Abortion: The pivotal issue

Brad Mattes: Abortion kills more Americans every day than terrorists did on 9/11 . . .

Bradley Mattes

Few reading this magazine would debate that the moral fabric of our nation has been ripped apart by spiritual and cultural warfare. At times it seems we don’t even recognize the America we so passionately loved as children — an America so many have bled and died to protect.

At the epicenter of this war zone is the battle over abortion. This evil has spawned a pervasive disregard for innocent human life that has further evidenced itself in euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research and the commonplace, casual killing of human embryos through in vitro fertilization. We’ve also seen an alarming increase of infanticide and murder in society, all resulting from one of the darkest days in American history. On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Roe v. Wade that unborn children were mere chattel to be killed at will by their mothers for any reason. It was a pivotal and catastrophic moment in the culture war.

Abortion is a foundational issue of our day because it has denied life to over 53 million Americans since 1973. Without the right to life, all of our other rights — 100% of them — are also denied to us. Every day, more than 3,200 babies are brutally killed in abortion chambers across the country. Think about it: America legally and intentionally kills more daily than all those who died in terrorist attacks on 9/11. Hands down, abortion is the most important human and civil rights issue of our time. It should be the focus of our attention, prayers and resources in order to bring it to an end as quickly as humanly possible.

It’s been 38 years since abortion-on-demand was legalized, so it’s fair to ask some basic questions: Are we making progress? Are we winning this life-and-death battle? My answer is a resounding Yes! Here’s why.

Roe v. Wade gave birth (ironic isn’t it) to one of the most compassionate, loving and extensive grassroots movements in history. Pro-lifers, consisting mostly of volunteers, have been diligently working since 1973 to protect unborn babies and their parents from abortion. Millions of our fellow citizens from all walks of life — liberal, conservative, rich, poor, black, white — participate in a unified mission to end the plague of abortion in America.

As a result, protective pro-life legislation has been enacted from Washington, D.C., to Juneau, Alaska, and everywhere in between. Pregnancy centers provide concrete alternatives to women facing unexpected pregnancies, and they’re reaching out to hurting mothers and fathers of aborted children. Not only are we offering women true choice that they won’t get in abortion facilities, we help them pick up the pieces of their shattered lives after they’ve chosen abortion.

In addition to the fruit born by the pro-life movement, technology has opened a window to the womb. I proudly displayed a computer mouse pad and coffee mug with the sonogram picture of my first granddaughter — before she was born. Those images literally circled the globe via email and the Internet long before the first labor pains began.

Now, replicate that happy event millions of times over by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors. You may remember the TV ad campaign not long ago by General Electric promoting their ultrasound technology. It was a pro-life educational campaign that cost far more than any pro-life budget would have allowed. The evidence shows Roe v. Wade is on a collision course with modern technology, the growing numbers of post-abortive parents and millions of Americans who have come to know the ugly reality of abortion. Pro-life education is the foundation on which we end abortion.

An additional milestone has been the public discourse over partial-birth abortion. Up to that point, the biased media had regularly reported that abortion was legal only during the first three months of pregnancy. Also, a new law in Nebraska requires the abortionist to administer pain medication to the unborn child at 20 weeks or later into pregnancy. These watershed moments in the abortion battle have turned the nation’s focus to the heart of the matter — the unborn child.

It’s absolutely crucial that we stay focused on protecting innocent human life from womb to tomb. We must continue to make slow, steady progress. Far too much is at stake.

A poignant reminder of the price American has paid for abortion are my peers who years earlier chose what they believed to be a quick and painless solution to an unexpected pregnancy. Not only have they mourned the loss of their child(ren), but while I celebrate the birth of my grandchildren, they realize that theirs are missing. It’s a dramatic reminder that the decision to choose abortion will affect many generations to come. And it’s one of Satan’s ways to repeatedly assault these repentant children of God.

It’s impossible to calculate the cost of abortion on America. To give up — or to ease up — would cause further unspeakable carnage on this great nation.

Bradley Mattes is an Emmy Award-winning television host, as well as host of a daily radio commentary on over 700 radio outlets. He is the executive director of Life Issues Institute, an international pro-life organization, cofounded with John Willke, MD, a member of Legatus’ Cincinnati Chapter.