Playing Politics with the Unborn

I rarely go on the air three times in a one-month period to address the same issue. But today our country stands at a moral crossroads, and we will either validate or make a mockery of our claim to be a civilized nation. The issue is partial-birth abortion, the heinous practice of killing fully developed fetuses, children in fact, who are just a few inches from normal delivery. Both the House and Senate have taken the courageous and bipartisan decision to ban partial-birth abortions. Soon the bill will be sent to President Clinton to sign, and here is where the buck stops. In what may be one of the most callous and shocking acts of any modern president, President Clinton has vowed to veto the ban on partial-birth abortions. On what basis would he possibly continue to allow this barbaric practice? According to his press secretary, the president demands that a so-called "health of the mother" exception be written into the law. On the surface, that sounds reasonable enough. And of course, the bill does contain an exception to save the life of the mother. But the problem is, our courts have interpreted "health of the mother" to include almost anything, even temporary psychological problems. The new "ban" wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on. The good news is that the very fact that abortion supporters are resorting to this phony "health of the mother" strategy shows that prolifers are beginning to win the most important battle—the one for the hearts and minds of Americans. One of the best arguments for what I mean was made by George McKenna in the Atlantic Monthly. McKenna compares the abortion debate with the great moral question of the nineteenth century: slavery. McKenna writes, "Lincoln knew that in the final analysis durable judicial rulings on major issues must be rooted in the soil of American opinion." As Lincoln put it, public sentiment "is every thing . . . with it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed." The abortion lobby understands this. That's why they've always played the politics of euphemism, hiding behind words like choice and product of conception. They know abortion stays legal in part because so few Americans fully grasp the horror of it. And here's where you and I come in. We need to mobilize a groundswell of public outrage against the horrific practice of partial-birth abortion. This can be accomplished through writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper; calling your local radio talk-show host; and encouraging your local church to get involved. Call us today for a transcript and fact sheet on how you can get involved. If our president isn't even willing to ban partial-birth abortion—a barbaric procedure that kills babies who have virtually been born—then we can no longer make the claim to being a civilized society. And we will deserve—and get—God's judgment.

12/15/95