During the 1964 presidential election campaign, Governor Ronald Reagan made a compelling speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater that catapulted him into national distinction. He closed with these parting words, “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.” The children to whom Reagan was referring are now in their mid-life years, and I am one of them. Presently, his words serve as a reminder of the grit and resolve of the great generation that preceded us, and are a sound battle cry for us to fight to uphold the values America holds most dear.

We have reached a time in which we can no longer stand as champions for choice; the time has come for us to choose. “Personally opposed to abortion but pro-choice” has been a common, seemingly innocuous stance held by many on the political left for far too long. Pro-choice politicians have touted their position as unbiased and neutral, but they have chosen by default, as 65 million aborted babies tragically verify. These politicians have opted to remain silent in the face of a grave and tragic injustice. They have chosen to deny reality by turning a blind eye to the infanticide occurring under their noses; and they have placed the onus of responsibility onto others, including teens, that are often not equipped to handle such vital, life altering, physically and emotionally damaging decisions.

The pro-choice premise may sound charitable, but it is quite the contrary; it is a phony pretense to evade the burden of making a decision—a life or death decision. It is indecision disguised as non-judgment, apathy disguised as tolerance, and cowardice disguised as charity. Pope Benedict XVI once referred to such moral indifference as “silent apostasy.”

Thanks to the successful preconditioning of the Enlightenment, which set up man as the primary, if not sole, arbiter of his or her choices, a person, especially one who claims he is religious, doesn’t have to feel conflicted when adopting the pro-choice mantra.

Joe Biden claims he is personally opposed to abortion but believes it is not his right to tell a woman what to do with her body. Perhaps he has forgotten that our Declaration decrees that men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that our elected representatives have a responsibility to protect those rights by enacting laws that promote a safe and wholesome environment for all Americans. Not only is it his right to tell a woman not to kill innocent human life, it is his duty as a man—especially as an elected representative—to safeguard the most vulnerable and innocent of society.

Yet the position that maintains it’s a woman’s right to choose whether or not she may have an abortion is still held by many liberal thinkers. When seen for what it really is, this position appears to be a contemporary manifestation of Original Sin. Eve’s taking and eating of the forbidden fruit described in Genesis 3 stemmed from a prideful desire to usurp God’s omnipotence, making pride man’s first sin.

Come to think of it, when Eve ate the forbidden fruit where was Adam? Although his location is not clearly revealed in scripture, there is something we know for certain: he did not stop her. In fact, he ate it himself. And when God asked Adam why he disobeyed His commands Adam answered, “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it” (Gen 3:12). Adam bought the lie and took the bait, just like so many are doing today.

Yet today’s man takes it a step further. Those in the pro-choice camp assume the postulate “it’s a woman’s right to choose” is true. The claim that abortion is a woman’s right actually hails pride as a virtue and assumes that we are either gods, or there is no God.

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, inordinateness is the interior precondition necessary for pride to outwardly manifest itself. Since Adam had “assured knowledge” (cf. 1 Tim 2:14) he had a responsibility to stop Eve, but he failed. Perhaps he believed it was her “right to choose.” As we tragically discovered from the actions of our first parents, some choices are wrong and intrinsically evil. God’s forewarning to Adam “for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gen 2:17) is a warning to us all.

When we choose to violate the Natural Law, we encroach upon divine territory; we wish to be like gods knowing good and evil (cf. Gen 3:5). We attempt to seize control from God and assert our own power over nature by taking life and death into our own hands. We refuse to accept that He is our Creator, despite the fact that our Founders asserted this truth in our Declaration. For years, the presupposition that God is our all-knowing, all-loving Father-Creator and we are His children was a truth we held to be self-evident. Legalized abortion utterly contradicts our once deeply held beliefs.

In a further complexity, politicians today such as Kamala Harris and Joe Biden erroneously regard the life issue as solely a personal religious matter and, therefore, argue that in overturning Roe vs. Wade they would be forcing their religious beliefs or their version of morality onto others. This flawed viewpoint fails to consider the fact that all legislation in America imposes some form of morality derived from some type of moral code onto its citizens. For example, we cannot choose to smoke in crowded establishments, nor may we carry handguns anywhere we wish, or drive without seatbelts. Defending the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is a fundamental civil issue, as well as a religious issue.

Unjust laws have the power to condition minds over time and influence us to make bad choices, especially when we are vulnerable. Our loving God takes this into consideration on our day of judgment, for He forgives us when we know not what we are doing (cf. Luke 23:34). Thus, the blood of the innocent is largely on the hands of those in power who sanction such unjust laws.

I once spoke with a woman who was post abortive. Hearing her describe the emotional and physical pain she suffered was heartrending. She explained that when she made that tragic choice, something inside of her died, not only her child but also her spirit. Yet, she turned to God in repentance and experienced the power of His love and mercy, which is infinitely forgiving, healing, and restorative. If you have had an abortion, I urge you to trust in God’s merciful love and unburden yourself of the pain that has weighed you down. Our Heavenly Father longs to console you and pour out His unfathomable mercy on your soul.

Joe Biden’s pro-choice position is due not only to political posturing, but also lack of moral clarity, or vincible ignorance. He exemplifies those who are “Catholic in Name Only”—people whom Jesus, in his day, would call a hypocrite. If Joe were truly morally conscious, he would, in the very least, practice the Golden Rule. He would treat helpless, unborn children in the womb the way he would want to be treated in that condition, for Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). There are plenty of couples willing to adopt and outreach organizations, like National Christ Child Society and Covenant House. Why not promote these choices to expectant women in need?

If you knew that your friend was about to drink Kool-Aid laden with cyanide, would you stop her? Have you ever wished that someone wise had come along in your life when you were about to make a grave mistake? Have you ever wondered if your life might have turned out differently had someone been there to gently persuade you to do the right thing and even offer to help you in your time of need? If you answered yes to any of those questions, perhaps you may see why the pro-choice position does not have the universal Golden Rule in mind. Our laws are supposed to protect us, not provide the means for us to harm ourselves.

It’s clear that Joe Biden and many "Catholic” pro-abortion politicians have lost sight of what it means to really care about the needs of the people they serve. At the expense of millions of unborn children and women in need, they prefer to pander to their base for personal gain. Informing one’s brothers and sisters that they are doing something wrong takes courage, compassion, and integrity. As C.S. Lewis affirms, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.” We impose not our views but our love upon someone when we demonstrate concern for their well-being, love that is grounded in truth. For it is our duty to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper, as the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers beautifully illustrates. Authentic love is life-preserving, not life-extinguishing; it is always truthful, beautiful, and good. No truth, beauty, or goodness may be found in the violent act of terminating innocent human life.

When human beings take it upon themselves to create laws that outright conflict with the Law of Nature, what follows is an unlimited number of potential abuses that can result from those laws. No trustworthy barometer exists in which to gauge actions. Since abortion supporters cannot definitively agree upon when life begins, this ambiguity gave Planned Parenthood operatives the green light to procure and sell infant body parts. And it gave Governor Andrew Cuomo license to legalize infanticide. Who will stop this barbarism from continuing if not us, here and now? How many more women and children have to suffer the consequences of an unjust law?

Does America wish to be remembered as a culture that promotes life or death? We have officially crossed over into what was once unthinkable barbaric territory.

It is incumbent upon us to contemplate the following warning from scripture: "If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea” (Mark 9:42).

There is much symbolism to consider in this cultural “women’s movement.” To where are women moving? How far shall women go? To her detriment, Eve moved away from Adam, and all of mankind suffered for it. We—men and women—need to stand beside one another and protect each other. We need to speak plainly and truthfully to one another even at the risk of being politically unpopular. We need to love each other more than we love ourselves.

At this time in history, America doesn’t need leaders who buy into the lies of our time. America needs courageous men and women with strong convictions and principles to set us right again. More than ever before, we need men to rise up and take down this inherently evil movement before it consumes the soul of our country. More than ever before, women and children need men to be men.

Each day, we are confronted with the most important choice of our lifetime: Are we or are we not children of God? We must determine as Americans if we will continue to ignore the genocide, or become part of the current movement to end it. We must decide if we choose life or death, and vote accordingly. Just like Adam and Eve, Judeo-Christian Americans have been warned,

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).

No compromises, no confusion, just a solemn command from God to make a choice for life every time one is confronted with that choice. Although it’s not always easy, with His help all things are possible.

“We know that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to betray them. Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately,” declared Elie Wiesel. “And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering…. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Let us pray that America chooses to cherish, rather than discard, her children, and let her laws support life-giving choices so she may once again become a shining example of righteousness for the world to see.

“You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, ‘There is a price we will not pay. There is a point beyond which they must not advance,” Ronald Reagan asserted. “Winston Churchill said, ‘The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we're spirits—not animals.’ And he said, ‘There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.’"

Our freedom to choose must not remain an end in itself, it must be what it is: a means to an end. Choosing the good in love is the end for which our freedom provides the means, and God is the Source from whom all goodness flows.

Let us choose life, so that we and our children may live.