First they came for the socialists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.
-Pastor Martin Niemöller
The Lutheran Church has a long history of speaking out on behalf of those who cannot speak. Pastor Martin Niemöller understood the role of the Church to speak out against such extreme injustices as the holocaust. His outspoken remarks landed him in a work camp for the duration of the war.
The LYF at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hampton, Iowa recently returned from our trip to the National March for Life on Capitol Hill. This learning experience can best be summed up by the above quote by Pastor Niemöller. This quote was written on the wall exiting the Holocaust Museum in DC. After walking through the labyrinth of emotionally exhausting exhibits, this quote served as a warning to never allow something so degrading to human life to happen ever again. And yet, we left the era of WWII and quickly entered the modern era in which the mere numbers of human lives taken by abortion dwarfs that of the holocaust.
The fight for human dignity is merely beginning. With 55 million babies aborted since Roe v. Wade, this current struggle for human life is merely beginning. We must not become complacent. As was pointed out to the LYF by National Students for Life president Rachel Barnes, 1/3 of the current youth generation has been lost to this evil machine that is abortion. This is our struggle, our fight, and our cause. Complacency is no more acceptable than those who stood by watching as Hitler systematically exterminated the Jews.
Still, there is hope. Our LYF was blessed to be part of the March for Life. They were not alone. Numbering between 400,000 – 850,000 (depending on who you ask), marchers thronged Capitol Hill to speak for those who have no voice. Even before our flight left Des Moines we met others who stood shoulder to shoulder with us on behalf of the unborn. From students at Iowa State to an OB-GYN from Ohio to students from New Orleans to cab drivers from Ethiopia and Eritrea, we met many others who shared our singular cause of restoring the human dignity for those unborn children. The Lord is victorious over the grave, even over as great an evil as abortion, and will bless the work of His hand through the Church.
For post-abortive mothers, there is forgiveness. For abortionists, there is forgiveness. For yours and my own complacency, there is forgiveness. This forgiveness makes us a people of joy. This forgiveness makes us a people of life. Because Christ already has victory over the grave, we rejoice that we are allowed to partake of this struggle on behalf of the unborn, never losing hope, but always placing our trust in a God who is ever strong to save.
Vicar Michael Kearney
