The Culture of Abortion
One
Factors contributing to abortion in our culture
Abortion doesn’t come from nowhere.
As we meditate on the ten commandments, and specifically, the commandment “Thou Shalt not Kill,” we have to ask ourselves – what kind of cultural forces could possibly be at work that would prompt a father or a mother to seek the death of their own child?
Something must be wrong with society when so many men and women feel the need to do this – and to fight to make it possible for others to kill their children.
It’s not enough to fight abortion. We have to fight the forces that make so many people think death is better than life.
So what are the cultural forces that lead people to a disordered attachment to abortion?
Two
The Sexual Revolution
The first and probably most obvious area to look at is sexual overindulgence. Unwanted babies come from someone pursuing procreative pleasure without the willingness to become a parent. And obviously, the spread of contraceptives has given countless people the illusion that they can be sexually active without consequences.
John Paul II talks about a “contraceptive mentality,” where people come to assume that their sexual actions don’t have consequences – and then when a consequence does show up in the form of a child, they become desperate to eliminate that consequence.
The Supreme Court also saw a connection between contraception and abortion. In 1992, the Supreme Court majority stated that people in America today need the safety net of abortion in case their contraception fails.
So, what is actually behind abortion is the addiction to sex without the consequence of children and the need for contraception.
Therefore, as long as use of contraception is widespread, we’re not going to get rid of abortion.
Marital fidelity that’s open to life provides the only proper place for the gift of sexuality. And marital fidelity that’s open to life, provides the only proper place for the gift of a child. To the extent that we don’t encourage marriage and chastity, to that extent it’s going to be harder to welcome the beauty of a child into the world.
Three
Consumerism
Pope Francis has called attention to the connection between Abortion and Consumerism – what he calls the “Throw Away Culture”. And he’s absolutely right. After all, most people, when they say why they feel like they need to get an abortion, don’t say, “Because I want to continue being promiscuous.”
What do they actually say? They say, “There’s no way I can afford a kid right now.” Or they say, “This is just not going to work with my career plans right now.”
In other words, they say that a kid will cost too much money or get in the way of their making more money.
They see children as an obstacle to making money which is the measure of their self-worth.
So it’s crazy to try to fight abortion without trying to also fight the mindset that sees our identity and self-worth coming from our professions and salaries, our standard of living, of comfort, or a certain house-size, or a certain social status, as what you need for a good life.
We don’t have to get ourselves killed striving to create our identity and self-worth, in fact, you can’t!
It was already given to us by God when He made us in His image and then put his divine life in our soul at Baptism, making us His adopted children, sons and daughters of the Most High King of the Universe – that is your identity.
But, if we seek our identity and value as human person in professions, if we act materialistic; if we put our careers first; if we complain about finances all the time; if we lament how expensive it is to raise a kid – well, then we just might be contributing to that horrible way of thinking that causes a mother to think her only choice is to get rid of the image of God within her.
Four
The number one cultural influence thar leads to abortion
Everyone determines what they want to be happy and they determine what price they’re willing to pay. Many have decided that a career, wealth, lack of responsibilities, and pleasure will bring them happiness.
Then they decide that they’re willing to sacrifice a certain amount to obtain those things. But because children are an obstacle, they don’t want children. Moreover, marriage and children are variables beyond their control. Meaning, they don’t get to determine the price. Children are a price they’re not willing to pay.
And once they achieve all those things, a great career, the freedom to do whatever they want, limited responsibilities, access to all kinds of pleasure, the result is the highest suicide rate in American history.
Why? Because they realize the pain didn’t equal this reward. And the reward didn’t even last, it didn’t satisfy.
That’s why selfishness leads to abortion and despair.
Five
The Blessed Mother and overcoming the culture of death
If we really want to overcome the forces that are promoting abortion, we have to promote Our Lady.
It’s the Most Pure, All-Beautiful Virgin who can show the ugliness of the sex-mania that leads to abortion.
It’s the Wife and Mother, who raised her child in a simple, poor dwelling at Nazareth – she’s the one who can show the emptiness of consumerism and careerism
And it’s the Queen of the Universe, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars – she can show us how the world of created nature can be used to serve humanity, instead of slaughtering our babies in the name of some false nature-idol.
Mother of God, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us.