By Judie Brown
One of the most insightful comments we have seen in a long time came from an Ohio pro-life activist regarding a recent legislative proposal to criminalize abortion and in vitro fertilization and that would “overturn a state constitution amendment voters passed less than two years ago” that enshrined the “right” to abortion into the state’s constitution. Austin Beigel of End Abortion Ohio explained that the proposal simply identifies the preborn child as a human being under the law and that it “will go against the will of the voters and the will of the voters was evil.”
Yes, the will of the voters was evil. And those opposed to this proposal are adamant in their stance. As the media reported, “Noting the celebration of Juneteenth and Black emancipation, they say the use of the 14th Amendment to try to exert state control over individual freedom and bodily autonomy is vile.”
Vile, an anagram of the word evil, accurately describes those who have supplanted nature’s truth with their personal version of individual freedom and bodily autonomy. This is exactly what Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen meant when he said, “The egocentric is always frustrated, simply because the condition of self-perfection is self-surrender. There must be a willingness to die to the lower part of self, before there can be a birth to the nobler.”
The person who surrenders herself to the Lord is never frustrated, angry, or otherwise incensed by the appearance of truth. In fact, truth is a cornerstone of our lives. On the other hand, it is the person who deems herself to be lord that has contemptible responses when truth appears, regardless of the form it takes.
It requires courage to be brutally honest, as the governor of Nevada realizes. Like the brave lawmakers of Ohio, Governor Joe Lombardo, who is not pro-life, vetoed a bill that according to LifeSiteNews would “open up government entities and private organizations to lawsuits [and] ignores the basic humanity of human embryos.”
A June 10 letter to the governor signed by a group of pro-family organizations stated that “the bill would fabricate a statutory right to in-vitro fertilization in Nevada.” Opponents to the bill include Reno bishop Daniel Mueggenborg, Nevada Right to Life, and CatholicVote.
One wonders what the governor might have done if the threat of lawsuits was not a concern. Would his pro-abortion position have changed his action? While we cannot know, we are certainly grateful for his veto regardless of his reasoning.
The reality of who resides in the sanctuary of her mother’s body should not depend on politics, rhetoric, the threat of lawsuits, or personal opinion. Science makes the truth of the human being from his or her first cell an undeniable reality.
When cutting edge surgery to treat the preborn child prior to her birth is possible, how could anyone want to kill that very same person for any reason? It truly boggles the mind!
The clash of preborn human rights versus born human rights continues to result in suffering and death for the innocent. It is perhaps one of the most urgent reasons for us to pray for and work toward a rebirth of Christian principles.
As we ponder these recent events, let us recall the profound words of Saint Ignatius Loyola, who wrote, “If God causes you to suffer much it is a sign that He has great designs for you and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.”
That charity of which the great saint writes is what we need today. Our Lord’s “sacrifice of boundless charity” will quell the rising darkness of our age.