It seemed prophetic that his words of encouragement came a mere 24 hours prior to Colorado for Equal Rights’ victorious announcement that, contrary to what the naysayers had opined for months, they delivered 131,243 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State. That's nearly double what they needed to put the personhood language on the ballot this November.
Yes, I said nearly double! And now the work must begin in earnest, for the next phase in their struggle is the most difficult and at the same time, the most rewarding – teaching a majority of Colorado voters that every single human being is a person from the moment of creation and deserves protection under the law and in the culture.
And as Kristi Burton and Keith Mason pointed out during a simulcast last evening, Colorado was the first state to decriminalize abortion and it will now be the first state to undo the tragedy by declaring personhood for every innocent human being from the instant his life begins.
In commenting on the victory I said:
We realize that the real struggle in Colorado is just beginning and we hope to be able to assist in educating the public in that state and around the nation, regarding the definition of personhood and the real existence of the human being from the point his life begins regardless of the method of reproduction.
This is going to require repetition of the most basic pro-life arguments in ways that negate the deceptive rhetoric of those who oppose human dignity for every human being. For example, pro-abortion columnist Wendy Norris described pro-life leaders in her blog as "egg-as-person" backers.
She arbitrarily denies the fact that at the instant the human egg joins with the human sperm, a unique individual results, a human being whose DNA is already present at that single cell stage, a person in possession of every quality he requires to establish his personal identity.
By using the word "egg" instead of the proper scientific terms, Norris is hoping, as are all of her cohorts, to confuse the public and thus deny victory to the babies.
This sort of rhetoric – egg vs. human being – is going to drive the pro-abortion effort to derail the personhood effort in Colorado. They will use every trick in the book, as they have been doing for more than 35 years, to assert that abortion is a "human right" and that nobody dies as a result.
This means that pro-lifers are going to have to become experts in human embryology and in the apologetics that is necessary to defend each and every human being without exception. And that is where the Holy Father’s encouragement to "be not afraid" will play a pivotal role.
The fundamental tools in the Colorado struggle are going to be basic fact and common sense. And the place to start is with the simple yet profound article, "When do human beings (normally) begin?" by Professor Dianne Irving.
In that single article Professor Irving deconstructs every lie the pro-death forces have attempted to foist onto the public and into the laws in their quest to deny personhood. For as Dr. Irving writes:
This new single-cell human being immediately produces specifically human proteins and enzymes (not carrot or frog enzymes and proteins) and genetically directs his/her own growth and development. (In fact, this genetic growth and development has been proven not to be directed by the mother.) Finally, this new human being – the single-cell human zygote – is biologically an individual, a living organism – an individual member of the human species.
This is but one of the basic facts of science that has been denied by the forces behind the drive to dehumanize the most defenseless in our midst. The facts are simple; sharing them with those who have brainwashed by the culture of death for the past 35 years is the hard part!
American Life League stands ready to assist in the massive educational program that is needed in Colorado and we ask you to support the leadership of Colorado for Equal Rights with your prayers, your volunteer efforts if you are able and your finances. Don't let this historic opportunity slip away. The entire history of the way America deals with aborting children changed yesterday; let us strive to make that change a turn toward restoring the culture of life!
Do not be afraid!