Often every bit as much a victim, tens of millions of would-be mothers continue to suffer with the physical and emotional consequences of terminating their pregnancy.  Many continue to be pressured into this heart-rending process by over-zealous family planning counselors, less-than-worthless boyfriends and husbands, parents, friends and a culture that too often tells women a child is the end of her world, not the beginning of a new one.

Not sure if you're able to tell, but I don't particularly like abortion.  And I take it personally.

My passion for the defense of life comes from a lot of places.  It comes from my faith in something greater than myself, that all life is created, intentional and precious (a "blessing").  It comes from a shared humanity and the understanding that I'm glad, personally, that I wasn't aborted and I know, by your very presence on this planet that you're glad you're here, too.

Some of it may also go back to the fact that I come from a big family.  As the eldest of ten children I was old enough to help, in my own way, when many of my siblings were newborns and first arriving at home (and of course, as they grew).  You hold five or six or eight babies in your arms, knowing they're yours, your brothers, your sisters and it probably isn't a surprise that I became protective of little kids.  

Growing up in the public schools, I heard ten-thousand times the charge that my parents were irresponsible.  That ten kids were just too many and that there were "ways to prevent that."  My question then, as I look in the mirror, look at Casey, his wife Luisa, his daughter (and my nephew now only a couple of months from taking his first breath), at Brianna and Jake, Jaynna, Juli, Ted, Ben, Carly and Max... which one of us is worthless?  Which one of us is taking up too much space on the earth and consuming too many natural resources?  Which one of us should have been torn limb from limb or burned or cut to death?  

Probably doesn't help, either, that the men and women who fought so forcefully for the right to butcher children were all fully grown... their targets... MY generation.  

I'm a child of the 70s.  Barely, but I made it.  The Roe decision in 1973 codified for the first time as a matter of settled law the "right" to kill kids and they started with me and my generation.  Because apparently our very existence is just that objectionable.  

Only problem for the abortionists, the profiteers, the racists and the hate-mongers... they didn't get us all.  You and I made it.  We're here.  Now it's time to love those who are hurting, to help those in need, to provide for expectant mothers and the children they carry.  They say that love overcomes.  Some day, whether it's next year or another thirty-six, we're going to prove it.