Father Frank PavoneThe battle over abortion in our nation has been marked by two major films that can help all of us wrestle with a seemingly intractable issue.
As I wrote in the Foreword to the book Unplanned, on which the upcoming movie Unplanned is based, the story of the conversion of Abby Johnson from Planned Parenthood clinic director to pro-life advocate is actually the story of hundreds of people throughout our country who are leaving the abortion industry each day, and have been doing so for decades.
For many, it is a breath of fresh air to see Archbishop Joseph Naumann, the Archbishop of Kansas City, who also is Chairman of the US Bishops’ Committee for Pro-life Activities, write the following words just a matter of days ago:
As the renewed debate over late-term abortion continues to rage across the country, the other side apparently has not renewed its talking points. Just as Hillary Clinton said in the third debate with Donald Trump in 2016, so the abortion advocates in the current debate try to make people think that late term abortions are happening only because of medical emergencies for the mother or deformities for the child.
Every year since 2007, I have made it a priority to take part in the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. Even though I was in Washington last week for the March for Life, I would never think of missing the West Coast event.
With few exceptions, those who march for life in Washington, DC this Friday are people of faith, and see the pro-life movement not only as a response to Roe vs. Wade, but as a response to Jesus Christ. Their love for the children in the womb is a corollary of the command to love God and neighbor; their advocacy for the unborn is an aspect of their discipleship.
This year, the annual March for Life in Washington DC (Friday, Jan. 18) takes place on the first day of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25).
When people are working together in a common mission, disagreements are unavoidable. Yet what is avoidable is for those disagreements to disintegrate into hostility. A good dose of humility goes a long way, reminding us that we can always learn from one another.
We so often encourage our family and friends to vote and we feel good when they are motivated. But it is not unheard of to get to the election booth only to be met with unfamiliar names on the ballots, and with no idea what those strangers stand for. It is easy to do quick research on federal level candidates, who tend to get a lot more headlines, but local and state representatives are not as easy to come by. Many of us don’t even know who our state reps are. We are often even less prepared to vote for people running in city councils or school board races. Where do you go to find this information? How can we better prepare for the elections to avoid this problem?
