By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director   🔊 Play

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

The world is flat. People are property. Tobacco is harmless.

Like many other long-held but misguided beliefs, over time these ideas were proven wrong. Consequently, people and societies function differently, in light of what we’ve come to know to be true.

Let’s consider another strongly held belief: preborn life is an insignificant clump of cells, mere tissue possessing no inherent dignity.

This belief was held by early advocates for abortion who regarded the origin of human life to be an unsolvable mystery. Denying the humanity and personhood of the fetus was foundational in the January 22, 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision.

But then science demystified the mystery.

As enlightening as a spherical earth or revolutionary as the emancipation of an enslaved people, ultrasound technology obliterated the “clump of cells” myth, giving us a clear view of the previously invisible universe of the womb. In 3D imagery, a heart beats as early as 18 days after fertilization. Brain waves are measureable at six weeks. Every organ system is in place by 10 weeks and by 12 weeks, fingers grasp and the unborn baby hiccups.

This science cannot be dismissed. Through it, our very eyes witness the undeniable humanity and personhood each of us has possessed since our own conception.  And this expanding knowledge has consequences.

In writing the majority opinion for Roe vs. Wade, years before such evidence was revealed, Justice Harry Blackmun, stated that if personhood were able to be established, the  “the appellant’s case…collapses, for the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [14^th] Amendment.”

If personhood were established, the fetus’ right to life would then be guaranteed.

That time has come.  Science and law must be in harmony.

As we approach the 47^th anniversary of Roe, a case decided in a darker era, we must abandon the cognitive dissonance that says sometimes we are human and sometimes we are not.

We must acknowledge that our society was misguided in our beliefs and we must embrace the truths that have become apparent.

Abortion takes the life of a living human being, violently. That alone should give us pause. But there’s more.

Abortion has failed to deliver on its promises. Poverty still exists. Children are still abused. Women are still mistreated. Abortion has solved nothing.

Rather, abortion feeds a culture in which the more powerful annihilate the weaker, where “wantedness” determines worth, where the supposed safe haven of the womb has become the hardest border of all to cross.

Abortion wounds women, forsakes fathers, undermines families, and weakens society.

We are less because of abortion.  Sixty-one million Americans less. Less their talent, less their genius, less their love.

We are less morally because of abortion. Ending life at the very start makes it easier to end it at the very end, or at any point in between.  The sacredness of all life is compromised.

This is where abortion has taken us.  Abortion based on a faulty proposition that has since been disproven.

Life, your life, my life, all life, begins in the womb. Science recognizes that. Now so must our laws.

As we commemorate the 47^th anniversary of legalized abortion on January 22, let’s steadfastly proclaim the truth so that we will not commemorate a 48^th year of mass genocide.

Let’s work to end legalized abortion.

🔊 Play By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

The Pennsylvania Senate has approved the Down Syndrome Protection Act, House Bill 321, by a vote of 27-22.

The bill bans abortion for the sole reason of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The PA House previously passed the measure by an overwhelming, bipartisan margin.

The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk.

Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill noted it was appropriate to consider the bill on National Child Day, calling it a common sense piece of legislation.

Speaking to people with Down syndrome, the Senator said,  “We believe you have the right to be born and the right to enjoy a full and productive life.”

Another of the bill’s supporters, Senator Scott Martin said, “Disability rights begin in the womb.”

The bill is a response to the sky-high abortion rate for babies with Down syndrome. It has been estimated that the vast majority of children in the womb who are diagnosed with an extra chromosome are aborted.

By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

Familiar to most people, the parable of the Good Samaritan seems to cut across all cultural and religious lines.  Who among us, whatever faith tradition or lack thereof, would not help the stranger in crisis?  Who would forsake the lost child, the thirsty traveler, the injured victim?  Responding to the needy is not a moral imperative relegated to Christians alone, but is embedded in the instinct of every person. We are “wired” to defend and protect the vulnerable, recognizing the inherent value of all human life. They are us. We are they.

Ironically, in a recent debate, “Christian abortionist” Dr. Willie Parker twisted the parable of the Good Samaritan to defend his abhorrent practice. While he views the woman in crisis as deserving “compassionate care”, he fails to recognize the personhood of the child growing within her, although conceding it is a living human being. He sees competing interests, operating under the misguided notion that killing the unborn child “helps” the woman. Rather than allowing both to live, he creates a false dichotomy, choosing to extinguish the life of the weakest and most vulnerable. A Good Samaritan he is not.

In contrast, a long-running television show of my youth exemplified what it means to be a true Good Samaritan. Based on the events of the Korean War, M.A.S.H. dramatized the tragedies and triumphs of a mobile army surgical hospital.  Army doctors treated our wounded soldiers so they could return to the battle lines or home to family.  But Army doctors also treated enemy soldiers, working furiously to save their very lives.  Our country enlisted medical professionals to save the lives of men who, only hours before, fought our soldiers in combat. Is that not the epitome of the Good Samaritan– seeing the humanity of our perceived “enemy” and doing everything we can to preserve his life?

All this illuminates why so many find the Congressional pro-abortion politicians’ repeated blocking of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to be shocking to the core.  A human baby, subjected to the violent act of abortion, manages to survive and is now separated physically from the mother.  Clearly wounded, the infant struggles to overcome injuries inflicted by invasive medical instruments, which the child just might do with the benefit of medical intervention.  The surviving child might be placed with one of thousands of couples waiting to grow their family through adoption.  If injuries inflicted are too severe to sustain life, at the very least, palliative care can be given to the infant, making him comfortable and cared for as he draws his last breath.

Appallingly, all Democratic Senators (save for three, including our Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey) blocked legislation that would have required basic medical attention to an abortion survivor.  In essence, these Senators voted to give legal protection to medical professionals who ignore the needs of a helpless, injured baby, allowing a viable child to suffer indefinitely.

Unlike the enemy soldier who was shot but then treated, these surviving babies are viewed as an “enemy” unworthy of any life-saving efforts.  Outside of the womb, separate from mother, this is no longer abortion, but its inevitable consequence, infanticide. The in-born human instinct to help is callously over-ridden by an evil agenda of death-no-matter-what.  The abortion survivor becomes the beaten man along the road, ignored by passers-by, with no Good Samaritan in sight.

And we are all the less for it.

by Katie Schriner, Intern

On February 14^th, EWTN hosted its weekly pro-life program outside of the White House in Washington D.C. Catherine Hardo, head anchor of EWTN, spoke to several different people about different subject matters within the pro-life movement. Some of those people include Melissa Ohden, Dr. Russell Moore and more who are involved in the pro-life movement. However, what makes this segment so unique is the opportunity that Melissa Ohden got with President Trump, Catherine getting a chance to have a conversation with Dr. Russell Moore about the roles of the pro-life movement, and how the Knights of Columbus donated their 1,000 ultrasound machines to pregnancy centers.

Melissa Ohden, an abortion survivor, got the opportunity to not only meet President Trump but also to have a conversation with him about her experience and the pro-life movement. She tells the story about how 41 years ago, her mother was forced to have an abortion done against her will. Melissa was soaked in a toxic salt solution for 5 days (normally this process takes 72 hours), and was “accidently” born alive. Melissa tells Catherine that meeting President Trump was “surreal” and she describes meeting him like she was meant to be here today to tell her story and how important survivors are in the pro-life movement. She also emphasizes how passionately he is committed to life and what he is willing to keep doing legislatively to protect life.

The discussion that Catherine Hardo had with Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religion Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, was very effective, highlighting the Pro-Life Leadership. The highlights of the leadership in the Pro-Life Movement includes religious background, power that triumphs over vulnerability, the power in elderly and disabled, and most importantly the idea of seeing people in terms of their usefulness in the movement. But what makes this conversation so effective is what Dr. Russell Moore says about people who dismiss pro-life views (faith issues). What he says about this is “faith certainly informs the conscience but faith does not create the conscience out of nothing” and that the conscience “deeply knows that something is wrong here” which he says is the reason why people are self-protective about this movement.

Apart from this, the Knights of Columbus do tons of volunteer work within communities; one of their biggest ones is protecting babies. In Virginia, the Knights of Columbus has donated 1,000 ultrasound machines to a Catholic Charities clinic. Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus states about 10 years ago, “We began this program with just two machines, we didn’t know how large it would grow. Now we have more than a 1,000 machines and these machines are saving tens of thousands of babies, soon to be 1 million lives.” How this program works is that local knights raise HALF of the necessary expenses of an ultrasound machine through a variety of efforts. Then the Supreme Council Culture of Life fund matches that amount, which is valued around 50 million dollars. The Knights’ efforts ensure that there’s at least one Knight Sponsored Machine in every state in the U.S. and also in other countries such as Puerto Rico, Brazil, Canada, Jamaica, Peru and Africa.

The efforts of the pro-life movement are highly powerful when it comes to the communities all around the country. What we can remember is that in doing the work, we raise not just money but awareness of the pro-life movement. We show that it is so effective in protecting innocent lives and saving tomorrow’s future.

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

As we come upon the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which legalized abortion, here are 46 reasons for hope for the decision’s ultimate demise:

1. Statistics show the number of abortions in the U.S. are on the decline.
2. Polls show the Millennial Generation is more pro-life than young people of generations past.
3. The iGeneration, those born after the Millennials, are also largely pro-life.
4. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order barring taxpayer funding of organizations that perform and promote abortions overseas.
5. The White House supports no federal funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood.
6. Vice-President Mike Pence has been outspoken in his defense of innocent human life.
7. The Trump Administration is a pro-life administration.
8. The President has vowed to appoint Supreme Court Justices who will not legislate from the bench, hastening the day; when Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
9. The annual March for Life continues to attract huge crowds, largely made up of young people.
10. Pregnancy resource centers are reaching out to pregnant women everyday with compassion, love, and support.
11. The number of pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. far outnumber abortion facilities.
12. Abortion centers are closing all across the country.
13. The U.S. Senate is dominated by strong defenders of life, as are many state legislatures throughout the nation.
14. 4D ultrasound technology is showing babies smiling in their mothers’ wombs.
15. Women who regret their abortions and who want to help other women avoid similar heartache have found their voice in organizations such as the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
16. Healing retreats such as those of Rachel’s Vineyard are bringing hope to women scarred by abortion.
17. A number of Planned Parenthood workers have left their jobs in the abortion industry and have become powerful spokespeople for the pro-life cause.
18. Abortion survivors such as Melissa Ohden are speaking out about being targeted for abortion when they were preborn babies.
19. A number of men are taking responsibility for pressuring their wives and girlfriends into having abortions.
20. Scientific research supports the pro-life contention that abortion hurts women physically, mentally, and emotionally.
21. The blogosphere is filled with pro-lifers willing to share their knowledge.
22. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enable the pro-life movement to get accurate information out into cyberspace.
23. Nurses who work with premature infants are sharing their experiences about the fragility of human life.
24. A number of abortionists have stopped doing abortions and now promote life instead.
25. College students are organizing and motivating their classmates to support pregnant women on campus.
26. Teens for Life are finding innovative ways to promote life in their communities.
27. Local chapters of National Right to Life are educating people about the life issue at area fairs and festivals.
28. State affiliates of National Right to Life are passing pro-life laws and changing hearts and minds about abortion.
29. Campaigns to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide have failed much more often than they have succeeded.
30. Popular culture is recognizing the humanity of the preborn child by sharing Ultrasound videos and praising “baby bumps.”
31. People with Down syndrome are showing why it is inhumane to abort a child diagnosed with a disability in the womb.
32. New attention is being focused on the brutal practice of dismemberment abortion, where a child is torn limb by limb from a mother’s womb.
33. An increasing number of people are questioning the practice of sex selection abortions, in which babies are aborted just because of their sex.
34. The gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion, in which a baby is partly delivered, then killed, has been outlawed.
35. A number of members of Congress are determined to shine a spotlight on allegations of baby body part harvesting in the abortion industry.
36. Public opinion polls continue to show most people oppose most abortions.
37. Polls also indicate that the vast majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.
38. Polls demonstrate that most Americans oppose late-term abortions.
39. A number of states have passed laws ensuring that no taxpayer funding of abortion can occur in the health insurance exchanges created by Obamacare.
40. Many individuals want to make the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding of abortion except in rare cases, permanent.
41. A distinguished counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, spoke at the March for Life.
42. Women across the country are courageously stating that Planned Parenthood does not speak for them.
43. People with disabilities are leading the fight against doctor-prescribed suicide and euthanasia.
44. Some people who joined the pro-life movement way back in 1973 continue to serve the cause with dignity and honor.
45. A number of celebrities, such as actress Patricia Heaton, are bucking the Hollywood trend and boldly proclaiming their pro-life views.
46. The end of Roe v. Wade is in sight, given the changes in our society.

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

“Such a big miracle in such a little child.”

That’s the message affixed to one of the walls at the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, where I work.

The motto succinctly celebrates the dignity and value of each child–before and after birth.

When I was working as a secular journalist, I wrote many, many stories about abortion. But at that time I did not know the fundamentals of fetal development.

For instance, I did not realize that at just 19 days after conception, the baby’s eyes start to develop. I had no clue that at 42 days, the skeleton is complete and reflexes are present. I was ignorant of the fact that at 43 days, electrical brain wave patterns can be recorded, meaning that thinking is taking place in the brain.

Each of these milestones, in and of itself, is a miracle. When you put them all together, you have a magnificent child of priceless worth.

If you do not know the markers of the development of an unborn child, I invite you to visit https://www.paprolife.org/your-babys-development/ Chances are you will be just as amazed as I was at what you find.

And the next time you hear someone talk about an unborn child as just another “choice,” think about the development of the baby in the womb, and take a minute to ponder the miracle that is every child.