They are in search of something that, as we eventually all come to learn, was within their grasp from the very beginning. The modern-day Dorothy knows the dangers of the journey well when it comes to abortion.
How many women who have had abortions continue to say they are “pro-choice” because they feel they must continue to justify the decision they made or were forced to make to abort? How many of those women who live with the secret of their abortions believe that so long as abortion is considered to be a socially acceptable option, they can continue to live in denial? Studies show that post-abortive women have high incidences of depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide. Like Dorothy, millions of post-abortive women are desperately searching for peace, love, and acceptance.
Since the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973, there have been over 40 million abortions in the United States. Currently, there are over 4,000 surgical abortions in America every day. Why must we continue on this destructive journey when proof of the harm caused by abortion is all around us?
Unfortunately, the current Democratic Party leadership refuses to acknowledge the obvious wreckage that has been strewn along the way since 1973. They veered off the Yellow Brick Road a long time ago and continue to refuse to believe that there remain many silent pro-life Democrats who understand that abortion is a violent solution. Over a decade ago, the great pro-life Democrat Governor Robert Casey saw the direction in which the party was heading and tried in vain to remind us all that true Democrats fight for the rights of the most vulnerable in society. He was silenced by those vocal few who preferred a more treacherous road. Since that time, what has become of those of us who know that abortion, the deliberate taking of a human life, is a violent act that goes against the very nature of women? Will pro-life Democrats surface on November 2?
As we active pro-life Democrats approach the November 2 presidential election, our own patriotic Emerald City where one man will emerge as the “great and powerful wizard,” we can’t help but wonder if Senator Kerry might be the scarecrow, tin man, and lion rolled up into one. Kerry claims to be a Catholic and continues to receive Holy Communion despite the clear and unambiguous teaching of his Church’s Catechism and Holy Scripture; and yet, according to Senator Kerry in a July 4, 2004, Dubuque, Iowa, Telegraph Herald interview, “I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist…. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America.”
Does he not understand that our entire system of government and law is based upon our Judeo-Christian moral code of ethics? When Senator Kerry spoke up concerning the atrocities committed during the Vietnam War, did he not rely upon his core value system of right and wrong that was ingrained in him by his Catholic faith that he claims to love? John Kerry would serve us well by using the brain God gave him to think this abortion debate through logically.
And what about Mr. Kerry’s heart? Did he show us a glimpse of that heart when Rebecca Porter held up a sign, “My Abortion Hurt Me,” at a March 2004 Kerry rally in Tampa where she was able to lock eyes with him before staffers ripped her sign from her hands? Has Senator Kerry ever really learned about what takes place during an abortion? Does he know that in most surgical abortions where the child’s bones have formed, the tiny child must be ripped apart into pieces and the head crushed so that the entire baby can be removed from the womb? Has Senator Kerry ever taken the time to learn about the thousands of women who have been mutilated or have died from botched, legal abortions? Has he ever taken the time to visit a crisis pregnancy center or abortion facility to learn how many women are coerced into having an abortion? Does he even care about these women? Can he believe for one moment that a woman lying on the abortionist’s table is comfortable with her so-called “right to choose”?
Finally, we come to “the noive,” the nerve or the courage that even the lion was able to summon from deep inside when he, the scarecrow, and the tin man met their moment of truth. In the final hour, they realized that it was up to them to save Dorothy from the Wicked Witch of the West.
In this wicked abortion battle, will Senator Kerry find the nerve to act in such a way that a fully functioning brain and beating heart would command him? Does he have it within himself to do right by women and children who fall victim to the abortion industry? He says that abortion must be safe and rare. Has his voting record ever shown us that he believes in legislating in a way that makes abortion truly safe and rare? We know that he has been overwhelmingly endorsed by the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country who have stood in the way of every piece of legislation that would help make abortion “safe” and “rare.” Senator Kerry’s voting record on abortion issues speaks for itself. It is atrocious. For example, he has consistently refused to support a ban on partial-birth abortions even though the experts have testified that it is never safe for a woman in a late-term abortion where the abortionist forcibly turns the baby around to the breech position so that all but the baby’s head can be delivered, allowing the procedure to be classified as a legal abortion rather than murder.
On the contrary, John Kerry has consistently been an advocate for the “death by choice” culture. He has spoken in favor of the over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception which is abortifacient by nature. He has spoken in favor of embryonic stem cell research. With the ever-threatening FDA approval of the free sale of these abortifacient cocktails and the push to approve embryonic stem cell and fetal tissue research, we know that the pharmaceutical and medical research companies stand to make huge profits if Mr. Kerry is elected on November 2. Will he have the courage to represent the most vulnerable among us against these corporate giants if he wins this election? Or will his presidency be nothing more than a green light for the abortion culture to spread more madness at home and around the world?
Those of us Democrats who understand with our minds that abortion is the taking of a human life know that John Kerry has unfortunately made up his mind to ignore the teaching of his faith.
Those of us Democrats who feel in our hearts that abortion harms women believe that John Kerry’s heart in its present state cannot handle facing abortion’s wounded victims. Those of us Democrats who have the courage to speak up despite our party’s insistence that we sit down and shut up must rise up and say that John Kerry needs to find his courage and trust his faith that teaches him that human life is precious and human dignity must be defended.
If John Kerry wants to receive the votes of pro-life Democrats on November 2, he needs to find his brain, his heart, and his nerve soon.
Valerie Mierzwa is President of Florida Democrats for Life of America, Inc. (www.floridadfla.org). She lives in Palm Beach County, Florida, and can be reached at voices@floridadfla.org.
