From the Director’s Desk
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 did not appear to be a day of pro-life victory. Barack Obama had won the presidency and many seats in the House and Senate had moved to the Democrat side of the aisle.
In the two months since the election two things have become apparent. First, as we march down Constitution Avenue in the 36th annual March for Life on January 22, the White House will be occupied by the most hostile political environment we have ever had. And second, pro-lifers must come to realize that to protect life they have no recourse but to turn to grassroots activism.
Obama has promised to Planned Parenthood that his first act as president will be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. But when he made that promise he could not foresee the economic mess he now faces. Fortunately for the unborn, Obama may be so involved in attempts to fix the economy that he won’t be able to get to the anti-life agenda of his radical feminist allies.
On the Wrong Side of History
Because I believe in knowing one’s enemies, I read Obama’s autobiography, The Audacity of Hope. He refers to the abortion issue several times in the book, admitting he could be wrong in his support for abortion: “In years hence I may be seen as someone who was on the wrong side of history.”
Yes, when the history of the struggle for the right to life is finally written, Obama will clearly be seen to have been on the wrong side—unless he opens his eyes and changes his mind.
In the meantime, our mission remains what it has always been. We go to the doors of the killing centers, offering hope and help to women and families who have taken the desperate step of going to an abortion clinic. We take our huge pictures of aborted babies out on the streets and highways to educate Americans on the truth about abortion.
“…our mission remains what it has always been. We go to the doors of the killing centers, offering hope and help to women and families who have taken the desperate step of going to an abortion clinic.”
—Joe Scheidler
We talk to the press. We talk to our colleagues, our family members and our friends about the dignity of life and the tragedy of abortion. We go into the churches and schools and educate others on the “American Holocaust.”
Interestingly, Obama unwittingly supports pro-life activism in another section of his book, which is entitled “Faith.” While describing the Abraham-and-Isaac scene, he writes that any one of us witnessing Abraham raising his knife on his son, would call the police, or wrestle Abraham to the ground to protect an innocent victim. At the very least, he writes, we would expect the Department of Children and Family Services to take Isaac away from Abraham and charge him with child abuse.
Obama can see that interceding for the life of a child is the natural response to a child in danger. Why does he not see the incongruity of supporting the killing of the most helpless children of all, the innocent unborn? Because politics clouds one’s vision. And logic is often absent from political positions.
Unborn Babies Need Us—Now
But pro-life activists do not depend on politics. It really doesn’t matter who is occupying the White House or who sits in the halls of Congress. Babies’ lives are threatened every day in every state in the Union. These children need our intervention, our prayers and our educational efforts every day.
Right now is the best time to renew our commitment to effective pro-life activism. If you are going to an abortion clinic once a month, increase your dedication to twice a month, or once a week. If you have never joined a Face the Truth tour, join these tours in 2009. Organize a Tour in your area if none is already scheduled.
Show our elected officials where history is headed. Life will win in the end, with or without them.
