The Valley Catholic February 7, 2017 | Page 16

16 commeNtary

A Civilized Nation Does Not Kill Babies

February 7 , 2017 | The Valley catholic

By Tony Magliano

Internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist

What a sight !

Over 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington , D . C ., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life , and how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable .

As I write , I am a just one day away from marching with and viewing that sea of people once again . It ’ s always a moral and spiritual shot-in-the-arm for me .

But good as they are , the Washington “ March for Life ” ( Jan . 27 ), the “ Walk for Life West Coast ” ( Jan . 21 ), the “ Midwest March for Life ” ( Feb . 4 ) and dozens of similar events at state capitols throughout the U . S ., they simply are not enough .

While significant progress has been made to lessen the number of abortions , nonetheless , according to the Nation al Right to Life Committee over 1 million unborn brothers and sisters are brutally dismembered by abortion each year .

And according to the World Health Organization over 55 million unborn babies worldwide are aborted every year .

Throughout the entire year believers in the God of life need to pray , educate , peacefully protest at

abortion facilities , donate and lobby on behalf of the unborn – the unborn can ’ t do it for themselves .

Signing-up to receive legislative alerts from your state Catholic conference will greatly help . This will easily allow you to promote legislation protecting the lives and dignity of unborn and born human beings alike .

The execution of over 300,000 abortions every year makes Planned Parenthood the largest abortion provider in the U . S .

Additionally , please email and call your congressperson [ Capitol switchboard : ( 202 ) 224-3121 ] urging her / him to fully support “ The Heartbeat Protection Act ” ( H . R . 490 ). And urge your two U . S . senators to sponsor and support a companion bill in the Senate . If passed into law , this bill would prohibit abortions on unborn babies whose heartbeat is detectable .

And urge your senators to vote for the recently passed House bill “ No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act ” ( H . R . 7 ), which would ban taxpayer funded abortions .

The execution of over 300,000 abortions every year makes Planned Parenthood the largest abortion provider in the U . S . ( see : http :// bit . ly / 1QJKW6S ).

Therefore , please urge your congressional delegation to defund Planned Parenthood Federation of

America and redirect funds to the thousands of nonabortion comprehensive health centers nationwide .

How can any person who truly respects life support abortion – the barbaric dismembering of tiny innocent unborn babies ( see : www . abortionno . org )? There simply is no morally acceptable reason to perform an abortion .

The developing human being in utero is nothing short of miraculous !

Watch this fascinating video produced by Alexander Tsiaras , mathematician and former chief of scientific visualization at Yale University ’ s Department of Medicine ( see : http :// bit . ly / 1XezTp2 ). And after watching it ask yourself , “ How is it possible that anyone could destroy such a marvelous work of God ?”

A civilized nation does not kill babies waiting to be born . And if we dare carry this life-affirming perspective to its logical moral conclusion , we must also declare that a civilized society does not kill anyone , for any reason , period .

That was the life-affirming perspective of the early church . In their theology no blood could be spilled – no abortion , no capital punishment , no war .

It was a Gospel-centered theology based on the unconditional love of God towards every person , as best exemplified by Jesus .

We would do well to walk in the footsteps of the nonviolent Master and his early followers , proclaiming in word and deed that no life is disposable , and that every person is a beloved child of the God of life !

How Can I Keep From Singing ?

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By Gregory Kepferle

CEO , Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and president , Charities Housing Development Corporation

When I was a child , Dad and Mom would pile all of us kids in the station wagon for a Sunday afternoon drive in the country with Dad entertaining us by singing cowboy songs along the way . This past month my Dad turned 90 . Thankfully he is in better shape than I am . He walks three miles a day , square dances and ballroom dances . I can hardly reach him because his social calendar is so full . When I get the chance to visit , invariably he is whistling or singing as he goes about his household tasks . It ’ s as natural as breathing . He inspired my love of singing .

Given the uncertain state of the country and scary state of the world , sometimes it may seem like there is not much to sing about . Yet this is precisely the time when songs are most important . “ No storm can shake my inmost calm , while to that Rock I ’ m clinging , since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth , how can I keep from singing ?” The refrain of the old Baptist hymn by

Robert Wadsworth Lowry turned into folk anthem and Quaker hymn still resonates today . Howard Thurman invites us “ to make music in the heart ” as the work of Christmas , even as we work “ to find the lost , to heal the broken , to feed the hungry , to release the prisoner , to rebuild the nations , and to bring peace among others .”

This is the joy of the Gospel that Pope Francis writes about . We bring good news to those who are poor , not as grim do-gooders , but as joyful ambassadors of a servant-king who sings us into being . Yes , this takes hard work . Yes , we witness suffering and pain that we cannot always heal . But , yes , there is also joy in sharing our best gifts and skills with those who need us the most . At Catholic Charities there is joy as we witness the daily humble miracles of children who can read , seniors who are fed , homeless who are housed , immigrants and refugees who find safety and welcome , prisoners who are freed , job seekers who find work , and those with mental illness who find healing and hope . When I hear this good news , how can I keep from singing ?

To learn more about Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County go to www . CatholicCharitiesSCC . org .