Moral calculus: Massacre in Newtown and abortion

    As the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton passed on Jan. 22, thousands of young adults marched in protest in front of the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C., in the annual March for Life. These Supreme Court decisions enshrined abortion as a constitutional right, a right that unfortunately seems will stand for the next four years, at least.
    Drawn by social youth groups, protestors flocked to the National Mall Jan. 25, with encouragement from Pope Benedict’s tweet: “I join all those marching for life from afar, and pray that political leaders will protect the unborn and promote a culture of life.”
    Indeed, as I watched the news and saw the throngs of people gathered, it was inspiring to see so many of our youth marching for what they believe in and defending their faith and belief in the culture of life.
    However, I couldn’t help but admit to confusion over how Americans can stand in sheer horror and disbelief at the thought of the innocent children killed in Newtown, Conn., while so many Americans have little thought or feeling toward the innocent babies that are killed in their mothers’ wombs.
    The Centers for Disease Control confirm that about 1.2 million abortions are performed annually in the United States. And yet, Americans continue to be divided on the issue: 53 percent of Americans want the abortion decision to be kept in place, with 18 percent of people having no opinion on the issue.
    Moreover, two-thirds of Americans did not know that Roe v. Wade had to do with abortion. Since there is so much confusion and misinformation over Roe v. Wade and abortion, it seems that our current generation – born after the historical decision – is not as exposed to the decision or to the events that led up to that decision. It is no wonder that such a large percentage has “no opinion.”
    And yet, how can they have no opinion? How can Americans be so insensitive to the murder of innocent babies and yet cry out in agony and sorrow when school children are gunned down?
    I, for one, cannot understand the distinction. As the nation continues to refer to the Newtown tragedy, we should also continue referring to the issue of abortion. Other than marking the tragedy of abortion and making the news by participating in the annual March for Life, how can we as Catholic young adults continue to defend our beliefs and stand firm in our faith throughout the year?     
    If Americans do not believe that abortion is murder, how can we work to end the cycle of societal decay and death that has led to abortion?
    How can we work together to promote a culture of life and raise awareness for a culture of life in a more prominent, day-to-day way?
    I remember going to church with my family when I was younger and seeing families with a lot of children, maybe five or six. Rarely do we see such large families today. In our marriage vows, we promise our openness to children, and large Catholic families daily bear witness to the happiness and love that arises when we accept the culture of life. Again, if Americans do not believe that abortion is murder, how can we work to end the cycle of societal decay and death that has led to abortion?    
    I don’t have answers to these questions, but as the future generation, we need to begin thinking of working toward societal change.             Building on the inspiration found in the March for Life protestors, we need to form new means of activism for the pro-life movement. If we are ever to bring about a change in the issue of abortion, we need to find a way to change the societal attitude toward the culture of death.
    Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at [email protected].