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Three Elements for a Pro-Life Sermon
1. There are alternatives to abortion. Those who procure abortions do not do so because of "freedom of choice," but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice. Many are "pro-choice" not because they like abortion but because they ask, "How can the woman live without it?" The good news is that the Church and pro-life movement are providing better choices than abortion, and that a wide range of help is available for anyone who needs it. Thousands of helping centers provide financial assistance, medical services, legal advice, counseling, a place to live, jobs, education, and assistance to keep the child or to place the child for adoption. People at Mass can be asked to take a handout which has phone numbers of abortion-alternatives which they can pass on to those who might need them. It is amazing to see how many people who know that the Church opposes abortion are unaware of the Church’s willingness to provide alternatives. This makes them feel good about being a Catholic and about helping the pro-life movement. By mentioning the point about alternatives first, a major objection is tackled before it arises: "What are you who oppose abortion going to do to help the woman who needs it?" 2. Stress that the Church offers forgiveness and healing after abortion. This is critical, because so many feel they cannot be forgiven. If all the abortions ended tomorrow, the mission of healing will have only begun. The Gospel of Life is a Gospel of Mercy. The hope of mercy, furthermore, prevents additional abortions, since there are significant psychological dynamics whereby despair leads to repeat abortions. (Some 46% of abortions in America are repeat abortions.) Furthermore, many hesitate to become active in the pro-life movement because they think that to oppose abortion means to oppose those who have had them, and they do not want to compromise their relationship with their sister, cousin, or friend. If they see that being pro-life means embracing these women with forgiveness, they may be more inclined to join the effort. There is a National Office for Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing at 1-800-5-WE-CARE. 3. Help people to see through the slogans which make tolerance of abortion seem so reasonable. The term "Pro-choice," for example, fails to point to what is chosen, and would never be applied to child abuse or violent crime. Some choices have victims, including the choice of abortion. "Safe and legal abortion" is a slogan which misleads people into thinking that if it is legal, it must be safe, and to keep it safe we need to keep it legal. Yet the abortion industry is the most unregulated surgical industry in the nation, and regularly destroys the health and lives of the women who procure it in legal facilities. Also focus on some basic facts that most people do not know: there is an abortion every 20 seconds in America; it is legal and happens through all nine months of pregnancy; less than 1% occur because of rape or incest. A few will react angrily no matter how abortion is spoken about, for reasons described above. In all my preaching on abortion, however, I can still count on one hand the number of those who came to me angry because of a pro-life sermon. The best way to approach them, using the attitude described earlier, is to gently ask them questions so as to draw out of them the cause for their anger and help them think about it. I invite them to sit down in an out-of-the-way place to talk calmly. Some will do that, others will leave. But it is much harder to criticize or be angry with someone who wants to listen to you than with someone who either lectures you or responds with anger as well. Let them know that you are listening, that you know their pain, and that the message of respect for life which you will steadfastly preach also says that their life is precious, too, no matter what they disagree with. There is a story from the days of the Nazi atrocities that tells of a church along a road where the trains passed, carrying Jews to execution. When they passed the church on Sunday mornings, they would cry out in the hope that the worshipers would hear their cries and rescue them. The noise of the wailing prompted members of the congregation to ask the pastor, "What are we to do about this disturbance to our worship?" The pastor paused and then said, "Tell the people to sing a little louder." This sad temptation to avoid the distraction of human lives in danger can surface again today for Christians who may think they are too busy with other things to worry about the abortion issue...too busy to worry about justice.
"From man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for human life." (Gen 9:5)
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