Whatever your age, gender, creed, political affiliation; if you are convinced that abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia are morally wrong, read on.   I hope you will join us in our work tomorrow and for as long as it takes to stop the killing.

 "Who am I, and why am I here?"  I asked that question one day as I walked into a Montana Right to Life Board Meeting. Steven Ertelt, who was our brand new Executive Director at the time decided then that I was the token blonde.  He later confessed to me that he had asked another board member if I was really that ditsy. He was told that I know more than I let on.

"Who am I, and why am I here?"   I don't mean those words as a joke. "Who am I, and why am I here?"  is a question that we should all ask ourselves daily.  It can give us focus in our lives.  I believe that each of us is here for a purpose. The sooner we realize what that purpose is, the sooner we can get to work.

 A young man once asked my mother what she felt her gift was, and she said, " I am a mom." He said, "A cow can do that."  Do I have to tell you that she was devastated by that 5-word put-down?  What her generation saw as a calling, ours renamed a menial task.   It takes much more than animal instinct to be a good mom.  For some of us it takes the ability to recognize the humanity in our own children.  And now days being a good mom can encompass much more than caring for one's own offspring. Our society has made it necessary for  moms to take in their children's friends as well. It calls for caring daycare moms, for foster moms, and for adoptive moms. For me, that comes naturally.  But it doesn't come naturally to everyone.  Not everyone recognizes the humanity of children. Not all of us have been blessed with the gift of the ability to recognize the humanity of unborn children. It is our job to give  that gift to others.  And that is why I am here.

Do you want to live in a society where one class of people has the right to kill another class with impunity;  or do you want to live in a society where equal rights are a reality? Throughout history we have seen the rise to power of one class of human beings over another. It is the constant struggle of one class to prove their humanity to the ruling class and take their rightful place as equals. We saw it in the Hebrews of Moses' time, in the pilgrims to the New World, in the Revolutionary War patriots, in the slaves of the Civil War, in the childrens' movement against child labor, in the millions who were deemed unworthy of life by Adolph Hitler, in the feminist movement, and in the struggle of the disabled and the aged. We must also note something else that these people have had in common. None of them were able to rise from their oppression without help. But  before we are willing to help, we must recognize the humanity of those we are helping.

Has anyone seen the films of the airship, Hindenburg, as it burst into flames in the air over  Lakehurst, New Jersey in l937?  One reporter is heard to say, "Oh!  The humanity."  He is overcome by grief and empathy for the waste and suffering he sees before him.  Who can help but identify with the suffering of the humanity who were caught up in that tragedy? Who could look at the pictures of the wasted millions who suffered and died in the concentration camps during the Third Reich and not say, "Oh! The humanity." Who can look at the explosions of the twin towers and not feel the same grief and empathy? All the world cried, "Oh! The humanity!" We stand ready to fight the terrorists who caused this pain and destruction, but yet we fail to identify with the pain and destruction that takes place 4000 times a day in our abortion clinics. When will we recognize the humanity that is destroyed there?   What is the difference in the humanity in the airship, the humanity in the ovens at Auschwitz, and the humanity in the womb? 

I saw rioting in the streets to stop the baby-killing in Viet Nam. How ironic is it that we brought our Viet Nam veterans home to a nation that had just legalized baby-killing?  With Roe versus Wade, we set the wheels of justice in motion to grind our own unborn children into dust.  And this is the mortar of the foundation of the pro-abortion movement.

 We ask ourselves who am I, and why am I here?   We will not win equality for the unborn and for the victims of infanticide and euthanasia with bombs or with bullets.  We have three far more powerful weapons. First, and foremost, we must all be relentless in prayer. We should be praying daily for the protection of the unborn, those who may be victims of abortion.  We must pray that they will be covered by the protection of the Blood of the Lamb.  We must pray for another Passover for them.   We must pray for those who are targets of infanticide and euthanasia.  We must pray diligently for a change of heart in those who fail to recognize the humanity of those around us.  We must pray that they will recognize the sanctity of human life.  We must pray for the protection of those who struggle and those who struggle for them.

Second, the pen is mightier than the sword.  Be a teacher. We must be persistent and compassionate in our words of conviction and persuasion.  We must find loving ways to show other people what we see. The indisputable medical and scientific fact is that human life begins at conception.  Brain waves are measurable in the unborn baby beginning at 6 weeks after conception. Each and every human life is unique and has infinite intrinsic value. Each and every single human being has been endowed with inalienable rights, and  first and foremost among these basic rights is the right to life. You do not have to be of a certain physical condition, creed, race, gender, age, or political party to have a moral conviction that some things are right, and some things are wrong.  Depriving another innocent human being of life or liberty is morally wrong.   Use your powers of persuasion to convince your community that you know what you are talking about. Show them sonograms. Get the medical facts that show the humanity of the babies in the womb.  Write letters to the editor of your local paper.  Don't give up until they listen to you.  Take out classified ads telling them about the heartbeats, the brain waves, the hiccups, the thumb-sucking, the  voice recognition, the response to pain, that exist before birth.

Third, we have a power that is being ignored or misused by too many of us. That is the power of the vote.  If you have the power to vote and don't use it, then start.   Vote for candidates who recognize the humanity in the womb.  If your mother, father, sister , brother, daughter, son, wife or husband  is pro-life and does not vote; then find out why and change that.  Is your boss or co-worker  pro-life?   If they aren't voting pro-life, then encourage them to do so. Have a bunch of registration cards in your pocket when you go to church or to get signatures on petitions. Talk to your friends about it. If they are pro-life and are not voting, they are missing an opportunity to change things. Take your neighbor to get registered to vote.  Pick up a registration card for him.  Take your neighbor to the polls with you and go out for coffee afterwards.   The worst you could do is improve your community relationships.   For goodness sake there are a lot of us!   Mobilize our army of pro-lifers!

Finally, always remember that we are a non-violent, non-discriminatory group.   We are not affiliated with any church or political party and we must not be divided by our differences.  If we stand together instead in our common cause for life, we will be a force to reckon with.   Our battle will be won with love, compassion, education, and persuasion.   We all have a gift to give.   We  know that it elevates us to give compassionate care to those who can't care for themselves. That is their gift to us.  Who are we, and why are we here? What is your gift? You all have to answer that for yourselves. But I know that I am here to take care of  the children. I am a MOM.

Sincerely,
Lianna Karlin, President
Montana Right to Life

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