On Sunday, October 2nd, thousands of pro-lifers across the US and Canada will participate in Life Chain, a silent, prayerful, hour-long protest to tell the truth about abortion: that abortion kills babies.
I strongly urge all pro-lifers reading this to look up Life Chain to find out where their local Life Chain is being held. It is not an easy thing to witness to the truth of abortion. The media continues to treat those who oppose abortions as extremists and mindless zealots. However, considering the scope of the evil that plagues our countries, it is vital that pro-lifers speak up, because if they don't speak up, no one else will: politicians won't, the media won't, academia won't, and even most clergy won't, either. Those of us who understand the moral reality of abortion must stand up for the unborn child: the weakest of the weak and the poorest of the poor.
Western societies are plunging ever deeper into a moral abyss, but there is a positive momentum that is beginning to be felt. . In the United States, restrictions against abortion are starting to curb the number of abortions, whereas in Canada, conservative-minded people have finally become conscious of the moral situation of their country after the passage of the "same-sex" marriage bill. In order to build on that momentum, those who support family values must not let up the fight for social and political change. If we succumb to our individual inertia, we will lose that positive energy.
Social change does not result from a few prominent individuals hosting prominent events. It is built on the many small gestures of thousands of people. The fight for abortion will be won by convincing one individual at a time, one day at a time. Life Chain is an important event because it is a social witness: where pro-lifers can show that they are not as marginal a group as some would have us believe. We are numerous, and our message is important enough to justify a cross-country demonstration. The strength of our faith in the right to life will help people understand how important an issue it is, that it is worth thinking about.
Those who subscribe to family values must also consider that we must speak out against abortion while we still can exercise our freedom of speech. In Canada, gay militants have taken advantage of the climate created by the passage of the hate crimes Bill C-250 to lodge human rights complaints against those who would dare speak out against the evil of sodomy. The tax-exempt status of churches has also come under fire by militants, and they are threatening to fight against tax-exempt status to beat the faithful into silence. We know that the US has a stronger tradition of free speech, but the threat still looms, just like the prospect of legalized gay marriage. The more people speak out for family values, the easier it is to refute the claim that social conservatism is a marginal position. If social conservatives give in to despair and do not speak, it will old embolden the opposition to put more restraints on a group they will continue to paint as "extremist".
I urge you to make the commitment to come to Life Chain. The demonstration is quiet, prayerful and without major incident. There may be some passers by who make negative comments or gestures, but that only goes to show how urgent the situation is. It does take courage to stand up for one's beliefs, but if they aren't worth standing up for, are they worth living by?
Come on out, Sunday, October 2nd.
Canadians, to find out more about Life Chain, go to Lifesite.