South Dakota Gov. Michael Rounds made a great statement when he signed the genuinely pro-life bill that just arrived on his desk from the state legislature. He is quoted as saying: "In the history of the world, the true test of a civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society. The sponsors and supporters of this bill believe that abortion is wrong because unborn children are the most vulnerable and most helpless persons in our society. I agree with them."
This action and the statement of this governor took courage, but as with all things worthy of human effort, the action is truly worth the risk. The media may not appreciate him, but we do. We should be thanking Gov. Rounds for doing something no other governor has ever done since the infamous Roe and Doe decisions: acting rather than merely speaking words.
And so it is with Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of the Springfield, Massachusetts diocese. Bishop McDonnell has refused to present a St. Patrick's Day award for "distinguished service" to the pro-abortion Republican former governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge. By acting in such a definitive way, Bishop McDonnell has made it clear that when someone egregiously violates all that is good and true by supporting the act of abortion, such a person cannot and must not be honored.
We applaud those individuals in our society who give our world such an amazing example of what it truly means to be pro-life. In this age of twisted, it is nice to see actions; actions truly do speak louder than words.
