Honorable Mention: Mary Crosby
God’s Gift
On Tuesdays, my family and I try to schedule our events so that we can go to our local Planned Parenthood. Each time we go, we pray different prayers, including the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, outside the building as cars drive by. One thing I notice when I go there is how people respond to us. Some people give us a thumbs up, others wave, and most don’t respond at all. But each day we go, I also see people yell at us, shout bad words, or turn away. Each time I see these people, I always wonder why they don’t want to admit that these innocent babies are alive.
I believe all people—whether preborn babies, children, or adults—have the right to life. I hope to sum up why I believe this in three points: The Visitation, abortion’s impact, and how we can help.
In Luke’s gospel, it tells of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, often referred to as the Visitation. When Mary reaches Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth’s preborn baby, John, leapt in her womb. Why? It was in recognition and praise! John leapt because he recognized his Savior—the one who would save him from his sins. He was absolutely happy, and he wanted to share his joy with others. He was so full of happiness that he jumped for joy! John experienced the feeling of joy, just like all living people feel it. Though not yet born, John was able to adore his Savior.
Abortion has made a huge impact on people. Abortion not only takes a life, but it also deprives the world of joy. Like John wanting to spread his immense joy to others, babies bring happiness into the world. When we look at a baby, we can’t help but smile. This tiny human is just like a big, joyful present from God. And now, with abortion, people wish to destroy this wonderful child before he can even enter the world. A preborn child is a living creature. Some people choose to believe abortion is okay because they think preborn babies aren’t alive. But they are. Abortion is taking the life of a person who can’t defend himself. It is murder, but people think it’s fine because they can’t see the person they are killing. Abortion deprives the world of a gift and a child of his life.
So, how can we help? We can help by praying for an end to abortion and by building a culture of life. A culture of life is defined as a society “where every human life is recognized as a sacred gift from God and worthy of protection and care from the moment of conception until the time of its natural end.”1 Because life is important, we have laws that say murder is wrong, and people who kill another person will be punished. This is because every living being belongs to God because He is the creator of life. So, when someone takes another’s life, he has not only ended the life of another, but has also destroyed what belongs to God alone: His creation. Life is beautiful, yet people are choosing to be rid of it because they decide they can make the choice of who lives or not. But choosing to take someone’s life was never a choice given to us as human beings. We can help end abortion by explaining to others that these aborted babies are just like we are. They have emotions just like John the Baptist. They can feel love before birth. Killing these babies is murder. Speaking to others about how these children are living human beings strengthens our culture of life. Together, by teaching others about how abortion is wrong through a culture of life, we can change the world. We can save God’s creation.
We have explored how abortion is wrong and why we need to change it through the Visitation, abortion’s impact, and how we can help. I hope that through these points I have summed up why I believe all people—whether preborn babies, children, or adults—have the right to life. Human life is precious. Without the gift of children, our world simply cannot continue. Mother Teresa once said, “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” People who abort babies feel like this one life won’t make a difference. But every life makes a difference, just like each drop in the ocean. We as a nation need to take action to stop abortion because, if we don’t protect God’s gift of life, who will?