Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation by Ronald Reagan

Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation
by Ronald Reagan

One of the reasons cited for our involvement in World War 2 was the stopping of Nazi Germany who was committing mass murder of Jews, Poles, Slavs, and others whom the Nazis deemed undesirable. An interesting event occurred as the U. S. Forces discovery of the concentration camps and mass graves was being made. General Eisenhower ordered to have the crimes of the Holocaust documented as proof of the Holocaust because he believed there would be a day when there would be those who would attempt to deny it ever happened. Ironic! Eisenhower also ordered the citizens in towns of Nordhausen and Arnstadt, which had these camps in their vicinity, tour the camps and bury the murdered dead. The Holocaust was truly a horrific chapter in the history of the world, and I am thankful for those who fought to bring it to an end in World War 2. But quantitatively and qualitatively the holocaust we have going on in our nation is far worse. It is estimated that 11 million died in the Holocaust--six million Jews and 5 million others. Of course, the exact number of those murdered by Nazi Germany may never be known, but it is likely far shy of the estimated nearly 50 million babies aborted in the United States since 1973![1] I often wonder what the reaction would be if we were made to tour the trash dumpsters of children that have been discarded? Just the thought of it nauseates me!

All of us should be interested in eliminating the evil of abortion from our land forever. When Ronald Reagan was President he authored a significant book, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation. At the time of its release, it was championed because it was the first book by a sitting President calling the American people to action in eliminating this holocaust in our country. An interesting statement President Reagan made was:


Abortion concerns not just the unborn child, it concerns every one of us. The English poet, John Donne, wrote, "...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life--the unborn--without diminishing the value of all human life...[2]


If you follow stories in the areas of population trends, entitlement spending, and the push for illegal immigration, then it paints a disturbing picture. One of the reasons there are those pushing for illegal immigration is to close the population gap created because of the citizens our nation threw away! There are real concerns about our nation having the population required to sustain itself as some 77 million of the baby boom generation goes onto Social Security. In 2005 the percentage of those 65 years and older was estimated to be 20.5 percent; however, by the 2036 that percentage will grow to 37.2 percent of the population.[3] It is estimated that the amount spent on Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid will climb from 8.4 percent of GPD in 2005 to 18.1 percent in 2050.[4] Another way to look at this--by 2052 it is estimated that all the tax money collected today would be required just to fund these three entitlements alone![5] Some are tempted to say "raise taxes on the rich" as a solution; however, it is estimated that the top 10 percent of income earners already pay 70 percent of all income taxes today.[6] How much more can the government tax before the producers of our nation stop producing?

Also, people need to be aware of the difference between a federal deficit and the federal debt. The Federal debt is the accumulation of Federal deficits (and surpluses) year by year. It is estimated that the federal debt in 2006 was $8.6 trillion dollars and it is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Celebrating a budget surplus in a given year is fine, but one should not be deceived into thinking our country is no longer a debtor nation! As the government continues on a path of spending itself into oblivion, I often wonder if it has occurred to this generation that the main reason cited for abortion is convenience; i.e., irresponsibility. The Central Illinois Right to Life reports:
  • 1 percent of abortions are due to rape or incest,
  • 1 percent are because of fetal abnormalities,
  • 3 percent are to preserve the life of the mother,
  • 95 percent are done as a means of birth control.[7]
What will happen when it becomes inconvenient for tax payers in the future to pay the heavy burden of taxes to support the soon-to-be-elderly baby boom generation? Some think it would be unthinkable that our nation would support the euthanasia of the elderly (another term for murder) to relieve the strain on the tax payers. Oregon and Washington have all ready authorized voluntary euthanasia for those mentally capable of electing it, but one wonders how long these states will put the decision in the hands of those with “Powers of Attorney”?

Question--if our nation is willing to murder the purest, best, sinless, most natural resource for the sake of convenience (or for scientific research in the name of “Embryonic Stem Cell Research”), then how can one be certain it would not be willing to do so on the other side of the "spectrum of life"? I say these words not to indict the baby boom generation, but to motivate that great generation and all generations to rise up and stop this practice once and for all. Our nation would be better served if it invested its money in the rearing of these unexpected children to be productive citizens than permitting potentially law-breaking illegal immigrants.

As long as we are a nation of We the People, make sure the nation hears from you. Be sure to do all that you can to support candidates who are for "...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" of the born and unborn, of the young and old. How will we be able to stand before God if we have done any less? Remember, "These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him...Hands that shed innocent blood,.." (Proverbs 6:16-19). The Bible tells us that all life is precious in God's eyes and that children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5). This is clearly seen in that the Bible does not differentiate in terms when referring to a born or unborn child; c.f., Job 3:16; Luke 1:36, 41. The laws and actions of God on behalf of the children in the womb also make it very clear that it is a work of God that we dare not tamper with; c.f., Exodus 21:22-23; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5. If it is precious enough to God that He would send His Son to die for the whole world (John 3:16), then a nation that is not respecting that same life is at enmity with God. May our nation and our leaders wake up and realize that whether these children have been delivered from the mother's womb or are still being formed by God in the womb we will be held accountable for our actions (Proverbs 14:34). My hope is that the lyrics written by Clarence Woolston will be renewed in our nation for both the born and those yet to be born:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.[8]

Notes:
[1] "Roe v. Wade: 35 Years of Death and Destruction," National Right to Life, January 22, 2008, http://www.nrlc.org/.
[2] Ronald W. Reagan, Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984, pp. 17-18.
[7] "Why Abortions Are Performed," http://www.abortiontv.com/Misc/AbortionStatistics.htm.
[8] Clarence H. Woolston, "Jesus Loves the Little Children," Praise for the LORD, Nashville, TN: Praise Press, 1992, No. 809.

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