The Right to Life of Unborn Children is Now the Biggest Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time

Opinion   |   Maria Gallagher   |   Jan 20, 2020   |   8:12PM   |   Washington, DC

When I think about leaders who have truly inspired me, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tops the list.

As a child, I was fascinated at how he had led America from the darkness and despair of segregation to the light of inclusion and solidarity. He rescued us from a painful past to help deliver us to a future of greater opportunity and hope for some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

Consequently, the late champion of civil rights can also be a beacon of enlightenment for us today—especially with regards to the civil rights struggle of this century: the campaign for equality for those inside their mothers’ wombs.

I am often reminded of King’s quote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The injustice of babies being slaughtered in the womb has led to a number of other threats to innocent human life—chief among them, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

If we cannot protect a vulnerable child, how can a frail elderly great-grandmother expect protection? If we cannot acknowledge the dignity and inestimable worth of a preborn baby, how can we expect anyone’s life to be afforded the respect he or she deserves?

Keep up with the latest pro-life news and information on Twitter.

Thankfully, the pro-life movement stands ever ready to assist both the pregnant woman and the baby she carries…the person with disabilities…and the older American struggling with illness.

And that reminds me of another King quotation: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

The pro-life movement is a movement powered by love and light. We offer caring, compassionate solutions to those living in the darkest of times. We shower love upon people at their most vulnerable states. And we provide the hope that the pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia forces do not.

And that brings me to yet another King quote: “The time is always right to do what is right.” 2020 is the perfect time to become even more engaged in the pro-life movement…to work even harder and smarter for those who are counting on us for their very lives.

Following in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Jr., we can achieve the dream that every person is cherished and valued under the law, and in our hearts. In the end, history will judge us by how we treated those in the shadows of society, and in the hiddenness of their mothers’ wombs. The injustices of abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide will not stand, but will crumble under the weight of their own folly.