By Judie Brown
How do we define the word crime? Perhaps the most logical place to look for the answer is in the dictionary, which gives two distinct definitions: 1) “an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government; especially: a gross violation of law” and 2) “a grave offense especially against morality.”
Keeping these definitions in mind, it would seem that abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and other assaults on human dignity are not crimes according to the first definition. But if we focus upon the second, they are all crimes. And, for those of us who understand that all human beings—born and preborn—are made in the image and likeness of God, it is the second definition that we must adhere to.
Regardless of what our current culture teaches about this disparity, we must make every effort to focus attention on the humanity and dignity of the human person at every stage of his development—from day one until death. Unfortunately, the majority of folks do not agree. If they did, we would not read that “a secular pregnancy center must be forced to comply with the Obamacare mandate that forces organizations to pay for drugs that cause abortions.” Instead, the government and its judges would issue their rulings based on the natural law rather than on man’s inane idea that abortion does not kill a human being.
At this point in time, the government and its laws do not protect the innocent but rather the perpetrators of crimes against humanity.
Just this past week we saw an example of this when it became necessary for attorneys for investigative reporter David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress to act. The attorneys “filed their petition for a writ of certiorari at the United States Supreme Court, appealing the unconstitutional gag order issued by San Francisco judge William Orrick III against the publication of undercover footage of top-level Planned Parenthood leadership at the National Abortion Federation’s annual trade shows.” In other words, Planned Parenthood and its allies are protected by government laws, while those who expose their gruesome business of selling aborted baby body parts are criminals! This situation represents the great divide in our nation right now, and it makes no sense at all.
When we think about our role as David and the government as Goliath from the biblical story told in the first book of Samuel, these crimes may mirror this story and seem insurmountable. But remember how that ended: “David triumphed over the Philistine with sling and stone; he struck the Philistine dead, and did it without a sword in his hand.” God stood with David, and David was victorious. And so too shall we be as we strive to free ourselves from crimes against God’s innocent children. We must remember the prophetic words of St. John Paul II when he stated that the commandments of God “are the first necessary step on the journey towards freedom, its starting-point. ‘The beginning of freedom’, Saint Augustine writes, ‘is to be free from crimes . . . such as murder, adultery, fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so forth. When once one is without these crimes (and every Christian should be without them), one begins to lift up one’s head towards freedom.’”
Freedom from crimes in our day and age requires heroic virtue and persistence. We must be these heroes to our families, to our friends, to our neighbors, and to strangers on the street, and persist in teaching the sacredness of all human beings. This is not an easy task, but with education and training, we can do it. And ALL has the tools to help you, for we understand what is at stake. That is why we have spent the last 38 years developing and sharing the best in pro-life educational materials.
If you want to effect change, you must be proactive. Teach your children with resources from American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program. We have a vast array of printed and downloadable lessons for the young people in your lives.
As your children grow into young adults, help them become involved in this fight and teach others that all human beings are sacred gifts from God.
Live this heroic life in an active pursuit of an end to Planned Parenthood’s reign of terror. American Life League’s Stop Planned Parenthood newsletters and reports are valuable in this quest.
When we all dedicate ourselves to achieving freedom from crimes for each and every one of God’s children, we will one day see a time when abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and others are truly crimes against humanity. On this day, the smaller David will be triumphant once more.
image: Cinty Ionescu via Flickr