In a recent column, we took a stab at a possible cause for the shocking increase in the number of Catholics who believe abortion to be morally acceptable. In summary, I suggested, that while the Church officially condemns abortion, Her teaching is undermined by Church ministers who continue to publicly accommodate, excuse, and even honor pro-abortion Catholic politicians, and in so doing, lead rank and file Catholics astray.
As sad and scandalous as this may be, the increasing moral acceptance of abortion among Catholics may have a more insidious cause: Environmentalism. I say “insidious” because it comes disguised as a great good: care of the earth. But let us define “Environmentalism”.
The key is in the “ism” which denotes an ideology beyond mere environmental concern.
A quick internet search of “Environmentalism” will turn up references to the use of environmental issues to effect a political agenda which includes the imposition of an ideology which often advances abortion and other brutal population control measures in the name of saving the planet.
It is no coincidence that almost all of Environmentalism’s major figures are radical abortion advocates. Al Gore, its most recognized prophet, has urged “fertility management” and “population stabilization” as the central solution to global warming, and is advocating “international people rationing” through the United Nations Population Fund. Of course, no one has to guess at what those terms really mean.
Bill Gates, a recent convert to climate-change alarmism, is pushing (and funding) de-population through “new vaccines”. The World Wildlife Fund is notoriously advancing a pro-abortion agenda worldwide. And the Sierra Club is responsible for commissioning the infamous 1968 book “Population Bomb”, which, despite its failed and discredited Malthusian predictions, nevertheless provided the “scare” necessary to advance the aggressive distribution of contraceptives and the elevation of abortion to a constitutional right.
Evidence connecting Environmentalism with the institutionalized destruction of the unborn abounds, and the purveyors of the Culture of Death have become increasingly adept at translating images of polar bears stranded on melting ice flows into a mounting pile of dead babies.
In fact, the global warming issue has provided the anti-human movement with its most effective platform yet, which is why its alarmist promoters are indefatigable about connecting the words “man-made” to “global warming”. In short, if the earth is warming, and people are the cause, then there are too many people, and their numbers must be reduced. Thus the “healing” of the planet and sympathy for polar bears soothes the conscience as we sterilize ourselves and increasingly accept murder in the womb.
One might wonder why all the scientific and social contortions in order to advance the moral acceptability of abortion. Actually, it’s easy to understand. The act of destroying a defenseless child whose screams are drowned in amniotic fluid while her little body is chopped to pieces is so heinous that its advancement demands a disguise, and stranded polar bears are simply easier to show.
Gore’s proposed catastrophic scenario of millions perishing due to global warming has been especially effective in influencing those who might otherwise reject abortion as evil to quietly accept abortion as a “necessary evil”, and even a moral duty in the service of reducing one’s “carbon footprint”.
However, Gore’s gig might be up. His voracious de-population Malthusian machine seems to have slammed into a wall at the recent Rio “Earth Summit”, at which, the tiny Vatican, with the aid of an unlikely alliance, stripped language from the final conference document which would have allowed environmental solutions to be linked to “reproductive rights” (i.e. population control: sterilizations, contraceptives, and abortion).
The unlikely alliance included the likes of Russia, whose government is relatively religiously indifferent, and the Leftist-governed, Nicaragua. In fact, it was Nicaragua, not the Vatican who called out the U.S.-Hillary Clinton-led pro-abortion delegation for its lying language and demanded that they cease to “shadow box around the term ‘reproductive rights’” which, Nicaragua said, “every country knows is code at the UN for abortion.” WOW!!!
Feminists and environmentalists were staggered, calling the outcome of the Rio conference “very bad” and “a major turn for the worse.”
Had it been just the Vatican and a handful of “Catholic” countries, the protest against “reproductive rights” could be labeled as “the undue influence of the Catholic Church”, which to the pro-aborts would have simply meant that they have more work to do.
But the fact that nations normally not aligned with the Vatican, took the lead in trouncing the purveyors of the Culture of Death, has sent the pro-aborts reeling. In short, the rumble in Rio marks a major turning point for the Gospel of Life. Now...if only Catholics will catch on.
