President's Message: Serving to Aid Unborn Children

Did you see the headline “Nobel Prize Winner Says Abortion Hurts Women and Children” in your daily newspaper? I’d be surprised if anyone did, although it would be a headline introducing a true story.

Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan deputy minister of the environment, was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work to protect the environment and human rights. In an interview with a Norwegian newspaper she said that both unborn children and their mothers are victimized by abortion.

Maathai stated, “Both are victims....When we allow abortion, are we punishing the women who must abort their children because their men have run away, and are we punishing the children whose life is terminated? But it is because we are not willing to put men where they should be, and that is taking up the responsibility.”

She went on to ask the questions, “What do we need to do as a society? What are we not doing right now as a society?”

Here in our state we have worked hard over the past 32 years to provide answers to those questions. We have worked through a variety of avenues to find and promote positive life-saving alternatives to the death and destruction offered by abortion.

William Saletan, an abortion promoter, in his book “Bearing Right,” recognizes the efforts that we have made in Michigan. In describing how prolife groups have attempted to reduce the number of abortions by legislative efforts, he described the Medicaid abortion funding battles we had in Michigan in the 1980s.

Saletan writes, “ In 1987 a coalition led by Right to Life of Michigan, the smartest pro-life organization test in the country, decided to circumvent Governor Blanchard.” He then goes on to describe our successful petition drive and then the 1988 referendum.

I don’t know if we are the smartest prolife organization in the country, but I do know that we have been able to accomplish great things and have saved thousands of lives through our combined efforts. I often hear Right to Life of Michigan praised and mentioned as a model state organization. And then I’m asked to account for our success.

In answering, I know that we have dedicated, prayerful and selfless volunteers. We have a dedicated, experienced and service-orientated staff. We have been able to keep focused on our mission; we have been able to establish long term and short term goals in a plan of action. We have not allowed ourselves to be diverted into other causes, even very worthwhile causes. Whether our affiliate leaders are from Engadine or from Warren, they see the importance of the whole and putting our combined, agreed upon goals and objectives foremost. We have realized the importance and necessity of Speaking With One Voice as we face strong forces who promote the abortion policy of death.

Throughout 2005 may we strive to live up to the claims of men like William Saletan, not for ourselves but for those we serve, unborn children and others threatened by a culture that promotes killing as a solution to our social problems.

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