Reviled and Belittled But Not Defeated

10-09-2022Pastor's LetterFr. John Bonavitacola

Dear Friends, Once again, October is Respect Life Month. Since the overturning of Roe and returning the issue to the states, new strategies are need but our same witness to the dignity of all human life remains unchanged. Still, things have taken a pernicious turn. I am amazed at how viciously some will fight to abort an unborn child.

And a large part of that viciousness is being projected onto our Prolife Pregnancy Centers. Frankly, they are under assault. Many have been vandalized, subject to death threats bombings and bomb threats. Despite the fact that our Centers, just like Abortion clinics are protected by the FACE Act (prohibiting blocking access and harassment and violence) the Justice Department has been less than fair-minded in prosecuting those who do violence to our Centers. But they continue to arrest Profilers at Abortion Clinic protests.

What is helping to fuel this is the rhetoric coming from some elected officials such as the Vice President and Senator Warren. Recently the Vice President challenged state Attorney’s General to target Prolife Centers for prosecution. And Sen. Warren continues to insinuate that our Clinics are actually torture chambers for expectant mothers. The rhetoric doesn’t help. In fact, it creates an environment where crazy people feel empowered to do violence and harassment against our Centers and workers and volunteers.

Despite what these two officials claim, Prolife Centers are not guilty of false advertising. Nor are we trying to “trick” women into coming into our clinics, pretending we provide abortions and then hold them against their will or brainwash them. No, we are forthright about who we are and what we do. The word “Pregnancy” is right in the title, as in Crisis Pregnancy Center. Nor are Profilers going into the streets and dragging pregnant women into a Prolife Clinic. If a person comes in and asks if we perform abortions, the answer is always no we don’t, but we can provide another choice.

Our Centers provide pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and connect expectant mothers with the resources they need during their pregnancy and after the birth of their child. And the Centers receive no tax dollars, unlike abortion providers. The outright lies that are being told by some in the political class are designed to intimate, vilify and marginalize Prolife Pregnancy Centers. But didn’t Jesus say something about that? “Blessed are you when they revile you, utter every kind of false statement against you because of me. Great will be your reward.”

Part of the smear campaign against the Prolife movement since the recently overturning of Roe, is that medical procedures for miscarriages are now illegal. That is absolute false. Also false is the claim that a beating heart doesn’t exist in a preborn child at six weeks. Just read any embryology textbook which will inform you that the heart is the first functioning organ in a developing human being. It begins beating 22 days after fertilization.

Abortion does stop a beating heart. But we will continue to help mothers keep that beating heart, beating.

Love,

Fr. John B.