(LifeSiteNews) — For two thousand years, Pontius Pilate’s name has lived in infamy as the very definition of a cowardly politician. He knowingly turned an innocent man over to be killed due to a fear of losing his position. Then he claimed the blood was not on his hands.
At what point did Pilate become the model for politicians in America? The entire Democratic Party campaign in Virginia in 2023 rested on this position. And many in the Republican Party, after the 2023 election, are advocating that it become the position of the Republicans if they want to win in 2024.
The campaign of many candidates for Congress stated: “(insert name) understands protecting reproductive rights. Will combat extreme MAGA anti-abortion legislation and will fight for reproductive health.”
When candidate forums were held, the only Democrat candidates that would show up were those running unopposed. The candidates who did show, refused to address the actual issue of abortion, instead repeating the talking point that they will fight for “reproductive health” and “will not interfere with a woman’s health care.” At one forum, a Democrat was asked at what point, as a professional child advocate, would she advocate for the child in the womb. She first tried to use the deflection of not understanding the question. When it was pointedly explained, she responded that she had already given her answer that she would not interfere with a woman’s health care and was not going to say anything else on the issue. She would not speak of the humanity of the innocent human baby that she was handing over to the screaming mob.
From the results of the election, it appears the voting public accepts this washing of hands of the slaughter of innocent babies in abortion, because “who am I to judge what a mother should do to her child?” Candidates are getting the message, as Pilate did, if they want to hold onto (or achieve) a position in Caesar’s kingdom, they must look the other way and let a woman do whatever she wants, even if it puts the woman as well as the baby in danger (physically and spiritually). The spiritual side in which clergy are also complicit in this also is troubling. In our upside-down culture, it appears that we are answering the question “am I my sister’s keeper?” backwards as well.
We see that even the Republican position is little better as a 15-week ban is proposed as a “compromise,” assuring voters that they are not the extremists and are not going to take away all their rights. Even if compromise about the lives of babies was an acceptable moral position, one would have to argue we need better negotiators. Only 6 percent of abortions occur after 15 weeks. On what planet is 6 percent versus 94 percent seen as a good deal? If we were just talking about dividing property, the imbalance would be obvious, but when it is innocent lives, apparently not. For 50 years pro-lifers have been told by political consultants they needed to use an “incremental” approach. It has never stopped the pro-aborts from pushing for more abortion. All it has done is message that some unborn babies’ lives can be sacrificed for politics. Some Republican pundits are advocating next year’s campaigns should reassure voters they don’t intend to save all the babies.
Abortion is literally taking the life of an unborn baby. There is no “good enough reason” to kill an innocent baby, regardless of the difficulties a woman is facing. This is the reason it is called a grave and intrinsic evil and blatantly condemned in the Catechism:
Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law…
Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.
Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. ‘A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,’ ‘by the very commission of the offense,’ and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society (CCC#2271-2272).
Notice the Church along with natural law condemns the act of abortion, not compromises with it. It says to uphold the dignity and name of the child, not to uphold one’s own name, focus solely on the woman (although the woman’s dignity is to be valued) to the detriment of the child. We must choose both.
Thus, there are ways to address the difficulties of the woman. Killing her baby does not address a single problem faced by a pregnant woman. Women are made by God to nurture, not kill. It is not pro-woman to rally for “choices” that are immoral and therefore contrary to her nature. Our messaging should give hope, not death’s despair. God is the only solution to her spiritual problems and in God, all is possible. If her problems are merely worldly, there are worldly solutions. For example, if she doesn’t think she can afford a child, there are organizations that can help her financially and with clothing and shelter. But killing her baby is not a solution and it will not change whatever is creating her life difficulties. We used to call colluding with someone’s denial of reality which causes self-destructive behavior “co-dependency.” Now we call it empathy.
If a pregnant woman cannot or does not want to be a mother, adoption is always an option. As Scott Petersen’s mother-in-law said to him when he was convicted of killing her daughter, “If you didn’t want to be her husband anymore, [separation] was an option.” Killing can never be the default choice for “inconvenient people” in our lives. Next on the docket is assisted suicide.
It is not heartless to tell a pregnant woman society will not countenance the death of her child any more than it would countenance her death. It IS heartless to tell her it is okay to kill her child (as long as it is before the baby is less than 15-weeks from conception) and then leave her to deal with the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder memories and the eventual realization that she caused (or at least allowed the cause of) her child’s death for difficulties that were likely transient in nature.
We are our sisters’ keepers, and it is unacceptable to wash our hands of their troubles and tell them killing babies is health care. And we need to stop colluding in the Lie that Men are not participants in pregnancy and abortion. We have given too much to Caesar. Life was not created by Caesar (or us to negotiate away). Life belongs to God. We need to take the abortion discussion away from the politicians and engage the culture with Truth. When we do this, we start to inspire a Culture of Life.
Pilate asked, “What is Truth?” We have fallen into this same trap of asking what is the best way to manipulate it for self-gain just like he did. Instead, we should not ask the same question as Pilate, but listen to the answer of the one whom he asked. Jesus said, “I am truth and my sheep hear my voice.” In the pro-life issue are we listening to the voice of God, of truth, or are we like Pilate, continually being guided by our own motives. We must reflect upon this and remember Truth carries grace; error does not. Let us choose grace and not err on following the way of Pontinus Pilate.
Mary Beth Style, MSW, founder, parentsoutofexile.org, has been involved in pro-life activities for over 50 years as a pregnancy counselor, post-abortion counselor, adoption advocate, mother, marcher, prayer warrior and various duties as assigned to which every pro-lifer can relate.