The following are transcripts of one-minute spots which Fr.
Frank Pavone has produced for radio stations nationwide.
Listen to and download these spots here.
Click
here for more short pro-life messages.
Protect the Babies. Sea turtles protected more than the unborn.
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Thanks to the United States' Supreme Court
decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, abortion is performed in the United
States through all nine months of pregnancy. Dr. Martin Haskell for
example, writes in one of his medical papers about a fellow provider of
abortions that does them up to 32 weeks and more. You can visit the website of
Dr. George Tiller, where he describes abortion services at 37 weeks of
pregnancy. I was preaching on this one time and then went out to the beach and
saw a sign that said, "Do not touch the sea turtles or their eggs; they are
protected by local, state and Federal law." If we don't have the right to choose
to smash the egg of a sea turtle why should we have the right to choose to smash
a baby?
So What?
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. I have talked with and listened to many
providers of abortion and often they justify their actions by saying, "Well I
don't know when the child receives a soul." My response to that is, "So what"?
The law that protects you from someone else trying to take your life does
not require that that person believe you have a soul. It doesn't even
require that they believe in souls at all. The pro-life effort is not about
imposing religious beliefs upon anybody. We're not asking that anyone belong to
a particular religion by law. All we're asking is that the same norms that
protect born people be used to protect unborn people. Is that
really too much to ask? Think about it, and work to end abortion.
Pro-Choice Meaning
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Many defend the availability of legal
abortion by using the slogan "pro-choice." Well it sounds very nice but it
doesn’t mean anything. Choice of what? Whether a choice is good or bad, right or
wrong, should be allowed or prohibited -- doesn’t that depend on what
you're choosing? The problem with this slogan is that it ignores what is
being chosen. I do not have the right to choose to smash your car because my
choices have to end where your rights begin and you have a right to your
possessions and, therefore, the law protects your possessions against my
smashing or stealing them. The choice in abortion is the destruction of a child.
In civilized society there are certain choices that should not be legal or
permitted to anyone. Abortion is one of them.
No Freedom - No Choice
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Many defend legal abortion using the slogan
"freedom of choice." The irony of course is that women seeking abortions do not
do so because of freedom of choice. They do so precisely because they
feel they have no freedom and no choice. I have thousands of case
studies in my office of women who have had abortions. One of them writes, "I
didn’t have any family support, the abortion clinic offered no other alternative
and I was almost crying out for one." Many are crying out for them and that is
why the pro-life movement runs more support centers for these women than there
are abortion facilities in our country. Don't be afraid to reach out to those
who might have an abortion and tell them that they do have a better
choice.
Pro-Life Feminists
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Susan B. Anthony said, "Abortion is child
murder." Elizabeth Cady Stanton said, "When we consider that women are treated
as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as
property to be disposed of as we see fit." Sara Norton said, "Perhaps there will
come a time when the right of the unborn to be born will not be denied or
interfered with." What do these women have in common? They were foundresses of
the women's movement in our country. Authentic feminism is pro-life and
recognizes that women's dignity is not advanced or enhanced by the destruction
of their children. Let us all work together for an end to abortion.
Men's Responsibilities
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Did you realize that polls consistently
reveal that more young men in our country support legal abortion than young
women? Actually, it makes sense. After all, a young man makes a woman pregnant
and legal abortion gives him a way to send her off to fix the problem so nobody
knows and he doesn't have to be involved in raising a child. But, meanwhile,
it's the woman's body that endures dozens of possible harmful effects of this
procedure. Isn't it ironic that something that is proposed as an advance in
women's rights actually becomes a new way for women to be used? Let's end legal
abortion and let's build a culture that encourages young men to take
responsibility for their actions and to defend life.
Include the Unborn
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. The 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v.
Wade, said, "The word person as used in the Fourteenth Amendment to the
Constitution does not include the unborn." Pro-lifers say that that word
should include the unborn. Some people say that the pro-life movement is
intolerant and narrow. But when you consider the fact that the movement is
asking for society to include the unborn in its welcome and to extend to them
the protection of its laws, it seems pretty clear that the pro-life people are
the more tolerant and inclusive. Let's pray and work together for an end to
legal abortion and to the harm it brings to women and their children.
Abortion Trauma
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Abortion is not something that you do today
and forget about tomorrow. The evidence continues to mount of the harmful
physical and psychological effects of this procedure. I myself have counseled
women suffering from abortions they've had 50 and 60 years ago. I have stacks of
paper in my office that are thousands of case studies of women writing about how
abortion has ruined their lives. Reliable studies show how abortion can increase
the risk of losing subsequent children, increase the risk of breast cancer and
destroy one's ability to bond emotionally with children born later. The sad
thing is that women are often not told of these risks and dangers. Let's protect
women and their children from the tragedy of abortion.
Reject all Violence
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. I was once asked what I thought of a man who
had killed an abortion provider and I said, "He's pro-choice." …because for
decades the pro-choice movement has been telling us that at times you can choose
to end a life to solve a problem. Then, unfortunately, a few people have come
along saying you can end a life to solve a problem by killing abortion
providers. We reject that kind of thinking whether it applies to babies in the
womb or to abortion providers. You can't have it both ways. You can't protest
the killing of babies and then shoot abortionists but neither can you protest
the killing of abortionists and then support a procedure which kills babies.
Let's do the sensible thing and let's reject all violence, including
abortion.
Sandra's Story
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. One of my dear friends in the pro-life
movement is Sandra Cano. She never believed in abortion. She got into a bad
marriage and ended up abandoned. The attorneys, to whom she turned to seek
custody of her children, turned her case into an abortion case and even arranged
for her to have an abortion when she was pregnant. So much did she not want to
do that, that she actually fled from Georgia to Oklahoma. Yet her case became
the Doe v. Bolton decision of the US Supreme Court, legalizing abortion
throughout the entire pregnancy. Sandra now claims that her case was based on
fraud. Let's join her and so many others in the fight to bring an end to the
killing of children by abortion.
The Centurions
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. When Jesus died on the cross, the Centurion
standing next to him, who had participated in His death cried out, "Surely, this
was an innocent man." Throughout the world today, there are men and women who
used to perform abortions and have now left the abortion industry and they say,
"Surely, these were innocent lives, and we are sorry." And they have formed an
international society called the Society of Centurions. Pray for these men and
women and pray that all people may do their part in bringing an end to the
tragedy of abortion. These people speak out and tell us that this must be the
way for society to defend life so that we may all become a society of
centurions.
This is My Body
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Did you ever realize that those who defend
abortion use the very same words that Jesus Himself used to teach the world the
meaning of love, "This is my body"? "This is my body," some say, "I will do with
it what I want even if it means killing the child." "This is my body," Jesus
said, "given up for you, that you may have life. I don't cling to it and control
it so that you die, I give it away so that you live." We never find happiness by
pushing someone else out of the way; we only find it when we push ourselves out
of the way and make room for the other. Abortion is the opposite of love. Let us
work together to bring it to an end and to choose life.
Honesty
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. A few summers ago, when praying in front of
an abortion facility with a number of other people and with
counter-demonstrators there supporting abortion, I saw a man holding a sign that
said, "Keep baby-killing legal." I went over and spoke to him and he said, "Yes,
I acknowledge that abortion kills a baby but I believe that that should be a
legal choice anyway." I thanked this man for showing honesty and I said, "You're
addressing this issue more fairly and squarely than those who are holding these
signs saying 'Keep Abortion Legal' but won't admit what an abortion is."
Do we really think that baby killing should be kept legal? And if not, let's
work together, each of us, to bring an end to the tragedy of abortion.
Justice?
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. In April of 1972, a Justice of the US
Supreme Court wrote the following words: "The ordinary corporation is a person….
So it should be as respects valleys, alpine meadows, rivers, lakes, estuaries,
beaches, ridges, groves of trees, swampland or even air that feels the
destructive pressures of modern technology…. The problem is to make certain that
the inanimate objects …have spokesmen before they are destroyed." Eight months
later this same justice signed onto the words in Roe v. Wade that say, "The word
person does not include the unborn." If we can see the need to protect air
and swampland why is it so hard to see the need to protect our children?
She's Expecting
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. When a woman is pregnant we often say she is
expecting a child. But if you are expecting a person to come, it means that
the person isn't there yet, whereas the child in the womb is there. We
often say that the pregnant woman has a child on the way. But on the way
from where? Or, I'm going to bring a child into the world. Well, what
world is the child in now? When one is pregnant, the child is already there,
fully present, fully in possession of his or her human rights, including the
right to live. Let us welcome and acknowledge that the child in the womb is
fully with us, equal in dignity and deserves protection. Let's put an end to
abortion in our country and throughout the world.
Legal Isn't Safe
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Some people say, "Sure, abortion is wrong
but we have to keep it legal so that it will be safe." But legal abortion is not
safe. The procedure carries over 150 possible physical and emotional
complications. Furthermore, the legal abortion clinics are the most unregulated
surgical facilities in the nation. I have friends who used to run these clinics
and testify today that they did not even sterilize the instruments. States have
begun calling for investigations into unlicensed abortion clinics. And one
friend I know who ran six abortion clinics posed as a doctor without having
spent a day in medical school. Don't be fooled. Legal does not mean safe,
especially when you're talking about an abortion clinic.
MYOB
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. If you begin speaking against abortion some
people will tell you, "Mind your own business! If you think abortion is
wrong, fine -- don't have one! But leave the rest of us alone and let us make
our own choices." But do you ever hear people say, "I'm against child
abuse; I would never abuse my child, but if someone else wants to abuse theirs,
let them have their choice. It's none of my business… I would never commit
violent crime but if someone else wants to, it's none of my business." Or is
it? What is our business after all, if not to help those in need? The fact is
that some choices have victims, and when somebody's choice destroys somebody
else's life, that, my dear friends, is everybody's business.
Image of God
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. In Matthew 22 we read that the Pharisees
asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay tax to the Emperor. When he told him that
Caesar's image was on the coin, Jesus said, "Then give to Caesar what is
Caesar's but give to God what is God's." In other words, the coin belongs to
Caesar because it bears the image of Caesar. What then belongs to God? That
which bears the image of God: human beings, including Caesar himself.
Human laws have authority only in so far as they do not contradict God's law.
Certainly, we must obey all just laws, but our allegiance above all is to God
and that is true for every citizen, legislator, judge, prince, president and
king.
Sharing His Throne
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. In our Christian hymns and prayers, we often
refer to the fact that one day we will see God's throne, gather around it and
fall down before it -- and certainly that is true. But the reality is even more
wondrous than that. In Revelation 3:21 the Lord says, "I will give the victor
the right to sit with me on my throne." What a promise! As St. Paul proclaimed,
"If we hold out to the end, we will reign with Him." Now if the destiny of the
human person is to be on the very throne of Christ, how can followers of Christ
tolerate human beings being thrown in the garbage? This is why believers can
never tolerate abortion. Let's work together to bring that tragedy to an end.
Our Neighbor
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. When we reflect on why abortion is wrong, we
usually think about the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." But did you ever
realize that abortion also violates the commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor?" The unborn child is our youngest, smallest
neighbor. The abortion mentality says this child is not a person, does not have
rights, is not equal to the rest of us in dignity and is disposable. This is
false witness; this is a lie. The truth is that the unborn child is a
creature of God, loved and chosen by the Father before the world began and
called to eternal salvation. Let us end abortion by bearing righteous and true
witness to the dignity of our unborn neighbor.
I Don't Know
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. When Cain killed his brother Abel, the Lord
asked Cain, "Where is your brother?" Cain's response was, "I do not know." God's
question echoes through the centuries and was asked of the US Supreme Court in
1973 when it was faced with the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion. "Where is your
brother? Will you recognize the unborn as your brother and grant him equal
protection?" The court said we need not resolve the difficult question of when
life begins; the judiciary is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.
Boil that down to three words and it's "I don't know." But, my friends,
we do know. Let us welcome and nurture the lives of our unborn brothers
and sisters!
RU-486
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. What would you think about taking a drug
combination involving powerful synthetic steroids, which have already caused
injuries and deaths, whose long term side effects are unknown and whose
manufacturer said, "It is a terrible psychological ordeal, it is not at all easy
to use"? Well such is the case with RU-486, the chemical abortion technique.
Some call it an "abortion pill," but that vastly oversimplifies the process. It
is a drug combination technique whose process takes from several days to several
weeks to complete and can involve the expulsion of a dead child anytime,
anyplace. This unleashes a new wave of the destruction of children and for the
mothers it unleashes a chemical time bomb.
Men Can't Speak Up?
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. Some defenders of abortion use the curious
argument that men should have nothing to say about the subject because they
can't get pregnant. First of all, the truth of the statement has little to do
with the gender of the speaker and furthermore, why don't those who make this
argument have any problem with the men who speak up in favor of abortion or the
seven Supreme Court Justices, all men, who voted in Roe v. Wade that abortion
should be legal in the first place? Moreover, what about women who, due to age
or other circumstances, cannot get pregnant? Are we now to say that only fertile
women of childbearing age can say anything about abortion? The simple fact is
that abortion is an act of violence against a human being and any human being,
male or female, has the right to speak up about it.
The Bedroom
Hello, this is Fr. Frank Pavone. One of the strangest arguments of those who
defend abortion is that "the government has no place in the bedroom."
First of all, how many abortions that you know of occur in bedrooms? They occur
rather in publicly advertised abortion clinics and hospitals. Secondly, since
when is the bedroom a legal sanctuary? If someone rapes a young girl, should he
be convicted if the act occurs in a car but excused if it occurs in a bedroom?
What about acts of incest or murder? Does the law somehow lose its right to
prohibit these things if they occur in a bedroom? This whole argument is
ridiculous. Abortion is the taking of a human life and should be prohibited
whether it occurs in a hospital, a clinic, a garage or a bedroom.