Society and culture: January 2009 Archives

The preacher of the Pontifical Household urges Christians to do what the early Christians did, and focus on changing society by acts of love over changing laws. As conditions continue to move more toward the way they were during the early Christian era, we'll have to move more toward that model.

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, President, Human Life International, who can certainly not be considered a shrinking violet when it comes to pro-life issues, offers several suggestions, two of which I list here:

"1. Do not become absorbed in the quest for a political solution to abortion: after 36 years of working for a political solution to abortion, we may soon see the wiping out of most, if not all, of the pro-life movement's gains with the stroke of a pen. Politics has failed. Or rather, we have failed at politics. Either way, politics now offers us little chance of anything other than just trying to slow the massive momentum of the culture of death.

2. Do not waste any more energy on overturning Roe: two Supreme Court seats are assured during an Obama administration, and they will undoubtedly be filled with extreme pro-abortion activist judges. A third appointment will leave us with no hope of overturning Roe in anyone's lifetime reading this. For that matter, the chance that a good pro-life President will succeed Obama in four years and nullify the leftward lurch of the high court is, shall we say, unlikely. Let's get hopes of undoing Roe out of our system and focus on more productive things."

This is not to say that it isn't right to make abortion illegal, only that working toward that may no longer be a prudent or expeditious avenue to pursue.