“Fight Like Heaven!!!”

“Fight Like Heaven” and not like the other h-word 😉 is the theme initiated by the Diocese of Lansing under the leadership of Bishop Earl Boyea to oppose and defeat the pro-abortion, Proposal 3 Constitutional Amendment in the upcoming election in the State of Michigan on November 8th. Speaking of “upcoming”…There are a few upcoming events to take place within the next three weeks that you may have the opportunity to participate in during this gorgeous autumn season. Not only do we celebrate…

All Saints Day in our Church on November 1st (the day after “All Hallows Eve” – Halloween) as well as All Souls Day on November 2nd, but don’t forget to change your clocks back an hour (“fall back and spring forward”) on Saturday Night, Nov. 5th. We will gain an hour of rest from Daylight Savings Time which will take place when most of us are sleeping early Sunday Morning at 2am on Nov. 6th. Two days later will feature a couple of unique, same-day events. Not only will Tuesday, November 8th be highlighted by a Blood Moon, which is a total lunar eclipse (hopefully we can view it if it’s not cloudy), but it will also coincide with Election Day, the same day we have the freedom to vote during this mid-term election season. Whether or not those two events are connected, I do not know.

What I do know is that on Nov. 8th we have the opportunity once again to defend some of the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. The prophet, Jeremiah, reminds us of the precious reality of life in the womb and God’s plan for our lives as he states,”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…” (Jer. 1:5). God knew us before birth, and gave us the gift of life to “be fertile and multiply” (Gen. 1:28) and to flourish in witnessing the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is a gift to us in his Word and in the Eucharist as the Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35). He also says, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The LIFE” (Jn. 14:6). Life is a gift from God in Jesus Christ, and what a gift it was to have Roe V. Wade overturned back on June 24th in the Dobbs V. Jackson Case! But the historic event and the work wasn’t complete. It was just beginning. Rightfully, the Supreme Court handed the abortion issue down to the states to decide. What has surrounded this issue has been very sad and alarming. Whether it be protesters marching in front of the Supreme Court Justices’ homes, the destruction of crisis pregnancy centers by pro-abortion, domestic terrorists, or FBI raids into homes to remove fathers away from their families for defending their own children while praying and counseling at local abortion clinics, these are times that call for a courageous witness of life and faith in solidarity. While the fight for life against abortion may be perceived often outside the homes in clinics and other medical facilities, the war against abortion has now moved more indoors into the homes and into the wombs of women in the form of so-called “medicine.” What may come as a surprise is that more than half of abortions occur now in two, pill-form, abortion-inducing drugs called mifepristone and misoprostol. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 54% of abortions were medication-induced in 2020, up from 39% in 2017.

There are many issues at stake as we know (i.e. inflation, employment, economy, etc…), and we are acutely aware that there are several candidates running for office in our country in this upcoming election. Our annoyance has almost reached its peak from lawn signs to what seems to be never-ending, TV Ads. Can’t wait when the election is over! But the key issue is abortion, because if you don’t have life, what do you have? If you can’t defend life from abortion, then what can you defend? Life is foundational. So I want to confront the anti-life issue of abortion in Proposal 3 on the ballot here in the great State of Michigan where we are called to “fight like heaven” against it. This proposal is more spiritual and moral rather than political. St. Paul states: “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph. 6:12). In the midst of this struggle, let’s take a look at the text of Proposal 3 and find out what it means. First, here is the text that you would find on the ballot:

Michigan Proposal 3, Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative (2022): A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy and abortion; allow state to regulate abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right. This proposed constitutional amendment would: Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility; Allow state to regulate abortion after fetal viability, but not prohibit if medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health; Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment; Invalidate state laws conflicting with this amendment. Should this proposal be adopted?

“No!” It shouldn’t be adopted, and here’s why. To translate, Proposal 3 would:

• Allow abortion up until birth
• Allow minors to pursue abortions and sterilization without parental notification or consent
• Exempt abortion facilities from basic health and safety regulations
• Allow anyone to perform an abortion, even if they don’t have a medical license.
• Protect abortion providers from penalties for killing or injuring a woman during an abortion.
• Repeal or drastically alter dozens of state laws

ANY ONE – ANY TIME – ANY WHERE

What should we do about it? In addition to voting “no” on the ballot, it’s also good to be informed for the following three reasons:

1. Any One – This abortion amendment to the state constitution allows a person of of any age, including minors, to get an abortion.
2. Any Time – Abortions can happen up to the moment of birth and beyond birth.
3. Any Where – Abortions would be allowed to occur in a medical facility or in any other location (Source: Diocese of Grand Rapids).

What Do We Do About It?

My own archdiocese here in Detroit, under the leadership of Archbishop Allen Vigneron, has called for a three-fold strategy of “pray, vote, give,” while the Bishop of Lansing, Bishop Earl Boyea, is spearheading a campaign entitled: “Fight Like Heaven” which includes a 54-day Rosary Novena of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – all of which may be a familiar Lenten theme, but nonetheless, are important biblical concepts used to defeat evil and petition heaven of our requests. In addition, we can encourage women as well as men involved in abortion to seek out God’s mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to go on a weekend retreat that offers renewal, restoration, and reconciliation through Rachel’s Vinyard, or receive hope and healing from Project Rachel. What would you do? Do you have something to add, something else that would be creative and effective to tackle this righteous cause?

What We Don’t Want to Do

One thing we don’t want to do throughout this election season to defeat Proposal 3 is to be uncharitable. Let us heed the words of Jesus in his Sermon on The Mount. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”(Mt. 5:44). So it always begins with love. In addition, may we never condemn or judge those who have had abortions or participated in abortions in some way. Instead, may we offer compassion. Certainly, to take the life of another human being, let alone, an innocent child, breaks the 6th commandment, “Thou Shall Not Kill.” Furthermore, our faith informs us through the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) that abortion is gravely contrary to the moral law. Abortion, like euthanasia, suicide, and sterilization (i.e. contraception) are instrinsically evil and cannot be justified. “Because it should be treated as a person from conception, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed like every other human being”(CCC 2271, 2323). The fetus is a baby and thus a human being in which there is life in the womb. We don’t ever want a life to be unjustly taken from conception to natural death, especially through abortion. As people of faith, we believe God brings about a greater good, and the loss of life can be transformed through a response of love.

All Catholics Are Called to Vote “No” on Proposal 3

Abortion is never an act of love. Disguised under “reproductive freedom for all,” abortion, under “Proposal 3,” is one of the most radical and most extreme abortion measures being proposed at the state level that would permanently amend the State of Michigan’s Constitution to include the “right to abortion” and goes far beyond what was possible under the Supreme Court decisions of Roe V. Wade (1973) and Casey V. Planned Parenthood (1992). Furthermore, in this age of “rights,” there is no constitutional right for a mother to abort her baby. Doesn’t a baby created by God and co-created by his/her parents deserve to have the unalienable rights of LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? A baby and all life is a gift. All Catholics through an informed conscience are called to respect the gift of life from God by voting against Propsosal 3 with a resounding, “no!”

Conclusion

If implemented, this state constitutional amendment would be gravely harmful to the babies, to the moms and dads, and to society as a whole. What a grave and negative impact that would have on all members of society, born and unborn, but even more so if this proposal passed. When will our politicians and even my own fellow Christians and Catholics ever see the truth of this horrifically, evil act and see it through the lens of the babies and the wounded mothers? We continue to pray for their conversion and love them as Christ would but also challenge them with charity in truth. Jesus, open our blind eyes. Help us to see this truth, to see you in others and recognize this evil for what it is as you see it. Our hope is in you, Jesus Christ. You are the cornerstone of our faith whom the builders have rejected (Ps. 118:22, 1Pt. 2:7, Mt. 21:42, Lk. 20:17, Acts 4:11), and life is the foundation. Marriage and family are the frame and beams of the home, and it is in the home where children are nurtured, educated, cared for, and protected. May our world be transformed into a culture of life beginning in the home, once thought was always a safe haven. We hope, pray, and “fight like heaven” that this continues to be the case. Amen.

RESOURCES:

Articles:

10 Unsung Heroes of the American Pro-Life Movement, by Erika Ahern, 6/24/22

Answering Three Common Arguments for Abortion, by Trent Horn

Fact Check Team (KATV), by Konner McIntire and Anna Maria Di Pietro, 3/16/22 

Fact Sheet by the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities

FBI raid on pro-life dad Mark Houck: Part of the Biden admin’s terror campaign against conservative Christians, by Patrick Delaney

“‘Flight Like Heaven:’ Bishop Boyea’s Response to Proposal 3,” by the Diocese of Lansing, MI

Medication Abortion Now Accounts for More Than Half of All US Abortions, by Cross, Jones, Kirstein, Nash, and Philbin at The Guttmacher Institute

Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) Proposal 3 Focus

On The Pro-Choice Position on Abortion

Pastoral Letter: “The End of Roe: Responding to This Moment,” by Fr. Matthias Thelen

Pro-Abortion Domestic Terrorists Destroy Pro-Life Pregnancy Center, Smashing Doors and Windows, by Micaiah Bilger, 6/22/22

Refuting Religious Pro-Choice Arguments, by Trent Horn

Support Women and Children

Vote NO, ‘Fight Like Heaven!’ to defeat Proposal 3, by the Diocese of Grand Rapids, MI

Walking with Moms in Need (and here)

Books:

Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, by Robert P. George and Christopher Tollefsen

Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk about Our Culture’s Toughest Issue, by Trent Horn

Pro-Life 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Case Persuasively, by Scott Klusendorf

Speaking for the Unborn: 30-Second Pro-Life Rebuttals to Pro-Choice Arguments, by Steven A. Christie M.D., J.D.

The Unaborted Socrates: A Dramatic Debate on the Issues Surrounding Abortion, by Dr. Peter Kreeft

Three Approaches to Abortion: A Thoughtful and Compassionate Guide to Today’s Most Controversial Issue, by Dr. Peter Kreeft

Documents:

Videos:

Answering The Best Pro Choice Argument, by Matt Fradd and Stephanie Gray Connors

Free Class on Abortion, by Brandon Vogt

Homily: Abortion, SCOTUS and God’s Mercy, by Fr. Matthias Thelen

Homily: Awakening to the Radical Extremism of MI Proposal 3, by Fr. Mathias Thelen

Lessons from Serving Vulnerable Women, by Sister Virginia Joy, S.V.

Panel Discussion, by Fr. Steve Mateja from St. Joseph Parish in Lake Orion, MI

The Best Prolife Response, by Kristan Hawkins

The Science Abortionists Don’t Want You to Know, by Mary Keen Kirchoff, M.D.

The Supreme Court & Abortion, by Carter Snead

Why Abortion Gets So Much Attention, by Bishop Joseph Strickland