Monday, March 18, AD 2024 10:34pm

Catholics: Fight Pro-Abortion Intolerance!

 But laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man may present his views without penalty there must be a spirit of tolerance in the entire population.–Albert Einstein, “Out of My Later Years”

Even though the news from the 2018 March for Life was heartening, it is but one foray against an army of intolerant anti-life leftist politicians and jurists.     We’ve seen abortion advocates in Canada and California trying to silence pro-life voices and eliminate anti-abortion opinions from the public domain, and these are only two examples among many others.

CANADA: You can be Pro-life–in private.

Justin Trudeau recently said that you don’t have the public right to advocate pro-life policies:

An organization that has the explicit purpose of restricting women’s rights by removing rights to abortion, the right for women to control their own bodies, is not in line with where we are as a government and quite frankly where we are as a society,” Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

This statement was in response to a question about the right to free expression of ideas, and the Canadian government’s policy of requiring religious organizations to sign a statement supporting the right to abortion and LGBT “rights” if they wished government support for summer worker stipends:

“He then referenced recent changes to the Summer Jobs program that requires applicants adhere to Canadian rights — including access to abortions, and protections for LGBT Canadians. The program funds summer job placements for not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and small businesses, the Canadian Press reported.LifeNews.com, 12 January, 2018.

CALIFORNIA: “Reproductive FACT Act”–Pro-life Centers must advertise abortion facilities

The “Reproductive FACT Act,” enacted by the California Legislature in 2015, requires pro-life centers to post signage and inform clients about the state’s taxpayer-funded abortions and contraception support.   A Riverside Country Superior Court judge issued an injunction against enforcement of the law in November, 2017.  The case is currently on the docket for the Supreme Court.

This is only one example of many–New York City, Baltimore, Hawaii, Illinois–in which anti-life advocates, politicians and jurists,  are trying to force not only acceptance of their practices, but advocacy by those who are deeply offended by them.   Whether it is to bake a “Wedding” cake for a ceremony you hold to be a sin, to refer a patient to an abortionist if you’re a doctor or a nurse, to supply contraceptives if you’re a believing pharmacist, it’s the same violation of fundamental freedom of religion and belief.

What should the faithful do?

How can we fight against the intolerant demons of the left: feminism gone wrong, academics without principles,  politicians prostituting themselves for power,  intolerance in the name of diversity?  I can think of some ways, and I hope you, the reader can supply others.

We have to demonstrate: The March for Life is a fine example.   Although it was under-reported by MSM, there were enough local reports to make up for this.   Politicians have to know that there are many speaking for life.

We have to fight politically.   It is hard to understand why “Catholics” (in name only?) in the Congress who continually vote for and advocate  anti-life policies (I think of Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, in particular) get the support of Catholic voters.

We have to support pro-life organizations financially and by activities.  (Do a web search to find out about such–here’s one for Pennsylvania.)

We have to support organizations like Judicial Watch and FIRE, that advocate for freedom of speech and expression in government and academic life.

And, most importantly, we have to pray for those who are trying to force us into sin.

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Philip Nachazel
Philip Nachazel
Monday, January 22, AD 2018 3:00pm

How can we fight….(?)
Start with Sanctification.
We fight on our own strength, our own wit, our own powers we loose. We must have Sanctifying grace.
A cultivated prayer life will assist us in the exchange of vice for virtue. Then the power of God will assist the faithful to conquer the forces that have occupied God’s territory, the soul.

Douay-Rheams Bible
“Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own.”
St. Paul 1 Corinthians 6:19

Here, in my humble opinion, is the starting point.
Once we have conquered ourselves, our vices replaced by His virtues, then the impact on this culture will be indisputable. Then the Immaculate Heart of Mary will be seen as the victor who in humility crushed the head of the Serpent.
Our humility and obidence, joined with millions of others, will be the weight of Our Lady’s heel.

Prayers?
Yes…but only if they lead us to holiness first.
Then the demolition of the demons will follow.
Then the Victory of Her heart, Immaculate and perfect, will be seen over the entire world.

Abortion on demand is doomed.
It was from the beginning.
It’s just taking so very long for us to band together under Mary’s mantel and become a humble threat to the powers of darkness. He hates Mary.
Let him hate us as well.
Sanctifying grace brothers and sisters.
Let’s get to the work asap.

Brian H. Gill
Monday, January 22, AD 2018 3:43pm

I think P. N. is right. What folks who think all human life is “human,” should act as if we mean it. That, arguably, starts with believing what we say, and seeing to it that what we say makes sense. I’m quite sure that’ll take thinking, praying, and – more often than not – changing. Not necessarily in that order. Praying, definitely. That, I think, comes first.

I’ll now get on my soapbox.

I agree that the current attitude on abortion is doomed, along with other cherished beliefs of the current establishment.

There’s good news, I think, in contemporary efforts to keep folks from expressing opposing views. I’ve seen the same thing before: in the late 1950s through the 1960s.

“The establishment” in those days had a different vocabulary and ideology: but very nearly the same attitude. They were all about freedom. Including freedom of speech. “Freedom” defined as “free to agree with me.” I see what’s happening to day as similar to McCarthyism. Different in detail, virtually identical in essence.

I see a sort of grim humor in the subsequent success of “those crazy kids” and others. They – we, although I wasn’t the craziest – succeeded. Many long-overdue reforms happened. They didn’t all turn out as I had hoped: but change *was* needed.

One of the major attractions of the new ideas was the rallying call to freedom. That went over very will with many Americans who doubted the infallibility of the John Birch Society. It still does: which will, I think, hasten the demise of the new “establishment.”

Change will happen. The trick will be pushing it in a better direction.

ken
ken
Tuesday, January 23, AD 2018 7:41am

I know Canada’s problems are much bigger than Justin Trudeau, but he just doesn’t seem like a very nice person.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Tuesday, January 23, AD 2018 10:32am

About that noxious California Law: Several years back, the State of South Dakota enacted a law requiring abortion providers to post a public notice listing the negative consequences known to occur to women who’ve had an abortion (everything from post-op infection to depression and other mental health issues, as I recall). The law was found an unconstitutional infringement on Planned Parenthood’s free speech rights.

My hope is that the SDAG will file an amicus brief stating that if the CA law is upheld, the ruling against SD should be overturned so SD can start enforcing it’s version.

DV
DV
Tuesday, January 23, AD 2018 12:26pm

Some good considerations for fighting the good fight, but it is exceedingly unwise to protest against various forms of “intolerance” because this opens the door for supporting tolerance on both sides of the issue. Anybody who is committed to defending life cannot be tolerant in any way of any position that is anti-life or “pro-choice,” and so on.

The always appropriate and wisest approach is to argue for the sanctity of life; not against the intolerance of opponents.

Mary De Voe
Tuesday, January 23, AD 2018 2:31pm

Justin Trudeau is a petty despot with a brand new Supremacy Act. The public square belongs to the public in joint and common tenancy. Trudeau owns only what the people own. When Trudeau pushes the people far enough, the people will replace him. I would like to see Trudeau stripped of Canadian citizenship as he is disenfranchising the people of their sovereignty.

Donald Link
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 10:46am

Trudeau is the product of an over aged hippie and a flower child gone to seed. This was to be expected by many of us who lived through the 60s and 70s and saw what was coming from that environment. Hopefully, people will tire of this petty dictatorship, as they did in the US, and inject some common sense into their political process.

Mary De Voe
Tuesday, January 30, AD 2018 3:43pm

DV: “The always appropriate and wisest approach is to argue for the sanctity of life; not against the intolerance of opponents”
While this is correct, our Founding Principles all speak for the sanctity of life. We must announce these principles. It is not too bad to indicate the intolerance of the opponents of life because they have no qualms about destroying even our Founding Principles. They have no qualms destroying our Constitutional Posterity, us…”We, the people”

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