American Casualties

American Casualties Since the Revolutionary War

Note: Abortion was legalized in 1973, in the United States. The number of abortions (the war on the unborn) have doubled since this jpg was generated. That figure is closer to 60 million as of 2017.

"Death was not God's doing, he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living" (Wis. 1:13)

THE BIBLE'S TEACHING AGAINST ABORTION by Father Frank Pavone

The Bible teaches that human life is different from other types of life, because human beings are made in the very image of God. The accounts of the creation of man and woman in Genesis (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-25) tell us this: "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).
The Bible teaches that children are a blessing. God commanded our first parents to "Be fertile and multiply" (Genesis 1:28). When the first mother brought forth the first child, she exclaimed, "I have brought forth a man with the help of the Lord" (Genesis 4:1). The prophet Amos condemns the Ammonites "because they ripped open expectant mothers in Gilead" (Amos 1:13). "Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Psalm 127:3).
The Bible teaches that the child in the womb is truly a human child, who even has a relationship with the Lord.
The phrase "conceived and bore" is used repeatedly (see Genesis 4:1, 17) and the individual has the same identity before as after birth. "In sin my mother conceived me," the repentant psalmist says in Psalm 51:7. The same word is used for the child before and after birth (Brephos, that is, "infant," is used in Luke 1:41 and Luke. God knows the preborn child. "You knit me in my mother's womb . . . nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret" (Psalm 139:13,15). God also helps and calls the preborn child. "You have been my guide since I was first formed . . . from my mother's womb you are my God" (Psalm 22:11-12). "God . . . from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace" (St. Paul to the Galatians 1:15).
Scripture repeatedly condemns the killing of the innocent. This flows from everything that has been seen so far. God's own finger writes in stone the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17) and Christ reaffirms it (Matthew 19:18-notice that He mentions this commandment first). The Book of Revelation affirms that murderers cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Revelation 22:15). God told His people that they were not to share in the sin of killing their children. They did, however; as Psalm 106 relates: "They mingled with the nations and learned their works . . . They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and they shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, desecrating the land with bloodshed" (Psalm 106:35, 37-38). This sin of child-sacrifice, in fact, is mentioned as one of the major reasons that the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians and the people taken into exile. "They mutilated their sons and daughters by fire . . . till the Lord, in his great anger against Israel, put them away out of his sight" (2 Kings 17:17-18).
The Bible teaches that God is a God of justice. An act of justice is an act of intervention for the helpless, an act of defense for those who are too weak to defend themselves. If God does justice for His people, He expects His people to do justice for one another. "Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36). "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37). "Do unto others as you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12). "Love one another" (John 15:17). Abortion is the opposite of these teachings. It is a reversal of justice. It is a destruction of the helpless rather than a rescue of them. If God's people do not intervene to save those whose lives are attacked, then the people are not pleasing or worshiping Him. God says through Isaiah, "Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings . . . Your festivals I detest . . . When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you; though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean . . . learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow" (Isaiah 1:13-17). Indeed, those who worship God but support abortion are falling into the same contradiction as God's people of old, and need to hear the same message.
Jesus Christ paid special attention to the poor, the despised, and those whom the rest of society considered insignificant. When it comes to human dignity, Christ erases distinctions. St. Paul declares, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave or free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). We can likewise say, "There is neither born nor unborn." Using this distinction as a basis for the value of life or the protection one deserves is meaningless and offensive to all that Scripture teaches. The unborn are the segment of our society which is most neglected and discriminated against. Christ Himself surely has a special love for them.
Scripture teaches us to love. St. John says, "This is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another, unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother" (1 John 3:11-12). Love is directly contrasted with slaughter. To take the life of another is to break the command of love. To fail to help those in need and danger is also to fail to love. Christ teaches this clearly in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and in many other places. No group of people is in more serious danger than the boys and girls in the womb. "If someone . . . sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in Him?" (1 John 3:17).
Life is victorious over death. Abortion is death. Christ came to conquer death, and therefore abortion. "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). The final outcome of the battle for life has already been decided by the Resurrection of Christ. It is up to us to spread that victory to every person. The pro-life movement is moving from the victory Christ won to the fullness of that victory on the last day. "There shall be no more death" (Revelation 21:4). "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

[Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life, P.O. Box 141172 Staten Island, NY 10314. (Tel. 914-937-8243)