By Maria Cardenas
Since the days of the Supreme Court leak of its draft opinion on Roe v. Wade, as expected, pro-abortion demonstrations have increased.
Pro-abortion groups are trying to create an atmosphere of intimidation. We pro-lifers will stand with more zeal and be diligent in prayer. Our presence in front of the abortion clinics is more relevant than ever. We want to be more visible to the pro-abortion groups who come to mock our prayers. If we, pro-lifers, cause one mother who is coming to an abortion clinic to change her choice and choose life, then we’ll have accomplished our goal to save one more life.
As people of God, we are continuing to fight for the protection of these defenseless lives. We will not tire of praying our Rosary to our Blessed Mother, a peaceful, powerful weapon to overcome this evil. Women have been given a gift from God to procreate. To those pro-abortionists who cry, “We want to choose when we want to be a mother,” they need to be made to understand that once life begins within them, they are already a mother. Life is not a political right; it is about the right of the life that is within you.
For 47 years, I had been working as a registered nurse. It has been my vocation, and my calling, to serve God’s people. I had worked in the maternity unit dealing with mothers and babies. The value of life has always resonated in my heart. Working with newborns placed me in awe of God’s creations. Looking at the face of a newborn is like looking at the face of God Himself.
High-risk pregnant mothers were also cared for in the maternity unit while fighting to keep their babies alive. How ironic that there were mothers fighting to keep their babies alive, while other mothers were committing the sin of abortion.
I wish this pro-abortion population experienced what I saw: women who chose multiple abortions and, when they tried to conceive, the damage that was already done to their bodies. That is what caused them to have multiple miscarriages, making them unable to carry to term. It was hard to see their pain, their regret, and their remorse. They shed tears and it was extremely difficult not to cry with them.
I have been blessed by having, in our parish, Father Michael Panicali as a friend, who inspires me and many of our parishioners to fight for this cause.
Maria Cardenas is a registered nurse and a parishioner of St. Mark Parish, Brooklyn.
