Taking a stand for life, staying committed

A recent column in my local newspaper had the headline: “Having an opinion or taking a stand?” While the author was writing on a topic other than abortion, his ideas are easily transported to our issues of life.

Throughout our daily life we run across people who have lots of opinions on lots of matters and are willing to share those opinions whether asked or not. Upon discussion, often we find that the opinions expressed are without much factual foundation. We also find upon discussion, that often the opinions are swayed by whatever is popular or politically correct at the moment. If there is any issue that encourages a raft of opinions with facts, then certainly it is the abortion issue.

Prolife volunteers, instead of just spouting baseless opinions, have chosen to take a stand. Taking a stand for life means making a commitment, rather than just having an opinion. Taking a stand means devoting the time to become educated on the life issues so that an educated stance can be spread to others. Taking a stand on this controversial abortion issue means being willing to risk friendships, risk job advancements, and risk ridicule. Prolifers have made the decision that standing up for the unborn who have no voice is worth the potential loss of influence or material wealth.

This season of Christmas reminds us that one of the precepts of Christianity is to love your neighbor as yourself. Standing strongly for the unborn child and helping the women who are struggling to accept motherhood and their child certainly is a mark of commitment for prolifers. But this season of so many blessings is also a time for us to remember that those who battle to preserve legal abortion may someday change their opinions and join us in seeing the value of life from the very beginning. We have seen leaders of the proabortion movement be moved to the prolife movement through acts of love and examples of idealistic sacrifice. To name only two: Bernard Nathanson and Norma McCorvey (the Roe of the 1973 abortion decisions). Both of these icons of the proabortion movement now publicly stand opposed to abortion.

We all know others, whether friends or family, that have moved from being “personally pro-choice” to “personally opposed to abortion” to finally realizing the need to take a strong committed stand against abortion. Our job is to reach out to our fellow citizens with the truth and allow them the time to stand with us to defend our great constitutional and natural right to life.

I thank you for going beyond just having just an opinion into actions and commitment of standing strong for the value of innocent life.