Time passes quickly when there is much to do, and our pro-life mission, as successful as it has been, still leaves us with much work as our adversaries continue to promote abortion as the preferred method of family planning and the solution to an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.

However, they also have increasingly promoted hate, and this has spilled over into promotion of violence so that disrespect for human life and the dignity of the individual is seen everywhere in our society. We have seen the face of pure evil when our adversaries say we are to be despised, that we are monsters that must be “neutralized,” that we are Nazi’s and that our actions must be ended…. then we see that they almost killed Trump twice, they attempted to kill Justice Kavanaugh, and they murdered Charlie Kirk and celebrated his death.

We are all busy, but we must carve out time to oppose this hate culture, or we will all surely be victims. Let us remember what Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote. He was a national conservative in Germany who believed the Nazi rhetoric and at first welcomed Hitler’s rise to power. However, when the Nazi’s got around to attacking the Church, he was sent to Dachau concentration camp where he was lucky to survive.

Later, he regretted not doing more to help oppressed groups. He wrote: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

There is a method, a purpose, and a goal to the madness we see, and it must be vigorously opposed in every respect. Charlie Kirk promoted to our young people that we must love each other, respect fundamental values that have led to happiness and peace, marry and have children….so they killed him. Oh, every one of the hate mongers denies culpability, but every philosopher and every religious leader says otherwise. If people promote hated of others who disagree with them and suggest that violence is a means to solve “the problem,” no matter how cleverly worded to avoid the accusation, no matter what nefarious mannerisms are used, they have still promoted hatred and violence and are morally guilty of any act that results from their actions.

This is encoded in our legal system in a non-intuitive way: if two men rob a facility and one of the robbers is killed, the surviving robber is charged with murder for the death of the other. His guilt arises from the fact that the deceased individual would not have died if he had not agreed to participate in the robbery. Those who instigate violence with hate rhetoric may not be legally liable for the result in the US, but they are morally liable. That is not very satisfying, but we much condemn such individuals for their actions, point out their moral corruption, and oppose everything they stand for until they understand that their actions produce negative results for themselves.

So, in addition to our efforts in respect for the most vulnerable unborn children at risk for death from abortion and mothers in distress from difficult life situations, let us not forget that this is only part of the battle. If we do not spend part of our efforts on the many other ways in which life is disrespected and the dignity of every person is diminished, then everything we do will ultimately be in vain, just as it was for Pastor Niemöller. Evil people will come to power, and they will come for us.

Returning now to our first concerns, October is respect Life Month for Catholics, but it is a tradition that should be extended to every month and shared with people of every faith tradition. As it is, there are many special observances in October, including a number of pregnancy center galas.

But, first, let’s back up a bit. On September 13, we observed a National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children. On September 27, there was the March of the Surviving Youth to the Planned Parenthood location on the Gulf Freeway in Houston, the largest abortion facility in the western hemisphere, where 150,000 children were killed in the womb until Texas law made abortion illegal. Then, on September 30, that facility closed its doors forever !

Throughout the nation, many Planned Parenthood locations have closed and many more have reduced staff due to states regulating or prohibiting abortion and offering more resources to women. However, there is also increased use of the Morning After Pill and the abortion pills. These pills are readily available even where they are illegal. They are also mailed from states where abortion is legal. The Comstock laws prohibiting such items through the mail are still on the books, but there is no clear way to interrupt this activity in the modern era. The pills can also be ordered over the internet from Mexico.

The cost of abortion pills through legal means in the US varies a lot. If covered by insurance, it could be $0. The cost otherwise could be $300-800. At Planned Parenthood, the average cost is $580, but can be up to $750. If purchased on-line, the cost is $70-400 (average $150). If ordered on-line from Mexico, the price ranges from $90-120. The standard medical abortion technique involved two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol. However, women sometimes take only misoprostol. The FDA has just approved a generic misoprostol. Many pro-life groups have objected, as have 51 senators, so we shall see….

There are numerous very serious side effects from taking the abortion pills, including death. The US manufacturer recommended years ago that doctors only prescribe the pills after an ultrasound to confirm the dates of gestation and that the pregnancy is in the uterus. Sometimes the pregnancy can implant in the Fallopian tube. When the tube ruptures, the woman will bleed to death internally unless she has emergency surgery.

However, the FDA has permitted the pills to be obtained legally without a doctor’s examination, and women often get the pills illegally to save the cost. Many jurisdictions have tried to impose restrictions on doctors…force them to see the patient before prescribing the abortion pills… but courts have blocked such attempts.

A man has sued a doctor in California for the wrongful death of his daughter because the abortion pills were prescribed by mail without an examination and the pills were prescribed outside of FDA regulations for dates of gestation. In response to this lawsuit, perhaps other doctors would be more cautious. However, California promptly passed a law allowing doctors to prescribe the pills anonymously, so the family of women who were injured would not be able to find out which doctor prescribed the pills. One hopes that this violates some federal law so this ludicrous legislation will be voided.

Let us all be diligent in these matters and let our voices be heard. I will attempt to be more prompt to give updates in future.