Sharing Our Experience
White, SMOS Respect Life Committee
~ We have been parishioners for 33 years, and our four children attended grade school here. Although we presently live in University City, we have chosen to remain parishioners at SMOS.
We both grew up in large Catholic families at a time when abortion was illegal in the country, and the thought of having an abortion was not even considered. Even when abortion was legalized, we never considered being proactive in terms of clinic protests, nor were we outspoken about abortion in public, which is something we have since regretted.
The words of the Bible resonate with us. For example, from (Psalms 139:13), “You knitted me together in my mother’s womb,” and from (Jeremiah1:5), “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you.” For us, what can be more just than saving and respecting the most innocent of lives in our society?
We started our family through the adoption of four wonderful children and are so appreciative of the unselfish choices made by their birth mothers. We realize if they had chosen to have an abortion, our family would not be the same. Each of our kids came to us in a special way, but even in our joy, we are fully aware of the extreme challenges faced by their birth mothers’ courageous decision.
A couple of years ago, we finally decided to act and joined the Respect Life Committee. We have learned so much, especially about the different abortion-related medical procedures and abortion inducing drugs, as well as the laws and legislation pertaining to them.
After joining the Respect Life Committee, we soon learned how relevant the issues regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide are to our faith and society. We always thought these issues were more associated with countries outside of the United States until we learned that physician-assisted suicide is legal in 13 of our states, including our neighboring state of Illinois. To our surprise, assisted suicide legislation is “pending” in Missouri!
Being part of the Respect Life Committee gave us the courage to be part of a group of Committee members who in 2024 quietly stood on the nearby streets of SMOS Church with “No to Amendment 3” signs. At times, we had to draw on the Lord’s strength and “set our face like flint” (Isaiah 50:7) when we were verbally assaulted by passersby’s negative comments. This year, we encourage our fellow parishioners to join the Respect Life Committee in spreading our church’s teaching by promoting a “YES” vote on Amendment 3.
During the Summer months, this column will be highlighting the good work and parishioners involved in one of our various Social Justice Ministries. Each week, we will feature an article from a different ministry, written by one if its members, as a reflection on the calling to Catholic Social Teaching at St. Margaret of Scotland.
