President's Message: The opportunities ahead

With a President and leaders of the Legislative branch of our U.S. Government espousing a philosophy of expansion of abortion, we in the prolife movement are faced with new challenges.

In writing this column, I’ve thought about the letters I’ve received from people anxious over the election results. They’ve expressed their discouragement. In one note a donor was feeling so defeated he wrote, “I’m just giving up.”

I’ve also read numerous post-election articles with such headlines like: “The Prolife Movement has been setback; will it survive?” or “Has the Prolife Movement Failed?”

Instead of these expressions of discouragement and defeatism, I think we should reflect upon the words of President Bush in his farewell address to our nation. In it he stated: “America must maintain our moral clarity. I’ve often spoken to you about good and evil, and this has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world, and between the two can be no compromise. Murdering the innocent to advance an ideology is wrong every time, everywhere. This nation must continue to speak out for justice and truth.”

While President Bush was not referring to our nation’s policy of abortion on demand, I think that his words can be directly applied to our struggle to protect the most innocent of human life, the baby in the womb.

Is not our movement also a struggle for justice and for truth? Is not our movement a struggle of good versus evil? Hasn’t this social ideology of abortion turned our nation’s thinking upside down? Isn’t that what evil does? Doctors who once did abortions were shunned; now they are seen simply as another health provider. Babies were once seen as miracles; now often an inconvenience and even called parasites. Men were once seen as protectors of their offspring; now often the instigator of an abortion. Good people have come to call an abortion as a “necessary evil.”

Because we have not given up, despite the challenges, and have fought the evil of abortion, we have made great strides in this state—something that so many don’t realize. I also get letters from people saying, “ I’m not going to support you any longer because you haven’t made any progress.”

That’s simply not true. We have made progress by not giving up and working together. Since our state government began recording the number of Michigan abortions, we have reduced abortions by nearly 50%–almost cut in half. Teen abortions have been reduced by 60%–closing on two-thirds reduction.

Yes, abortions are still legal, but think about this. Where would those numbers be if at every defeat or every obstacle put in our path, we would have folded up our tent and disbanded? My guess: abortions here in Michigan would have doubled, not have been cut in half. We’d be like California or New York state where tax payers are forced to pay for abortions.

Will the days ahead be easy? Absolutely not. While we must respect the office of the presidency, that does not mean we have to stand by and accept the promotion and expansion of abortion and the deliberate killing of unborn babies.

The days ahead will provide great opportunities for us to educate, to make the personal decision to step out in defense of life. It’s always been puzzling to me, but the reality is that we who stand for protecting the weakest are demonized in the media and by some of our fellow citizens. But that cannot stop us from continuing to speak out. There will come a time when we are seen as heros. And there will come a time when this great nation will finally say no to the evil of abortion.

One of the founders of our nation, Samuel Adams, said during those days of our country’s birth, “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.”

So we have our work before us: to persevere, to be optimistic, to be courageous and to have faith.

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