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NRL News
About the
Children…
“What is
growing up about if not taking charge of your own future—which
includes deciding what is important and what isn’t—and then making
the world a little better because you are there? Life is taking what
you’ve learned and what you believe and changing that into action.”
“It’s not
just the numbers that are down among pro-choice women. It’s the
enthusiasm.”
“The
pro-life side figured out a long time ago that this is about
children, whereas the pro-choice movement is focused on women and
choice.”
“And it’s
not just that they know more about abortion and euthanasia—that’s
clear—it’s that they are passionately pro-life. They have thought
through the issues to the point where they can not only stand their
ground in a classroom setting but also bring students over to their
side. There’s a tremendous amount of peer-education taking place.”
Given the more relaxed schedule for most people around Christmas and New Year’s, it’s not unusual for there to be a last-minute rush of orders for NRL News’s special January Commemorative Edition. But the appeal of “The Roe Generation: How Young People Are Changing America’s View of Abortion” is so great the rush has been heavier than ever! We’ve been producing editions commemorating the tragic Roe v. Wade decision since 1982. Thanks to the contributions of many outstanding young people, I am probably more pleased with this issue than I have been with any of its 25 predecessors. This edition operates on multiple levels. As you enter the front door, so to speak, you are greeted by Congressman Chris Smith. Co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, Rep. Smith’s own story—of his rise from founding his college pro-life organization to becoming one of the most respected men on Capitol Hill—is a model for younger people. Chris chose public service. Others will become full-time pro-life activists at the local or national level. Others, by their personal examples of integrity and dedication, will teach fellow physicians or teachers or lawyers or bricklayers the critical importance of defending the equality of life ethic. On the second floor of this edition the reader meets up with young women and men who are eager to tell their personal pro-life stories. Some are children of people who work for National Right to Life. (We would have had an essay from the daughter of NRLC President Prof. Wanda Franz, but Dr. Angela Franks, a scholar in her own right, was in the final month of her pregnancy.) Others are leaders in youth-specific programs run by various NRLC state affiliates. When you read their eloquent accounts, you know that the future of our Movement is in good hands and that every outreach we make to young people pays rich dividends. As you walk through the remaining rooms you’ll encounter stories that document the dramatic shift in opinion among young people, the striking capacity of technology, such as full-color 3-D ultrasound, to change hearts, and the conscience-sculpting impact of pro-life camps such as Camp Joshua and Camp Esther and Camp Nehemiah on young minds. It is surprising how often major changes go unnoticed. But that is because only those with the right “equipment” know that the tectonic plates are busy grinding away and can anticipate the impending earthquake. So while our benighted opposition is reduced to recycling the same stale clichés, pro-lifers can offer “Generation Y” fresh insights and an opportunity (as Joleigh Little put it) “to work on behalf of a cause greater than themselves.” We talk ceaselessly about “grassroots” involvement and “people power,” the two primary assets we have to offset the Abortion Establishment’s enormous financial resources. But we do so because it explains and clarifies so much. The vision of mega-media powerhouses such as the New York Times is blocked by pro-abortion blinders. Thus, we shouldn’t expect them to understand what a huge advantage it is for us that we give talks in high schools, organize oratory contests, create separate organizations run by high school and college students, and are witnesses to the enormous number of young people at the March for Life and state rallies. Having our ear to the ground means we know about the seismic changes that are taking place beneath the surface among younger Americans. We know why there has been such a dramatic transformation. Pro-abortionists have fed them the same bland diet of “choice” and “women’s rights” for nearly 34 years. But by the millions, they are no longer dining at NARAL’s table. (While this was common news to us, my guess is that when the New York Times ran its now rather famous article headlined “Surprise Mom, I’m Anti-Abortion” in its March 30, 2003, issue, it was a shocking revelation to most pro-abortionists.) This commemorative edition of NRL News illuminates why more and more young Americans thirst for a better answer to abortion than pulverizing unborn babies. Intuitively, they understand that the only way the ideology of abortion (and it is nothing less than that) can sustain itself is to pretend that there are no other parties with an interest in the fate of the unborn. That includes, of course, the helpless child herself, who is ripped limb from limb. But that veil of ignorance is gradually being lifted. Powering this transformation, at least in part, is the public’s gradual recognition that as the child’s developmental journey approaches the half-way point, if she is aborted, she will endure a nightmare of pain that only the cruelest and most heartless will dismiss. Thus, whatever other nonsense will escape their lips in the years to come, arrogantly announcing that there’s no one there will become almost impossible for pro-abortionists to say with a straight face. Compassionate idealists that young people are, they are determined not to allow the wider culture to continue to pit unborn babies against their mothers. The days of “either-or” are numbered. A life-affirming “both-and” approach is on the horizon. And as more people ask for and are given admittance into the circle of concern, the days of abortion on demand will be numbered. Hold that truth aloft, like a banner, as you prepare to commemorate the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. |