ACTION NEEDED NOW!
A couple weeks ago I wrote about LB814, a legislative bill to ban the barbaric practice of dismemberment abortion. Dismemberment abortion involves tearing apart, limb by limb, a living human being in utero. LB814, introduced and prioritized by Sen. Suzanne Geist of Lincoln, has an important road ahead and your action is urgently needed.
By urgent, my hope is that after reading this column you will immediately take a few minutes to call or write to your State Senator. And if you can’t do something immediately, take a lesson from Uncle Billy in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and tie a few pieces of string around your fingers as a reminder—just don’t be quite as forgetful.
With less than 20 legislative days remaining in the session, the clock is ticking for LB814 to advance through the legislative process. This means the State Legislature will soon be deciding whether LB814 should advance through the legislative process. At any stage of the process when State Senators decide the fate of legislation, it is critical they hear from constituents.
As Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have both said: in the fight for justice, the Church cannot sit on the sidelines. We must meddle in politics, as Pope Francis has also said. And we meddle in politics because we have a deep care and concern for the common good of society. Political participation is part of the life of charity Jesus calls us to live, the call of Matthew 25. In short, we cannot neglect our participation in the political life of society.
If you need to learn more about LB814, visit our website at www.necatholic.org or review my article from a couple weeks ago. Then, take a few minutes to call or e-mail your State Senator. At the very least, specifically ask your State Senator to support LB814 at every stage of the legislative process. If you don’t know who your State Senator is visit Nebraska Legislature.gov or call our office (402.477.7517).
To offer some examples, you might say something like the following:
“Dear Senator, thank you for your service to Nebraska. As your constituent, I wanted to encourage you to support LB814, the dismemberment abortion ban. While I recognize people disagree on the issue of abortion, we can all agree that no living human being should be torn apart limb by limb. Unfortunately, dismemberment abortion does just this to the living unborn child. Please support LB814 at every step throughout the legislative process and let’s end this barbaric abortion practice. Know of my prayers.”
“Dear Senator, thanks for your service to our legislative district. As your constituent, I am asking for your support of LB814 which would ban dismemberment abortions in Nebraska. Modern science and ultrasound technology reveal to us the beauty of unborn human life. By banning dismemberment abortion, which is done during the second trimester, we can show greater respect for the little human life which already, by this point in a pregnancy, has fully developed arms and legs and can yawn, hiccup, and smile. I hope you will support LB814 at every stage of the legislative process. Know that I pray for you and other elected officials on a regular basis. Thanks for your time!”
If all this seems too long, just call or e-mail, let your State Senator know you are a constituent, ask them to support LB814, and ask about their position on the bill. This should take no more than one minute.
Reaching out to your State Senator is as easy as A-B-C. Unfortunately, two obstacles often get in the way. First, inaction. As they say, the longest distance is the 18 inches from one’s mind to their heart. I would add that the distance between one’s heart and one’s actions can be just as long of a journey. Second, lack of courage. Courage requires doing the more difficult thing, and I’ll be the first to admit it’s not always easiest to contact your elected official.
Let’s not allow either of these obstacles to stand in the way today. The time is now. Stand up for the unborn. Stand up for mothers in crisis pregnancies. Stand up for the medical profession and its vocation of healing.
As we prepare to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pope Saint John Paul II’s monumental encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, take a moment to recall those words of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that John Paul never tired of repeating: “Do not be afraid.”
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