War and Abortion: Deadly First Cousins
ShareCHAPTER 123 — WAR AND ABORTION: DEADLY FIRST COUSINS
American Life League
Abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between!
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.[1]
Anti-Life Philosophy.
You anti-choice people are all hypocrites, because you say that you want to save the unborn. But, at the same time, you're willing to send our sons and daughters to any country in the world to support U.S. aggression and imperialism, and you don't care if they get killed for such immoral purposes.
In other words, you protect them until they're born, and then kill them or let them be killed.
Introduction.
A Good Response to the Charges.
Every pro-life activist has heard this type of sneering remark from pro-abortion people. They say we only care for people until they're born and then it's open season on 'em.
The purpose of this line of argument, of course, is to divert attention away from the real topic of debate the slaughter of unborn babies. The pro-lifer can either immediately get the discussion back to the proper topic, or use this foray into a related area to his own advantage.
Any pro-lifer who talks about war with a pro-abort must realize that the impression that the pro-abort is trying to make here is that pro-lifers are also pro-war and are therefore hypocritical and inconsistent. As always, we can best reply to the pro-abort's fallacious arguments by using their own warped "logic" against them;
We aren't pro-war. Nobody is 'pro-war.' We're pro-choice! We realize that war is a tragic situation, but sometimes nations have no other choice. They are forced into war. You shouldn't condemn those nations that exercise their right to choose war in a difficult situation. That is being judgmental and uncompassionate. The issue here is not war it is whether or not countries will have the right to choose that option or have that right taken away from them by legislation.
Try This for 'Consistency.'
Of course, anti-war activists are just as close-minded as most other Neoliberal groups. What matters is not your intrinsic worth or your talents, but your Political Correctness.
Neoliberals often whine that pro-lifers are pro-war as well, and stridently point out this alleged 'inconsistency.' Naturally, they can produce no studies or figures to back up their claims. However, when pro-lifers who are consistent by the Neoliberal's stated standards attempt to speak out, they are censored, ridiculed, and rejected.
This happened to an anti-war, pro-life group called Prolifers for Survival when it tried to join the national anti-war umbrella group Mobilization for Survival (MFS). MFS spokesperson Jerily Bowen said that "The prolife group is a genuine left group that is seriously antinuclear. The problem is that they are also antiabortion. Dissension over their admission into our group was enormous."[2]
Many large pro-abortion groups were allowed to join MFS, and they threatened to boycott and even destroy the organization if Prolifers for Survival was allowed to enter. This proved the pro-life charge that Political Correctness was all that mattered to the group Mobilization for Survival.
War and Abortion: First Cousins.
War and abortion are similar or identical in many ways. War kills millions of people at a time. Abortion kills millions of people one at a time. War damages the economies of nations. So does abortion. War wounds. So does abortion.
The primary difference between the two is this: Abortion is almost always an immoral act of aggression against the helpless, but war can be either moral or immoral.
Curiously, participants in war and abortion both commonly suffer from the identical psychological disorders for extended periods of time: Post-traumatic stress syndrome (called delayed stress syndrome (DSS) for Vietnam veterans and post-abortion syndrome (PAS) for aborted women).
For more complete information on post-abortion syndrome, see Chapter 45 of Volume II.
The Price of War.
Reversed Priorities.
Dreamers on both the Left and Right sometimes fantasize about "A world beyond war." On a worldwide basis, we spend $1,200,000,000,000 (1.2 trillion dollars) every year on weapons and people whose only purpose is to kill other people. The United States spends more than $500 million apiece on 'Stealth' aircraft. It costs us three-quarters of a million dollars per day to operate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Worldwide, all countries have an average of one soldier for every 43 people and one doctor for every 1,030.
Figure 123-1 summarizes recent world defense expenditures, expressed in current United States dollars.
FIGURE 123-1
HISTORICAL WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURES, 1973 TO 1990
[A medium text size on your computer's 'view' setting is recommended, otherwise, the tables may be discombobulated.]
MILITARY EXPENDITURES (in billions of 1990 dollars)
United Soviet Warsaw Developed Developing
Year World States Union NATO Pact Countries Countries
1973 716 195 240 298 282 595 121
1974 755 196 253 304 297 614 141
1975 784 191 263 299 308 620 164
1976 803 180 274 291 320 626 177
1977 816 189 277 302 324 641 175
1978 832 190 282 307 328 651 181
1979 851 196 288 315 334 667 184
1980 886 212 296 334 342 695 191
1981 920 229 300 353 347 720 200
1982 966 249 309 377 360 757 209
1983 987 264 314 395 364 781 206
1984 1,024 284 321 418 372 814 210
1985 1,063 306 328 442 380 849 214
1986 1,103 330 335 468 388 885 218
1987 1,145 356 342 495 397 923 222
1988 1,188 383 350 524 405 961 227
1989 1,233 413 357 555 414 1,000 233
1990 1,279 445 365 587 423 1,042 237
PER CAPITA MILITARY EXPENDITURES (in 1990 dollars per person)
United Soviet Warsaw Developed Developing
Year World States Union NATO Pact Countries Countries
1973 180 910 957 579 830 660 41
1974 186 914 1,009 579 857 668 47
1975 190 891 1,049 558 872 661 53
1976 194 840 1,092 533 906 654 57
1977 194 864 1,083 542 917 657 54
1978 193 869 1,102 551 910 654 56
1979 194 879 1,104 554 908 657 56
1980 198 932 1,112 576 912 644 56
1981 204 976 1,128 602 919 658 58
1982 208 1,065 1,141 635 941 684 59
1983 210 1,125 1,150 668 950 706 57
1984 212 1,157 1,159 700 987 777 60
1985 213 1,191 1,169 723 1,003 809 61
1986 217 1,226 1,185 768 1,057 844 65
1987 219 1,261 1,211 812 1,114 876 63
1988 221 1,298 1,234 823 1,201 903 67
1989 224 1,336 1,261 868 1,250 955 70
1990 227 1,374 1,300 901 1,302 998 77
Reference: Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce. National Data Book and Guide to Sources, Statistical Abstract of the United States. 1990 (110th Edition). Table 530 (military expenditures). Figures exponentially extrapolated after 1985 based on previous trends.
What If?
What could we do with all of that money and manpower? What if we converted our world's 115 million soldiers into a great 'social welfare army?'
With this army and a bankroll of $1.2 trillion annually, we could accomplish all of the following permanent changes within ten years;
• provide electricity to all rural areas;
• increase world food production by 50 percent and virtually eradicate
hunger through improved agricultural technology and transportation;
• put one million people through medical school to aid the fight against all
disease;
• provide safe and sanitary drinking water for all those who need it;
• virtually wipe out the most extreme poverty; and
• construct all-weather roads to virtually all outlying areas.
Welcome to The Real World.
If Ronald Reagan is re-elected, accidental nuclear war becomes a mathematical certainty.
Dr. Helen Caldicott in 1984.[3]
Introduction.
Dreaming is fine, as long as one doesn't confuse fantasy with reality. The one enduring and fatal flaw in the American 'peace and justice' logic is the one they never talk about: If only one side lays down its arms, it will be crushed! We can only grope towards mutual disarmament, and this process, after ten thousand years of war, can only be slow and painful. Any other process is unrealistic.
The Communist Octopus.
Consider this: In the last seventy years, forty countries with a total of 1,750 million inhabitants have been subjugated by Communism. Make no mistake, these people are suffering! They have virtually no freedom, and are captives of an archaic and unworkable economic system that only functions for nations comprised of perfect people.
For more information on life under Communism, see Chapter 96.
It is interesting to note that Communists are occasionally uncovered in high positions in anti-war organizations, and these exposures make one wonder just how heavily such groups are infiltrated (see Dimitry Manulsky's quote below).
For example, an obscure organization called the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War received the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. One of the group's board members was Dr. Yevgeny I. Chazov, a member of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party.[4]
The Communists have clearly revealed their ultimate goals, as shown in the following paragraphs. The collapse of the Soviet Union should not cause us to relax for one minute; as the Revolutionary Communist Party of the United States correctly asserts, Communism is alive and well.
War to the hilt between Communism and Capitalism is inevitable. Today, of course, we are not strong enough to attack. Our time will come in 20 or 30 years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The bourgeoisie will have to be put to sleep. So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There will be electrifying overtures and unheard-of concessions. The capitalistic countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate in their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. As soon as their guard is down, we will smash them with our clenched fist!
Dimitry Z. Manulsky, to the Lenin School of Political Warfare, 1931.
We must practice co-existence with other nations, until we are strong enough to take over by world revolution ... We are not pacifists. Conflict is inevitable. Great political questions can only be solved by violence ... It is inconceivable that Communism and Democracy can exist side by side in the world. Inevitably, one must perish.
Vladimir Lenin.
It is our duty to inculcate in the minds of all nations the theories of international friendship, pacifism, and disarmament, encouraging resistance to military appropriations and training, at the some time, however, never for one moment relaxing our efforts in the upbuilding of our military establishment.
Alexi Rykov, President of the Council of Commissars.
In October 1917, we parted with the Old World, rejecting it once and for all. We are moving toward a new world, the world of Communism. We shall never turn off that road.
Mikhail "Gorby" Gorbachev, winner of the 1990 Nobel Peace prize, November 2, 1987.
Try This.
Pro-lifers should pose this scenario to their 'peace and justice' friends: Say you live in a very isolated spot in Alaska. The only other person within twenty miles dwells just across the meadow. This person despises you passionately and has sworn to kill you on a number of occasions. The only reason he has not carried out his threat is because he is terrified of the huge Doberman you keep prominently displayed in your front yard.
So one day, he asks you to get rid of your Doberman.
Would you?
The Fatal Flaw.
As usual, the Neoliberals propose a solution that will only work if all people are free of avarice, greed, and aggression in short, if all people are perfect! This naive and unrealistic viewpoint is another direct outgrowth of the attitude that all people are 'little Gods,' and therefore free of bad judgment and all of the other defects human beings are subject to.
For more information on this curious worldview, see Chapter 2 of Volume I, "The Anti-Life Mentality."
A Well-Known 'Peace and Justice' Worker.
Pro-War and Pro-Abortion.
Pro-abortionists are remarkably inconsistent, regardless of the topic they are addressing. Many of them hold themselves out as peace-loving individuals.
In fact, more than 95 percent of the so-called 'peace and justice' groups in this country are pro-abortion. These include the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES); Mobilization for Survival; Nicaraguan Network; People's Anti-War Mobilization; SANE; War Resisters League; Women Strike for Peace; and, of course, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
Jennifer Casolo.
Many of these 'peace and justice' people work actively for Communist causes under their assumed mantle of innocuousness. An excellent example of this type of chicanery is Jennifer Casolo.
Casolo claimed to be a Bible-believing Christian working for the Catholic Church on humanitarian projects in El Salvador. She helped contribute to the confusion around the Catholic Church position on warfare, asserting that no Catholic can responsibly fight in a war or even morally support any war. This, of course, is pure propaganda, and directly contradicted the American Bishop's 1973 pastoral letter entitled "The Challenge of Peace," which stated that pacifism is a legitimate option for individuals but not for nations, which have an obligation to protect their citizens.
Gee, What a Surprise!
One day, the El Salvador National Police visited Casolo's home. They dug up in her back yard 213 blocks of TNT, more than a hundred 60-millimeter Soviet mortar rounds, 405 electrical detonators, and 20,000 rounds for Soviet AK-47 assault rifles and Dragonov sniper guns. She denied any knowledge of these weapons, and couldn't imagine how anyone could bury three tons of munitions in her back yard without her knowledge.[5]
It turned out that she was directly connected to CISPES (The Committee in Solidarity with El Salvador), whose members support the People's Revolutionary Army of the FMLN, a terrorist Communist group in El Salvador.[5]
In contrast to her 'cover' as a Bible-thumping, peace-loving dove, Casolo admitted to Rev. Thomas Smith, a Pentecostal minister from Portland, Oregon, that she hadn't seen the inside of a church for a decade, and wasn't even remotely familiar with even a single Scripture verse on any subject.
The Ultimate in Hypocrisy.
A month later, while the American media lionized her, she constantly waved a Bible as she embarked on an extensive speaking tour of the United States. Predictably, Casolo refused to appear on television or radio with anyone who possessed or discussed a videotape showing El Salvador National Police digging up the huge arms cache in her backyard, and she even refused to discuss the cache.
This type of subterfuge is typical of Neoliberals, who react to unfavorable information or errors by simply ignoring them and hoping that they will go away. Casolo and her ilk are the same types who proudly display their "U.S. OUT OF EL SALVADOR!" bumper stickers.
Abortion: The War On the Innocents.
The Fruit of Silence is Prayer
The Fruit of Prayer is Faith
The Fruit of Faith is Love
The Fruit of Love is Service
The Fruit of Service is Peace.
Mother Teresa.[6]
War or Extermination?
Abortion is generally not thought of as war, even by veteran pro-life activists. It is more often considered to be a steady and efficient extermination of the unwanted.
It is carried out behind closed doors, and few notice the carnage. There are no aircraft roaring overhead. There are no grim-faced soldiers rushing up hillsides. There are no devastated cities and blasted countrysides.
The Ultimate War.
But abortion is a war nevertheless and a war that dwarfs any war that has gone before! Abortion is far more devastating than any armed conflict. It has claimed a billion lives worldwide in the last twenty years all wars fought and all other genocide committed in the world in this century have killed only one-fifth as many people.
By comparison, the last person killed by a nuclear attack died nearly a half-century ago, on August 9, 1945.
This world has lost one-fifth of its population to abortion. All of the world's wars, all of its hunger, all of its disease, and all of its accidents have not killed as many people as abortion.
Europe, which has survived a dozen major wars, including two World Wars, is now dying due to uncontrolled abortion and a non-replacement birth rate.
Here in the United States, abortion is killing the Black race at a rate three times that of the White race.
Abortion is the most devastating plague to strike mankind since the beginning of time.
United States Wars.
The United States has lost about one million armed forces men in all of its wars since the Declaration of Independence was signed more than two hundred years ago. Yet, in a tenth of the time, we have killed 25 times as many preborn babies. This means that abortion kills people at 250 times the rate that war does!
Figure 123-2 summarizes the costs of United States Wars and abortion in terms of fatalities, injuries, and monetary losses.
FIGURE 123-2
THE COSTS OF UNITED STATES WARS
Approximate
Cost in
War or Conflict Lives Lost Wounded [A] 1990 Dollars [B]
Revolutionary War 25,324 75,000 $ 197,000,000
War of 1812 2,260 36,000 139,000,000
Spanish-American War 18,500 99,000 2,650,000,000
Mexican War 13,283 18,000 139,000,000
Civil War 498,332 282,000 10,200,000,000
World War I 116,708 204,000 67,500,000,000
World War II 407,316 671,000 510,000,000,000
Korean Conflict 54,246 103,000 75,000,000,000
Vietnam Conflict 58,021 304,000 187,000,000,000
Gulf War of 1990-1991 109 800 65,000,000,000
COSTS OF ALL WARS 1,194,099 1,792,800 $917,825,000,000
The WAR ON
THE UNBORN 30,000,000 4,500,000 [A] $47,460,000,000,000
References. (1) Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce. National Data Book and Guide to Sources, Statistical Abstract of the United States. 1990 (110th Edition). Table 546, "Estimates of Total Dollar Costs of American Wars." Table 557, "Armed Forces Personnel Summary of Major Conflicts." Table 706, "Personal Income Per Capita in Current and Constant (1982) Dollars States: 1980 to 1988." (2) "Fact Sheet: World War II." 50th Anniversary of World War II Commemoration Committee, HQDA, SACC; Pentagon, Room 3E522, Washington, DC 20310-0107. Telephone: (703) 697-5082.
Notes and Calculations.
[A] Assumes a conservative 15 percent of all women obtaining abortions experiencing some psychological or physical trauma.
[B] The cost to society of each abortion is calculated as follows. Detailed calculations are contained in Figure 48-2 in Chapter 48 of Volume II.
Total lifetime consumption of goods and services
lost per abortion $1,177,600
Total lifetime taxes lost per abortion $404,400
Total consumed goods and services and taxes
lost per abortion $1,582,000
References: The "Just War" Theory.
[1] Mother Teresa of Calcutta at her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance lecture, Oslo, Norway, December 11, 1979. The complete text of Mother Teresa's Nobel Prize acceptance lecture is presented in Appendix B of the Winter 1980 Human Life Review, pages 129 to 132.
[2] Amanda Spake. "No Sacred Cows." Mother Jones, June 1980, page 14.
[3] Dr. Helen Caldicott, quoted in "The Week," National Review, April 25, 1986, page 14.
[4] "This Week." National Review, November 15, 1985, page 15.
[5] W.W. Terry. "The Evidence Against Casolo." The Oregonian, April 20, 1990, page B5.
[6] Mother Teresa of the Missionaries of Charity of Calcutta. Quoted in "Greetings From a Saint to the Saintly." Voices for the Unborn (Feasterville, Pennsylvania), January 1991, page 5.
Further Reading: The "Just War" Theory.
Greenhaven Press. The Arms Race: Opposing Viewpoints.
Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints Series, Post Office Box 289009, San Diego, California 92128-9009. 1982, 166 pages. Each section includes several essays by leading authorities on both sides of each issue. The questions asked are: "Why Is There an Arms Race?;" "Do Nuclear Weapons Provide Security?;" "Are Nuclear Weapons Immoral?;" and "How Can the Arms Race Be Stopped?" Authors include Joseph Fletcher, Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen, and John Lehman. A catalog is available from the above address and can be obtained by calling 1-(800) 231-5163.
Greenhaven Press. Nuclear War: Opposing Viewpoints.
Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints Series, Post Office Box 289009, San Diego, California 92128-9009. 1989, 440 pages. This series consists of a basic volume followed by annual updates by the same name. The main arguments for and against each view are presented by the leading authorities in each field. Topics covered include "How Would Nuclear War Begin?;" "Would Humanity Survive a Nuclear War?;" "Will Civil Defense Work?;" "Will Nuclear Arms Agreements Work?;" and "Can Space Weapons Reduce the Risk of Nuclear War?" 1985, 249 pages. Authors include Paul Ehrlich, Carl Sagan, and Helen Caldicott. This topic is covered by a series of books, beginning with a basic set of essays entitled Sources and continuing with an additional and updated annual series of essays. A catalog is available from the above address and can be obtained by calling 1-(800) 231-5163.
Greenhaven Press. Science and Technology: Opposing Viewpoints. Volume I.
Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints Series, Post Office Box 289009, San Diego, California 92128-9009. 1989, 440 pages. Each section includes several essays by leading authorities on both sides of each issue: Creationism in the schools, current artificial birth technologies, genetic engineering, organ transplants, animal experimentation, and the Strategic Defense Initiative are just a few of the topics whose main pro- and con arguments are thoroughly covered in this excellent 440-page volume. This topic is covered by a series of books, beginning with a basic set of essays entitled Sources and continuing with an additional and updated annual series of essays. A catalog is available from the above address and can be obtained by calling 1-(800) 231-5163.
Greenhaven Press. War and Human Nature: Opposing Viewpoints.
Greenhaven Press Opposing Viewpoints Series, Post Office Box 289009, San Diego, California 92128-9009. 1983, 214 pages. Each section includes several essays by leading authorities on both sides of each issue. The questions asked are: "Are Humans Aggressive By Nature?;" "What Causes War?;" "Is Nuclear War Justifiable?;" "What is a War Crime?;" "Are Peace Movements Effective?;" and "Can War Be Eliminated?" Authors include Ashley Montagu, Linus Pauling, and Sigmund Freud. A catalog is available from the above address and can be obtained by calling 1-(800) 231-5163.
Steve F. Levicoff. Building Bridges: The Prolife Movement and the Peace Movement.
Toviah Press, Eagleville, Pennsylvania 19408. 1982, 130 pages. This book examines what the author falsely believes to be inconsistencies in both the pro-life and "peace" movements, and describes how he thinks that both movements can come together to protect all life, born and unborn. Unfortunately, the author seems oblivious to the profound differences in philosophy between the movements, and he does not take into account the root causes of these differences. Although the melding of these two movements is impossible under current conditions, the author still gives us some interesting food for thought.
Joseph P. Martino. A Fighting Chance: The Moral Use Of Nuclear Weapons.
302 pages, sewn softcover. Order from Ignatius Press, 15 Oakland Avenue, Harrison, New York 10528. A detailed discussion of the "Just War" theory as it applies to current military technology, organization, and strategy. The author asserts that a policy allowing lasting peace and minimizing the chances of a nuclear exchange is indeed possible.
Roman Catholic Church, Bishops of France and Germany. Out of Justice, Peace and Winning the Peace.
124 pages, sewn softcover. Order from Ignatius Press, 15 Oakland Avenue, Harrison, New York 10528. The complete texts of both the Joint Pastoral Letters on war and peace. These texts are useful for an informed discussion of the "Just War" theory.
Father James Schall. Liberation Theology.
402 pages. Order from Keep the Faith, Inc., 810 Belmont Avenue, Post Office Box 8261, North Haledon, New Jersey 07508. The author draws on important contemporary research articles to produce a thorough indictment of the basics of liberation theology.
William R. Stevenson, Jr. Christian Love and Just War: Moral Paradox and Political Life in St. Augustine and His Modern Interpreters.
Mercer University Press, Macon, Georgia 31207. 182 pages. Reviewed by William V. O'Brien in the Summer 1988 Reflections (the quarterly book review of The Wanderer). Traces the evolution and philosophy of the "Just War" doctrine from its founder, St. Augustine, to the present.
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This is a chapter of the Pro-Life Activist’s Encyclopedia published by American Life League.
