In the Face of Pro-Abortion Aggression, Witnesses to Life Stand Firm

A NOTE FROM OUR PUBLISHER

A prayer rally outside Philadelphia Planned Parenthood May 10 drew more than 1,000 witnesses for the unborn.
A prayer rally outside Philadelphia Planned Parenthood May 10 drew more than 1,000 witnesses for the unborn. (photo: Sarah Webb/CatholicPhilly.com)

While abortion proponents would like to paint the pro-life movement’s members as an angry mob, screaming and waving graphic images in the faces of the women who enter abortion businesses, a recent altercation in Pennsylvania reflected a reality that is vastly different.

On May 2, Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, who is vehemently pro-abortion, posted online a video of himself in front of a Planned Parenthood facility in Philadelphia. For nearly 10 minutes, he berated a middle-aged woman, whom he repeatedly referred to as “an old white woman,” for the crime of praying the Rosary in front of the building that houses one of the busiest abortion mills in the state. He had posted another video previously of him yelling at a group of high-school girls doing the same thing, and he offered $100 to his viewers if they would identify the young women in order to protest at their homes.

As an elected official, Sims exhibited behavior that was nothing short of disgraceful. He was criticized for his verbal assault by the majority of reports, both within and outside of the pro-life movement.

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said, “There is much bitter irony that he claims to be a champion for the rights of all women yet he trampled on the rights of others and disgracefully shamed them in public. It was particularly disdainful that he offered a bounty for the identity and home addresses of three young ladies in order to encourage protests at their homes.”

Three days after Sims released a video discussing the latest incident, the pro-life movement responded with charity and grace. A prayer rally outside the same Planned Parenthood May 10 drew more than 1,000 witnesses for the unborn. They prayed for an end to abortion and for the men and women who felt the need to abort their children.

And the same day Sims was accosting the woman, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed a bill that outlaws abortion after a baby’s fetal heartbeat is detected (about six weeks). Just a few days later, Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed a bill that makes performing abortions in the state a felony. In doing so, she said, “This legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.”

While I am saddened at the recent outlandish responses by those who claim that killing an unborn child is a right, I am doubly heartened that more individuals and states are turning away from a culture of death and witnessing to the right to life given to us by our Creator. God bless you!