Congratulations on your article. It has drawn significant attention, and that is very good. I would like to add to the discussion.
As Pro-Lifers, we want to change the laws Re abortion as well as the culture’s understanding of the citizen waiting to be born. The Pro-Life movement has worked tirelessly, attempting to change the hearts and minds of adults in the voting booth and in government. However, this is addressing the problem after their minds have already been made up. Changing an adults mind on this subject is VERY difficult.
Recent news indicates that young people are increasingly MORE pro-life than older generations. The reason for this appears to be because they are exposed to more of the facts: Scientific, Biological, Logical—as well as moral & Religious. Many of the scientific data have only been available in recent years and are a powerful anecdote to the pro-choice propaganda we all are exposed to, especially for the youth who have yet to form their opinions on this.
More to the point on youth and this subject: Ask a first grader what is inside a pregnant woman’s “tummy,” she will say a baby. If you ask if it would be okay to hurt that baby in any way, she will say no. Try it with a thousand first graders; their answers will all be basically the same. The fact is, as little ones we are naturally pro-life.
My point here is that the pro-life movement has been missing the opportunity to educate an entire group of people who are already pro-life—and to help properly form their consciences and understanding about the rights of their fellow American citizens waiting to be born. I am focusing here specifically on Christian and private schools. With comprehensive Pro-Life education (Scientific, Biological, Logical—as well as moral & Religious) in Christian schools, from K-12 (and beyond), we can greatly reduce the number of natural pro-lifers in the 1st grade who become pro-abortion later on.
The sanctity of life of the unborn person is a simple truth that can and must be taught like any other subject. In Christian schools it should be the preeminent subject in religion class and receive the greatest attention and highest Respect. The war between the cultures of life and death is the single thing that has a bearing on the destiny of our nation and the very survival of our society. Every student beginning kindergarten is naturally pro-life. If the Christian schools were to nurture this gift and guide the proper formation of their Christian consciences with ongoing teachings while continuously building on successive lessons—over the course of thirteen years the vast majority of these students would be solid pro-life citizens. Protestant and Catholic leaders who control schools, Bible study, CCD etc. need only the will to make this happen. Each day this doesn't happen is another day of victory for the pro-abortion forces, because ignorance of the masses is the only hope the pro-abortion forces have for survival.
The solution to ending the culture of death does not realistically lie with changing or “reversing” the minds of pro-abortion adults; it lies with preserving the 99+ % of children that are already pro-life on their first day of school.
Parts of my thoughts here are from an article I submitted to Washington Dispatch this week entitled “Even Patricia Ireland Used To Be Pro-Life” I hope they accept it and publish. The rest comes from my work as founder of Christian Patriots For Life , and our main document entitled THE MISSING KEY OF THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT.
I would like very much to be on your ping list and if you would like I’d be very happy to add you to mine. We should all work together to help educate as many people as effectively as we can, because comprehensive education is THE MISSING KEY OF THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT.
Kevin