GOSPEL OF LIFE

 

Today we have a guest blogger, Arlene B. Muller. Arlene B. Muller (Arlene Clare Muller, OSF) is a lector and EM at St. Pancras parish, a singer in the choir at St. Margaret's parish, a professed Secular Franciscan at St. Adalbert's Secular Franciscan fraternity & an itinerant speech/language therapist working with preschool children with delayed language development. She enjoys writing and music and sharing Christian and pro-life posts on FACEBOOK.

In my first installment I referred to the connection between the GOSPEL and the GOSPEL OF LIFE and to fighting abortion, using the acronym P.L.E.A.: PRAYER, LEGAL/LEGISLATION, EDUCATE & EVANGELIZE, & ADVOCATE for women in crisis pregnancies to help & support their choosing LIFE. In my second installment I wrote about the importance of PRAYER without which nothing good can be accomplished, and the prayer petitions related to the pro-life cause. It is important that our efforts be centered in CHRIST and in the GOSPEL.

Regarding the legal and political aspects of fighting abortion I wish to point out the error of two opposing opinions:

1. The opinion that it is primarily a legal battle for which the sole answer is making abortion illegal. Although I agree 100% that we should strive to make abortion illegal, vote for pro-life candidates to the extent that our consciences will allow (always considering the sanctity of human life the PRE-EMINENT ISSUE but also considering other important issues as well as character and qualifications), promote pro-life legislation by signing petitions and writing/e-mailing/calling our political leaders and representatives, work on the political front and support pro-life groups that work on the legal and political fronts, make use of social media and the internet to communicate our views, etc., we must also pray, because it is a spiritual battle and because hearts must be changed, educate about fetal development and evangelize, and advocate by supporting pro-life pregnancy resource centers and organizations like GOOD COUNSEL HOMES and THE BRIDGE TO LIFE that provide support for women in crisis pregnancies before, during, and after birth, or else we could still wind up with women choosing illegal and unsafe abortions. Our goal must always be NOT ONLY TO MAKE ABORTION ILLEGAL BUT TO MAKE ABORTION UNTHINKABLE.

2. The opinion that we should NOT strive to make abortion illegal but merely provide more aid (usually from the government) to the poor and to single mothers in the hope that this will decrease abortions. Although we must definitely help the poor and help women in crisis pregnancies by providing for their medical and material needs before, during, and after birth, we should never promote, endorse, enable or be otherwise complicit with abortion, which is a grave evil, and although we must fight abortion on various fronts, it is highly probable that fewer women would choose to risk illegal or unsafe abortions. Also, we must always make a stand to defend the sanctity of human life in our nation and throughout the world.

I recommend that we support pro-life organizations. Two such organizations are the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which fights for the pro-life cause and for religious freedom in court, and Susan B. Anthony List, which supports and promotes pro-life political candidates, especially pro-life women political candidates.

Currently the battle between the GOSPEL OF LIFE vs the CULTURE OF DEATH is especially fierce. On the pro-life side we HOPEFULLY could be FINALLY close to OVERTURNING ROE V WADE and we have some states enacting pro-life legislation. At the same time the pro-abortion forces are pushing EXTREME pro-abortion legislation on the Federal level and threatening to ruin our duly appointed pro-life majority by stacking the Supreme Court with additional Justices who would be pro-abortion. Therefore, we must be vigilant in prayer and action for the sake of the GOSPEL OF LIFE.