Since abortion-on-demand was legalized in the United States, over 60 million lives have been lost to abortion.  As the January 18 March for Life, the largest peaceful demonstration to share the truth regarding legalized, let’s look at some of the top quotes from pro-life leaders and ponder how we can stand up for the defenseless.

“Reproductive rights’ has long been a euphemism for destroying human life in the womb… A phrase that sounds like empowerment is a really only code for the subjugation of preborn children,”
—Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action

Words matter. Mankind is really good at rationalizing evil behavior and words matter in the fight for truth. Oftentimes, positive-sounding phrases mask the true intent and outcomes of actions. In the fight for life, we have to shine a light on this false terminology. Perhaps this is why surveys show that ultrasounds are so powerful in changing the minds of abortion-minded women. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and words matter.

“I wouldn’t say I have any unique insight. I do know that blacks kind of represent a large portion of the abortions, and I do know that honestly, the whole idea with Planned Parenthood and Sanger in the past was to exterminate blacks, and it’s kind of ironic that it’s working. We (as minorities) support candidates and overwhelmingly support the idea of having Planned Parenthood and the like, and yet, that is why she created it. We are buying it hook, line, and sinker, like it’s a great thing. It’s just amazing to me and abortion saddens me, period, but it seems to be something that is really pushed on minorities and provided to minorities especially as something that they should do. In the public, it seems to be painted that when minorities get pregnant they need to get abortions, especially when it comes to teen pregnancy. It’s like when black girls are pregnant, it’s like a statistic, but when white girls get pregnant, they get a TV show. My book talks about race, and how all these things are kind of forced into our brains. When we think about abortion, what’s the picture we get in our minds? It’s usually a minority, and those images are reinforced in culture. We sit here and talk about advancing the black agenda, whatever that means, we talk about our interests, and what’s important to us – like having political power and advancement and all those things – and then we are turning around and we are killing our children. And we are buying the lie that it’s our personal decision to make. Honestly, I am sympathetic, I am. Because I know it’s a hard decision. I don’t know exactly what it’s like to be pregnant and to be a single mom, or even to be a married mom and not want the child. I would never assume people are having abortions flippantly. I know people have them for convenience, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a tough choice for the mothers to make, so I always want to be sympathetic to that.”
—Ben Watson, NFL player, Super Bowl Champion, pro-life advocate, and author of Under Our Skin: Getting Real about Race. Getting Free from the Fears and Frustrations that Divide Us.

It’s important to remember that abortion has a dark history which is rooted in trampling on the rights and dignities of people. Many politicians or organizations such as Planned Parenthood which advocate for abortion do so under the guise of championing human rights. However, abortion advocates cannot escape the fact that abortion is the fruit of an evil tree. It has long been wielded as a weapon of the powerful against those they would seek to control. Abortion does not honor the dignity of all persons and it will never further the cause of equality and justice for all people.

“The big picture is really ugly, but instead of letting that dominate your thinking, I would say to keep the faith and concentrate on the one or two things you can do. You may not be able to save thousands of lives on your own, but the one life you can save today does mean a lot. Whether it’s teaching our own children to be pro-life, contacting our elected representatives or working at crisis-pregnancy centers, we can all do something. These examples are in addition to prayer, which everyone can do and which everyone should do. Prayer is the basis of any good action. Each little effort helps to bring about a culture of life, a culture in which children are appreciated rather than disposed of.”
—Matt Birk, NFL Player, Super Bowl Champion, Prolife Advocate, and Harvard Alum

Each one of us has a role to play. No action is too small. The battle for the culture of life will be won according to St. Therese’s “little way” of performing small actions with great love.

“You know, I’ve been participating in the March for Life for years. One thing that has always struck me—and there’s one thing that strikes me again right now—is the vigor and the enthusiasm of the pro-life movement. Looking out on this crowd, I can see there are people here of all ages, from all walks of life, but the young people here is what is so inspiring because it tells me this is a movement that is on the rise.”
—Paul Ryan, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives at the 2018 March for Life

Pro-life warriors endure numerous sacrifices – including hours on buses – to show the world the unborn matter at the March for Life.  It’s especially inspiring to see young people making these sacrifices to stand up for the voiceless.  The care and compassion of young people is actually a great virtue of this new generation. It should be lauded and encouraged as we ask, how can I and my family sacrifice for those without a voice?

“So I urge you to press on. But as it is written, ‘Let your gentleness be evident to all.’ Let this movement be known for love, not anger. Let this movement be known for compassion, not confrontation. When it comes to matters of the heart, there is nothing stronger than gentleness.”
—Mike Pence, Vice President of the U.S. to the 2017 March for Life

In an issue which is often times so political, it is important to remember that those we disagree with are not the enemy. The women who have abortions are often hurting and afraid. The individuals advocating for abortion, euthanasia, and other positions are our brothers and sisters. They are children of God. Ultimately, we work for conversion not victory in the pro-life movement.

“Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love.”
—St. Gianna Molla

St. Gianna Molla developed a life-threatening complication when pregnant with her fourth child.  Doctors recommended she have an abortion to save her life.  St. Gianna insisted the doctors save her baby’s life instead.  She was a doctor, so she fully understood the risks of this decision. Her daughter was born on April 21, 1962, and St. Gianna died seven days later. St. Gianna is a model of love for each one of us. While as parents, most of us will not have to make this ultimate sacrifice, we are called to lay down our lives for our children. This often takes the form of thousands of small acts rather than one great act. However, the protection of life will always require love.

“A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.”
—St. John Paul II

The battle for the culture of life in America is really the battle for the soul of a nation. Societies thrive when families are strong and perish when families cease to exist because the family is always the source of life within the society. It is in the family that citizens are born and fostered. It is in the family that community is enlivened. How can a society protect its citizens if a mother will not protect its child? How can a society care for its people if a child will not care for its father?  We each in our own family are the first line of defense of the nation.