Standing Up For Life

It's snowing outside. The kids have the day off from school, and we're looking forward to a day of leisure and relaxation. We'll make hot chocolate and bake some cookies; the boys will dig out the sled and play in the snow with the kids next door. As I watch the snowflakes silently fall, more than three thousand women all over the United States will enter a clinic today for a legal abortion. They aren't looking forward to a relaxing day; many of them are poor, frightened, and alone. Most of them have been told that terminating their pregnancies will solve their problems, and that the baby growing inside them are blobs of tissue that will be gently removed. Under the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, it is legal to kill a baby before it is allowed to open its eyes, and women are being deceived and used by the abortion industry.

Last Thursday, January 22, marked the 36th anniversary of the fateful decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion. Since then, over 45 million babies have died under the knives of abortionists. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 1.2 million abortions were performed in 2005. That's nearly the entire population of Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Remember the first unalienable right penned by Thomas Jefferson? "LIFE." Under Roe v. Wade, that right has been stripped away. Some would argue that abortion helps women in their Pursuit of Happiness, but in reality abortion increases the risks of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and many other psychological disorders. (see http://www.afterabortion.org/reasmor.html). Every January 22, thousands have gathered on the Mall in Washington, D.C. and marched up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building to express their opposition to Roe. This year, my nine-year-old son and I joined them.

It was chilly, but not as cold as two days before, when two million people witnessed the inauguration of Barack Obama. Many held signs asking our new President to protect the unborn. Many members of congress spoke to the crowd in defense of life, including Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, and Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey. Two days after Barack Obama denounced the slaughter of innocents by terrorists, we pro-lifers denounced the slaughter of innocents by abortion. Even my nine-year-old made his feelings known, when a Canadian television reporter asked him why he came to the March: "Abortion targets the weak," he said. When asked if it was important for young people to stand up for life, he nodded vigorously and answered, "Yes!"

Attending the 2009 March for Life was an amazing experience for us. We got to know many people from our church who we might not have met otherwise. We took lots of pictures. We were on our feet for hours, and didn't feel tired. On the ride home, my son expressed his desire to march again next year, and that he hoped his brothers would come, too. I hope so, too; but more than that I pray that my sons will continue to stand up for the santity of human life throughout their lives.

Wherever you are today, I hope you'll pray for the thousands of women who face unplanned pregnancies. May we empower them to choose life for their babies.