Recently, I’ve witnessed the cultures clashing in a more obvious way. People are talking more openly about these things, and that can only be a good thing. Many of my friends from high school are either mothers or are currently pregnant. One could look at it a few ways. One is that they are too young (and not married) to be having sex, and therefore having babies. Another is that it’s a huge success that young women are choosing to carry their baby and keep them. I like to focus more on the latter because the pregnancies are real, and going back is no longer an option for them.
A lot of women (my age or younger) that I know are having babies. What does this mean? In addition to what I’ve already stated above, it seems that, in the least, these individuals are recognizing the value of life. Having sex is one thing, getting pregnant and choosing to keep your baby is another. I view this as a huge up-swing in the pro-life movement. With the help of facebook, not only are these women sharing what a joy having a baby is (by posting pictures and statuses about them), but all their facebook friends are seeing that too. One can also gather from facebook how a women feels and thinks about her pregnancy and baby. Quoting from a profile, a friend from high school states, “I was a nineteen year old mama. Meaning, yes, I will be thirty-seven when my little [baby] graduates high school. You can't judge me. My baby has changed my life. He was unexpected, but he will never be a mistake.”
I believe only good can come from these and similar situations. People can no longer be told about the hardships of having a kid, and how it is awful and that it will ruin their life. Being told these lies no longer work, because they can see the truth. Another good can also come from these seemingly bad situations. If a girl gets pregnant, she is no longer alone. She has friends, has heard of people, probably knows others that have been exactly where she is. She will probably be less afraid to choose life, knowing that she can be supported (at least by advice and friends) better. Yes, I truly have hope for my generation and the pro-life movement.
Although great steps have been made, sadly I also see the evil mindset is still firmly in place. That same friend that I quoted is adamantly pro-choice, and many other friends see all the new babies as a mistake. But even this is interesting because the ones who have negative attitudes towards raising a child young recognize that is because they are selfish, or that kids that young don’t need to be having sex. Even here, I only see the situation improving.
But does the rest of society, and (debatably) more importantly legislature, match up with this new trend? Yes and no. I read this article, in which a bill headed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL were defeated by the Virginia House and Senate and their lame tactics exposed. In fact, the pro-abortion plan backfired on them. But I also learned from Father Zehnle that the Illinois FOCA has passed out of committee and will move on to the next step.
Which is better, to win the laws, or win the hearts? Ultimately the choice is up to the woman, so changing hearts is critical. However, the laws need to be changed to reflect those changes as well as help influence others to side with life. Let’s keep praying!
Showing posts with label pro-life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pro-life. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Troy Davis and American Justice
Recently, I was invited to join a group voicing disapproval that Larry Platt (that guy from American Idol with the “Pants on the Ground” song) supports Troy Davis. If you haven’t heard of Troy Davis yet, his story is a very important one. Over 20 years ago, Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail was killed in a Burger King parking lot in Atlanta. The investigation lead to Troy Davis, whom 9 witnesses identified as the killer. A jury sentenced him to death, despite having no physical evidence. Since the verdict, 7 of those 9 witnesses have recanted their testimony and even said police pressured them into blaming Davis. He has faced execution four times:
July 17, 2007. It was stayed by GA Board of Pardons and Paroles less than 24 hours before scheduled execution.
September 23, 2008. It was stayed by Supreme Court 90 minutes before scheduled execution.
September 29, 2008 was an unpublicized date. Prison officials were hopeful that Supreme Court would deny Troy's petition before the warrant expired at midnight. At 3:00 p.m. (just a few hours before prison's intended execution) the Supreme Court announced that there would be no decision until October, making it impossible for the prison to go forward with the execution. Family and friends were allowed to visit as planned.
October 27, 2008. It was stayed three days before by 11th Circuit on October 24th.
In August of last year, the US Supreme Court ordered Georgia to hear his new evidence. Read more about the history of the court process, click here.
This starts conversations about two things- “justice”, and in particular, capital punishment, and racism. I’ll begin with the latter.
The reason I bring this up is because I went to the facebook group’s page and the comments left there were saddening. I have never understood racism. Is there anything stupider to hate someone for than what they look like? Especially when it’s their skin color, something that one has absolutely no control over? I never assume anyone is racist, or even that race factors into a situation until I have reason to think otherwise. The witnesses in the case who have recanted their testimony have spoken of being coerced by investigators into saying Troy Davis did it. These are people who have nothing to gain from doing this but a clean conscience.
It’s one thing to talk about a “cop killer” but when someone shows hatred towards another, assuming they are from “the hood” and calling names, then it shows how ignorant they are.
The most pressing question Troy Davis raises however is, is our court system perfect enough to execute someone because they have found them guilty? This is why Troy Davis still waits. He has been waiting for 20 years for a new trial. Troy Davis himself isn’t the only tragedy, but the justice system in America is a tragedy. If anything, it proves we have no authority to kill anyone.
It seems the only reasoning behind having a death penalty at all is to give “closure” to the family and serve “justice”. Neither of these is accomplished by killing someone. For one, it seems a judge is pressured to execute the person especially if the family recommends that. Since when is that how punishment is decided? The family is hurt and grieving, they are told (and believe) that if this person (who seems to be the sole cause of their pain) is taken from this life, then they would feel better, that they would somehow get “justice”. If I were you, I would read this article, which is about the execution of the DC sniper. Some admit to having little closure from it, while others hint at wanting revenge. This is not what the justice system is for.
As soon as someone is blamed for something, anything from a small rumor to murder, we ostracize them and will always see them as something less than human. We don’t care whether they are actually innocent, because we need someone to blame, and they were the first to fit that description.
I wonder if people who support the death penalty, especially family members of victims, are Christian, because to me, it would be impossible to reconcile wanting “justice” and “closure” with the need for forgiveness. One can’t say, “I just need to see him die, because he killed my husband” while believing that they should love and forgive everyone. While there are so many secular reasons to abolish the death penalty, I think the fact that Americans cling to it show how un-Christian this country is. Maybe we should stop claiming that we are.
I am in no way condoning or supporting the crimes these people commit. However, if we feel we can completely ignore our respect for people, and thus do whatever we want to them, whether they are guilty or not, then where does that leave us? It leaves us as a disgrace to our nature. It leaves us with no justice at all. It leaves us with no peace, because tomorrow, you could be the one who’s “guilty”. If we can’t follow our own laws, it leaves us with chaos and shortly after, destruction. God is the sole decider of life, from beginning to end. We are not God.
To learn more about Troy Davis and his case, click here.
To sign a petition, click here.
To read more about wrongful executions, click here.
July 17, 2007. It was stayed by GA Board of Pardons and Paroles less than 24 hours before scheduled execution.
September 23, 2008. It was stayed by Supreme Court 90 minutes before scheduled execution.
September 29, 2008 was an unpublicized date. Prison officials were hopeful that Supreme Court would deny Troy's petition before the warrant expired at midnight. At 3:00 p.m. (just a few hours before prison's intended execution) the Supreme Court announced that there would be no decision until October, making it impossible for the prison to go forward with the execution. Family and friends were allowed to visit as planned.
October 27, 2008. It was stayed three days before by 11th Circuit on October 24th.
In August of last year, the US Supreme Court ordered Georgia to hear his new evidence. Read more about the history of the court process, click here.
This starts conversations about two things- “justice”, and in particular, capital punishment, and racism. I’ll begin with the latter.
The reason I bring this up is because I went to the facebook group’s page and the comments left there were saddening. I have never understood racism. Is there anything stupider to hate someone for than what they look like? Especially when it’s their skin color, something that one has absolutely no control over? I never assume anyone is racist, or even that race factors into a situation until I have reason to think otherwise. The witnesses in the case who have recanted their testimony have spoken of being coerced by investigators into saying Troy Davis did it. These are people who have nothing to gain from doing this but a clean conscience.
It’s one thing to talk about a “cop killer” but when someone shows hatred towards another, assuming they are from “the hood” and calling names, then it shows how ignorant they are.
The most pressing question Troy Davis raises however is, is our court system perfect enough to execute someone because they have found them guilty? This is why Troy Davis still waits. He has been waiting for 20 years for a new trial. Troy Davis himself isn’t the only tragedy, but the justice system in America is a tragedy. If anything, it proves we have no authority to kill anyone.
It seems the only reasoning behind having a death penalty at all is to give “closure” to the family and serve “justice”. Neither of these is accomplished by killing someone. For one, it seems a judge is pressured to execute the person especially if the family recommends that. Since when is that how punishment is decided? The family is hurt and grieving, they are told (and believe) that if this person (who seems to be the sole cause of their pain) is taken from this life, then they would feel better, that they would somehow get “justice”. If I were you, I would read this article, which is about the execution of the DC sniper. Some admit to having little closure from it, while others hint at wanting revenge. This is not what the justice system is for.
As soon as someone is blamed for something, anything from a small rumor to murder, we ostracize them and will always see them as something less than human. We don’t care whether they are actually innocent, because we need someone to blame, and they were the first to fit that description.
I wonder if people who support the death penalty, especially family members of victims, are Christian, because to me, it would be impossible to reconcile wanting “justice” and “closure” with the need for forgiveness. One can’t say, “I just need to see him die, because he killed my husband” while believing that they should love and forgive everyone. While there are so many secular reasons to abolish the death penalty, I think the fact that Americans cling to it show how un-Christian this country is. Maybe we should stop claiming that we are.
I am in no way condoning or supporting the crimes these people commit. However, if we feel we can completely ignore our respect for people, and thus do whatever we want to them, whether they are guilty or not, then where does that leave us? It leaves us as a disgrace to our nature. It leaves us with no justice at all. It leaves us with no peace, because tomorrow, you could be the one who’s “guilty”. If we can’t follow our own laws, it leaves us with chaos and shortly after, destruction. God is the sole decider of life, from beginning to end. We are not God.
To learn more about Troy Davis and his case, click here.
To sign a petition, click here.
To read more about wrongful executions, click here.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Pro-life according to John
Today’s first reading. 1 John 5:5-13:
After hearing this today, something really stuck out to me: life. As Catholics, we are called to be pro-life. Although most only associate this with abortion, I look at it in regards to all life (criminals, elderly, enemies). However, this reading takes it even further. John tells us that he who has the Son of God has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life. Could this really be what being pro-life is all about? Not just wanting everyone to be born, or spared from execution, but to live in Jesus, so that he may have life?
There is a drastic difference between merely breathing and actually living. This difference is Jesus. And what is even better, as the reading tells us, that as we live in Him now, we live in Him eternally. Pro-life can mean just wanting everyone to be breathing, but I think our faith calls us to more. Pro-life is now a stance saying we want everyone to experience life, real excellent life, and as John tells us, that is only found in Jesus.
Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
After hearing this today, something really stuck out to me: life. As Catholics, we are called to be pro-life. Although most only associate this with abortion, I look at it in regards to all life (criminals, elderly, enemies). However, this reading takes it even further. John tells us that he who has the Son of God has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life. Could this really be what being pro-life is all about? Not just wanting everyone to be born, or spared from execution, but to live in Jesus, so that he may have life?
There is a drastic difference between merely breathing and actually living. This difference is Jesus. And what is even better, as the reading tells us, that as we live in Him now, we live in Him eternally. Pro-life can mean just wanting everyone to be breathing, but I think our faith calls us to more. Pro-life is now a stance saying we want everyone to experience life, real excellent life, and as John tells us, that is only found in Jesus.
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