Rev. Fr. Frank Pavone
Pontifical Council for the Family
Vatican City
Once again, we have received the joyful news of a decline in the
numbers of abortions in the United States. Earlier this month, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta released a report on abortions
performed during 1995, the last year for which statistics are currently
available.
I say joyful news, though fully aware that both within and outside of the
pro-life movement, the explanations for the decline will vary, along with all
their corresponding arguments. Suffice it to say that if fewer babies are being
destroyed by the single greatest disaster in the history of our nation, namely,
legal abortion, then I rejoice. At the same time, I do not cease reminding
people that this tragedy still claims some 4000 lives a day. We should also note
that the CDC merely receives abortion statistics from those agencies
reporting to them, rather than actively seeking them. That is why CDC numbers
will be somewhat lower than those from other sectors.
Regarding the explanations, however, it is noteworthy that the very author of
the report, Lisa Koonin of the CDC, mentions a change in attitudes toward
abortion as one of the reasons for the decline.
I am not surprised.
I see it all the time. At Priests for Life, we have learned by experience in
every one of the 50 states that the more priests preach against abortion, the
more lives are saved. We have a wealth of testimonies to prove it, and give
priests a wealth of suggestions on how to make those sermons work.
Another reason which the study stated for a decline in abortions is a
decrease in access to abortion services. For some time now, this has been a
deeper concern of the abortion-rights people than the legality of abortion. Just
read their newsletters. Without access, they argue, what good is Roe v. Wade?
Good point.
There are various reasons for a decrease of access. For one thing, fewer
doctors want to provide abortions, and those who do so--only a couple of
thousand right now--are getting older, grayer, and more tired, some of them
traveling to several states in the course of a week to perform the procedure.
(This is one of the reasons for the frenzied push to chemical abortions.)
Another reason is the growth of alternatives to abortion and the increasingly
effective efforts of the pro-life movement to make those alternatives known.
Pro-life media campaigns that focus on the internal state of mind of the
pregnant woman more than on the child are having a profound effect. Meanwhile,
crisis pregnancy centers are making the wise move of upgrading themselves to
medical facilities, thus attracting more abortion-bound women. Nor should we
ignore the impact of peaceful pro-life prayer vigils outside abortion
facilities.
Before abortion is made illegal again, which I believe will happen within my
lifetime, we have to bring the numbers down. It's happening. Let's keep doing
the things that make it happen, and let's rejoice as we do them!
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