Faith Filled Family Magazine March 2017 | Page 44

vocates tell someone diagnosed with a terminal illness that they ’ re last 6 months don ’ t need to be lived out - there is this underlying message : not every life has the same value . That is a lie . And we ’ re seeing this “ culture of death ”, as Saint John Paul II would say , infiltrate into our policy . That is why we ’ ll be working closely with the Susan B . Anthony List with this program . As a group , they help elect pro-life leaders to pass pro-life legislation to save lives . They know where the pro-life movement is headed and how we can all be engaged in that movement . We ’ ll be working with them so we can inform our viewers with the latest on life-related legislation and how they can make a difference .
From the holistic perspective , explain how the show intends to capture building the culture of life . When someone says they are “ pro-life ”, I think some may quickly brush them off as only being concerned with babies in the womb . But why are we concerned about the unborn ? To be pro-life is to recognize the beauty and value of every human being . We see that value in the preborn child – just as we see that value in the homeless on the street , the elderly in the nursing home , and the person who was born with special needs . Each life is invaluable and has a purpose . We also recognize that the unborn child is the most vulnerable ; solely dependent upon the mother . That is why stopping abortion is such a priority and we must work very hard to do so . On EWTN Pro-Life Weekly , I hope to weave throughout the program this holistic perspective . One feature of the program will be the “ Pro-Life Focus ” segment , where we ’ ll spotlight a person , group , or initiative that is building up the culture of life . I ’ ve been able to complete a few of these interviews already and they span a variety of life issues . For example , we ’ ll spotlight The Little Sisters of the Poor “ Youth & Aged ” initiative , a group that brings the young and old together in prayer and social activity . We ’ ll also spotlight “ Art Lifting ”, a group that helps the homeless sell their artwork and make a living . While at the surface these initiatives look very different , they are linked : they are showing the dignity of each person . And it is so important to inform and build up our culture , because there is a direct impact on policy . In order to make abortion illegal , we must make it unthinkable .
What guest ( s ) do you look forward to featuring on the show in the upcoming months ? Why ? I was able to sit down with former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina recently . We aired part of the interview in our January Special , but will air the rest in the near future . Fiorina is a woman who has a sharp mind and speaks out boldly against abortion . She shared with me how she came to be pro-life and why it ’ s a cause she ’ s passionate about . We also have plans to speak with various Congressmen and press them on what they are doing to defend the most vulnerable . And finally , we ’ ll feature smart , thoughtful pro-life leaders in our panel discussions – people who can help sort out confusing questions on the latest pro-life news . This is important because I think the more informed we are , the more confident we can be in dialoguing with our neighbor .
The show first aired in January with plans to return in March . What has been the response from viewers so far ?
From my conversations with viewers , something I ’ ve heard again and again is , “ I loved the Call to Action .” It ’ s a really unique feature of the program that enables our viewers to be engaged in the pro-life movement in a practical way . I ’ ve also heard from many others , “ How has this show not existed before ? There ’ s nothing else like it .”
What expectations do you have for the Trump administration ’ s role in the pro-life movement ? It really is a unique time in the pro-life movement . It was widely assumed Hillary Clinton would win the presidential election , and she would have undoubtedly been the most pro-abortion president . Instead , we have Donald Trump as U . S . President , who is really a convert to the cause . We ’ re still early on in this administration , but there ’ s a great sense of optimism and hope for the pro-life movement . When Trump was still a candidate , he made the unprecedented move to lay out four pro-life promises : nominate pro-life justices to the U . S . Supreme Court , sign the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act into law ,