The past few days have revealed an emerging trend which should be heartening to faithful Catholics who have for so long yearned for good news. 

In Boston, a scandal erupted when Boston College extended an invitation to the pro-abortion prime minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny. Students for Life launched the “Not at BC” campaign, stating, “For any college to honor the man who would usher in the mass death of Irish preborn children is simply unconscionable!”

Catholic Action League issued a press release reporting that Planned Parenthood is elated with the invitation to Kenny, telling the Boston Globe that Kenny is an “appropriate commencement speaker.”

But Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who had been scheduled to deliver Benediction at the commencement, announced that he is now boycotting the event. O’Malley issued a statement that received acclaim from many Catholic organizations. The cardinal’s statement says in part, “Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach (prime minister) has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation.’’

As we sent our congratulatory message to Cardinal O’Malley, we learned that Pope Francis has clarified by his words and his actions the true meaning of heroic virtue in our day. According to chiesa.espresso, the Holy Father’s reason for not giving the sacrament of Holy Communion at public Mass is “because he says unrepentant public sinners could slip in among the faithful, and he does not want to back up their hypocrisy.” In other words, the pope understands that Church law, known as canon 915, is not a mere suggestion but is in fact a law designed to protect Christ from sacrilege. 

Pope Francis also surprised the world on Mother’s Day when he joined the Italian pro-lifers at the March for Life in Rome. More than 40,000 Italians cheered and celebrated this historic visit by the vicar of Christ to their event. Riding in his popemobile, the pope thrilled those in attendance, and the rest of us vicariously.

These recent events reflect what Pope John Paul II defined as “the new springtime of Christianity.” As he wrote in his 1990 encyclical, Redemptoris Missio: 

If we look at today’s world, we are struck by many negative factors that can lead to pessimism. But this feeling is unjustified: We have faith in God our Father and Lord, in His goodness and mercy. As the third millennium of the redemption draws near, God is preparing a great springtime for Christianity, and we can already see its first signs. In fact, both in the non-Christian world and in the traditionally Christian world, people are gradually drawing closer to gospel ideals and values, a development which the Church seeks to encourage. 

Moments of joy like those described above occur according to a timetable over which we have no control. Yet when we reflect on the actions of Cardinal O’Malley, Pope Francis and, of course, pro-life people the world over who never give in to pessimism as we fight for the dignity of the human individual, we can see that the new springtime is bearing fruit. For that we give thanks.

When American Life League’s Pray and Fast for Our Bishops project was begun this past Ash Wednesday, we had—and continue to have—every confidence that there really are some evils in the world that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. At the same time, we see by the examples given here that with our prayers for bishops we also send our thanks for the courageous deeds of Cardinal O’Malley and Pope Francis—men who love God more than human respect.

In this era of motherhood by choice, we confront an oddity that I could never have imagined would occur in my lifetime. It becomes much more evident at this special time of year when we honor our mothers and express our sincere appreciation for the sacrifices they made for us during our childhood and beyond.

I think about the young Canadian fellow who appreciated his mother’s nurturing care for him so much that he saved his money for years and was finally able to present her with a check to pay off her mortgage. Fortunately for all of us, he caught the touching moment on video. To date, nearly two million people have viewed this special celebration of motherhood. Bravo Aba!

We can relate to this one son’s expression of love for his mother in many ways, especially when put in the context of the profound words Pope John Paul II wrote in the Gospel of Life: “A mother welcomes and carries in herself another human being, enabling it to grow inside her, giving it room, respecting it in its otherness. Women first learn and then teach others that human relations are authentic if they are open to accepting the other person: A person who is recognized and loved because of the dignity which comes from being a person and not from other considerations, such as usefulness, strength, intelligence, beauty or health.”

In those few words we gain a glimpse into what motherhood should mean versus what it has come to in our age. Sadly, today, millions of mothers approach Mother’s Day with emptiness, sadness, and anxiety. The reason will be that rather than welcoming and carrying her baby, she chose to kill him. No, she probably did not commit this act personally, but rather she facilitated it at the hands of an abortionist, a nurse practitioner, or maybe even a midwife. 

In the topsy-turvy world of abortion-on-demand, there is nothing sacred about motherhood, which is why this coming Sunday will be either a celebration of love or a dreaded day of guilt and sorrow.

But it does not have to be that way. There is hope, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is every reason to believe that this bleak period in history can be reversed. 

How is that? Simple!

Americans must finally admit that the decriminalization of abortion was among the most tragic errors ever perpetrated on mankind by human judges with no apparent grounding in the natural law. 

Our fellow citizens must see the preborn child, from his very first moment, as a member of the human family—not a “problem” in need of a solution.

Each of us can use our talent, our confidence in truth, and our personal admiration for the sacrifices of our own mothers to make this happen. It is not rocket science; it is as simple as teaching that one plus one equals two.

This Mother’s Day make a promise to your mom, wherever she is, that you will show your love for her by doing more to help others understand what abortion does to a mother and to her preborn child. We can all do something; choosing to do nothing is simply not an option. 

Finally, to my own mother I say, “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom, I love you. I thank God for you. You have always been my hero. God rest your soul.”

The dictionary states that the definition of diverse is one thing differing from another. It further defines diversity as a noun meaning variety.

So my question is whether or not the morning-after pill—Plan B—is but a type of vulgar diversity that includes abortion, in vitro fertilization, same sex attraction, and destruction of marriage as we know it.

Plan B is adult medicine which was recently ordered to be available to children as young as 15. The goal of Plan B is to provide a last-ditch effort to a female who has had sex and does not want to bear the consequences that might include pregnancy and a baby. Plan B is the equivalent of prescribing a dose of guilty pleasures without consequences—thus presuming that the sexual urge cannot be controlled.

I propose that the escalation in the promotion of Plan B is nothing more than a variation in the way humankind views the value of the human being and his dignity. There are many reasons why I propose this. 

The morning-after pill, or for that matter any birth control pill, will not protect the user from the risks of sexually transmitted diseases or the questionable influence of others—including the male who can make the over-the-counter purchase as he prepares for his sexual conquest. In addition, these chemicals can work to abort a baby before he has the opportunity to implant in his mother’s womb. In other words, Plan B becomes another tool in the diverse selection of health choices a human being can make—and another example of the devaluing of oneself and a newly created or yet-to-be-created child. In the process, the sexual act continues to be perceived as a mechanical function of the body that can be medicated, employed in diverse ways or, through surrogacy, shopped out to somebody else if a baby is the desired result.

If this hypothesis sounds convoluted, reflect on where our culture is today. 

Contraception is a way of life for more than 90 percent of Americans. This translates into God only knows how many early day abortions, countless cases of sexually transmitted disease including HIV, and breast cancer among women who have used the pill.

Lack of respect for the human body and the sacredness of the conjugal act bred by the advancing contraceptive mentality over the past 50 years have led to all manner of diverse sexual practices. Such diverse behaviors have become commonplace and have therefore ceased to be defined as questionable or immoral. We see couples desperate for children who turn to in vitro fertilization and surrogacy because they suffer infertility—a problem often brought on by the pill and other factors including abortion.

We see same-sex couples using surrogate mothers to enable their own desire for children. We see same-sex couples striving to normalize their relationships by entering into civil unions or marriage itself, thus destroying once and for all the sanctity of marriage as we know it.

Contraception is the largest nail in the coffin of respect for the dignity of the human being. As long as it flourishes to the extent that it has, nothing else in the world of human sexuality is off limits—not even the ghoulish practices of a Kermit Gosnell. 

This is not the kind of diversity that is healthy for the human being, nor is it a recipe for the salvation of a human soul.

Where did actions such as those taken by abortionist Kermit Gosnell begin? Is there a logical explanation for practices that reflect such a callous disregard for human life? 

According to Bishop James Conley, of the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, the philosophy of “choice” is the culprit. His recent column has exposed a pivotal piece of the puzzle that clarifies the background for the brutality imposed on babies and their mothers by Gosnell and his ilk. 

Calling specific attention to the contraceptive mentality, Conley writes:  

Kermit Gosnell looked at these “unwanted” lives, and saw burdens placed upon women. He was more ruthless than most, in his efforts to eliminate these living “burdens.”

Most people do not share Gosnell’s ruthlessness. But many in our society seem to share his attitude: that human life is sometimes an inconvenient and unnecessary burden, rather than a sacred gift from God. . . . 

The Gosnell case suggests that our society’s view of human life is deeply wrong. It suggests that a culture of contraception cannot avoid becoming a “culture of death”—in which some lives are seen not as gifts, but as burdens.

While most would bristle at the idea that in these few words there resides a kernel of truth, it is time that we honestly evaluate the cultural attitude that laid the groundwork for Gosnell’s miserable behavior. After all, he is not the first abortionist to kill babies born alive as the result of such practices. 

What is it about a baby that has so divided our nation? It is the stark difference between those who want to control their sexual urges and those who do not. 

The drive toward sexual freedom for one and for all started with the artificial steroid known as the birth control pill. From there all hell broke lose.

Marriages began to dissolve, children began learning all about sex before they knew how to add or read, and teens as young as fifteen can now walk into a drug store and buy a powerful chemical that may end a preborn baby’s life prior to implantation—a drug that might also cause a stroke, a blood clot, or death. 

Upon learning of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of over-the-counter status for the abortive morning-after pill, political strategist Gary Bauer opined that Obama had become the “wingman” for fifteen-year-old boys!

Indeed, we have devolved from that first marketing campaign for the pill to the point today where we are, as a society, a group of human beings who for the most part put sex at the forefront of our daily routine.Just think about it. What is “emergency” contraception? What is the emergency if not the possibility of a baby?  These pills are a chemical quick fix ensuring that no baby grows in the womb of the willing female sex partner, pure and simple.

It is into this disturbing scenario that abortion arrives as the ultimate answer should, God forbid, a pregnancy actually occur. None other than the Supreme Court has said that for a woman not to have the ability to acquire abortion is for her to confront an “undue burden.”

Or, to put it another way, motherhood is an option if the expectant mother chooses it. If not, killing the baby is her prerogative. 

Enter Kermit Gosnell, the man who can eradicate the “burden” at the last minute, even if he has to use scissors or crush a skull!

Yes indeed, Gosnell and his coldblooded acts are a result; they are not the cause.

The title of this article actually comes from a quote from an abortion facility employee in Bronx, New York. The live report came out thanks to the heroic efforts of the LIVE ACTION team of undercover investigators. 

Such reports prove again that surgical abortion is a direct act that employs the use of tools used by the abortion practitioner to end the life of an individual prior to his birth, or as the Gosnell case illustrates, at times just after the baby’s birth. This act is clearly the employment of force designed to render the victim dead.

To my mind, such acts are forms of domestic terrorism, pure and simple.

There are those who will quibble with this comparison. They will argue that abortion is protected by the man-made laws of our nation. My response to that is simple. Abortion is absolutely unlawful according to the natural law and therefore we are well within our rights to use the characterization in this instance.

Further, each of the victims of abortion should be defined as an individual citizen and, in fact, would be if the seven Supreme Court judges who decriminalized abortion had been honest about the actual and scientifically provable humanity of the preborn child. Since these political lapdogs were dishonest in their ruling, the violence of abortion moves forward with nary a gasp from most of us. 

Lately, however, some have taken the time to consider how blatantly evil abortion really is. This has come about because of the gruesome details that have come out in the Gosnell trial. 

Since those initial testimonies about Gosnell and his “House of Horrors,” we have seen the video reports from Live Action exposing the abortion cartel in the state of New York. 

In the newly released video, we hear from an abortion facility employee who tells the undercover reporter that even though she is 23 weeks along in her pregnancy, the clinic will administer toxic laminaria, send her home, and have her come back the next day to complete the act. When the reporter asks what she should do if “it” comes out at home, the employee tells her to “flush it.” The staffer then explains that she would have to come back the next day anyway so they can make sure the “pieces” are all gone.

One would think this woman is talking about a piece of meat, not a baby. 

Further, at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Wilmington, Delaware, two nurses recently quit their jobs fearing that they would lose their licenses due to the “meat-market style of assembly-line abortions where the abortionist refused to wear gloves, surgical instruments were reused without being cleaned, and ‘bloody drainage’ remained on abortion tables between procedures, exposing women to blood-borne diseases.” 

Just how bad have things become in America? Well, think about the 19-year-old woman in New York who was arrested for tossing the body of her miscarried baby into a trash can. The charge: “Unlawful disposal of a cadaver,” though evidently she didn’t see it that way. Perhaps she thought she was only disposing of trash.

By the same token, the human skull and fetus found in a jar on a Queens, New York, street has gotten little to no attention either.

Apparently there are so many houses of horror in this nation today that we cannot possibly address them all—particularly when the mainstream media, for the most part, intentionally chooses to ignore it.

So I guess we really shouldn’t define these brutal acts of killing as domestic terrorism because, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, it is legally allowed to kill innocent people as long as they are defined differently by the Supreme Court.

And that is why the flush-it-down-the-toilet gang is chugging along, doing its thing, day after day.

Perhaps the citizenry just doesn’t care. You think?