of life, and policies that attack human life will have disastrous results.

From Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life

LifeSite has an article about an abortionist and his profound conversion. Stojan Adasevic was the most well-known abortionist in Serbia for decades, performing 48,000 abortions. He had a dream where he saw a large group of children in a field, along with a man who identified himself as St. Thomas Aquinas. The saint told him that these children were the victims of the abortions he had performed. This led Adasevic to profoundly change his life and start advocating pro-life causes.

This is a great story and calls to mind Norma McCorvey, the Roe in the Roe vs. Wade decision, who became a committed pro-life activist in the 1990's. She entered the Catholic Church and now has her own pro-life ministry. This was an incredible conversion and a moment of rejoicing for the pro-life community.
I bring these up because a lot of us, myself included, have been demoralized about the future of the pro-life movement after the election of Barack Obama. His campaign promises and previous votes on the issue should be cause for concern for all who believe in the sanctity of human life. However, as the above stories demonstrate, we should NEVER UNDERESTIMATE GOD'S POWER TO WORK MIRACLES. God can work wonders in a person's heart, and we need to pray for this to happen with our President-Elect and all elected officials. We need to pray for those who provide abortions, that God may touch their hearts and awaken them to what they are doing. We need to pray for all those who advocate abortion, that they may instead seek to promote a Culture of Life. We need to pray for women who have had an abortion, that they may find the healing they need. Now do I think it's likely that all of the sudden Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi are going to start being pro-life activists? Of course not, because in human terms, it's impossible. But then again, nobody thought it was possible for Dr. Adasevic or Norma McCorvey, either.

Where Does the Pro-Life Movement Go From Here?

A lot of us are disappointed over the outcome of the election. This country elected the most pro-abortion president in its history at the worst possible time for that to happen. With one more pro-life Supreme Court justice, Roe vs. Wade could have been overturned. Now, since it is likely that at least two justices will retire over the next four years, the people that the new President will choose to replace them with will assuredly not be pro-life. This is a devastating blow to the pro-life community; now it could be another generation before Roe vs. Wade is overturned.
Any hopes of advancing pro-life principles through legislation will have to be put on hold, too. Nancy Pelosi, who has distorted Church teaching on abortion, is unlikely to change her tune. During the Bush administration progress was made, but if Obama keeps his campaign promise of signing into law the Freedom of Choice Act all restrictions on abortion would be overturned. What are we to do?
It is NOT the time to give up. The pro-life community needs to step up its efforts more than ever. As it says in the John Paul II movie, we must "meet this abyss of hate with an abyss of love." We need to step up efforts in any way we can. When women are faced with fear because of an unwanted pregnancy, let our love guide them to embrace life rather than our indifference guiding them to the abortion clinic. We are not defeated, because Christ has conquered death!
Here's Father Pavone's take on the election results:

What do you feel are some ways in which the pro-life community can respond to this election?

Now That It's Over...

As political as I tend to be, the main purpose of this blog is to proclaim the Good News and help bring about a Culture of Life. So while the focus up to this point has mostly been political matters, that's because so many issues that affect us as people of faith are decided within the political realm. So while I'll still be discussing politics, now that the election's decided I want to focus more on the spiritual side of things and pro-life issues. Some of the people I'm trying to bring in to contribute will help out immensely in that department. So that's what's ahead.

Mark Mallet on the Election

From Mark Mallet, a plea to America and a powerful pro-life testimony. I highly recommend his blog, which is brilliant in its insight into the spiritual danger the West is in.

The Hour of Decision from Mark Mallett on Vimeo.

Obama in His Own Words on The Born Alive Infant Protection Act

A very powerful and moving video. What he callously describes as a "burden" to the doctor is a living, breathing human being. This shows how the Culture of Death has taken hold here in America, and how we need a Culture of Life to replace it. This is why we can't give up in the pro-life movement. As I've said in a previous post, if this is where we are now, where will we be in ten years?

John Paul II, We Love You!

Thirty years ago this month, the Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope. His papacy had a profound impact on the Church and on the whole world. Whether helping to bring about the end of the era of Communist domination in Eastern Europe and Russia or speaking out against the dangers of materialism and the "culture of death", Pope John Paul II proved a worthy successor to the chair of St. Peter, "the Rock". He was firm in his faith and convictions and would not yield, despite overwhelming pressure to do so. He stood AGAINST THE WORLD.

He revolutionized Catholic teaching on sexuality in his Theology of the Body, which author George Weigel referred to as a "theological time bomb". He demonstrated true ecumenism without watering down the teachings of the Church. He canonized more saints than any Pope in history, believing that the modern world needed these examples of holiness. He helped to foster devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and recommended to the Church the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. For all of his accomplishments, he is surely worthy of the name "John Paul the Great".

However, his greatness was not due to the number or magnitude of his accomplishments. It was due to his WITNESS. He defended the truth because he loved the truth. He was beloved by millions, not so much because of who he was but because of who he loved: he radiated the JOY of Christ, the joy of one in love with Christ. And he helped millions, myself included, to see what a wonderful thing God's love is. I believe that not only will he eventually be canonized a saint, but due to the vastness and the impact of his teaching, I believe he will one day be a Doctor of the Church.

Anyway, I'm going to be doing a series of posts on Pope John Paul II, his life, his writings, and what it all means to us today. I will be talking about pro-life issues, the Theology of the Body, and various theological concepts. Stay tuned!


UPDATE:Yes, I liked that picture so much that I put it at the top of the site!

Pray the Rosary for the Election

I want to take the time and call upon all those who read this blog to pray for this election. The stakes have never been higher in an election because we have never had a clearer choice between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death. Make no mistake: if we don't elect pro-life leaders this election, we will not be able to end abortion for decades. If we have extremely pro-choice Justices on the Supreme Court, Roe vs. Wade will not be overturned. Period. If we have an extremely pro-choice Congress, they will do away with any limits on abortion. Period. If we elect the most pro-abortion candidate we've ever had for President, he will sign the "Freedom of Choice Act", doing away with any pro-life laws that have been passed. Period.
This is not only a time to be concerned about America's future in regard to energy, the economy, foreign policy, or things like that. We need to be concerned about where we are going spiritually. I feel that if we are to elect a President that has supported infanticide, we will have crossed a serious line that will spell disaster for our country.
That's why I ask everyone who reads this to offer up a Rosary for the election every day from now to November 4. The Rosary is a powerful spiritual weapon and when people pray it with devotion God will work wonders. Pope Pius XI said, "if I had an army reciting the Rosary, I would convert the whole world." So imagine the power that prayer could have in this election. Pray the Rosary. If you can, fast a day each week. If you're not Catholic, maybe spend an extra 15 minutes a day reading Scripture. And pray about your vote. (Don't forget to vote, either- that part's important!)
I think we've seen the results of putting our country in the hands of politicians. This time, let's put it in God's hands.

Father Frank Pavone- "Risk It!"

Fr. Frank is the head of Priests for Life, which is one of the most powerful pro-life organizations in America. He makes it simple- though we may struggle in getting out our pro-life message, what we have to lose is nothing compared to what we have to gain; namely, life. Don't sit on the sidelines! Don't wait around hoping somebody else will change the culture! Do your part! RISK IT!

Abortion and the African-American Community

All of us are affected by abortion. One third of my generation isn't here because of it. More children are aborted each day in the United States than people who died in the 9/11 attacks. Abortion not only destroys life in the womb, but it destroys families, hurts women, and helps fathers to avoid responsibility. Even if we don't know anyone who has had an abortion, we see its effects around us.

Perhaps most shocking is how it has decimated the African-American community in this country. 3 out of 5 pregnancies in the African-American community result in abortion. Blacks once were the largest minority group in the country, but no longer; if those children had lived, that would not be the case. A disproportionate number of Planned Parenthoods exist in black neighborhoods as compared to the rest of the population.

This is no mistake, and not something that can simply be dismissed by saying that poverty rates have something to do with it. Margaret Sanger founded the Birth Control League, later Planned Parenthood. She was extremely racist. She considered blacks to be "human weeds." In 1939, she started the "Negro Project" and said "we do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the negro population". She hoped through contraception and sterilization to reduce the number of those she considered "unfit." Abortion has simply carried on that vision in a horrifying way. Planned Parenthood has not changed its tune at all.

Here is a message that I think people need to hear:

He talks about the death penalty, which I have my own different opinions on that I'll talk about sometime, but the basic point is right: that killing a handful of guilty people, the morality of which can be debated, is nowhere near the gravity of taking the lives of millions of innocent people, which cannot be debated. The Culture of Death is all about blurring the lines. But we need to draw a line and say that ALL life is precious, regardless of a person's race, religion, or socioeconomic status. We need to wake up: abortion does not empower anybody. It hurts women, and it hurts the African-American community.

The Consequences of the Culture of Death

Last Saturday, a young man from Derby, England, was standing at the top of a parking garage threatening to jump. His peers encouraged him to do so, shouting for him to jump and even asking if he could bounce. When he did jump and fell to his death, people gathered around him- to take pictures on their cell phones. (This is from an article in the Daily Mail, but be warned before you click on the link that occasionally some of their advertising is inappropriate. Article)

The obvious question in this is: how can something like this happen? To me, it seems clear that it is simply another symptom of the Culture of Death. I don't think the story I told you about a few days ago is unrelated. If children, unborn or born alive, are disposable, and the elderly are disposable, then why not people with mental illness? If we have embraced death at those stages of life, what is to stop us from embracing it in between? What does it say when someone's death is a form of entertainment? Why, in a culture of death, does it surprise us that someone feels their life has no worth?

Shaun Dykes needed to be told that his life was worth living. He needed to know that others valued his life when he had difficulty valuing it. Instead, he was given nothing positive to turn to in his despair. He could not see that his life was a gift from God. This is a tragic reminder to us that being pro-life isn't only about abortion or end-of-life issues. A Culture of Life celebrates the whole of life and respects its dignity throughout. Let us pray for Shaun and his family, and pray for mercy for those who cheered on during his final moments.

Martin Sheen Speaks Out Against Assisted Suicide

In a recent LifeSite article, we learn that Martin Sheen is starring in a new radio spot voicing his opposition to Washington's I-1000 ballot initiative, which would legalize assisted suicide. Many pro-euthanasia activists are hoping that passage of the initiative would lead to other states accepting the practice.

Martin Sheen has a deep faith and named himself after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. He was heavily influenced by Dorothy Day and is very interested in Catholic social justice. I was surprised to find out that he is, in fact, pro-life and has supported Democrats for Life.

Sheen does lean heavily to the left in his political views and usually supports pro-abortion candidates. So I do have my issues with him. But he is fighting for the right thing in this situation and is to be commended for it.

The False Idol of Convenience

In yet another attack on the sanctity of life, British moral philosopher Baroness Mary Helen Warnock said that elderly with dementia have a "duty to die." Her reasoning is that they are creating a burden on the health care system by using resources that could be used for others. In her warped view, ending these lives would help to save lives of those who are more "valuable" to society by freeing up more resources to them.

Leaving aside the issue of socialized medicine and its flaws, we need to examine what leads to a mindset like this. How do people cease to believe that a sick elderly person has dignity? How can we say that one person's life is worth saving while another's is not?

The answer is relativism. This mindset exists because the lines have been blurred. If you ask the question, "do you support ending the life of a human being because it poses an inconvenience?", any sane person would say "of course not." So how is abortion justified? The definition of when life begins is blurred. We say that that child in the womb is not a life, merely a blob of tissue, or even a "parasite", as I have heard some pro-choicers say. We blur the lines on what is human. As we begin more and more to value "convenience", we adjust our definitions on what is human to fit our concept of convenience. In a generation, abortion went from being outlawed to being allowed in the first trimester, then for virtually any reason at any time in a pregnancy, to the horror of partial-birth abortion, until we reach the point where we are now where a presidential candidate of one of the two major political parties votes against providing medical care for children born after a failed abortion.

In the same way, the lines have been blurred at the end of life. It used to be that a person was to be cared for until the very end. A false concept of mercy started the ball rolling down the slippery slope. People believed that mercy was the ending of a person's suffering, or inconvenience. And this has had disastrous results. It wasn't too long ago when Dr. Jack Kevorkian was seen as a lunatic, a killer, a monster for "helping" people to die. But as the concept of "convenience" gradually became more prevalent, attitudes have changed. This happened first in Europe but is spreading here. From assisted suicide and euthanasia, we moved to the killing of Terri Schiavo and Baroness Warnock's comments.

This is where we are now in our culture: the concept of the sanctity of human life has been replaced by the concept of the sanctity of convenience. Nobody can be allowed to inconvenience me, be it a baby or an elderly relative.

Maybe we should ask ourselves these questions:

• Why is my convenience more important than the life of another person?
• Will the lines continue to blur at the beginning and the end of life?
• If so, what comes next? What will we accept in the name of "convenience" 10 years from now?
• What is to stop someone from saying my life is inconvenient?

More on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act

Glenn Beck interviews David Freddoso and discusses the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, and Obama's opposition to it. Click here for the interview.

Powerful New Ad on Born Alive Infant Protection Act

Life is precious.

Hear her story:

Utilitarianism vs. the Culture of Life

The nomination of Sarah Palin has raised awareness of the issue of children with disabilities and of the sanctity of life in general. Pro-lifers were inspired by her refusal to have an abortion when informed that her child had Down Syndrome. This was a strong affirmation of the most fundamental tenet of the pro-life movement, namely that all human life has great value. In other words, she refused to see her baby as a burden but as a blessing.

Contrast this with the attitude of Barack Obama. He famously said that he didn't want his daughters "punished with a baby." More importantly, he voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act- denying medical care to babies ALREADY BORN after a failed abortion attempt.
Apparently, convenience is more important than life.

This great divide was further evidenced in two stories this past week relating to children with disabilities. In one story, a man named Thomas VanderWoude jumped in after his son with Down Syndrome fell into a septic tank. VanderWoude held his son above his head for twenty minutes before help arrived. By the time it finally did arrive, VanderWoude had died, but his son survived.

On the other end of the spectrum, there was the case of the woman in the UK who drowned her 4-year-old daughter in a bathtub because she was "embarrassed" by her child's cerebral palsy. Again, this shows an attitude that favors "convenience" over life, that views children (particularly disabled children) as a burden or a punishment.

How have we come to this point, where whole groups of people are seen as "inconvenient"? How have we decided that certain lives are not worth living? Occasionally, you will get an answer like, "who are we to let these children suffer?" But this is a false compassion. Everybody suffers- it doesn't make us less human. If anything, it makes us more human. We've gotten to the point in this culture where we want to eliminate all suffering, all inconvenience. That's why 90% of children diagnosed in the womb with Down Syndrome are aborted. That's why some who support abortion think Palin made the wrong choice in keeping her son Trig. These people cannot see the value in these lives. Perhaps it is because their measure of a person's worth is how much money they can potentially make, or how good-looking they are, or other superficial criteria. Certainly, in their viewpoint, someone like Terry Schiavo had no worth. What was she able to contribute to society?

But those who support life know that a person's worth is based on the fact that they are made in the image and likeness of God. Millions of us were touched by the story of Terry Schiavo, just as we are by that of Trig Palin. Even if a person is in such a state that they are unable to show love to others, they are able to BRING OUT the love in others in a special way, by virtue of their humanity, by virtue of their being children of God.

Whenever we say that any human life is inconvenient, or undesirable, it is a dangerous road to walk down. People should know- we walked down this road before in the 20th century, and saw the greatest horrors in human history. We need to celebrate life. ALL life. Because it all has value. America has an opportunity to look at herself and see this, and thus become an example to all the world. Here's hoping we open our eyes.

UPDATE: This T-Shirt demonstrates what I'm talking about from those who do not respect life.

Welcome!

Hey, everybody, and welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my thoughts on what's going on in the world these days. A little bit about me so you know where I'm coming from on these musings:
I'm Catholic, pro-life, and conservative. I'm a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears, and Bulls, as well as being a fan of the Duke Blue Devils. The title of the blog comes from a comic that I drew back in school called the Hobbly Wobbly Zog. It was pure weirdness, which you will see from me occasionally in this blog. Anyway, enjoy!