You Have the Power to Influence the Next Generation!

            It had been a difficult week. A local news operation had produced a glowing report on the abortion pill known as mifepristone, without any discussion of the drug’s inherent dangers. Another media outlet was citing a poll purporting to show that the number of Americans who believe that it is important to have children had dramatically dropped since the late 1990s. Media bias and misinformation seemed to be the order of the day.

            Then, out of the blue, I received a phone call which rocked my world.

            A faithful pro-life advocate was calling on behalf of her four-year-old great nephew. He had seen an image of the baby in the mother’s womb and was fascinated by it. As a result, he wanted a soft-touch fetal model to call his own.

            I gladly complied with his request, thinking to myself that there is always hope in the next generation. That little boy recognizes the preciousness and humanity of the child in the womb—so much so, that he wants to be constantly reminded of it.

            The brilliant songwriting team of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II once composed a song called “Carefully Taught” for the hit musical “South Pacific.”

            It speaks of discrimination—and that you have to be taught to hate and fear. It’s so true, isn’t it? For instance, it seems as if we are born with a natural affinity for babies. But, by adopting abortion culture, our society teaches us to turn our backs on the most vulnerable among us.

            In that four-year-old’s plea for a model of a preborn baby to call his own, I see a flicker of hope. If children can be taught to hate and fear, they can also be taught to love and accept. Never underestimate the power you have in influencing the next generation. They are eager to hear a life-affirming message and to carry it out in their young lives.