Apologetics for faithful on life ‘in utero’ and ‘ex utero’

Science has proven time and time again that the embryo she may wish to remove, is not her body but a subsistent body in itself, albeit dependent on the mother’s body for development and vitality.

Moreover, it is the teaching of the Church that human life begins at conception, not at birth as some pro-choice advocates insist. Only God has the right to create life — only God has the right to take that gift away. Since God, who is holy, is the author of life, it follows that, from conception to natural death, all life is sacred.
 

On this Right-to-Life Sunday, the ordinary magisterium reminds us that abortion is wrong, that it is evil, that it is a sin — and you, who are Church, know this. Unfortunately, there are many good people who do not believe this. Some of them are reading this column  Some of them sit across from us at the dinner table. As Church, it is not our task to go home and fight with loved ones who are pro-choice. Instead, let’s just pray for them. Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten them to understand what we know, to believe what we hold as a truth of faith.
 

There are a lot of children in need of foster care or adoption. We should all be able to relate to this since, by our baptism, we became adopted children of God. But here’s our problem. Most people who wish to take in a foster child or adopt a child, want an infant; more precisely, they want a white baby. And that’s okay but the fact is, there are many more beautiful babies up for foster care or adoption who are African-American, Native American, Asian or Latino. Can interracial foster care and adoption work?  You better believe it can — and it does.
 

What about a choice in favor of fostering or adopting of a child with disabilities, such as babies born with HIV; babies born of drug-dependent mothers; babies who have Down Syndrome? These children have special needs — but their greatest need is to be loved.
 

Not everyone here is looking to become a foster parent or adopt but we have a lot of adults who read this column may be thinking about either vocation. The point of this writer is to recommend both possibilities to such adults who may be seeking to discern God’s will for them concerning this topic. As we celebrate the theme of “right to life,” let us pray that more people might consider sharing their love and their home with a child by becoming a foster parent or adopting:  whether they opt for a baby, a toddler, a young child or a teenager; whether they choose a child who is white, black or brown, they are saying “yes” to life with their own life – and isn’t this what Jesus did for us on the Cross?
 

On Right-To-Life Sunday, we who are the Church are asked to ratify as individuals and as a community the precious gift of life. Please God, may all who are faced with tough decisions concerning pregnancy, birth or death, adoption or fostering a child may make good choices, ones which will respect the sacred character of life, and the God who creates it, redeems it and sanctifies it through Jesus Christ our Lord.