Current generation must work to end abortion now, speaker says
St. Susanna parishioner Judy York of Plainfield, right, and Photini James, a member of Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Church in Indianapolis, carry pro-life signs during a Respect Life March organized by Right to Life of Indianapolis on Jan. 15 at the conclusion of the organization’s annual Memorial Service for the Unborn at the Indiana War Memorial. (Photo by Mary Ann Garber)
By Mary Ann Garber
Social justice begins in the womb.
Pro-life advocate Bryan Kemper of Troy, Ohio, works tirelessly to promote that message.
Two years ago, Kemper wrote a book with that title to educate people about the urgent need to protect the right to life for the unborn by ending the slaughter of babies in abortion. His book is distributed by Clay Bridges Publishing.
A former rock musician who performed during a national Lollapalooza tour, Kemper founded Rock for Life in 1993 then organized Stand True Ministries to share the message of respect for life and the Gospel of Christ with teenagers, collegians, and young adults in the United States and abroad.
Kemper is a pastoral associate of Priests for Life and directs the national pro-life organization’s youth outreach programming.
He also co-hosts a call-in radio show in Portland, Ore., and has been featured on many radio and TV programs as well as in three documentary movies.
In 2004, Kemper started the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, which has grown to one of the largest pro-life events in the world. Last year, more than 250,000 students at more than 3,800 campuses in 28 countries remained silent for a day to educate people about the voiceless unborn babies killed by abortion.
During his keynote speech at the annual Right to Life of Indianapolis Memorial Service for the Unborn on Jan. 15 at the Indiana War Memorial, Kemper invited his 11-year-old daughter, Abigail, to join him on the stage.
As he hugged her, he begged the several hundred pro-life supporters in the audience to work harder to stop the holocaust of 39 years of legalized abortion in America.
“I’m going to ask you today not to pass this [pro-life battle against the culture of death] down to the next generation,” Kemper said. “You do not want your children and your grandchildren sitting in this room in 20 years listening to Abigail give a talk like this. Don’t let it go on to another generation. This is the year for us to take this seriously, for us to stand up. This is the beginning of the end of the abortion holocaust.”
The 2012 National March for Life on Jan. 23 in Washington will solemnly mark the beginning of the 40th year of legalized abortion in the U.S., he said. “In the Bible, 40 years is a full generation. … This generation has lived under a shadow of legalized child killing for 40 years, and we cannot allow another generation to live under that shadow.”
Kemper said he joined the pro-life battle to end abortion more than 20 years ago because he could not ignore this brutal and evil war that has killed more than 53 million defenseless unborn babies during the last four decades.
“The [unborn] children who are being killed in abortion clinics cannot cry for help,” he said. “The children that are dying every day in the abortion clinics need a voice. ... That’s us here today [who are] willing to stand up and be a voice for those that are dying every single day.”
Christians cannot ignore God’s call to protect defenseless unborn children from death, Kemper said. “Jesus told us that the greatest commandments are ‘love your God with all your heart, your soul and your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mt 22:37-40).
“Every single time that we wake up in the morning, that is one more day, one more chance, one more opportunity, for us to live our lives for our Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said. “[It is] one more day to give thanks to God, one more day to serve him.”
Quoting from the Bible parable of the Good Samaritan, Kemper said we must all become like the man that Jesus described in the Gospel of St. Luke, who helped an injured man lying helpless in a ditch (Lk 10:27-35).
“Fifty-three million dead babies are in that ditch,” Kemper said, his voice ragged with emotion. “Fifty-three million of our American brothers and sisters are in that ditch. Are you going to walk by and say, ‘I’m called to do something else.’ Or are you going to be willing to say today, ‘Yes, this year, the beginning of the 40th year, I am going to do something more to be that voice, to love my neighbor as myself.’ ”
After the memorial service, Marc Tuttle, president of Right to Life of Indianapolis, noted that science supports the pro-life movement.
“The more that we scientifically understand human life, the more of a profound mystery it becomes,” Tuttle said. “… We can’t take that mystery for granted. We can’t ignore the mysteries that God has created within the human body. We participate in the creation of human life as parents, but we’re not the ones that create human life. That’s God. We must turn to God and ask him for the solution [to ending abortion]. It’s a spiritual battle.” †
