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COMMENTARY
February 6, 2018 | The Valley Catholic
Marching for Life is Not Enough
By Tony Magliano
Internationally syndicated social justice
and peace columnist
[email protected]
What a wonderful sight to behold: From Capitol
Hill as far as I could see, there was a sea of people on
the March for Life!
But the recent 45 th March for Life was bittersweat.
It was inspiring to see so many people, from so
many states, marching on behalf of our unborn
brothers’ and sisters’ right to be born. But it was sad
to think that we have been marching for 45 years –
with no end in sight.
While progress has been made in many states to
restrict abortion on demand, we are still a very long
way from the day when every single unborn child
will be allowed to see the light of day.
In 2017 alone, more than 900,000 unborn human
beings were aborted in the U.S. while worldwide the
number of fellow human beings killed by abortion
was approximately 56 million.
The reality of abortion is brutal, ugly, and deadly.
Challenge yourself to glimpse what abortion looks
like, and then commit yourself to make a diff erence.
The annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.,
the Walk for Life West Coast (Jan. 27), the Midwest
March for Life (Jan. 27), and pro-life demonstrations in
various state capitols are shots-in-the-prolife-arm, but
these one-day annual events are simply not enough!
We need to have an ongoing peaceful, prayerful
presence at every abortion center.
The pulpit needs to be used much more often to
awaken the consciences of the faithful.
Let’s continuously respond to the Lord’s
call to be consistent peacemakers on
behalf of all of our brothers and sisters –
born and unborn.
Our schools need to eff ectively teach students
about embryonic and fetal human development
(see this wonderful video “Conception to Birth:
http://bit.ly/1XezTp2), and how abortion brutally
ends that development. Students for Life are a good
resource, see: www.studentsforlife.org.
At the March for Life I saw signs carried
by humble and courageous women saying, “I
regret my abortion.” Also inspiring were the
signs of men saying, “I regret lost fatherhood”
(see: www.silentnomoreawareness.org).
Powerful ongoing political pressure needs to be
exerted on our local, state and national representatives
to pass legislation that will protect all unborn human
beings – without exception. For there is never a good
reason to kill an unborn baby.
Go to your state Catholic conference’s website and
sign up to receive their legislative alerts.
And please email and call Capitol switchboard
number: (202) 224-3121 your congressional del-
egation urging them to co-sponsor and vote for the
“Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act”
(H.R. 4712/S.220), the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act” (H.R. 36/S. 2311) and the “Conscience
Protection Act” (H.R. 644/S. 301). And urge them to
de-fund Planned Parenthood – which performs over
300,000 abortions every year. For more information,
and to contact your senators and congressperson
online, please go to http://bit.ly/2lHt7vu.
In her Nobel Peace Prize speech, Saint Mother
Teresa of Kolkata said, “I feel the greatest destroyer
of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a
direct killing – direct murder by the mother herself. ...
Because if a mother can kill her own child, what is
left but for me to kill you and you to kill me – there
is nothing in between.”
Let’s continuously respond to the Lord’s call to be
consistent peacemakers on behalf of all of our brothers
and sisters – born and unborn.
Let’s tirelessly peacefully demonstrate, witness,
educate, donate, lobby, call, email, text and pray for
unborn life, for all life, all year long!
Tune into Tony on Relevant Radio’s Bay Area Catholic,
KSFB 1260 AM, February 10 at 3 p.m.
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