Columns

MY CUP IS HALF FULL

MARK PICKUP

January 2013 marked a horrible anniversary: It has been 40 years of unrestricted abortion across the United States under the infamous Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling.

The monthly magazine Columbia published by the Knights of Columbus deals with abortion in America. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, wrote an excellent column entitled "Our Moral Responsibility." He stated that it is not possible for any legal system to uphold human rights if it supports the principle that it is acceptable to kill the most innocent members of society.

Anderson then wrote: "Roe v Wade not only accepts this principle, but it elevates it to a constitutional right." He said, "no person is entitled to claim absolute control over another human life already called into existence."

Anderson's pen cuts with the precision of a freshly sharpened sword. Think about it. Wasn't that the same moral question that ultimately stopped slavery in America?

Under the supposed constitutional right to abortion, well over 45 million preborn American children have lost their lives at a rate of over 4,000 each day throughout the past four decades. Their crimes worthy of death are merely being unwanted or inconvenient to their parents.

The abortion industry churns on day after day all across America preying on vulnerable and frightened young women in crisis pregnancies. The same thing happens in Canada.

In January 1988, Canada's Supreme Court struck down any pretense of a law restricting abortion. Abortion advocates literally danced in the streets to celebrate their dark victory.

The last vestiges of legal protection for human life in the womb were swept away by the Supreme Court. It proved again that even a nation's highest court can make the lowest of decisions.

There is no legal protection for prenatal life at any point of pregnancy in Canada. A child in the womb is only valuable and worth protecting if its mother says so.

There is no legal restriction whatsoever preventing an abortion up to and including the ninth month of pregnancy if an abortionist is willing to perform it at such an advanced point. No Canadian government has had the moral courage to change this atrocious state of affairs and pass a law giving even a modicum of protection to prenatal life.

NO QUOTA

A woman can have as many abortions as she wants; she does not even need a referral from her doctor. All she needs to do is phone the local abortion clinic and make an appointment. Abortions can be obtained for any reason or no reason. Every Canadian abortion is paid for at taxpayers' expense.

Do you object to your tax dollars paying for medically required abortions? I do. Tough! Virtually no abortions are medically required but the provincial government could care less about that fact or whether taxpayers have moral objections.

The corrupt and evil age in which we live has decided people have a "right" to kill their unwanted or inconvenient unborn children with impunity.

I am left to wonder how long God will tolerate such mass and systematic killing of the most vulnerable human life throughout North America with full support of governments.

The great American statesman and author of America's Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, once said, "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."

GOD'S JUDGMENT

I, too, fear for my country of Canada. Abortion is a holocaust of unprecedented proportions. There's no sign of it abating. Will God tolerate the widespread killing of unborn children for much longer? God is patient but he does have his limits and I fear North America is getting dangerously close to crossing a line toward God's judgment.

What are Christians to do in the presence of such evil? We do what Christians have always been called to do. We must continually and faithfully proclaim the Gospel message and oppose evil. We must continue to speak out against the evil of abortion and offer life-affirming solutions to women in crisis pregnancies.

Remember that the Catholic Church has always opposed abortion (and euthanasia) and supported life.

A culture of death may not listen to the message of life that the Church proclaims but Catholics must be faithful to Church teachings. We are not called to win; we are called to be faithful. I would rather lose at a cause that is right than win at a cause that is wrong. If divine judgment is near, I want to be found faithful to Christ and his commandments.