EDITORIALS
By Dave Andrusko
"You all are gathered today on the National Mall, which is not far from the monument to Thomas Jefferson who, as you all know, is the author of our Declaration of Independence. And the March for Life upholds the self-evident truth of that Declaration - - that all are created equal, given the unalienable rights of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And that principle of America needs defenders in every place and every generation.
"In our time, respect for the right to life calls us to defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, and all who are weak and vulnerable. And this self-evident truth calls us to value and to protect the lives of innocent children waiting to be born. You and I share a commitment to building a culture of life in America, and we're making progress."
President George W. Bush, speaking to the 2003 March for Life
"In the debate about the rights of the unborn, we are asked to broaden the circle of our moral concern. We're asked to live out our calling as Americans. We're asked to honor our own standards, announced on the day of our founding in the Declaration of Independence. We're asked by our convictions and tradition and compassion to build a culture of life, and make this a more just and welcoming society."
President George W. Bush, November 5, 2003
"The Democrats are likely to lose the Catholic vote in November - - and John Kerry could well lose the election as a result. It's about abortion, stupid. And 'choice,' make no mistake, is killing the Democratic Party."
From "It's About Abortion, Stupid - - And other moral issues. Why John Kerry has trouble making the moral argument," a September 23, 2004, Newsweek "web exclusive" written by Melinda Henneberger
I've made my living as a writer and editor for nearly 30 years. As unusual as it may sound, in all that time I have never suffered from writer's block. Good, bad, or indifferent, the words have come.
Not with this final editorial before an historic election. My dilemma was not that I didn't have a lot to write about. So much has transpired that I could write without taking a breath for the next six hours. Rather it's that there is only so much space and only so long I can write before my readers would be tempted to go elsewhere.
I was stumped, trying to figure out what to include and what to prune. Eventually I did what I should have done from the get-go: figure out how what I would write could complement the material already in NRL News.
This edition of the "pro-life newspaper of record" includes motivational articles, a superb Bush/Kerry comparison piece (along with an order form on page two), a wonderfully concise overview of closely watched Senate and House races, and a powerful expose of the money donated to the Kerry campaign by the grisliest pliers of the abortion trade, to name just a few "must-read" stories. With that in mind, let me make a few hopefully useful remarks.
Many people passionately disagree with President Bush's pro-life position. Often, I suspect, it may not be so much that they reject "broaden[ing] the circle of our moral concern" as it is the thought has never crossed their minds.
Unclogging intellectual arteries is among the most important tasks we undertake as we attempt to build a culture of life. Once we are able to think more clearly, to really "see" the unborn as our brother or sister, hearts are softened. At that juncture, we are able to say things that previously we could not.
Early in her book, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, Kathleen Norris talks about a time when she was at a college presenting a portion of the book. At the very end of the discussion period a woman politely challenged her, insisting she couldn't understand how Norris could "get so much comfort from a religion" whose language, she charged, "does so much harm."
Prior to her own pilgrimage back to her spiritual home, Norris had been outside the Christian faith community for so long it was easy for her to understand the woman's "evident bafflement." Norris tells us she took a breath and offered a marvelous defense of her faith.
"I was so startled by the words that had coming flying out of my mouth," Norris writes. "[A]s so often happens when I'm put on the spot, I had said things I hadn't realized were true until I'd said them" [emphasis added].
Norris tells us that the woman's response was to "nod her head vigorously as if to ward off any more undeniable but incomprehensible things I might say." As I re-read that passage last night, it occurred to me that it tells us something very important about our mission.
It has been my experience that people who are tongue-tied over abortion often try to turn the table on pro-lifers. They impute all kinds of bizarre motivations to us. Not infrequently they accuse us of doing grievous harm by talking about such things as the "sanctity of unborn life" or even the mutual interdependence of mother and unborn child.
Part of the reason they adopt a defensive posture is because what we are saying is, literally, "incomprehensible" to them. At some level they sense that what we are saying is "undeniable," but they need our help to bring this intuition to light.
It is like what we read in the book of Acts where Philip is led to a desert road where he meets a Ethiopian official is in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah.
"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," the Ethiopian responds, "unless someone explains it to me?" Which is exactly what Philip proceeds to do.
President Bush, by what he is doing, and you and I, by what we are doing, have been led to illuminate a great truth. To quote Mr. Bush, "In our time, respect for the right to life calls us to defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, and all who are weak and vulnerable."
Mr. Bush correctly describes this as a "self-evident truth," one that "calls us to value and to protect the lives of innocent children waiting to be born." But while this truth is true in all times and all places, many people's consciences will never be pricked unless you and I make the effort to help.
Just a word about Sen. Kerry. There is a reason he is trailing in the polls as I write these remarks. He is a transparent phony.
Every syllable out of his mouth strikes a false note. Whatever the issue, he will try a position on for size. If it doesn't "fit" - - advance his prospects for victory - - he'll shed it. No wonder when people are asked which candidate sticks to his guns, President Bush leads by an overwhelming 2 to 1 margin.
Lacking an anchor other than ceaseless self-promotion, it is no surprise that Kerry, his campaign, and its surrogates have loosened a sickening barrage of vituperation and character assassination. As I have written on a number of occasions at "Today's News & Views," we should expect a last-minute bombardment of be-littlement, defamation, and invective.
My guess, however, is that no matter how low Kerry sinks, the smears will not work. While the public has only the vaguest idea who the junior senator from Massachusetts is, they know quite well the kind of man President Bush is.
Let me conclude with a story I first told several years ago when giving a speech in Illinois. I have since told it often, because it gives me strength whenever I most need it. I pray it will strengthen you as well.
There were just three weeks until the 1996 elections and the entire NRLC staff, particularly the NRL PAC department, was working mammoth hours.
One night I came home very late. My four children were all asleep. My only thought was to collapse into bed. As I turned to set the alarm I glimpsed a simple drawing resting against the lamp on the table next to our bed.
Louisa, then seven, and her classmates had gone into Washington for a field trip. They were asked to draw pictures describing their experience.
What I saw that chilly, late October night deeply moved me. I would be proud to have its words as an epitaph.
Louisa drew me in front of a computer terminal holding a baby in my arms. Another young child stood by my side, as if looking to me for protection. The caption read:
"Louisa. Oct. 8, 1996 Washington DC My dad works in Washing.
My dad helps the baby to be born not to die. The White House is there."
Yup, that's what I do: helps the baby to be born, not to die. It is a privilege that I share with all of you.
Bless you for all you've done and will do (as someone once wrote) "to expose evil, exalt good, and illuminate truth."
Dave Andrusko can be reached at dandrusko@nrlc.org.