[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E127-E128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CHRISTA CARPENTER'S AWARD WINNING ESSAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 1998

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the following essay 
with our colleagues. It was written by one of my constituents, Ms. 
Christa Carpenter, and won first place in the March for Life national 
essay contest commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of legalized 
abortion in the United States. I believe she presents a compelling 
argument in support of the sanctity of all human life.

                     We March On for Life and Truth

       God's truth is eternal, absolute, universal, and impartial. 
     It is our most powerful weapon in the battle to end abortion. 
     During the past twenty-five years of the murdering of our 
     brothers and sisters, His truth has been marching on in the 
     pro-life movement.
       Our Faith tells us that a pre-born baby, from the moment of 
     fertilization, possesses a soul, and is created in the image 
     and likeness of God. Despite the physical condition of the 
     baby, or the circumstances of conception, all are equal in 
     the sight of God. Whether deformed, retarded, black or white, 
     protectors of life must keep in mind that Christ's truth is 
     without exception, and all pre-born babies possess the right 
     to life. There are no exceptions, no compromises, when it 
     comes to the life of ANY baby.
       The Catholic Church proclaims that all men are ``obliged to 
     honor and bear witness to the truth''. In fact, it is our 
     duty to defend the pre-born. St. Thomas Aquinas states, ``As 
     a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the 
     truth.''
       Abortion is a direct violation of the truth. The entire 
     platform of the pro-abortion movement is based on lies. Their 
     many statements such as ``It's a woman's body''; ``It's a 
     blob of tissue''; ``The mother's life is at stake'' are 
     attempts to justify the murder of a pre-born human being. 
     Abortion can never be justified, for everyone knows in his 
     conscience that it is wrong.
       These remarks have been proven wrong by people who have 
     LIVED Christ's truth. The most vivid example in my mind 
     happened two years ago during my Mother's crisis pregnancy, 
     when her water broke and she went into labor prematurely. The 
     doctors refused to give her medical treatment to help save my 
     twenty-week old pre-born brother, John Paul. They said my 
     Mother would die if the pregnancy continued, and declared she 
     should have the abortion for the ``sake of the mother''.
       With the help of many friends, Mom was able to stay at 
     home, never leaving her bed for ninety-three days. Our family 
     endured many trials to keep my brother alive. We were 
     rewarded when he was delivered at thirty-three weeks, for 
     this was long after the time the doctors said he would be 
     dead. He lived twenty-three hours, and received Baptism and 
     Confirmation before he went ``straight to Heaven''. Many in 
     the world took our experience for a failure, but we take 
     comfort in the fact that John Paul is a saint, and sees God 
     ``face to Face''. Thanks to the truth we learned from those 
     in the pro-life movement, we know Christ's truth. It 
     conquered the lies of the pro-death world in the case of my 
     Mother. She is living proof that the ``life of the mother'' 
     exception is just an excuse to kill a baby.
       Defenders of life, world-wide, have shown their commitment 
     to the truth by sacrificing their time and comfort for the 
     abolition of the Massacre of the Innocents. Actively they 
     protest at abortion clinics, and present the pro-life message 
     at every opportunity: on television, in newspapers, on radio, 
     and in schools.
       More often than not, we never see the ``fruits'' of our 
     endeavors. Some say our efforts in the pro-life movement will 
     never be able to stop the mass murder of children throughout 
     the world. Yet, whether representatives of His truth are the 
     majority or the minority; whether abortion increases or stops 
     entirely; whether we have no political support or have the 
     help of the entire government; His TRUTH will perpetually 
     reign supreme. When it comes to the life of a baby, all know 
     that a baby is a child created in the image and likeness of 
     God, and abortion is the murder of that precious infant.
       This battle may ensue for our lifetime or for the next 
     generation to come, but His truth will ultimately ``set us 
     free'' from the evil of abortion. Advocates of life, take 
     heart: for as His truth is marching on, our God is marching 
     with us.


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