LYNCHBURG, Va. (BP)–What to you think of when contemplating the year 1973?
You may recall that in January of that year, the United States signed the Paris Peace Accords, ending our involvement in the Vietnam War. Maybe you remember that “All in the Family” and “The Waltons” were the most popular TV shows, or that “The Poseidon Adventure” was the top movie. You might consider John Cappelletti’s inspirational Heisman Trophy season or the Reggie Jackson-led Oakland A’s defense of their World Series crown.
However, when I think of 1973, I reflect on the Jan. 22 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that brought about a culture of death in our nation. As a result of that fateful ruling, more than 42 million innocent individuals have been legally murdered in America.
Nashville’s St. Henry’s Catholic Church has displayed 4,000 white crosses, signifying the number of American lives estimated to be lost daily through legalized abortion. It is a haunting and troubling image that enforces the reality of the carnage that the High Court authorized 30 years ago.
In the three decades since that hollow decision, abortion has become a lucrative business in our nation. Today, many doctors and political defenders of abortion have become wealthy on the slaughter of blameless victims; they will forever have the blood of the unborn on their hands.
Today, many of our political leaders have become so desensitized to the abortion holocaust they even defend partial-birth abortion, a procedure so horrifying there are no words to adequately describe it. Yet, our fellow Americans twice elected a president (Bill Clinton) so enslaved to the abortion industry that he would not sign a House-passed bill that would have banned the practice.
Today, abortion-rights proponents aggressively work to bypass parental involvement in young girls’ pregnancies. Sometimes girls are secretly carried across state lines so they may obtain abortions in states where parental involvement in abortion decisions is not required.
Today, some pitiless doctors actually sell off the body parts from the babies they have aborted. Thirty years ago, if a science fiction writer had dared suggest such a policy would exist in the future of our nation, he/she would have been condemned as a dangerous fanatic. But that dark policy actually exists.
Today, the mainstream media turns its back on a host of studies indicating a bona fide link between abortion and breast cancer. This misinformation campaign has persisted as the media has collectively yawned at information revealing a relationship between mental health problems (post-abortion syndrome) in women who undergo abortion.
Today, truth seems to matter very little when it relates to the sacred cow of abortion.
Thankfully, there is some good news involving abortion in America.
First, since 1990 there has been a downward trend in the national abortion rate.
Second, and this relates to the first point, Americans’ views on abortion are changing. David Gibbs Jr. and David Gibbs III, founders of the Christian Law Association, noted in a recent commentary that 20 percent of Americans now say they are less in favor of abortion than they were a decade ago. This is happening despite the mainstream media’s near-collective support of legalized abortion.
Third, we have a pro-life president in the White House. I thank God daily for President Bush’s leadership in the defense of the unborn.
On Jan. 18, 2002, President Bush succinctly stated, “[W]e should peacefully commit ourselves to seeking a society that values life — from its very beginnings to its natural end. Unborn children should be welcomed in life and protected in law.”
Fourth, with the leadership of President Bush and Sen. Bill Frist, the new Senate Majority leader, we may actually be able to witness a ban on partial-birth abortion in our nation. This would be a major victory for the pro-life movement. Those of us who are pro-life must stand at the ready to aggressively campaign for this ban as soon as legislation returns to the Senate floor.
In the meantime, I encourage all pro-life Americans to participate in state and local events designed to defend the unborn. The 30th annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Other rallies will be held across the nation. Get involved. Defend those who cannot defend themselves. Together, we must lay the groundwork for the day when all life is again valued and protected in law.
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Falwell is pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va., and chancellor of Liberty University.
