British Member of Parliament William Wilberforce toiled for years – for many decades, actually – to end the scourge of slavery in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. At first, he was one of just a few voices to speak out. But after years of dedication, he helped pass a ban on the slave trade – not the complete ban on slavery he and others wanted, but a law that shouted out that slavery was wrong, putting it on the path to abolition.
Finally, after 40 years of service in the British Parliament and years more heading the Anti-Slavery Society in Britain, he finally saw his country ban slavery outright in 1833. He died three days later, having seen the work of his life come to fruition.
Having commemorated the 41st anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., we can take a lesson from Wilberforce. He knew the institutions that supported slavery were strong – in Parliament, in the commercial sectors, among investors. He knew the struggle would take decades. But he knew if he and those he could persuade would continue to grow as a voice for the voiceless, they would win.
Our struggle in the United States to end another injustice has also gone on for more than four decades. And we are growing in strength. New data suggests that today there are between 25% and 30% fewer abortions each year than there were 20 years ago. Polls show many more Americans consider themselves pro-life, with pro-life opinion especially strong among the young. Painful late abortions are now being banned in states around the country, something impossible under the early interpretations of Roe v. Wade.
Historically, we are somewhere between Wilberforce’s ban on the horrific slave trade and the complete protection against slavery he and his colleagues finally achieved. We’ve cut abortions substantially in the U.S. We’re sensitizing a nation to the suffering abortion causes unborn babies and their mothers. We’re moving the culture in our direction.
Just as Wilberforce couldn’t possibly give up after his first major victories, we can’t possibly give up now. Please consider how you can help this great movement for the rights of the unborn. Contact us to get involved. Join a chapter of Right to Life. Donate so we have the materials and resources needed to save lives, and as Wilberforce did . . . to change a culture.
One person can make an enormous difference! On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, let that person be you!
If you can volunteer to help the Right to Life cause or join a local chapter, please email National Right to Life’s State Organizational Development Department with a brief note, including your contact information, at [email protected].
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!
We have many more volunteers than the pro-abortion side – you can imagine it’s not so easy for them to get volunteers for the kind of work they do and what they support! But they massively outspend us – because they get huge corporate, foundation, and government grants that we simply don’t receive.
That’s why we need your help. People Power is our great advantage – that and knowing we fight for a just and selfless cause. Think how much we can do – and how many more lives we can save – with your sacrificial support.
LifeNews Note: Carol Tobias is the president of the National Right to Life Committee.
