Hey guys.
So, I'm not off this "Planned Parenthood is absolutely bonkers" train yet. It's a crazy train, I tell you.
First off, I have to voice my appreciation of this group releasing these videos to the public. They're definitely playing it smart by releasing one video per week and keeping things continually in the news, so props to their strategy. We need to be reminded of this constantly.
Second, I saw a clip today of a news interview (I'll link it if I can find it, but I've forgotten which news group it was and so searching for it is not as easy) in which a man really was quite vocal about being against Planned Parenthood and finding them beyond barbaric (that word isn't strong enough, he communicated). After he had answered a few questions, one of the women on the panel interrupted him and said something to the extent of: "You think the election should be focused on the issue of abortion when there are so many other issues out there?"
Is it not obvious? OF COURSE this should be a focus and even THE focus! What else is more pressing an issue than the destruction of human life? Are you going to try to sell me some stuff about how we need to focus on securing our borders or revising tax brackets for the higher-ups or stopping fracking in our country? Of course those items belong on the list and should be talked about, but they come AFTER issues so basic as whether or not we're going to address the fact that MILLIONS of people in this country have been suffocated and torn apart before they had the chance to be born.
The third thing I've been thinking about is how dreadful it is that after all of these videos come out, after people are reminded again and again, "This is what Planned Parenthood does," the company has the audacity to say, "We apologize for the tone," or "All of this is a smear campaign by militant anti-abortion activists," or "We're really suffering now, so please donate $60 to us." HONESTLY. The vipers who run Planned Parenthood have no shame, no remorse, no empathy and no apparent recognition of the completely inhumane and straight up evil acts they support.
Fourth, and most important for us as a community, is we need to realize that this is a very real problem and one that will continue, as it has for decades, if we do not do anything about it. I wrote earlier on Facebook and Twitter (so if you follow me there, you'll have seen it), a post that I still think ought to be recorded here:
God is always about love, always calling people to life more abundant and all of Scripture regards children as blessings. This is no time for "cafeteria Catholicism," no time for picking and choosing which doctrines we will believe, no time for conceding to what the world offers us, no time to accept a ruthless culture of death. We are called to give witness to the Gospel, to take care of orphans and widows (that means loving children AND women), to see in each other the face of Christ and to make each other more holy. It's about time we acted on the beliefs we say we hold.
THIS should be our focus. THIS is what we should remember when we see more news stories pop up, new hashtags created and ridiculously worded pink slogans from a corporation which profits from the slaughter of innocents. If we stand by and do nothing, how will people know we are different? If we create excuses for such egregious behavior, how far removed from the truth will we become? If we brush off this issue by spouting lines like, "Well, Planned Parenthood does a lot of mammograms, I think, so at least they're doing something good," or "At least those baby parts are used for medical research," or "At least I'm not imposing my view on others," how will we be able to face God on Judgment day and expect to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant?"
We have allowed abortion to go on and go on in abundance in our country for too long. We have sat idly by, afraid to speak our minds, afraid to lose friends, afraid to offend others for too long. We have allowed the world's anthem of: "Be nice and don't judge people and accept everyone" to trump "Love everyone." Because letting people do evil things is NOT love. Neglecting to instruct the ignorant (a spiritual work of mercy, mind) is NOT love. Persuading women to kill their own children in order to make their lives "easier" is NOT love. Then failing to offer support when these women fall into depression is NOT love. Robbing men of the opportunity to be fathers by telling them, "You're a man, so you have nothing to do with this" is NOT love. Telling others that evil means to achieve ends masqueraded as good is NOT love.
It is time to stop believing the lie that abortion is a health care decision between a woman and her doctor (and if you are neither, to butt out). Abortion affects ALL of us. Abortion means some of us are missing siblings, cousins and friends. Abortion means women are crawling into bed tonight, broken, empty, tearful, regretful, depressed and suicidal. Abortion means many souls have been denied the ability to live full and wonderful lives. The impossibly large number of abortions which have occurred in this world means that we have become so desensitized to something that should shake us to our very core, that I sincerely question our integrity as human beings.
Because even though #DefundPlannedParenthood and #PPSellsBabyBodyParts have been widely trending hashtags over the last few weeks, this isn't about the money. This is ultimately about the destruction of human life, a destruction with which we have become all too comfortable, a destruction which affects all of us, a destruction which we should NEVER stand for.
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