By Judie Brown
The nation with the recommendations regarding controlled killing is my country, the United States of America. And it is with a heavy heart that I must reveal the latest disgusting idea to come from the mind of a conservative senator (according to his website), Lindsey Graham.
A pro-life analysis of Senator Graham’s record suggests he is pro-life. However, one has to wonder about a man who wears that label but at the same time supports controlled killing. In this case, we are referring to the abortion-killing of babies who have not yet reached the gestational age of 15 weeks.
The Graham legislation “prohibits doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks gestation—when an unborn child can feel pain—except in situations involving rape, incest, or risks to the life and physical health of the mother.”
In those words, we find the dreadful truth concerning all those innocents who would be condemned to death even if the proposal became law.
In a statement, Graham said: “What the Democratic Party proposes on abortion is barbaric. Abortion up to the moment of birth, taxpayer-funded, I think is barbaric. I welcome this debate. I think the Republican Party will be in good standing to oppose late-term abortion like most of the civilized world.”
So you could presume that Graham believes it is civilized to kill babies before the fifteenth week. But what is perhaps more egregious than that is his use of the word “debate.”
As we have said and taught for nearly half a century, taking the life of an innocent person should never be a debatable topic in a nation that has criminal laws prohibiting homicide. But in the United States, any preborn child is fair game because they are not legally protected.
Rather than confronting the reality of abortion, the people of our nation view this evil act in political terms. One supposes it is more comfortable to avoid facts, as is usually the case, and stick to comfortable language that admits to no death or sorrow. After all, one poll found that “43% of Americans say [the] abortion issue is ‘extremely important’ to them.” And this same poll found that 58% “believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time.”
So while it might shock the local cocktail party attendees to remind them of it, the truth is clear: Abortion is not a mere issue like paving the road or building a new school. It is a dreadful act with tragic consequences for everyone involved, especially the baby.
The world of depraved controlled killing is here in our country, and according to its advocates, it is safe. And yes, it will make anyone uncomfortable to challenge this party line. The truth may actually make some folks angry or visibly upset.
But we have the remedy for such fierce reactions. It is the same message of hope that St. John Paul II gave to young people when he uttered these words at World Youth Day in 1993:
The World Youth Day is a great celebration of life: life as a divine gift and an awe–inspiring mystery. Young people from all over the world are gathering to profess the Church’s faith that in Jesus Christ we can come to the full truth about our human condition and our eternal destiny.
Only in Christ can men and women find answers to the ultimate questions that trouble them. Only in Christ can they fully understand their dignity as persons created and loved by God. Jesus Christ is “the only Son from the Father . . . full of grace and truth.”
And that, my friends, is how we end the depravity of controlled killing and share the truth about who will heal those who advocate for it and have been harmed by it.
All we need is the courage to stay the course and share it.
