This week in Philadelphia–only a few miles away from here–an abortion-clinic doctor was charged with a crime.

Murder.

It’s about time that it was described in these terms.

Surely the grisly practices at Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s clinic weren’t limited to that one location. Falsified ultrasounds, very late-term abortions resulting in live births, and the outright killing of viable premature babies born alive.

Is this what “a woman’s right to choose” is all about? Why yes–yes, it is. This “choice” is always murder, pure and simple. Because someone is always being killed. Most of the time, that killing is covered up with excuses like “it’s only a clump of tissue” but advances in medicine, including 3D ultrasound, show just how human, just how alive, a preborn child is.

There are only two good things about this case. First of all, this doctor and some of his staff are being held without bail. We can reasonably be sure that the unspeakable deeds that took place under his “care” will not be happening in that clinic again.

Second, this takes place on the eve of the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. And this case has people talking. This case has opened up people’s eyes to some of what is going on in these clinics, under the guise of “choice.”

It’s time to tell it like it is. Stop with the euphemisms already. Abortion is murder, and it’s about time we stopped pretending that it isn’t by dressing it up with more-palatable words.

A very disturbing article ran in many newspapers this Ash Wednesday: Testing curbs some genetic diseases.  That’s right:  on Ash Wednesday, we got to read a self-congratulatory article full of gems like:

“One study in California found that prenatal screening reduced by half the number of babies born with the severest form of cystic fibrosis because many parents chose abortion.” 

Here’s more: 

“We’re definitely seeing decreased rates of certain genetic disorders as a result of carrier screening,” said Dr. Wendy Chung, clinical genetics chief at Columbia University.

Of course every parent hopes for a healthy baby–that goes without saying.  But when “more women are being tested as part of routine prenatal care, and many end pregnancies when diseases are found” then we’ve got a problem here.  As Barron Lerner of Columbia University asked,

“If a society is so willing to screen aggressively to find these genes and then to potentially to have to abort the fetuses, what does that say about the value of the lives of those people living with the diseases?“

Exactly.  It’s easy to see that some people are valued more highly than others, and people with a genetic disease that can only be prevented by making sure those people are never born are now considered expendable.

For the record, it is absolutely appalling that any person should be considered expendable for any reason.

And I am distressed to note that the Franciscan Action Network seems much more concerned with taking action in the form of “eco-penance” than to protect life. While there is a section on their website dedicated to the Franciscan Campaign for Life, the fact that all the FAN is doing here is “embracing a position” rather than encouraging or suggesting any concrete action is a signal that life issues are far less important than ecology. There are plenty of suggestions for steps Franciscans and others can take to reduce our “petroleum footprint” and how our abstinence from certain earthly goods “provides space to consider whether our individual and social relationships with these goods are just and loving or in need of conversion.” Spare me. I’m tired of seeing people being sacrificed on the altar of ecology–because all too often, extreme measures designed to protect our environment from “climate change” and other ills, real or imagined, lead us to believe that if there were fewer people in the world, it would be a better place.

As Mother Teresa once commented, “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

OK, my ZIP code, but let’s not get picky.

The convent at one of the churches in my newly-merged parish has been vacant for a year and a half. On Monday night, the town council where the convent is located approved a variance so that the former convent can now become a Good Counsel Home.

There had been a good deal of opposition in town when this idea was first introduced. Fortunately, the town council was convinced that a home that would aid about ten young women in crisis pregnancies would not pose a danger to the town.

What a wonderful opportunity for the people in our parish to really stand up for life.

We’ve done enough ranting and raving about the President speaking at Notre Dame this weekend. Despite all that has been written, all that has been said, that invitation was not rescinded and the speech and honors will go on as planned. Now it’s time to capture the energy that has been generated by the pro-life Americans who oppose this honor. The message below is from the Monday Project website.

President Obama will speak at Notre Dame on Sunday.

What will happen on Monday?

Don’t let Obama win this battle. Let’s turn the Notre Dame scandal into the largest pro-life fundraiser this country has ever seen.

Donate now. Donate $1. Donate $5. Donate $10.

1) Donate to the Women’s Help Center, a frontline, Catholic crisis pregnacy center. Or, donate to your local crisis pregnancy center (on the receipt page, click on “Contact Women’s Help Center” to designate organization and location).

2) For every donation, we will send a pink or blue postcard to Fr. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, in honor of LIFE.

3) Send an email to 1, 5 or 10 friends with a link to this page.

We can win this battle. Let’s do it for LIFE.

Hat tip to Denise for posting about this project. I’m in! Are you?