When I was in 8th grade in junior high, I really disliked history. I mean, who cares when the Magna Carta was signed or how World War 11 affected the production of steel. But ever since I have become involved in this fight to save the unborn, the relevance of history to use as a defense for the unborn is very useful.
It’s useful not only as a witness of what history will teach us about following the wrong course, i.e. Nazi Germany, but a witness against abortion itself. Quoting Athenagoras, who wrote in defense of the Christians in the year 177, he said, “How can we possibly kill anyone, we who call those women murderers who take drugs, to induce an abortion. We who say they will have to give an account before God one day! We are convinced that with God nothing goes unexamined, and that the body, after serving the irrational urges, and lusts of the soul, will have its share in punishment. We have, every reason therefore to detest even the slightest sin.”
We can see that this quote has relevance in our own time. Women are aborting their babies by using the drug RU-486. Athenagorus was willing to call them murderers who did these things. But in some cases women are unaware that the so-called contraceptive pill that they are taking is an abortifant, that is, it chemically aborts their child at a early stage of development.
Another quote, reminds me of the tragic Chinese practice called having a “window baby.” This practice of the present day Chinese, who because of government mandates feel compelled to literally drop their newborns out of a window to allow them to die, otherwise they could be fined a years wages for having more than one child.
Other documented cases reveal that newborns are routinely buried alive by hospital staff because of government orders to do so, in the name of population control. In most cases it is a girl that will be disposed of, because to them it is more socially acceptable to have boys.
Minucius Felix, in the year 175, said: “But I do see people among you at times expose newly born children to wild beasts and birds and at other times put them to death by strangling or by other horrible means. Some women destroy the unborn child in their womb by taking drugs, thus committing infanticide before they are delivered.”
Considering these words which were written over 1800 years ago, we have to take pause to reflect on whether we have evolved to be more civilized. Enough pause, tragically we have not become more civilized. The recent veto of the ban on partial birth abortion which is a form of infanticide and the story of two affluent teens back east who threw their newborn into a dumpster are a grim witness against our value of human life.
History is repeating itself once again. The only advantage we have now is that we have within our power to stop the shedding of innocent blood. I thank God for all the pro-life organizations in San Diego that are already making their voice for life known through word and sacrificial deed. I thank God for all of the Christians in San Diego who may not belong to an organization, but lovingly reach out to those in their community as a lifestyle of life.
However, we must continue to keep the heat up on our politicians by calling and writing letters, holding them accountable from one election to another. If we could just get the millions of Evangelicals and Catholics to raise this kind of united voice against this atrocity, there would be great political change. If the millions of Evangelicals and Catholics would pray, there would be a great spiritual change. If all the Evangelicals and Catholics would reach out to women in their own churches and communities we could save many lives from the abortionists knife.
Most tragically and shamefully, if we could get all of the Catholics and Evangelicals to stop aborting their own children we would cut abortion in half in this country. History does not have to repeat itself again, the future hangs on what we do, personally.
We should no longer view ourselves as powerless if we are all truly united behind this cause for life, submitted to Christ, and Him alone and not our culture, certainly not our uncivilized history.
Phil Magnan of Chula Vista and his wife Diane represent Life Source, 426-9960.
