Preventing Future Gosnells
Anna Higgins, Director, Center for Human Dignity at FRC, wrote an article on Townhall.com about the current Gosnell case and other incidents where “choice” has cost precious lives. Higgins also points out the need for more media coverage and awareness. She states:
“Perhaps we have become so accustomed to accepting abortion as a “choice” rather than the death of a unique human being that infanticide has become simply a natural and acceptable extension of the “abortion right.” This Pennsylvania abortion facility is not the first, nor will it be the last, to be revealed as unsafe and unsanitary. In fact, many facilities around the country have been found to be in violation of basic health and safety standards. Just last week a Planned Parenthood in Wilmington, Delaware closed its doors when two employees released statements that the facility was performing abortions in an unsafe and unsanitary manner. The local TV station covered this story extensively, to their credit. However, these violations continue to go largely unreported in the media. Every American should be incensed that he cannot trust the media to cover, in a neutral manner, serious events affecting human rights without heavy pressure from the public and from Congress. We are constantly bombarded with stories of celebrities and athletes, yet this important story – the perpetration of violence against children – was largely ignored. We must remain vigilant and demand that all stories affecting our families and our values be given fair coverage.”
The Loss of Right and Wrong: What’s Worse Than Being Mean?
Rob Schwarzwalder, Senior Vice President at FRC, wrote an article featured in Religion Today about the current decrease of morality in the culture. Schwarzwalder challenges his readers stating:
“Moral incoherence is growing. Adultery is not wrong, merely unwise (or liberating, depending on one’s personal point of view, which to challenge is arrogant, not to mention mean). Confiscation of property and wealth, aka theft, is not wrong if performed by government entities, but good luck if you get caught stealing a car. Murder is a capital offense unless its victim is a 9-month-old unborn child, her life ended in an antiseptic “clinic.” Christians must continue to appeal to the conscience, to make reasoned arguments, to tell stories that subtly explain moral truth. Persuasion is a multi-pronged endeavor. And we must wed grace with truth as we make our case. We just need to be prepared for looks of uncertainty, amazement and even hostility from our peers and not to assume that our basic moral assumptions are theirs. There has never been a time when being a Christian in America has been, for so many, so very peculiar.”
Does Reason Still Matter?
Rob Schwarzwalder’s article featured in First Things addresses the need for truth, which is Christ and His teachings. Schwarzwalder shows how this truth impacts policies such as marriage. Schwarzwalder says:
“The sticking point in all of this is that when it comes to contested issues of moral value, one side wins and the other loses…such socio-moral issues as abortion on demand, the nature of marriage, and the rights of conscience and religious liberty offer us no intermediate policy outcome. Christians, then, should make their arguments carefully, winsomely, graciously, and firmly, in the hope that “the law written on the heart” will overcome emotional prejudice, intellectual laziness, and moral compromise. When we lose, we have no choice but to keep making our arguments. We are called not to political success but faithfulness to God. If we are attacked because we’ve spoken or acted like jerks, then we need to repent, seek forgiveness, and better wed truth with love. But if we suffer for Jesus’ sake, for the faith once delivered and the truth revealed with finality, we are blessed, not cursed.”
