A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of accompanying Mrs. Miltner and her husband, along with four of their friends, to a dinner in Iowa City.
The dinner was part of an event to support an organization in Iowa City that provides free medical care to young women, particularly college women, who are pregnant. In addition to providing these young women with medical care, their mission is to provide them with accurate information and guide them toward choosing life over abortion.
In addition to hearing about the clinic’s services, we listened to a guest speaker by the name of Pam Stenzel. Pam is a fierce opponent of abortion. She spoke from the heart as she told story after story of young women who suffered the physical effects and the emotional scars of abortion. She also shared beautiful stories of those who chose life and, through the support of their families, their communities and organizations such as Birthright and Bridgehaven, brought children into the world and raised them in a loving environment. When I say she is a fierce opponent of abortion, I mean she has zero tolerance. In her world, no abortion is ever justified. She chastises those who say things such as, “what about in the case of rape?” You may wonder, “What gives her the right to tell the victim of a rape that she should go through with the pregnancy?” Her answer is simple. Pam Stenzel is adopted. Her biological mother was raped and chose to carry her baby to term. When that baby was born, she gave the baby up for adoption. You guessed it, Pam Stenzel is that baby. A real-life fireball of advocacy for life would never had been born had her mother made the choice to end Pam’s life before she ever left the womb. God truly works in mysterious ways.
When you live as long as I have, stories like Pam’s trigger memories of stories that are similar. Stories like good friends of mine from my days in Dubuque – friends whose daughter became pregnant when she was a sophomore in college. Aside from the issues of putting her education and her career on hold, his daughter, as a single mother, would face the daunting task of raising a child alone. Knowing her parents for as long as I have, their response didn’t surprise me. Rather than worry about the social stigma of unwed pregnancy and the unavoidable change in the path of their daughter’s life and quite frankly their own lives, my friends immediately focused on the new impending life and how they could help their daughter through the challenging times. With her parents support and assistance, this young lady gave that child the beautiful gift of life.
Pam’s story also brought back the memory of my brother Dan. When he was a freshmen in college, his girlfriend (his HS sweetheart) called to tell him she was pregnant. She too decided to give her child the gift of life and my brother dropped out of Penn State to support her. They were married before the birth of their son, moved in with her parents and raised that child. That child, by the way, graduated first in his class from MIT ten years ago.
The final story I’m reminded of is that of a 19 year old Italian girl from South Philadelphia who became pregnant shortly after high school. With the support of her Irish immigrant boyfriend from West Philly, she too chose to give her child the gift of life. That child, by the way, is your principal.
Most statistical sources estimate the number of abortions in the U.S to be well over one million per year. That’s one million too many. Since the Roe vs. Wade decision, 58 MILLION abortions have been performed in the United States. That, my friends, is a war on children.
The 400 crosses that are placed in our courtyard represent 4000 babies who lose their lives each day as a result of abortion.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.
Eternal God, we ask that you offer Your hand of protection to those threatened by abortion, and save them from its destructive power. Give Your strength to all mothers and fathers, that they may never give in to the fears that may tempt them to deny life to the unborn.
Give strength to those who feel threatened and overwhelmed by their pregnancy. Intercede for them, inspire those in their lives to support them, and give them the grace to say yes and the courage to choose life.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
