Up until I was about 22 years old, I was quite oblivious to all things politics.  When I was in high school, I really didn’t enjoy studying US History or any kind of history, for that matter.  I didn’t care about elections and politicians, or propositions and bills.  All that mattered to me was that I was born as a citizen of the good ole’ United States of America, and I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.  So when I turned 18 years old, I was not enamored by the privilege and duty to vote more than I was excited about the parties I could go to and the new status of adulthood that I officially entered into.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never lived through a World War or known what true prejudice and discrimination looked like.  The only laws I cared about were speed limits and whether or not I could make that left turn into McDonald’s between the hours of 4-6pm.  No one was going to arrest me for going to church, like I heard they did in other countries.  And after I got married, I would have my happy family of 4 kids because our government didn’t put a limit on the number of children I could have.

Life was good.

BUT IT WASN’T FOR OTHERS.

You see, I was born in 1976.  That’s three years after 1973 – when Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in this country.  This makes me a survivor of the Abortion Holocaust.  It’s been almost 40 years and over 50 MILLION babies have been aborted in the wombs of their mothers.  If I was the child of a woman who – for whatever reason – felt that she couldn’t handle having a baby at that time, she could have chosen to have me killed.

ONE THIRD OF A GENERATION IS MISSING FROM THIS PLANET.  RIGHT NOW.

There’s something wrong with this picture.

Yes, it’s true that there are other issues besides life we need to consider when we vote for our nation’s leaders and the propositions that arise in our state elections.  But if we don’t hold THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN LIFE as the priority issue, how can we cast a just vote and authentically work towards a more humane society?

Because it’s not about me anymore.  It never really was.  The world is much bigger than my comfort and personal freedom.  As an American AND as a Catholic-Christian, it is my duty and responsibility to DO SOMETHING…to raise awareness…to defend the voiceless.

After all, this is supposed to be “One Nation Under God”, right?

Helen Hull Hitchcock, director of Women of Faith & Family, speaks the truth when she says,

“The dispute is not over what Catholic moral teaching on life-issues are – that all human life is sacred, that the right to life is fundamental to all other human rights, and that abortion, the deliberate killing of unborn children, the most vulnerable of human beings, is an abominable evil.

“Rather, the conflict is centered on the obligation of every Catholic not only to recognize what the Church teaches, but to actively preserve, protect and defend fundamental moral teachings, putting them into practice whenever possible.”

Honestly, when I first realized what this meant for me – what I had to do for my brothers and sisters – I was scared.  I wasn’t used to “being political”, “sounding political”, or attending any events that were political in nature.  But how was any change going to happen anywhere if no one spoke up?  Mind you, I didn’t know what to say.  I just knew what my convictions were, and I knew the unborn needed to be defended.  Over the years, I’ve learned much – though I still have a long way to go.  Praise God for great resources out there in the pro-life world and for amazing front-runners like Fr. Frank Pavone, Dr. Alveda King, Abby Johnson, Bryan Kemper, Lila Rose, and Jason Jones.

While this will not be an all-encompassing website for pro-life resources, I will try my best to offer to you what has helped me understand the importance, gravity, and scope of getting involved in the fight to defend life.

You can start by visiting http://survivors.la/

It’s time to stop waiting for other people to do it.  I’ve accepted that it’s a matter of LIFE OR DEATH.

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.  Therefore, CHOOSE LIFE that you and your descendants may live, loving Yahweh, listening to His voice, and being one with Him.” (Dt 30:19b-20a)

Photo:  Kali Damien Dyogi (courtesy of Emeline Moya, 2011)