Stepping Out Of The Boat

Real Facts About the Governor’s Abortion Expansion Bill

January 30th, 2013

In support of Governor Cuomo’s abortion expansion plan, known as the “Reproductive Health Act”, his spokesman recently said:

“State law needs to be updated so that it is consistent with federal standards and once and for all makes a woman’s right to choose unassailable in New York state… This is not an expansion of abortion rights. It’s a codification of existing federal law. Any suggestion to the contrary is not only baseless, but a distortion of the facts.”

Perhaps the Governor’s staff needs to do a little legal research before they accuse people of lying about what federal law of abortion actually is. Perhaps then they will understand how extreme the Governor’s Reproductive Health Act is.

Unlike the Governor’s bill, federal law does not consider the right to abortion an unqualified “fundamental right”, on the same legal plane as the right to vote or political speech. Nor does federal law maintain that all regulations of abortion must stand up to the highest standard of review by courts (“compelling state interest/strict scrutiny”). No federal law has ever given permission to non-doctors to perform abortions. No federal law outlaws “discrimination” against abortion in the granting of state licenses, provision of services, etc. No federal law has virtually eliminated basic criminal penalties for involuntary or back-alley abortions.

Yet the Governor’s bill does all that, and more.

If the Governor really wants to codify federal law, perhaps he’ll agree to passing a partial birth abortion ban? Or an unborn victims of violence ban, protecting unborn children from criminal assaults? Or a restriction on taxpayer funding so that abortion on demand is not being subsidized? Or an expansion of conscience protection for health professionals who do not wish to participate in abortions, based on their religious or moral beliefs?

All of those provisions are current federal law. All of those offer a higher level of protection for unborn children, compared to current New York law. All of those, and more, have been enacted by other states, and are supported by wide majorities of Americans — laws requiring parental involvement in abortion decisions by minors, providing support for pregnancy alternatives comparable to that given to abortion clinics, requiring full informed consent (including sonograms) before an abortion, limits on late-term abortions of fully-developed children, bans on sex-selection abortions, etc.

The fact is that all of these reasonable regulations of abortion would be impossible under the Governor’s abortion expansion plan.

The fact is that the Governor’s plan goes far beyond federal law, far beyond common sense, and far beyond what New Yorkers want and need.

Tags: Abortion, Governor Cuomo, Reproductive Health Act
Posted in Abortion, Governor | 3 Comments »

A Tragic Polarization

January 28th, 2013

The annual March for Life was held on Friday, in remembrance of the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. Several hundred thousand people joined in the largest annual civil rights demonstration in America, to witness to the cause of human life and its importance to our society.

After the March, I had the honor of participating in a panel discussion about the pro-life cause at the National Review Institute’s Future of Conservatism Summit. It was a very interesting conversation, covering topics such as health care, pregnancy resource centers, and the cultural and political trends in our nation. (It was broadcast live on CSPAN, and you can watch the video here).

The audience was very appreciative of the panel, and I got a good deal of positive feedback afterwards. That’s encouraging, because there has been a good bit of talk since the election about ejecting pro-lifers from the conservative movement — which I believe would be a disaster for American society.

But the positive reaction of the conservative audience also reinforced in my mind a sad realization: at this point in American history, it is inconceivable that I would be invited to have the same discussion at a conference of political liberals or progressives.

It has been made abundantly clear that pro-lifers are really not welcome any more in the liberal wing of politics or, indeed, in most of the Democratic Party. The platform of the national Democratic Party stated that the party opposed any restrictions on abortion; a prominent leader of the Party in New York has announced that one cannot be a Democrat without being “pro-choice”; and the President ran an aggressively and adamantly pro-abortion political campaign last year. Although there are some notable exceptions, the pro-life Democrat is becoming an endangered species.

This makes no sense to me. Life is not a partisan issue — it is a question of equal justice under the law and fundamental human rights. It is the ultimate issue of defending the little guy — as little a guy as you can get. And traditionally, liberalism/progressivism and the Democratic Party have styled themselves as the defenders of the little guys — workers, immigrants, ethnic minorities. They were the party of Al Smith and Sargent Shriver — two great Catholic gentlemen who were unabashed progressives and Democrats. Even as late as the 1970′s, prominent Democrats like Ted Kennedy and Jesse Jackson were openly pro-life.

I understand how and why this happened — it has a lot to do with the identification of abortion and sexual liberty as the centerpiece of modern feminism. But it has polarized our nation and politics, and it is a disaster for our society.

Last week, the President delivered his inaugural address. In that speech, he spoke about his and his party’s concern for defending human rights by alluding to Seneca Falls (the birthplace of women’s rights), Selma (a crucible for the civil rights movement) and Stonewall (the origin of the “gay rights” cause).

Sadly, he had no time to mention the human rights of the unborn. He could easily have done so, by a simple allusion to the Dred Scott decision, which excluded an entire class of human beings from the protection of the law.

Unfortunately, in our sad polarized politics, the liberal/progressive movement, much of the Democratic Party, and the current Administration believe, as did the misguided Supreme Court in Dred Scott, that unborn children have no rights that are bound to be respected by those lucky enough to have been born.

Tags: Abortion, Politics, Pro-Life
Posted in Abortion, Pro-Life | Comments Off

Sown and Reaped

January 22nd, 2013

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s tragic Roe v. Wade decision. It is a time to reflect on St. Paul’s statement that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7).

If we go back to Pope Paul VI’s great encyclical, Humanae Vitae, he predicted certain consequences if contraception were to become accepted in society: a decline in marital fidelity and general moral standards, loss of respect for women and an increase in the objectification of women, and the dangers inherent in the possession of such a weapon in the hand of unscrupulous governments.

Everything he foresaw about contraception has come true about abortion, and even more — millions of deaths, the corruption of the medical profession, the distortion and politicization of law, and the suffering of millions of women and men who have participated in abortion and carry the grief and guilt with them still.

“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”.

And yet, there have been many good seeds sown over the past four decades. We saw them today, on the streets of New York City.

Cardinal Dolan, assisted by two dozen of his brother priests, offered a beautiful Mass at 7 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a large crowd of early risers. The Mass was followed by a Rosary procession and prayerful witness at an abortion clinic on Second Avenue and Forty-Second Street.

It was an amazing public witness. Just think of it. Three hundred or more people, processing along the streets of Manhattan at rush hour, praying the Rosary. A man carrying a huge rough wooden cross. Sisters of Life, Friars and Sisters of the Renewal, Missionaries of Charity, diocesan and religious priests. Regular men and women. All giving witness to the power of prayer and the dignity of life, on the cold and windy streets of the big city.

My favorite part came while we were crossing the streets. Manhattan drivers — especially the cabbies — are not known for patience, and we only had one police officer to help us. So we were treated to the amazing sight of rush hour traffic being stopped on Lexington Avenue and Forty-Second Street by a Sister of Life, a Franciscan friar, and a couple of intrepid laymen. Surprisingly little honking, though — they must have realized that this was not your usual traffic snarl.

As we walked, people stopped and stared, and some even joined in prayer. A few asked what was going on and, when it was explained, they paused to add their prayers to ours.

The larger meaning of the event, in a sense, was to reinforce St. Paul’s statement — “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”.

Our nation has sown forty years of contraception, abortion, suffering, grief, and death. And we have reaped the dire consequences. But a handful of faithful witnesses continues to sow other seeds — love, compassion, service, courage, and witness.

Those seeds will also be reaped, and they bear fruit, a fruit that brings life and hope and forgiveness.

Tags: Abortion, Discipleship
Posted in Abortion, Discipleship | 1 Comment »

Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Governor’s Radical Abortion Plan

January 16th, 2013

Now it appears that our pro-abortion Governor will be bundling the so-called “Reproductive Health Act” with a number of other “women’s initiatives”, to create an omnibus bill that offers something to everyone. Of course, most of the bill is mere window-dressing for his plan to remove all limits on abortion, and reinforce New York’s lamentable status as the state with the most expansive abortion laws.

The New York State Catholic Conference has put out the Top Ten Reasons to oppose this radical bill. here they are:

10. It moves New York State in the opposite direction of “safe, legal and rare.”
9. It would undermine beneficial maternity and prenatal care programs, which could be deemed “discriminatory” for favoring childbirth over abortion.
8. It could be used to compel Catholic Charities and Catholic schools to counsel and refer for abortion.
7. It could be used to compel all hospitals, even Catholic hospitals, to allow abortions on premises.
6. It makes abortion immune to prudent regulations supported by large majorities of the public: parental notification for minors’ abortions, restrictions on taxpayer funding, informed consent or a waiting period for pregnant women.
5.   By inserting a broad “health” exception into our law, it opens up third-trimester abortions for any reason at all, leading to more late-term abortions of viable, fully formed infants.
4.   By repealing the requirement in current law that only a licensed physician may perform an abortion, it endangers women’s lives.
3.   By tying the abortion expansion plan to helping victims of domestic violence and ending pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, these important objectives are held hostage to an illogical and ideological agenda.
2.   It will not foster women’s health or dignity or promote women’s equality.
1.   It defies common sense because New York is already the abortion capital of the nation, with 33% of pregnancies ending in abortion, over 40% in New York City.

All the state-wide pro-life groups have joined in a new coalition to defeat the bill. We’ve taken the name “New Yorkers for Life”, and have started up a Facebook page and Twitter account. We would like to use these as rally points for pro-lifers, to express their opposition to the bill and to get more information. Please spread the word to everyone you know, encourage people to “Like” the page on Facebook, and share it with their friends and contacts, and to “Follow” it on Twitter.

The New York State Catholic Conference has put up an alert on the bill. Please let others know about this, and urge them to contact their legislators and the Governor.

We already have too many abortions in New York. Enough is enough.

Tags: Abortion, Reproductive Health Act
Posted in Abortion, Governor, Legislation, State Legislature | Comments Off

How Many Abortions are Enough for Governor Cuomo?

January 12th, 2013

111,212

77,327

41%

Those are, in order: the number of abortions that took place in 2010 in New York State, abortions specifically in New York City, and the percentage of pregnancies in the City that end in abortion. Stated in such bald terms, they are appalling, and each one of them represents a tragedy to mothers, fathers, and the unborn children.

We want the number to be zero, of course, but you would think that even for a “pro-choice” politician with any sense of balance and sanity, those numbers would be too high.

Apparently not for for our ideologically committed and politically ambitious Governor Andrew Cuomo. He appears to be fine with even more abortions.

In his State of the State speech last week, the Governor literally shouted his support for a woman’s “right to choose”, and called for the passage of a bill named the “Reproductive Health Act”. The better name for the bill is the “Unlimited Abortion Act”, because it would remove any limitations on abortion, and prevent any further limitations.

This bill has nothing whatsoever to do with reproductive health. It is an extremist bill that would:

Establish the destruction of unborn human beings as a “fundamental right”;

Make it impossible to pass common-sense regulations, like parental notification laws;

Permit non-doctors to perform abortions;

Undermine or eliminate the conscience protections in law that protect religious liberties, under the guise of eliminating “discrimination” against the newly-recognized “fundamental right”;

Require Church-owned hospitals, social service agencies, and schools to promote, perform, or refer for abortions;

Force our schools to help pregnant girls to get an abortion, or risk being sued for “discrimination”;

Endanger the licenses of doctors, nurses, and other professionals if they don’t promote, perform or refer for abortions.

People need to let their elected officials know that we don’t want any more abortions in New York. There are too many already. An easy way to contact your representatives is through the New York State Catholic Conference’s Catholic Action Network.

Pro-abortion politicians used to posture that they wanted abortion to be “safe, legal, and rare”. But our Governor doesn’t even pretend to care any longer about how rare abortion should be. He doesn’t seem to want any limits on it — even laws that have been proven in other states to reduce the number of abortions and that are supported by wide majorities.

How many abortions are enough for our extremist pro-abortion Governor? To even have to ask such a question is the essence of the modern tragedy of the Culture of Death.

Tags: Governor Cuomo, Reproductive Health Act
Posted in Abortion, Governor, Legislation | Comments Off

The Holy Father Gets to the Heart of the Matter

January 4th, 2013

In the comments box of one of my recent posts about the redefinition of marriage, I had an interesting discussion with a homosexual gentleman about the nature of sexuality.

In that discussion, our essential disagreement came down to a fundamental point about what it is to be human. As I framed the question (I’ve cut and pasted from separate comments to boil this down to its clearest expression),

The whole idea of “gender” reflected in your posts is that it’s just a bundle of attributes that are largely socially determined, and that can be revised according to the subjective desires of the individual… Our position rests on the notion that sexual difference can’t be assumed away. The complementary (i.e., different, equal, and necessarily interdependent) nature of male and female sexuality is a constitutive element of what it is to be a human being.

The Holy Father has now addressed this point directly and powerfully, in his annual address to the Curia — what you might call his “State of the Church and the World Address”. His comments, which come in the context of a discussion of the threats to the family, are worth quoting at length (my emphasis is added in bold):

[T]he question of the family is not just about a particular social construct, but about man himself – about what he is and what it takes to be authentically human…

The Chief Rabbi of France, Gilles Bernheim, has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper. While up to now we regarded a false understanding of the nature of human freedom as one cause of the crisis of the family, it is now becoming clear that the very notion of being – of what being human really means – is being called into question. He quotes the famous saying of Simone de Beauvoir: “one is not born a woman, one becomes so” (on ne naît pas femme, on le devient). These words lay the foundation for what is put forward today under the term “gender” as a new philosophy of sexuality. According to this philosophy, sex is no longer a given element of nature, that man has to accept and personally make sense of: it is a social role that we choose for ourselves, while in the past it was chosen for us by society.

The profound falsehood of this theory and of the anthropological revolution contained within it is obvious. People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given by their bodily identity, that serves as a defining element of the human being. They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves. According to the biblical creation account, being created by God as male and female pertains to the essence of the human creature. This duality is an essential aspect of what being human is all about, as ordained by God. This very duality as something previously given is what is now disputed. The words of the creation account: “male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27) no longer apply. No, what applies now is this: it was not God who created them male and female – hitherto society did this, now we decide for ourselves.

Man and woman as created realities, as the nature of the human being, no longer exist. Man calls his nature into question. From now on he is merely spirit and will. The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned. From now on there is only the abstract human being, who chooses for himself what his nature is to be. Man and woman in their created state as complementary versions of what it means to be human are disputed.

But if there is no pre-ordained duality of man and woman in creation, then neither is the family any longer a reality established by creation. Likewise, the child has lost the place he had occupied hitherto and the dignity pertaining to him. Bernheim shows that now, perforce, from being a subject of rights, the child has become an object to which people have a right and which they have a right to obtain. When the freedom to be creative becomes the freedom to create oneself, then necessarily the Maker himself is denied and ultimately man too is stripped of his dignity as a creature of God, as the image of God at the core of his being. The defence of the family is about man himself. And it becomes clear that when God is denied, human dignity also disappears. Whoever defends God is defending man.

The Holy Father thus gets to the precise center of the question — the debate about marriage and family is, at its heart, about the nature of the human person. It is in the end a question about “who created me”. The modernist approach is to create myself in my own image and likeness, making myself into my own little god, answerable to no objective or higher truth. We’ve already seen how that false and destructive approach works (see Genesis 3, and the entire history of the Twentieth Century).

The Holy Father has pointed to us the way out of this problem — to embrace the truth of our nature and the truth of our origin, and to defend the social expressions of those truths in marriage and the family.

Tags: Pope Benedict, Same-Sex "Marriage"
Posted in Catholic Teaching, Marriage, Same-Sex "Marriage" | 13 Comments »

When Words Fail

December 19th, 2012

It is difficult to contemplate, much less comment on, the terrible tragedy of Newtown, Connecticut. At times like these, it is best to offer up our hearts and minds to God in prayer, even when we can’t find adequate words.

May I suggest that people join with my colleagues in the Young Adult Outreach program of the Archdiocese in offering a Spiritual Bouquet for the victims, their families, and loved ones?

Tags: Prayer
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The Advent of our King and the Culture of Life

December 13th, 2012

(Last night, I was given the “Our Lady of Guadalupe Family Life Award” at the annual dinner for the support of the Montfort Academy, the wonderful high school dedicated to classical Catholic education, in full fidelity to the Church. I’d like to share with you the text of my remarks at the award dinner.)

I would like to thank you for inviting me here to this great event, and for giving me such a splendid award. It is especially gratifying to receive an award like this from an institution that is doing so much to build and sustain a Culture of Life. I often think that awards like this reflect more the generosity of the giver, than the merits of the recipient. But I’m very grateful to you, and I’m also most grateful to God for the many opportunities he has given to me, to give witness to the Gospel of Life. All glory to God!

I think it is particularly appropriate that we’re speaking of the Gospel of Life, and our efforts to create a Culture of Life, here in the season of Advent, on this great feast day. We are preparing ourselves for the coming of the Kingdom of God, and the coming of our King — revolutionary events that have changed the world. We are living in anticipation of our salvation, which comes to us through hope (Rom. 8:24) and fills us with great joy.

Of course, when we look around our world, many people are wondering if there is any evidence for that hope, or indeed any hope at all for our world. There is reason for that concern — our society is in the grips of a culture of death, and is very deeply wounded.

We’re all aware of the threats at the beginning of life. Abortion on demand is the law of our land, we’ve seen the re-election of a president who is fully committed to an anti-life agenda, a Supreme Court decision upholding a health care law that institutionalizes abortion, and the spread of the contraceptive mentality that views children not as a gift, but as a threat to be suppressed.

At the end of life, we see continued threats, hidden behind jargon like “quality of life” and “medical futility” or a utilitarian calculation of the allocation of scarce resources.

The family and marriage, are under attack in our courts and legislatures, and we will once again be at the mercy of a Supreme Court decision on such a fundamental issue.

And, we are also aware of those among us who have been wounded — including millions of women and men who suffer in the aftermath of an abortion, as well as the victims of family breakdown.

Our society needs healing from these deep wounds. We are seeking some relief, but it’s very hard to find because we are all too often blinded by our wounds. I am reminded of the poignant World War One painting by John Singer Sargent, called “Gassed”, which shows a line of injured soldiers, blinded by a poison gas attack, stumbling ahead to find a medical station.

From all appearances, the state of our wounded world seems very bleak. And yet, and yet…

We know something that the world does not. We know a truth that the world does not recognize, or has forgotten — a truth about the human person, about human society, and about our relationship with God. We know that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, and that every human person — and human society as a whole — has been sanctified and redeemed by Jesus. This vision is attractive and compelling to people — because it is true.

We understand also that there is a law higher than any human law, a law that demands our obedience because it was written by God into our very nature. This natural law offers us a vision of the common good and justice, that recognizes and defends human dignity, and allows for authentic human development.

In fact, we know that there’s a revolution going on. It’s a revolution of life and love. We know that there is a King whose reign is on the rise. We have a hope that the world can never thwart. And we know that this revolution — and this King — will bring peace and healing to our world.

If we were to rely only on the media, we would be hard pressed to see this. But we can see it, because of our unique perspective. As the Letter to the Hebrews puts it, we are “strangers and exiles” (Heb 11:16), “for here we have no lasting city” (Heb 13:14). Saint Augustine explained that we are citizens of the City of God, but we are still deeply engaged in the City of Man. We may feel that we are in a kind of Babylonian captivity, but we heed the words of God through the Prophet Jeremiah, “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer 29:7).

From this perspective, we can see the revolution of love in so many places:

At the March for Life, with thousands of young people who are unashamed to announce that they are pro-life and proud.

In the movement to embrace and promote chastity, where happy, joyful young people openly live lives of purity and beauty.

In the opinion polls, which show a genuine shift towards pro-life positions.

In legislatures around the nation, passing pro-life laws to protect women and children.

In the explosion of pro-life apostolic work, particularly the assistance given to women in crisis pregnancies, those with adverse pre-natal diagnosis, and those suffering in the aftermath of abortion.

In the growing numbers of pro-life lawyers, doctors, and other professionals, who are making their profession a vocation.

In the dedication to prayer as the heart and soul of all of our efforts.

In the new, openly pro-life religious communities (like the Sisters of Life), which are booming.

In the revitalization of our Church, particularly in the renewal of traditional liturgy and devotions, and a new commitment to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

And, of course, in the enterprise that you are all engaged in — the revival of authentic Catholic education, in all the richness of tradition, which answers the hunger for truth and fosters a love of fidelity.

In all these areas, and in many more, the Culture of Life is being built. We argue, we convince, we give witness, we serve, we share, we suffer with, and we pray. We work for the welfare of this great nation. And we point out to our world the path to the healing it so desperately needs. Of course, this is not easy — it is a struggle, it’s hard work.

This struggle is nothing new. Our revolution began in an ancient society immersed in death and sin, which was yearning for redemption and healing. It started in a small family home in Nazareth, where a young woman said “yes” to that strange and fearful message from an angel. It followed our great King as he healed and preached the truth, as he made his way to Calvary. It burst forth from the empty tomb and caught fire in the upper room. It spread through homes and families across the world, inspiring ordinary people who have struggled with all the difficulties and trials of their own times. It strode bravely into the arena where it shed blood and inspired poetry.

Our revolution has always been opposed by the forces of the world. But through it all, it has brought healing and peace to the suffering of every nation and has boldly held aloft the standard of our King.

That standard has now been passed to us. We may be strangers and exiles in this land, but the battle has been joined — in our families, in our marriages, in our parishes, in our schools, in our communities, in our voting booths, in our legislatures, in our courts. In our hearts.

Advent is here. Our King is at hand. Where else would we rather be, except in this struggle, in this time, at the side of our King, at the side of our Queen?

All glory and honor to our King Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.

Tags: Culture of Life
Posted in Pro-Life, Religion in Public Life | 4 Comments »

The View from Under the Bus

December 3rd, 2012

After the election, we have seen much discussion about why the Republican Party lost the Presidential election and failed to pick up some initially-promising Senate seats. One of the proposals that we hear often is that the GOP should jettison “social conservatives”, or at least declare a “truce” on “social issues” like abortion and the re-definition of marriage.

Far be it from me to give advice to the sage experts who have piloted the GOP to such electoral triumphs. Nor is it my business to get involved in political strategy for a party that I am not even a member of.

The reason I am interested in this question is that we are starting to hear a similar idea from pro-lifers — a sense that the political mission of our movement has either failed, or reached a final impasse, and that we need to re-direct our energies away from the political and public policy arenas, and focus instead on a more cultural approach to defending and promoting life.

I think this is a fundamental mis-diagnosis of the current state of things in our nation, and it falsely sets up an unnecessary either/or, zero-sum choice.

The current state of the pro-life movement’s political and public policy status depends on where you are standing. Obviously, things may seem quite bleak in a place like New York City, which is essentially a one-party state dominated by a Democratic party that is almost completely dedicated to hard-line pro-abortion policies. But that view can be deceptive. In other areas of New York State, there is a functioning GOP that is at least theoretically supportive of pro-life policies, and there are still some staunch pro-life Democrats around. The picture here in New York is quite daunting, there’s no doubt about it — but it’s certainly not time to throw in the towel.

Of course, New York is not all of America (it’s not even part of the real world, but that’s another issue). If you were standing in Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, or many other states, the picture would be much more encouraging. Many public officials and candidates in those states proudly proclaim their pro-life views, and they have passed common-sense pro-life laws, like parental notification, informed consent, and abortion clinic regulations. In fact, the public policy and political successes of our movement on the state level have proven to be a consternation to the pro-abortion forces, who continually complain about how many laws we have been able to pass.

At a time when our movement is making progress on the state and local level, it’s no time to declare defeat — or a “truce”.

But it’s more than a mere question of how many bills are passed, or how many candidates are willing to say they’re “pro-life”. We’re engaged in a battle over our culture, which means that we’re striving to convert the hearts and minds of our brothers and sisters. Our goal is not just to make abortion illegal, but to make it unthinkable.

In this kind of struggle, it would be folly to abandon an entire field of the contest. The real question isn’t “politics or culture”, as if we can only work on one thing at a time. Our challenge is to get better at transforming both.

We absolutely need to ramp up our efforts to provide assistance to expectant mothers and fathers in crisis — that’s ground zero in the struggle to eliminate abortion. We definitely need to offer more resources for those who are suffering the aftermath of abortion. We have to reverse the anti-life, anti-chastity messages of our media, which create a climate of sexual adventurism and a contraceptive mentality. All these are legitimate areas for the pro-life movement to improve and enhance our work.

But law and politics are part of culture too. They affect public opinion and shape private actions. There is a growing body of opinion, especially among young people, that our nation has gone too far on abortion — that it’s a disgrace that 41% of New York City pregnancies end in abortion (the numbers are even worse in the African-American community), that horrifically unsafe abortion clinics are allowed to maim and kill women with impunity, that parents are excluded from their children’s key decisions about abortion and contraception, that handicapped children are routinely aborted, and that women are not being presented with all the choices available to them.

Fewer and fewer people are satisfied with our country having the most liberal abortion laws in the world, and with a political, media and cultural “elite” who are so degraded that they think this is a good thing.

There is a quiet cultural and political revolution on the way. Our young brethren will lead it. This is no time to end the struggle over abortion in the public square.

It’s time to stand firm.

Tags: Abortion, Politics, Pro-Life
Posted in Abortion, Elections, Pro-Life | 6 Comments »

The Eclipse of Reason About Marriage

November 21st, 2012

For quite some time, I have been discussing and debating the question of same-sex “marriage”. I regularly defend the authentic conjugal definition of marriage that has been enshrined in our social and legal tradition — a life-long, exclusive union of one man and one women dedicated to their good and for the procreation and upbringing of children.

This debate has been going on for years now. What continues to astonish me is how vapid are the arguments offered by those who would re-define marriage to leave gender and children out. Examples of this weak attempt to overturn the immemorial definition of marriage can be found in this op-ed, or this one.

The arguments typically do not embody reasoned attempts to persuade through logic. Instead, they are are emotionally-driven appeals to rectify hard cases, calls for “equality” without understanding that different things should be treated differently, demands for a laundry list of legal rights typical of special interest pleading, and, frequently, naked attempts to exclude religious people from the public debate. They don’t engage questions of the effect of redefining marriage on the common good or future generations. They ignore the incongruity of redefining marriage for everyone, to satisfy the interests of a statistically tiny number of people who want same-sex unions. When all else fails, polling data is trotted out, as if a transitory snapshot of public opinion is infallible in its wisdom. When even that fails, defenders of marriage are simply called “mean” (as I was, recently, in a college classroom).

In contrast, the arguments we offer in the defense of real marriage are multiple and philosophically sophisticated. This argument relies on the nature of the human person and the truth and meaning of human sexuality. It also relies on the lessons of common sense, experience, and social science about the best outcomes for adults and children. The concern expressed consistently is the effect of redefining marriage on the public messages that the law sends to men and women, particularly about the importance of marriage for children and for society as a whole. We can offer ready logical answers to the common objections to the conjugal definition of marriage, such as the false comparison to interracial marriage.

Our approach is to appeal to the obligation to make public policy for the common good, to pay attention to all consequences of law-making (especially the long-term and secondary effects), and not to make law based on the particular desires of small interest groups.

A perfect example of this argument can be found in this op-ed by Robert George, Ryan Anderson and Sherif Gergis, or Michael Hannon’s on-line essay.

In so many ways, this debate is coming to resemble the debate about abortion. Science and logic (not to mention tradition) all establish the humanity of the unborn, but these don’t seem to matter to our courts and legislatures. Likewise, in the ongoing debate about marriage, reason and the common good of adults and children — and future generations — continues to be brushed aside by emotion and special interest politics.

Tags: Same-Sex "Marriage"
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