Darth Sebelius Appointed to Lead HHS

President Obama has appointed yet another leading abortion advocate to be Secretary of Health and Human Services: Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius. His first nominee for the post, former Senator Tom Daschle, withdrew due to tax problems.

That Obama would put an abortion advocate in this post is no great surprise. Gov. Sebelius has a particularly ghastly record, however, having vetoed even the mildest of proposed restrictions on abortion. More important, she is a friend of, and beneficiary of campaign contributions from, the notorious late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller. Watch the video at the link to learn more.

Catholics are doubly dismayed since Gov. Sebelius is - or at least calls herself - a Catholic. Last year Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City asked the governor, after several conversations in which he explained to her the error of her ways, to stop receiving communion in the Church. She ignored his initial private request and complied only after the Archbishop made his request publicly. She did finally comply, however, which is more than most pro-abortion Catholic politicians do.

Whatever her religious affiliation, Gov. Sebelius should not be head of HHS. I got into a discussion about this on another web site, which is unfortunately password-protected so I can't link to it here. Someone was arguing that Gov. Sebelius had actually reduced the number of abortions in Kansas, but still thought women should have a choice in the matter. Here is what I said:

All this talk of whether Sebelius has/will increase or decrease the number of abortions misses the point. Consider an example.

Suppose a person who is being considered for high office believes that it should be legal to kill, say, people with red hair. He has never personally killed any red-headed people. The office for which he is being considered is not related to criminal law and he will have no power to influence the laws against murder either way. Nonetheless, he holds very firmly that everyone should have the right to kill any redheads whom they deem annoying and inconvenient, without fear of prosecution. Should this person be appointed?

I say no. He should not be made dogcatcher, much less cabinet secretary. Why? Because it is obvious that something is deeply wrong with his moral compass. He does not comprehend that people with red hair are human and deserve the full protection of the law. That being the case, he cannot be trusted to make decisions that serve the common good. There is a strong chance he will use whatever power he is given toward evil ends. This is why Gov. Sebelius is unfit to lead HHS.

You can, of course, apply this logic to President Obama himself along with most of the people in his administration - and not a few Republicans, by the way. It is not a pleasant position in which we find ourselves, but here we are. Now is a good time to start praying for mercy. I think we're going to need it.

Imagine the Potential

Click here if you don't see the video above.

"They Screamed At Us, They Spat On Us"

So back in August, a feminist group in Neuquen, Argentina decided to hold a pro-abortion protest in front of the city's cathedral. Some Catholic youth, fearing their church would be desecrated, organized to defend it by surrounding the cathedral and peacefully praying. The following video shows what happened.



Here is a news story describing the event from a Catholic youth named Pablo.

“Everything lasted more or less an hour and forty minutes. It was terrible. They wouldn’t go away. They screamed at us, they spat on us, they threw cans and rocks, they tore up an Argentinean flag and burned it. We were only praying one Hail Mary after another, without stopping, praying for each one of them, praying for each aborted child, praying for our Church and her pastors, and also in reparation for the blasphemies,” Pablo said.

Despite the tension, “we felt an extraordinary peace, and all of us who were there agreed [it was] a peace that cannot come from anyone else besides our Lord and God. We felt his consolation in our souls.”

Asked if they felt tempted to respond to the aggressions with violence, Pablo responded that all the young people came with the intention of “resisting to the last drop of our blood. Some guys up in front became very upset, because they insulted the Virgin Mary, calling her a lesbian. You feel like doing everything, but we know that our testimony needs to be different, and the virtue of fortitude is more perfect when we resist than when we attack.”

According to Pablo, after that experience in Neuquen, the young people were more committed to “living life as it truly is: a battle, a war.” “I think it is time to wake up, we must be aware that if we don’t do it, nobody will. Nobody will bear witness to hope if we Catholics do not do it. The world is waiting, the world expects that we go out to find it and conquer it.”

Notice in the video how the first line of Christian defenders, those bearing the full brunt of the crowd's hatred and abuse, are all young men - and I do mean men, not boys, whatever their chronological age. This old-fashioned chivalry must have driven the radical feminists into even more of a frenzy.

Unless you hang out in front of abortion clinics, you don't see this sort of thing in the U.S. very often. Mark my words: you will, and maybe sooner than you think. American Christians are going to make some tough choices in the next few years. How many of us will have the courage shown by Pablo and the others in Neuquen on that night?

Centuries ago another Pablo - St. Paul - took full advantage of all the rights his Roman citizenship gave him to spread the Gospel truth and defend the helpless. Eventually he paid the price in blood. Yet he was not defeated; the empire that killed Paul fell even as Christianity thrived. The same will happen again, but not before some of us face the modern-day lions.

Palin on Roe

I must confess I have been unable to force myself to watch the entirety of Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric. The parts I did see made me wince. So it was only today, via Rod Dreher, that I learned what she had to say about Roe vs Wade.

Keep in mind that, for social conservatives, the prime justification for having Palin on the ticket is that she is demonstrably and personally pro-life. For all McCain's faults, with Palin as VP we have a foot in the door at the White House, and maybe a chance to get one of our own in the big office someday. Right? Now read this:

Couric: Why, in your view, is Roe v. Wade a bad decision?

Sarah Palin: I think it should be a states' issue not a federal government-mandated, mandating yes or no on such an important issue. I'm, in that sense, a federalist, where I believe that states should have more say in the laws of their lands and individual areas. Now, foundationally, also, though, it's no secret that I'm pro-life that I believe in a culture of life is very important for this country. Personally that's what I would like to see further embraced by America.

Couric: Do you think there's an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?

Palin: I do. Yeah, I do.

Couric: The cornerstone of Roe v. Wade.

Palin: I do. And I believe that individual states can best handle what the people within the different constituencies in the 50 states would like to see their will ushered in an issue like that.

OK. Palin sounds like someone who has the right instincts. She does not sound like someone who has wrestled with the philosophical and legal basis of her beliefs. There are two huge problems with what she said.

First, she says abortion should be up to the states. This line of reasoning was wrong when applied to slavery in the 19th century, and it's wrong now. Government at all levels must defend certain fundamental human rights. These include - as the Declaration of Independence says - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Life is the foundation, and states have no right to take it away from innocent people. She is taking essentially the same position that Fred Thompson did in the GOP primary campaign. Plenty of us roundly criticized Thompson for it at the time. For the most part, Palin is now getting a pass.

Second, Palin thinks the Constitution contains a "right to privacy." Roe vs Wade notwithstanding, most legal scholars find no such thing and regard Roe's logic as laughable, even when they agree with its result. Yet we are told that Palin can be counted on to influence McCain's judicial appointments more in the conservative, originalist direction? I think not, if this interview reflects her judicial philosophy.

Abortion will almost certainly come up in tonight's debate, and I hope we hear something from Palin to clarify these remarks. Otherwise, I suspect a wave of buyer's remorse will sweep over the people who have so lionized her for the last month. The more we learn about Palin, the less she lives up to the reasons McCain supposedly picked her. This momentum needs to change, and it needs to happen fast, or else Obama will win in a rout.

The Value of Guilt

Sage thoughts from my favorite Dominican blogger-priest, Fr. Phillip Neri Powell, O.P. He is discussing the guilt feelings of people who were involved in abortions, but the principle applies to all kinds of sin.

In my experience, people often express horrible guilt over sin. They are shocked when I exclaim, "Good! You should feel guilty! Do you know what that means?" They usually say, "That I'm a bad person, a terrible sinner?" I say, "Nope. Just the opposite. Guilt tells you that you have a correctly formed conscience and that though you have sinned, you are not fundamentally a bad person."

We have been told for too many years now that guilt is bad and we must do everything to expunge it from our consciousness. In the pursuit of a guilt-free life, we have not eliminated sin in practice but rather made sin rare by making most everything permissible and therefore no longer sinful. No sin, no guilt. But guilt is one way we know that we are good people. If you cannot feel guilt over deliberately and directly killing an innocent life, then something is very seriously wrong.

Seven Babies, One Coffin

This post hurts.

The tiny coffin in the picture below contains the bodies of seven aborted babies. The remains were found in a garbage dumpster outside an abortion clinic in Michigan. The rescuers named them: Rachael, Joshua, Victoria, Adam, Mary, Jacob, and Grace.



We do not know why the parents of these babies decided to abort them. Maybe they had no choice. Maybe they were misled. Or maybe they knew exactly what they were doing. It doesn't matter. What we know is that seven of God's children had no chance at life. But thanks to some wonderful people, at least they had a proper burial. Here are pictures of the funeral mass in Detroit. (Note: the link had lots of photos so it may take time to download.)

Abortion clinics wish to avoid such spectacles so they normally incinerate the babies as "medical waste." Somehow these seven slipped through. They represent many more.

Take a good look at that picture. This is what "freedom" gives us. It is the result of "choice." Rachael, Joshua, Victoria, Adam, Mary, Jacob, and Grace did not die from a disease. They were not killed in accidents. Their lives were taken from them. They had no choice.

Rest in peace, little ones.

Moloch, Inc. Rolls Out New Brand

From today's Wall Street Journal:

Flush with cash, Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide are aggressively expanding their reach, seeking to woo more affluent patients with a network of suburban clinics and huge new health centers that project a decidedly upscale image.

The nonprofit, which traces its roots to 1916, has long focused on providing birth control, sexual-health care and abortions to teens and low-income women. While those groups still make up the majority of Planned Parenthood's patients, executives say they are "rebranding" their clinics to appeal to women of means -- a move that opens new avenues for boosting revenue and, they hope, political clout.

Two elegant new health centers have been built, and at least five more are on the way; the largest, in Houston, will be 75,000 square feet. They feature touches such as muted lighting, hardwood floors and airy waiting rooms in colors selected by marketing experts -- as well as walls designed to withstand a car's impact should an antiabortion protest turn violent.

Planned Parenthood has also opened more than two dozen quick-service "express centers," many in suburban shopping malls. Some sell jewelry, candles, books and T-shirts, along with contraception.

"It is indeed a new look...a new branding, if you will," said Leslie Durgin, a senior vice president at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. MORE

Politics Will Not Stop Abortion

Today's Peggy Noonan column is particularly incisive about the Republicans and this year's electoral prospects.

The Democrats aren't the ones falling apart, the Republicans are. The Democrats can see daylight ahead. For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born.

The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party.

By the end of the column she holds out a little hope for McCain and the GOP. But not much.

Rod Dreher is even more pessimistic. As you may recall, I've been slowly concluding that political means are not going to achieve the ends that social conservatives desire. At Rod's post some of the reader comments argue that we need to hold our noses and vote for McCain for one reason only: there is at least some chance he will appoint Supreme Court justices who will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, while there is little or no chance Obama will do so. This idea is compelling at first, but consider this response from one reader:

If McCain is elected he can attempt to appoint as many strict constructionists as he wants but not one of them will even get to a committee vote. There will be NO pro-life justices confirmed to the Supreme Court by this next Senate.

If, by some bizarre occurance, Roe V Wade were to be overturned, within two election cycles there would not be enough Republicans left in office at any level to influence or stop anything and there would be federal legislation codifying roe into law. The reason that no anti-abortion constitutional amendment was ever introduced was very simple. There has never been, and probably never will be, 67 votes in the Senate to pass it.

In other words, if anyone thinks that abortion can be outlawed again in this lifetime--forget it. That battle is lost, probably forever...

If Roe were to be overturned, California, New York, Illinois, Minnesota and Massachussetts at the very least, would immediately codify abortion rights into state law even before all the Republicans would be thrown out of office. That means that abortion would be available to everyone with only a relatively short airplane ride.

And then within four years it would a guaranteed right under federal law anyway and everyone opposed to it would be packed into some internment camp in Cuba.

This is closer to the truth than I think most of us want to admit. We live in a representative democracy. Abortion will stay legal as long as a majority of people want it to be so, which they quite obviously do. Why? Because abortion permits them to indulge their sexual desires without annoying and distracting consequences such as pregnancy. Like it or not, that is a fact in 2008.

If we elect McCain and if he appoints conservative Supreme Court justices and if they overturn Roe v. Wade, then what? All that happens is that states will be permitted to ban or regulate abortion if they wish. Some will do so, but the practice will be just as legal as it is now in many states. Women from other states who want abortions will simply go to where it is allowed. Maybe a few poor women who don't live near a state border will end up carrying their babies to term, but for the most part there will be no fewer abortions than there are now.

This suggests to me that the better strategy is cultural and spiritual. We need to work on building a society in which people appreciate life for the great gift it is. We need to help people respect the power of their sexuality and keep it in the right context.

The sad fact is that American Christians haven't done a very good job of this. Our sexual behavior is often indistinguishable from that of the pagan cultures we say we oppose. Only when we repent and start to lead by example will the culture begin to follow. Yes, it will take many years. That's why the time to start is now.

The Bishop and the Governor

From Catholic World News:

Kansas, May. 9, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City has announced that Governor Kathleen Sebelius should not receive Communion because of her support for legal abortion.

In a column appearing on May 9 in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, the archbishop said that Governor Sebelius has sent a "spiritually lethal message" by implying that she could remain a Catholic in good standing while supporting abortion on demand.

The archbishop's column cited in particular the governor's veto of the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act, which would have required abortionists to inform women about the effects of the procedure and alternatives to abortion.

The governor's stand in favor of abortion is particularly painful, Archbishop Naumann wrote, because Sebelius is a Catholic. He reported that he had met with her "several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions." Because the governor has now rejected his pleas and her public stand constitutes a scandal to the faithful, the archbishop said that he has now directed her to refrain from receiving Communion. Archbishop Naumann reported that he has asked Governor Sebelius to accept this directive, so that she will "not require from me any additional pastoral actions."

More from American Papist.

Governor Sebelius has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Barack Obama, so this story may make it into the national media soon. "That mean old bishop," they will say. "How dare he tell the governor how what to do! Separation of church and state! Theocracy! Off with his head!"

Actually, Archbishop Naumann isn't telling the governor how to do her job. He is telling her how she must behave in the church over which he, not she, is the earthly shepherd. The governor remains free to join some other denomination which is less concerned about these things. The governor is also free to attend no church at all. What she is not free to do is pretend she is a Catholic in good standing while continuing to act in ways that are contrary to centuries of Catholic teaching.

We should also note that the church does not regard such actions as punishment. The bishop is attempting to convince the governor to amend her life and save her own soul. Because she ignored his private requests, he was forced to make the matter public.

Archbishop Naumann is surely familiar with St. Ambrose who, as bishop of Milan in the fourth century, threatened his own emperor with excommunication for the murder of 7,000 people. The emperor repented and was reconciled after several months of penance. Will Governor Sebelius do likewise? For her own sake, I hope so.

Abortion: How It's Done

One thing I have always found odd about the abortion issue is that there is so much argument about this act that many people have never personally witnessed. It's hard to have an intelligent discussion without defining your terms. What does an abortion look like? How is it done?

In the following short videos, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life uses plastic fetal models and actual surgical tools to demonstrate how an abortion is done, according to readily available medical textbooks. What he shows is disturbing but not graphic. (If you want to see the real thing, here is a link to some actual photographs of aborted babies. Not for the squeamish.)

If we're going to talk about abortion, let's make sure we know what we're talking about.

This is a dismemberment abortion:




This is a suction abortion:

You Mean There Might Be Risk?

April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Embryonic stem cells may someday cure disease, reverse paralysis or restore memory. Scientists worry they also may trigger benign tumors, and even cancer.

Geron Corp. and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. plan this year to begin the first human tests of therapies created with stem cells extracted from human embryos. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which may soon approve the studies, is asking the companies to closely monitor whether the therapies can spur non-cancerous growths, as has been seen in animal tests.

The first human studies, by Menlo Park, California-based Geron, may start as soon as this summer in patients partly or wholly paralyzed. The FDA is convening a special public session April 10 to discuss the safety concerns. The agency scheduled the meeting to get help in balancing the pleas of patients with risks that may arise should the therapies gain wide use...

"You don't want a tooth growing in your eye, so we need to absolutely know what will happen,'' said Robert Lanza, the medical director for Alameda, California-based Advanced Cell, in a telephone interview. ``It's not in anyone's interest to have any risk whatsoever.'' MORE

Dr. Lanza's evocative image of "a tooth growing in your eye" makes me think of something our Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye?"

The comparison in highly appropriate. Here we have a bunch of physicians, scientists and bureaucrats in a tizzy that the introduction of embryonic stem cells into humans might actually hurt those humans. They conveniently forget that there is a 100% death rate for the embryos who provide these stem cells.

"Ah, but they are only embryos," some will say. So? As Dr. Lanza surely knows, these embryos possess the unique DNA sequences that mark them as separate, individual members of the species homo sapiens. They are human beings. Granted, they are young human beings that are invisible to the naked eye and depend on others for sustenance and protection. Because they are unable to object, and because their fragile bodies possess materials that we think may prove helpful in our quest to live long and pain-free lives, the lives of these young people are snuffed out without regret.

Given all this, I am not a bit surprised if embryonic stem cells create tumors and other ill effects. These are the temporal consequences of the sin committed by those who kill helpless young people for their own enrichment and pleasure. Meanwhile adult stem cells - which do not require the death of the donor - are proving more promising all the time. I think the Lord is sending us a hint.

Pro-Life Logic

Recently I listened to a speech by Boston College philosopher Peter Kreeft called Pro-Life Logic. Dr. Kreeft has a way of distilling complicated, abstract concepts into simple terms almost anyone can understand. In this speech he argued that the pro-life position against abortion is based on three fundamental premises. I will paraphrase them here:

• The life of each individual human begins when a unique genetic code is formed at the moment of conception.
• All humans have a right to life simply because they are human.
• The law must protect the most basic rights of all humans, including the right to life.

If all three of these things are true, then the logical conclusion is you must be pro-life. Conversely, in order to be pro-abortion you must deny at least one of the three premises. Otherwise you are being logically inconsistent.

These points can be very useful if you are discussing abortion with someone who is not pro-life. If you can zero in on their most basic belief, you may be able to plant some doubts that they cannot escape.

Note also that these are not religious arguments. One need not believe in God in order to understand and accept them. The first point, for instance, is simply scientific fact. Prior to Roe vs. Wade, few scientists would say that an embryo was anything other than a unique human being. A very small, very young human, obviously, but human nonetheless. Any other definition of humanity is necessarily subjective and not scientifically provable.

These days most pro-abortion advocates rely on the second and third premises. They may admit that life begins at conception, but they argue that certain categories of human have no right to life. These categories are, of course, subjectively defined and subject to the whims of whoever is in charge. This is how the Nazis justified the murder of Jews, gays, and various other groups.

The last premise is also familiar: it is the Clinton/Giuliani line that goes "I'm against support abortion but I would never force my views on others." Dr. Kreeft handily swats that argument down, along with many others. You can download this speech, and many others, from his web site here.

Abortion Regrets

An artist killed herself after aborting her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant, leaving a note saying: "I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum."

Emma Beck was found hanging at her home in Helston, Cornwall, on Feb 1 2007. She was declared dead early the following day - her 31st birthday.

Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does." MORE

This is a terrible story. It sounds like the woman was already troubled and the abortion sent her over the edge. No one seems to have tried very hard to help her beyond getting her in for the abortion as fast as possible.

Abortion is a crime with at least three victims: the child, the mother, and the father. Once the deed is done, all we can do for the children is pray for their souls. The parents are another matter. As with Emma Beck, many women are pressured into having abortions or left to feel that they have no other choices.

Abortion providers want us to think that liberated women dance happily into the clinics and come out with a smile on their face, freed from this extra tissue they don't want. Don't believe it. Few women go through the experience without mental, spiritual and sometimes physical scars.

Don't forget the fathers, either. While it takes two to create a pregnancy, the decision whether to abort or not lies exclusively with the woman. If the man wants to save his child, he is simply out of luck. The law is not on his side. Or he may support the abortion initially then have regrets later. The pain can last a lifetime.

Emma Beck needed help and she didn't get it. I know of at least two groups dedicated to helping post-abortive parents: Rachel's Vineyard and Silent No More Awareness. These are people in pain, and they need to know that help is available.

The Useful Dead VII

WARNING: This post may be sickening.

In previous installments of this series we discussed how dead humans are being used as organ donors, egg donors, cosmetic products, and museum displays. As if these aren't ghastly enough, the supposedly "developing" Chinese are reported to have taken the final step: cannibalism.

"New macabre manifestations of this conscienceless abortion mentality include the recent opening of five restaurants in the region of X, which began serving 'fetal soup' at the price of 300 Yuan (approximately $40) a bowl! Recent medical publications have praised the exceptional health benefits for the consuming of 'fetal remains' (this jargon allows them to overlook what this really is-unborn baby bodies). Therefore, local entrepreneurs jumped on the opportunity to distribute this new health breakthrough to the chosen few who could afford the price. So evil and scandalous is this fetal soup trade that the Government shut down the Web sites advertising the restaurants, in fear that they would scandalize the reputation of the People's Republic to outside countries and businesses. [source]

That's not all. Chinese women who are lucky enough not to be eaten before birth now face the risk of being married after death.

"Is it possible that the abortion holocaust and its rejection of life's sacred dignity has also contributed to the recent practice of 'ghost wives,' as recently reported in Chinese news sources? This is the practice of providing a woman's dead body to be buried with a deceased man so that the man will have company in the 'next life.' Distributors of the dead bodies of women found that men were willing to pay much more for a 'new' dead body of a woman, rather than one previously preserved. Murder of women from out-of-the-way places ensued to fill the new demand for the fresh ghost wives.

I haven't been able to find any other source for these ghastly stories. I sincerely hope they are not true. I would like to think that humans can't possibly sink so low.

But I know that we can.

Time For A New Pro-Life Strategy

Several bloggers that I greatly respect - notably Leticia, Chelsea, and C.K. - are trying to rally the troops around Mike Huckabee in a last-ditch effort to stop John McCain from getting the GOP nomination. After playing hard-to-get for months, James Dobson finally endorsed Huckabee this week. A few people who aren't terribly pro-life but can't stand McCain for other reasons will probably do likewise.

Sad to say, it won't matter. Steven Taylor has the numbers. To win the GOP nomination, Huckabee must get 96% of the remaining delegates. Like Huckabee, I believe in miracles. But I also don't expect the Lord to perform one and lead that many delegates to Huckabee. The opposite may be more likely; is He trying to tell us something by allowing events to develop as they have?

One thing we may want to consider is that not as many people share our pro-life views as we would like to believe. This is true even among faithful Christians. Exit polling from Super Tuesday states revealed that most Catholics voted for McCain or Clinton. Likewise, Huckabee has yet to attract much support outside of Evangelicals.

This suggests to me that those of us who are pro-life might want to change our strategy. We can't expect to win the political battles when we haven't even convinced the people who sit in the pews with us on Sunday. Maybe that's where our energy should be directed.

Back in November I wrote about a survey that showed most Evangelicals place abortion far down the list when decided how to vote. The same seems to apply to Catholics. Until we change these hearts we aren't going to change the national consciousness. And until we change the national consciousness, even getting a Supreme Court that overturns Roe. v. Wade will not accomplish the goal of stopping abortion. It will remain legal almost everywhere. Babies will continue to die.

Last month Elizabeth Andrew posted this quote from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. It's been haunting me ever since.

"Unless souls are saved, nothing is saved; there can be no world peace unless there is soul peace. World wars are only projections of the conflicts waged inside the souls of modern men and women, for nothing happens in the external world that has not first happened within a soul."

Just substitute "abortion" for "world wars" and it remains equally valid. Abortion happens not only because it is legal, but because the souls of the men and women involved in it are lost. If those souls can be converted, if those men and women open their hearts to Christ, abortion will cease to be a problem - even if it remains nominally legal.

I'm not suggesting we ignore politics, by any means. I hope Huckabee and Ron Paul stay in the race and continue to get votes, however small the numbers may be. The politicians need to know we're out there and can't be ignored. We also need to work at the state and local level to build up a generation of principled leaders for the future. And we need to continue all efforts to help and educate the women who have abortions. It may take many more years, but in this way we will ultimately win.

McCain Closes The Deal

With Romney out of the running, John McCain is now a done deal. Today he spoke at CPAC in an attempt to mend fences with conservatives. Good luck, but it doesn't matter. He is now the king of the GOP. I expect Huckabee will fall in line shortly.

I would like to get behind McCain. I really would. He's a genuine war hero and isn't afraid to take unpopular stands. My problem with him is that I cannot figure out where those stands come from. He has no identifiable principles other than a vague, semi-religious "greatness of America." No one can predict what he will do in any given situation. He floats around like a jellyfish, randomly stinging anyone who gets in his way.

At least he is pro-life, some argue. Well, no, he's not. McCain wants the federal government to pay for embryonic stem-cell research, which results in the death of very young humans. He also supports the abortion of babies that have the misfortune to be conceived as a result of rape or incest. Now to some people this is "pro-life." Yet it ignores the fundamental question: as soon as you start to say that some innocent lives must be protected while others can be destroyed, somebody has to decide which lives fall into which group. Next thing you know whole categories of people are being defined out of existence.

Unless the right to life applies to everyone, it is not really a "right." McCain, then, is not really pro-life. He is pro-some lives. In a way, this is worse than being pro-abortion. McCain apparently believes unborn children are fully human and still thinks it is perfectly fine to kill some of them. How callous is that?

As noted above, it doesn't really matter. I am convinced that either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will handily beat McCain in November. One of those two will be our next president. It didn't have to be this way, but those are the cards we've been dealt. Now we have to make the best of it.

More interesting McCain thoughts here and here.

Wait Just A Doggone Minute

Pro-abortion folks constantly accuse us of imposing our religious beliefs on them. "Keep your rosaries off our ovaries," they say, among other clever things. So this story (via Mark Shea) confuses me.

SCHENECTADY -- To commemorate Tuesday's 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that affirmed a woman's right to an abortion, clergy blessed this city's new Planned Parenthood clinic in a ceremony dubbed "On Sacred Ground."

"Today is more than about the building and about bricks and mortar," Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Linda Scharf said. "It's a blessing to demonstrate the support of the clergy."

...the blessing occurred at the newly constructed 18,000-square-foot building at 1040 State St. that opened in September to replace a facility on Union Street.

"Clergy have long supported Planned Parenthood's mission and believe women are moral decision-makers, and they trust their right to make a personal decision based on their moral beliefs and whether ... we concur ... we still need to respect that decision," Scharf said.

"The clergy were instrumental in getting abortion services legalized in the United States and right here in Schenectady," she added. "I know a member of the clergy who was part of an underground who directed young women to safe abortions before Roe v. Wade."

Apparently, it is OK to bring religion into the abortion issue, as long as the religion is used to celebrate the Glory and Goodness of this Sacred Sacrament. I'm not kidding. Read on:

At Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Rev. Larry Phillips of Schenectady's Emmanuel-Friedens Church declared the ground "sacred and holy ... where women's voices and stories are welcomed, valued and affirmed; sacred ground where women are treated with dignity, supported in their role as moral decision-makers ... sacred ground where the violent voices of hatred and oppression are quelled."

The minister has been affiliated with Planned Parenthood going back more than 30 years, Scharf said. About three dozen people gathered at the facility, known as the Evelyn & David Sencer Center, to offer prayers during the half-hour ceremony.

The Rev. Abby Norton-Levering led the group in prayers for the center's doctors and staff. "We pray that you will make this a place of safety and give a sense of sanctuary," she said.

Rabbi Matt Cutler of Temple Gates of Heaven blew the shofar as "a renewal of commitment to keep reproductive rights in the hands of women."

The Rev. Bill Levering, senior pastor of First Reformed Church of Schenectady, said the right to privacy is endowed by God.

"There are some decisions that are left to the individual. Even God respects the right of privacy. We make women into children when we say they cannot control their own bodies," Levering said.

Phillips led everyone outside where they laid their hands on the brick and limestone as the minister declared, "This is sacred ground."

Just reading this makes me gag. "Sacred ground," according to Reverend Phillips. "A place of safety," Reverendette Norton-Levering calls it. Egads.

Here's the truth: this place is perfectly safe for everyone except the young humans who will be shredded, scalded, and incinerated on so-called sacred ground. What God do these "clergy" think they represent?

March For Life Touches Young and Old

As is usually the case, the 225,000 people at the March for Life in Washington DC got only minimal coverage in the mainstream media. One blogger who was there has an interesting story about her interview with a Japanese TV crew. The Washington Post surprisingly printed a nice article.

In many ways, the march resembled a gigantic pep rally, with smiling teenagers in matching scarves or sweat shirts holding school banners high as they moved along Constitution Avenue NW toward the Supreme Court. But the individual signs they clutched told of their commitment to a cause: "Give Life, Don't Take It" and "Your Mother Was Pro-Life."

"It's illegal to kill someone walking down the street, so it should be illegal to kill someone in the womb," said Topher Boehm, 17, a member of the Pro-Life Club at the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. "This is the social justice issue of our era, and I want to do something about it."

Kelsey Wilson, 16, and Michelle Caulder, 17, along with their group from a Catholic church in Indianapolis, waved "Defend Life" signs as they maneuvered through the crush of people. This was their third Washington march, and they plan to keep coming, they said, until abortions are outlawed.

Things like this are the true value of such events. The Supreme Court does not (and arguably should not) base its decisions on the number of protesters outside its doors. Yet the March For Life is still worthwhile because of the impact it has on young people. The kids quoted above will grow up, marry, have families, and move on with their lives. Like most of us, they may not be able to leave their other responsibilities to go to these things. But they will always remember the experience - and they'll tell others about it.

Young people aren't the only ones marching, of course.

"We make the journey every year -- this is a very important part of our commitment to saving lives," said Mike Conroy, 67, a retired pilot from Wexford, Pa., who was attending his ninth March for Life with a Knights of Columbus group. Attached to his baseball cap was a tiny pair of gold feet, three-eighths of an inch long, that he said was the size of an unborn child's feet at 10 weeks.

Thomas Peters has some great photos and videos of the march on his blog. Chelsea has a great reflection on why so many young people were attracted: they survived. If you are reading this and were born in the U.S. after 1973, count yourself fortunate: 50 million of your peers never had a chance to live.

Respect For Life Begins At Home

Lam Luong, a native of Vietnam now living in Alabama, stands accused of killing his four young children by throwing them off a bridge into the Gulf of Mexico. He appears to have done this in reaction to an argument with his wife, and is now being held in jail pending murder charges. [News coverage]

Clearly this is a despicable crime, and a horrible situation for the family. What strikes me as odd, however, is that Mr. Luong would be a free man today had he helped his wife exercise her "choice" to get rid of the children prior to birth. Indeed, he would be honored by some people for doing his part to reduce the impact of humanity on our fragile planet.

Plenty of men do exactly this: impregnate women then take them (willingly or not) to have abortions when an inconvenient baby has the nerve to implant itself in the woman's womb. For whatever reason, Mr. Luong waited too long. Maybe he just wanted to give his children a merciful death. A plunge into icy waters is probably less painful than being chopped into pieces, burned alive with saline, or having your brains sucked out with a vacuum cleaner - all without the benefit of anesthetic.

Such things were made possible in this country exactly 35 years ago. It was January 22, 1973 that the Supreme Court discovered, in Roe v. Wade, that the Constitution grants women the right to kill their unborn babies. States have henceforth been prohibited from stopping this ghastly practice. Tens of millions of babies died as a result.

Tomorrow the pro-life movement gathers in Washington for the annual March for Life. It will be an amazing event - far larger than most mass protests in this country - but chances are you will see nothing about it in the media. It's just not newsworthy, you see.

I'm totally in favor of all political efforts to reduce abortion. At the same time, I think we have to acknowledge that the real battle is in the culture. If Roe v. Wade is reversed, the only result is that states will regain the right to regulate abortion as they see fit. Most will doubtless continue permitting abortion in some fashion. I don't like it either, but that is the political reality in 2008.

What we really need to do is change the culture. We need to regain a respect for humanity and human life, from its natural beginning to its natural end. We need to teach young men and women to respect themselves and respect the natural connection between sexuality and procreation. We need to once again make parenthood a noble and honorable vocation that people want to experience, instead of a chore to be dreaded and postponed.

It's a long way from where we are now to a real Culture of Life - yet every journey begins with a single step. For Evangelical and Catholic Christians, a great place to start is with ourselves. Are we respecting life and helping our children grow up to do the same? Are we teaching the sanctity of life in our churches? Are our actions consistent with the values we claim to hold? Until we do those things, our success in reforming the rest of the culture will be limited. Respect for life begins at home.

U.S. Abortion Rate Plunges

Here is some truly good news.

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. abortion rate fell to its lowest level in more than 30 years as the number of doctors who provide the operations continued to decline, a study found.

There were 1.2 million abortions, or 19.4 for every 1,000 women of reproductive age, in 2005, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute in New York, a New York-based non-profit group focused on reproductive health. Those numbers compare with a peak of 1.6 million abortions, or 27.4 per 1,000 women, in 1990, the researchers wrote. [more]

The Guttmacher Institute is an offshoot of Planned Parenthood, so no one can say this is right-wing propaganda. The article goes on to speculate that the drop is a result of either decreased availability (thanks to all you nasty demonstrators and theocratic politicians), or possibly caused by more widespread use of contraceptives. I would like to think it is a sign that the prayers of the pro-life movement are being answered.

Whatever the reason, this report is cause for joy. It is not victory, though. 1.2 million is still a staggering number. We're losing the equivalent of a large city's population every single year. If terrorists did this to us everyone would be outraged. Instead, most people don't care. We have a long way to go.

To all those fighting for life in so many ways, congratulations. Your efforts are being rewarded. Be not afraid.