Come Holy Spirit!
Last week, after Thanksgiving Break,
Elizabeth and I traveled to Ft. Lauderdale, and performed for the Religion Classes of Saint Mark Catholic Church. Our first show, for the younger audience (5th and 6th grade), met with some mixed reactions, mostly because, I think, abortion is a tough topic to speak about. As a matter of fact, one of the questions from the leaders was asking us to describe what an abortion is, just in case some of the kids didn't know what we were talking about. And, to be honest, the question really surprised me. It was a great question, and needed to be answered delicately, but honestly. Some people may think that young kids shouldn't have to know about abortion or what it is, but I disagree. We need to equip our young people with the truth. We need to tell them the right answers before it's too late - because pro-choice activists get a hold of them so young, and those kids really have no chance, because they've never been told that abortion is wrong, or why it is wrong. Now don't get me wrong - I'm not saying pull a five year old aside and try to explain death and murder of children to him, but a child reaches the age of reason at age 7. They at least should know that they can pray for babies and for their mothers. They should know that there is a struggle out there, and to not be afraid of it. Don't instill fear in these kids, but give them a chance against the lies that surround them - at school, on the radio, on the television, in the school classrooms and hallways. 
And as they get older, talk about the problems, the confusion, and the fact that a human person is a human person. We need to help them - not scare them, and not allow them to remain ignorant. The youth director had told us that because of the sensitive subject matter she wasn't positive that the show would be appropriate for the younger audience. Yet, she was sure she had made the right choice, precisely because the kids aren't getting the facts from school or even at home often times, and someone has to be able to talk to them about these topics. The second show ran smoother with sound and technical equipment (no faulty microphones this time!) and the show was for 7th grade and higher. These kids responded really well and paid close attention to the story, and were very sensitive to the subject matter. After the show, they too asked a lot of great questions. Even some regarding feminist perspectives and women's rights... what do you say to a woman who argues that it is her right to keep or destroy this child? If it is within her body, it is her body and she has the right to say what happens to her...? ...so the premise of this argument is that her body is her 'property' and it is therefore her right to decide what she will do with the 'fetus' within her? Well, I guess I would argue... the baby has those exact same rights. The 'tissue' in question is actually the baby's body - a human body at that - with a blood flow that is separate from the mothers, and a heart that beats apart from the mother's. A woman provides the protection and nourishment that is necessary for survival, but we all need protection and nourishment, no matter what stage in life we are at. It's a faulty argument, based on the belief that a mother's body is somehow more important that the child's. They are both human, and equal. The mother is more developed, but the child's development and fight for survival is proof of his desire to live.
Another question was, "who decides when the baby becomes a human?" THAT was a fantastic question - actually one that the pro-choice argument hinges on... but the answer is simple.
Yet before we answer, imagine this: let's say that out of that whole room of 200 grade schoolers and high schoolers, we would allow one young man to determine when human life began. What if he decided that all children 12 and under no longer have the right to live, because they are not capable of what teenagers and adults can do... half of that room would march to their deaths. Well, what if I were the ultimate authority on when a human life should begin... I'm 24 years old, with brown hair and eyes. What if is said that anyone in that room with blonde hair or blue eyes had to die, because they were not like me, and clearly not old enough to understand the ways of the world (WWII anyone? Hitler and the Aryan Race?) Then over half of that room would not have walked out of that room that night. Well, that's the point. What human is actually capable of making that 'choice'? What man or woman out there should be given that kind of authority? The fact is that humans ARE HUMAN from the moment of conception. What else could they be? Just because they can't think rationally yet, doesn't make them unhuman... after all, we could say there are living persons who don't think rationally. We can't say that because their bodies are not fully developed then they are not human - after all, most humans don't have perfect bodies or limbs. Or soldiers who come back from war with broken bodies, lost limbs, etc? They are still human, regardless of their deformity - we all know that. Why can't an unborn baby be human, too? Some doctors will push the humanity question really far, and claim that a baby is not a human until 3 days after it is born. Sometimes a couple weeks after they are born, on the condition that the parents still want it... it's all too arbitrary. And there are too many facts.
Only God can decide when a baby becomes human, and science proves it. If we look to biology, the answer is not debatable - life begins at conception. All the genes and chromosomes are present for a human life to begin. So, in answer to your question: God decides. -God bless, Mary
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