Fr. Michael Reilly
Monday, April 22, 2002

Nearly two years ago to the day, deafening applause thundered throughout St. Patrick's Cathedral as more than 2,000 devoted Catholics buried their beloved John Cardinal O'Connor. It was Bernard Cardinal Law of Boston who hurled the final lightning bolt from the pulpit of St. Patrick's on behalf of his good friend John O'Connor.

"The Catholic Church is unequivocally pro-life," he defiantly proclaimed. Then it began. To the horror of the Clintons and the other pro-abortion politicians, the entire congregation sprang up from the pews and applauded mercilessly and unabatingly. In the midst of this, they desperately hoped that this ovation would end, but it did not. It continued for several minutes, a veritable eternity for an image-conscious politician.

The liberals have never forgiven Cardinal Law for this insult. I cannot help but think that there is some element of payback at work in the media assault against the Catholic Church in general and Cardinal Law in particular. I am not passing off legitimate problems in the Church as mere media bias, but I am questioning the media's motives.

The Catholic Church is public enemy No. 1 to the abortion industry, something which makes this priest proud to don a Roman collar. In my opinion, the wholesale slaughter of innocent babies is nothing short of demonic.

Modern advances in embryology clearly establish that we are dealing with human life in the womb. Even in 1967, Planned Parenthood acknowledged, "Abortion kills the life of the baby after it has begun."

This sets the stage for the real struggle. The Catholic Church teaches that the right to life of the unborn baby depends upon what it is: a human being created in the image and likeness of Almighty God. Therefore, one may never directly, deliberately and intentionally abort a baby.

In contrast, American law dictates that the right to life of the unborn baby depends upon the choice of its mother. It makes no difference why she chooses to abort – it is simply her right.

A recent survey of 1,900 women who had abortions revealed that:

• 16 percent had abortions because they were concerned about how a child would change their lives.
• 21 percent were not ready for the responsibility.
• 21 percent could not afford the baby.
• 11 percent felt that they were not mature enough.
• 8 percent had all the children they wanted.
• 4 percent listed other reasons.
• 3 percent indicated the health of the mother.
• 3 percent indicated the health of the baby.
• 1 percent cited rape or incest..

My question is, if the right to life of the unborn baby depends upon the mother's whim, what about the life of a newborn baby? Or a handicapped baby? Or an elderly woman?

Ultimately, we must face facts. Abortion providers make millions of dollars in a virtually unregulated industry. Abortion clinics target poor, minority girls for pregnancy and abortion and collect money from states that pay for these abortions to the tune of millions of dollars each year.

Unfortunately, however, the cost is not measured in mere dollars and cents; there is a great human cost.

Once we devalue one human life, we devalue all human life. Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae in 1968 predicted this development. He argued that the widespread use of artificial contraception would lead to more abortions.

Once man arrogates to himself the right to determine whether life can begin (contraception), it will become easy for man to arrogate to himself the right to determine whether life should continue once it has begun.

Thus we have opened the door to abortion, euthanasia, infanticide and a host of other crimes against the dignity of the human person.

Contraception and abortion have opened the legendary Pandora's box. Enlightened man will sit in judgment on the value of each and every human life as we contemplate "ending the suffering" of the handicapped, the elderly and the ill.

As scientists are pondering cloning human beings for "spare parts," can we really doubt that there is something seriously wrong?

Since Sept. 11, "God Bless America" has become a very popular song. I wonder how God can bless America when we sanction the murder of 1.5 million of His precious children each year, offering them up on an altar to a god called choice.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Catholic Scandal
Media Bias

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