By Judie Brown
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “As creator and Lord, God is the norm of all truth. Human speech is either in accord with or in opposition to God who is Truth itself.”
Words do have consequences, whether spoken by pro-life or anti-life persons or pro-abortion or pro-honesty persons. In other words, what one says can at times actually contradict what one means and vice versa.
Columnist Mary Ziegler, writing about the abortion pill mifepristone and the pro-life movement’s convictions about what Trump might do about it, says:
Forcing patients to clear more hurdles before receiving abortion pills might discourage some from going through with abortion, but it’s unlikely to build support for what have always been unpopular bans or for the idea of constitutional fetal rights.
However triumphant the anti-abortion movement might be feeling in this moment, there’s little chance for abortion opponents to make further progress unless they can convince Americans that abortion pills are wrong. For a large majority [of] Americans, that is likely a bridge too far.
Her words may seem severe, perhaps misguided, but they draw our attention to the facts that nobody likes to admit: Moving toward a nation that has freed itself from killing the preborn requires brutal honesty rather than platitudes.
For example, it has been said that in his new role with the Trump administration, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may set up a conflict between the Food and Drug Administration and big pharma. But the truth of the matter is, as Kennedy has said himself, he will follow the policy positions of the president.
Could this mean an end to the availability of the abortion pill? Probably not.
Kennedy suggested that he will study the safety of the abortion pill. But as we said, words have consequences, and in Kennedy’s case, he has already arrived at that bridge too far. He appears unaware that the Food and Drug Administration has already linked the pill to the deaths of some women and to serious complications for more than a few users of the pill in question. But Kennedy has also said that the president has yet to take a position on the pill.
Ah! There it is for one and all to see, hear, and comprehend. There is a disconnect between the words and the actions of not only these two men but of so many others. Countless studies and eyewitness reports, not to mention scientific facts, do not alter one’s position if their agenda disallows them. The truth for politicians, including Trump and Kennedy, does not reside in facts but in the poll results that in the game of politics are the only numbers that matter.
The irrevocable truth in this case is that when a preborn child’s life is at risk or his mother’s health is on the abortion chemical chopping block, the only response is to ban the practice. The side effects of these practices are life-altering, regardless of what the media or many alternative outlets report.
Telling the truth requires integrity, which brings us to another Catholic perspective:
We detest phoniness, hypocrisy, duplicity, double-dealing, and disingenuousness. We admire integrity, though we know that it often comes at a high price. . . . Politics is another area that poses a formidable challenge to anyone who wants to retain his integrity. On the abortion issue, for example, one commonly hears about politicians who are privately opposed but publicly in favor of it.
Our individual quest to maintain personal integrity is the struggle that defines who we are, how much we love the irrevocable truth, and to what lengths we are willing to travel to ensure that this truth is known. It is not up to us to see to it that others embrace that truth; it is only our obligation to share it.
Saint Paul underscores this in 2 Timothy 4:2-5, writing:
Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
The irrevocable truth is the gift God has given us to serve as our protection and inspire our mission as His children. Let us go out and proclaim it.