Peace begins in womb
Editor: The July 2 issue of The Long Island Catholic pictured members of the Sisters of St. Joseph “demonstrating for peace” and “praying for peace and justice in the world.” I invite the sisters to join Stand Up for Life on Sunday, October 5 from 2-3:30 p.m. along Route 110 in Huntington to pray for peace and justice for unborn babies and their mothers.
The 35-year war that has been waged under the deceptive banner of “choice” has resulted in the deaths of 50 million babies and the wounding of their mothers. Peace begins in the womb when the dignity of unborn children and their mothers is recognized and the violence perpetrated against both is no longer accepted in our society.
Maryjane McQuade
Malverne
He’ll glorify parents
Editor: I would like to thank Ms. (Kathleen) Gallagher for her (July 16) article “letting go” and remind her that in Proverbs 22 the Lord says “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” “Joey” will be fine and his testimony on campus will glorify his heavenly and earthly parents.
Charlie Gouldsbury
Farmingdale
Abortion and slavery
Editor: Regarding the rash of letters about the upcoming election and the issue of abortion, some historical perspective might help. The nearest historical comparison in American history to abortion is slavery. In both cases, the primary legal argument revolved around who was a person protected under the Constitution. In both cases, it was determined that (the human being in question) was not a person and so had no protection under the law. They were expendable. These were sickening judgments contrary to all good sense and human decency.
Abortion and slavery are also similar in the scope of people they affect. Millions on a yearly basis were denied their humanity in a brutal way — one group enslaved, one group exterminated in utero. The moral gravity and sheer numbers set them apart from all other issues.
In both time periods, there were other pressing social issues. In the 19th century, prison reform, women’s suffrage, and workers’ rights were important issues. Today the death penalty, immigration, and war all need attention.
But slavery and abortion violate the fundamental acknowledgment of a person’s humanity. They are atrocities in themselves. But they also put at risk the humanity of all. And the sheer scope of millions of human beings denied their humanity, their lives thrown away, demands that abortion serve as a touchstone for our defense of the human person, just as slavery dwarfed every other moral issue of the day.
One would hardly have praised a slave-owner for standing up for workers’ rights and women’s suffrage. He’d have gotten the most important issue wrong. So it must be with today’s public officials — abortion must be the first issue because it is so intrinsically wrong, and its evil affects so many.
Scott Salvato
Valley Stream
‘Seamless garment’
not discredited
Editor: In reference to a letter “Unborn have equal worth” (TLIC July 9), I find it sad that someone who identifies himself as a medical doctor could write, “The trouble with the ‘seamless garment’ argument is its suggestion that lives lost during war or execution for crime are as equally heinous as abortion.” They’re not? This is even worse than a letter the week before that referred to “the long discredited ‘seamless garment’ outlook of the equally long-discredited Bernardin approach which dictated that Catholics should have a consistent outlook on abortion, war and capital punishment.”
William Keogan
Valley Stream
Know all the candidates
Editor: This election year, besides President, all Congressional representatives, a third of the federal Senate and all state representatives are on the ballot, plus possible referendum(s).
In a presidential election year, especially when people speak to me about the presidential candidates, I suggest they review the candidates for all offices that will be on the ballot. Seems people don’t give much attention to the latter.
The letter to the editor in the July 16 issue entitled “Know the Candidates” by Randolph D. Parson of Holbrook is succinct.
Steve Brent
Garden City South
Pray for conversion
Editor: Since 1973, the unjust legalization of abortion has contributed to the culture of death for our nation. Modern technology and science have proven that human life begins at conception, but this truth continues to be rejected by many people including candidates for political office. In this election year, prayer for conversion to the truth is needed for all promoters of pro-choice. Prayer to Christ Our Hope is a powerful weapon that can change hearts to recognize the truth that the unborn are precious human beings who are entitled to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let’s pray!
Dorothy Grover
Calverton
Legally sanctioned homicide
Editor: A Newsday editorial of July 3 entitled: “Court reins in death” opposes capital punishment and describes it as “legally sanctioned homicide.”
Over the years, I’ve noted the profound inconsistency by the vast majority of our secular daily newspapers, including Newsday, that strongly opposes capital punishment, even though the defendant had the benefit of a fair trial, the right to appeal and legal counsel provided if the accused couldn’t afford an attorney, in addition to other safeguards.
By contrast, the use of the “legally sanctioned homicide” phrase by Newsday could be more appropriately described to the legal killing — by abortion — of over 4,000 babies each day in our nation, babies whose only crime was to be unwanted!
Thomas E Dennelly
West Islip
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