First They Came for the Babies
 
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, 
a prophet to the nations I appointed you. 
-- Jer 1:5
 

How did we get from telling the public that a fetus is a “clump of cells” to a Governor who was raised Catholic celebrating that women can now abort their baby for virtually any reason right up until she gives birth, in 50 years? 

I was a teenager in the 70’s after the “Summer of Love” had been replaced by the “Endless Summer of Narcissism.” Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973 and abortion was a hot topic in the culture at the time. Young women were instructed by the left-leaning culture that an unwanted fetus is not a baby, that women have the “right” to decide what happens to “their” body, that the world is overpopulated therefore it is selfish to reproduce, that marriage was created by the “patriarchy” to keep women bound to home and family, and my favorite -- “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” (There were actually bumper stickers with that absurd slogan!)

 
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
-- Psalm 139:13-16
 

 Fast forward 50 years and just about every American couple has access to ultrasound images of their developing baby, which they can see is pretty clearly not simply a bunch of cells which could be removed with the same amount of angst as getting rid of a tumor. I understand how someone not yet ready to be a parent could choose to remove what they are told by medical experts, Health teachers, and Cosmo Magazine is a blob of cells in their own body. But humans have always had access to Natural Law, which means what we can discern right from wrong using our senses, including common sense. So it’s not surprising that many of those women who had early term abortions in those days, later regretted having them.

What I do struggle to understand is how our culture has evolved into one in which we can see that a fetus is a baby with its own DNA, soul and future, and can then be among those in the crowd cheering with Governor Cuomo when he proclaimed, “The Reproductive Health Act is a historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values…. I am directing that New York's landmarks be lit in pink to celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow.”

Many on the left claim that they are only talking about aborting babies who wouldn’t live long outside the womb. But the facts are that women can abort a baby up to birth for virtually any reason. Why more people of all (or no) religious beliefs aren’t shocked and sickened by this is important to understand.

For one thing, without a God who created human life in His image, the idea of a new baby is no longer seen as miraculous or precious. It’s a slippery slope to the perception that an unborn baby is part of a woman’s body without the right to its own life. Secular culture sees pregnancy and birth as a health issue, with medical staff as the arbiters of life and death.

It’s also possible that the narcissism of our times is so prominent that young people are willing to deny the reality of abortion in order to maintain their current lifestyle. Or to avoid the embarrassment of pregnancy even if an adoptive parent does the heavy lifting for the next 18 or 21 years. One of the symptoms of narcissism is a lack of empathy, but is that enough of a reason to deny that they are carrying a human baby who is totally dependent on them to survive? 

I used to teach parenting classes and much of my work revolved around educating new parents that their child(ren) needed them around. I would point out that the child they place in daycare at 8 weeks old is the same person who will someday choose their nursing home. So they would do well to bond with, and be present to, their child. 

If I still were teaching now, I’d have to say that when your productive days are over, your child may be the one to choose to pull the plug. When a culture doesn’t respect the dignity of life at the beginning, it will not do so at the end. In parts of Europe, some disabled babies are killed after they are already born. And the Charlie Gard case was an example of a death panel that overruled the parents’ right to decide on care for their child.

But something is still missing from this equation. How do grown men and women deny that abortion is ending an innocent life, or deny that adoption is the obvious solution, now that we can literally see that the fetus is about to become a human baby? Women are built with instincts and hormones designed to protect their young. So something serious is afoot to override that mama-bear drive. 

 
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
-- John 8:44
 

I suggest that the missing piece of this dark puzzle is darkness itself. If you believe in the Devil, which is a dogma of the Church, you can imagine him standing beside Gov. Cuomo, celebrating that abortion is now increasingly legal and more guilt-free than ever in our culture. The Father of Lies does everything he can to distort truth, steal souls, and ruin lives. But I wonder if even Satan himself was surprised at how quickly we went from valuing unborn babies to contemplating murdering them after they were born.

I’m not sure we can reverse the trend to devalue the sanctity of innocent life. If there is hope to do so, it will be because parents and priests, teachers and mentors catechize young people in the truth that we are all made in the image of God. And as crazy as it seems to have to write these words, we need to teach them that we are to care for babies, not kill them. 

 
~~~~~
Resources for those unsure about the morality of abortion, and to share if you know someone contemplating aborting their baby:
 

• Prager University on abortion
• Ben Shapiro on abortion
• YourOptions.com is a great resource for women who may be experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and also for their friends and family. The website provides all the facts to abortion, adoption, parenting and the morning after pill.  Within the website you can also find local resources that can help with an unplanned pregnancy.
• National Council for Adoption has resources for expectant parents who are unintentionally expecting. 
• Online for Life reaches at-risk women and men in their deepest time of need and introduce them to local life-affirming organizations where love and information can be shared in a compassionate, nonjudgmental way.

The Greatest Generation’s Fatal Flaw
By Leslie Godwin
 
Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.-- Deut 32:7

 
The Greatest Generation, a term coined by Tom Brokaw and the title of his book, grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WWII. I have sincere admiration for the brave men who saved Western Civilization from fascism at great personal cost, even death. And the women who held family life together back home were incredibly tough and worthy of our gratitude. In fact, our culture would be closer to what our founding fathers envisioned if we were more like the Greatest Generation -- self-reliant, brave, and humble. 
 
However, the Greatest Generation had a fatal flaw that I believe serves as a cautionary tale for all parents or those mentoring young people. The Greatest Generation did not pass along their values to their children -- the Baby Boomers -- who proceeded to deconstruct the very culture their brave and honorable parents fought to protect. 
 
It’s inconceivable that those who risked or lost their lives in WWII would have done so in order that their grandchildren would not be confined to identifying with their biological sex. As of January 1st, 2019, New Yorkers can select “X” as their baby’s (or their own) sex, in what amounts to severe child abuse or neglect. Imagine a child being told by their own parents that they are not sure with which gender they will identify. They’ll just have to figure this out for themselves.
 

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; 
male and female he created them.--Gen 1:27

 
As someone whose parents felt it best for me to figure out which religion I might eventually identify with, if I didn’t follow their lead as atheists, I can tell you that it is not as helpful as it sounds to let your child grow up without any faith or relationship to God so they can have the “freedom” to choose their own as an adult. The idea of a child growing up without identifying as their biological sex is crazy and harmful, and it is a terrible thing that the progressives have been allowed to normalize this foolish idea to validate their radical views on the subject. 
 
If God created us in His image, and as man and woman, we lose our dignity as humans when we destroy this bond to God and to His will for us. The Greatest Generation, who were mostly believing Christians, didn’t suffer for their grandchildren to be brought up without knowing what it is to be a man or a woman, without the goal of marrying and raising a family, and without understanding they were created by God in His image and likeness.
 
I also don’t believe that the Greatest Generation would have sacrificed everything so that future generations could have safe spaces on university campuses to keep them from being overwhelmed with anxiety when faced with ideas that make them uncomfortable. Frank Furedi, author of “What’s Happened to the University,” contributed an editorial to the Los Angeles Times. He writes, “For some individuals, the attraction of a safe space is that it insulates them from not just hostility, but the views of people who are not like them. Students' frequent demand for protection from uncomfortable ideas on campus — such as so-called trigger warnings — is now paralleled by calls to be physically separated too. Groups contend that their well-being depends on living with their own kind.”
 
If those who epitomized selflessness, faithfulness, and staying calm and carrying on could raise children who epitomize self-centeredness and narcissism, it tells us that each generation must consciously pass along their values. Doing so by example apparently isn’t enough. We must do this using logical and compelling arguments. We need to catechize the next generation to know our faith as well as our secular values, and to be able to defend both when challenged.
 

One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.-- Psalm 145:3-4

 
There are many resources for clarifying and defending your values. Some of my favorite Catholic apologetic resources include this website, Word On Fire including Bishop Barron’s new Word on Fire Institute, and EWTN’s “Called to Communion” and other shows that explain why Catholics believe the Church’s teachings. There are also quite a few resources for defending our Judeo-Christian culture. Dennis Prager has a syndicated radio show that I credit with changing my beliefs from being illogical and feelings-based, to conservative and rational. Prager has written many helpful books and is currently writing a series about the first five books of the Old Testament called the “Rational Bible.” The Daily Wire also has thoughtful conservatives* that are active online and often debate those on the far left, providing satisfying answers to challenges our children will have to confront. 
 
Once you realize that your values will almost certainly end with your death, you can take measures to prevent that from happening. Approach teaching your children your values in the way that makes sense to you and your spouse and fits your children’s needs. But don’t assume they are absorbing your values in the air they breathe at home in a way that will sustain them for a lifetime. They will soon be on their own, challenged by those peers, professors and the media who do not share your values. Make sure they know why you believe what you do, help them think through their own thoughts and feelings, and give them the ability to make a logical and compelling argument to defend these religious and secular values. 
 
We may never be called to be as brave or selfless as the Greatest Generation, but we can improve on their legacy in one area. We can teach our children why we believe as we do, and how to defend those beliefs in a world that is hostile to Christianity and Truth. 
 
*I assume many readers are conservative because the Catholic Faith is itself literally conservative -- our mission is to preserve the Deposit of Faith so that all generations have access to the Truth that Christ Himself taught His Apostles and commanded them to share with the world (Mt 28:16-20). Similarly, American conservatives wish to preserve the values of the Founding Fathers. In other countries, this can be taken to mean a desire to preserve Judeo-Christian values.

How Can We Evangelize the World if
We Are Afraid to Wish Others "Merry Christmas"?

By Leslie Godwin