In the New

On January 22, 2013 Roe V. Wade turns 40 years old since the Supreme Court decided in favor of woman's rights to have abortions. In a new poll just released, 70 percent of Americans want the landmark abortion rights ruling to stay. Only 24 percent would like Roe v. Wade to be overturned. In the same poll, 54 percent think abortion should be always legal or legal most of the time.

As a Catholic Christian, I support the right to life. We believe from the moment of conception there is life in procreation. We do not believe anyone has a right to suck life out of the womb, in the name of "Woman's Rights." How can we honesty feel good about or justify recent estimates of 52 million abortions in the past 40 years?

Some years ago while walking through a park I noticed a girl crying with every ounce of sorrow inside of her. I went over and asked if there was anything I could do. It seems the best I could do was to listen to this young girls story.

It seemed over a year ago she discovered that she was pregnant. Her boyfriend and her parents gave her a million reasons why she should terminate the pregnancy. She did not want to terminate but there was so much pressure on her from everyone around her, she gave in and had the abortion.

On the day I met her in the park it was the one year anniversary of the day where she told me, "I killed my baby." As she cried, she continued that she did not even know if it was a boy or girl. She told me, "every day the death of this baby haunts me. I have lost my job, my life, my boyfriend, I don't speak to my parents anymore and most of all I have lost my baby and myself."

I don't recall anyone I have ever talked with before who had so much remorse. This young girl was deeply distraught telling me she has thought of taking her life for the life that she took.

I told this girl that I was a religious man and I know God forgives those who sincerely confront their wrongdoings, ask for forgiveness and change their lives for the better by living as a new example. I assured her that if she prays with regret, God will find forgiveness for her deep desire to make amends.

Before she walked away, she stood wiping her eyes as she faced me still sitting on the bench. She gave me a half smile and said, "I will try my very best to pray." I never saw this girl again, so I don't know what became of her. I've often wondered if she found the peace necessary to drive out the demons that were eating her to death.  

The point is, the nature of a woman is to be nurturing. If a woman takes the life of a child conceived, her nurture is shattered, leaving her broken, much like the woman I met in the park. Any woman who can simply remove the life growing within without regret, is heartless. The heartless don't know God anyway.

It is my hope and prayer that this world comes to understand, we can not continue to make up our own rules to make us feel better about our indiscretion. This matter is quite simple resolved, for those who choose what is right. If you do not want to conceive, do not have sex. Learn to exercise a sense of personal moral judgment, discipline and self worth, rather to freely cast the body and soul into the fire of hell, where evils seek our ruin.