The Forgotten Victim
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
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Abortion destroys everyone it touches, killing
a child, and devastating that child’s family. Often overlooked, however, is the
one who performed the procedure. The abortionist is wounded, too.
Every year, on the 10th
of March, pro-abortion groups observe the “National Day of Appreciation for
Abortion Providers.” They seek to affirm those who kill babies for pay, and
honor them as hero-servants of society.
I am happy to announce that this year, Priests
for Life has declared March 9 a National Day of Invitation
to Abortion Providers – an invitation to repentance and to the healing grace of
the Lord. We invite people to read the
testimonies of abortionists who
have converted and to write letters and make calls to media outlets in order to
share these stories. It is precisely because we appreciate these people that we
want to free them from the misery of being an abortionist.
I’d like to explore in the next several
columns the topic of abortionists, why they do what they do, what life is like
for them, and how we can call them to conversion.
Let me address some preliminary questions.
First of all, the abortion movement chose March 10 for this “Day of
Appreciation” because that was the date in 1993 when abortionist David Gunn was
shot and killed outside his abortion mill in Pensacola, Florida. Killing
abortionists is a course of action we reject.
Secondly, some object to using the word
“abortionist,” saying such a term is harsh and cruel. That’s odd. Someone who
practices psychology is called a “psychologist.” Someone who practices therapy
is called a “therapist.” And one trained in gynecology is a “gynecologist.” I
fail to see the problem with calling someone who performs abortions an
“abortionist.” If people are uncomfortable with the word, maybe their conscience
is telling them there’s something wrong with the practice – and with that, we
heartily agree.
Third, if we call an abortionist a “victim,”
we do not mean to say that he/she is helpless or guiltless. We are all
responsible for our actions and have to be held accountable. The point here is
that abortionists hurt themselves by their actions, throwing their lives
into chaos.
Finally, I write about abortionists from the
perspective of having conversed with many of them who are still performing
abortions, and having guided many of them through spiritual healing after they
have stopped performing abortions. We collaborate and interact with
psychiatrists and others who are doing unique research into the lives of
abortionists. Moreover, Priests for Life has access to a lot of inside
information from the abortion industry, including information gained by
infiltration. We rely on original and often unique sources.
The more we can understand why someone,
especially if they are associated with the medical profession, would perform
abortions, and the more we can understand what would cause them to stop
performing abortions, the closer we will be to understanding how our whole
society can reject this violent practice. We will do this in the next several
columns.
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Columns from 2006
