By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued an open letter to all “pro-choice” candidates running for office in the U.S., challenging them to examine their support for abortion.
“I write to express the convictions of tens of millions of citizens,” the letter begins. “Your position is a blatant contradiction to the very meaning of public service, the first requirement of which is to be able to tell the difference between serving the public and killing the public!”
The letter goes on to ask the candidate, “Have you ever seen an abortion? So many who defend abortion’s legality cannot even bring themselves to look at the horrifying pictures of children torn apart by the procedure. But if we cannot look at it, why should we tolerate it?”
He goes on to ask if the candidate would be willing to publicly describe the procedure they believe should be legal. For instance, in the typical “D and E” abortion, would they be willing to describe how the skull is typically brought out in fragments rather than in one piece? In a suction curettage abortion, would they be willing to tell the public that the heart of the fetus or embryo may still beat for a few seconds to a minute as it is being torn apart?
“When you say the word ‘abortion,’ is this what you mean?” the letter asks. “We have not yet heard a ‘pro-choice’ candidate answer any of these questions.”
This is why people cannot vote for you, Fr. Pavone says. “And you shouldn’t be asking for their vote. If you can’t respect and protect the life of a little baby, how are you supposed to respect and protect our lives, or any other right we possess?”
For those who dismiss pro-life citizens as “single issue voters,” Fr. Pavone says: “We are not ashamed of the fact that we recognize a holocaust when we see one, and that we understand the foundation, heart, and core of our concern for all the other issues – life itself.”
He goes on to say: “We’re not a vote for you to court or an interest group for you to appease. Rather, our movement represents the heart and core of every movement for justice. That is why, whether you end up elected to public office or not, we will be there – in the halls of government, in the media, and on the streets of every city, town, and countryside across America – pressing the cause of justice for a group of human beings whose rights you have forgotten.
“We will neither cease to remind you, nor will we wait for you to remember. Our cause is as great as America itself, and it will prevail. May you have the wisdom to join us.”
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