Every life should be embraced and welcomed. It’s heartbreaking to hear of lives being lost and so many missed miracles. Speak up for life and for those who don’t have a voice.
JONI: Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with my friend and co-worker Shauna. Shauna, welcome to the program.
SHAUNA: Happy to be here!
JONI: And already this month we are celebrating life, aren’t we?
SHAUNA: Yes, ma’am.
JONI: It was back in 1984, President Reagan proclaimed January 22nd as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day – God bless that president. And that date was specifically chosen because it was on January the 22nd, 1973 that the Supreme Court legalized abortion-on-demand in all 50 states. Oh, my goodness, so many things that have been spawned from that. Now, Sanctity of Human Life Day is recognized on the third Sunday of every January, and that’s coming up.
SHAUNA: That’s right. You know, I love what President Reagan said in his proclamation. And this is it; I’m quoting: “While each day in our land the promise of life is stolen from thousands of the unborn, we are rededicating ourselves to works of justice on behalf of America’s unborn children and their mothers. It’s our responsibility to guard with care the lives and freedoms of even the weakest of our fellow human beings.”
JONI: Don’t you love it that a president actually said that?
SHAUNA: Oh, I sure do.
JONI: You know, Shauna, I know when we travel to developing nations it’s not uncommon to find entire villages believing the lie that disability is either a punishment or a curse, and as Americans, I know we can feel shocked when we hear that babies born with a disability are left to die, or that they are buried alive, or that they are even thrown into a dumpster or a trash heap. But when you think about it, that happens in the alleys behind many abortion clinics, doesn’t it? Those pre-born children are aborted and wrapped up in garbage bags and trashed. And, you know, sometimes we wonder why other cultures can’t grab hold of the fact that every life is precious, but why doesn’t our own culture grab hold of the fact that every life has value? Every life should be embraced and welcomed.
SHAUNA: That’s right. Because right here on our own soil, we are thinking through all the same questions and doubts. We end our children’s lives, like you’re saying, Joni, through abortion instead of leaving them out in the elements to die. Well, you know, because of that, I think we can be deceived into thinking we’re somehow superior over these other cultures.
JONI: And we’re not, are we?
SHAUNA: Absolutely not. Because the fact remains, both scenarios – abortion and the idea of throwing a newborn baby in a trash heap – well, they are both symptoms of societies that have turned their backs on the God-given beauty and sanctity of life.
JONI: Oh, Shauna, when I think of the staggering abortion rates of pre-born babies diagnosed with a disability – of the 57 million pre-born children aborted since abortion was legalized, whether they had a disability or not, that just breaks my heart. Those statistics – they’re heart wrenching.
SHAUNA: You know, when I hear those numbers, I just think of all the lives lost and all the miracles missed. And, you know, what it means is everyone is missing out on the love and the inspiration that those children would have brought into their communities. But what we can do is, we change those statistics one life at a time by choosing life and by speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves, just like we’re told to do in Proverbs 31:8.
JONI: And that’s speaking up across the backyard fence. It’s speaking up in your driveway with a neighbor. It’s speaking up down at the local Starbucks or when you’re in the checkout line at Target. It’s speaking up on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. Friend, it’s exactly what Shauna did when her own daughter – she spoke up when her daughter was diagnosed with Down syndrome. And you really need to read her inspiring story. It’s called “From Fear to Hope.” So, just go to joniradio.org and download your free copy today! Or get a hard copy by writing P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, California, 91376.
© Joni and Friends