The message on this side is a sermon presented on January 22nd by the Reverend John W. Howe, Rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia. The title is, The Slaughter of the Innocents. 

Some of you know everything that I'm about to say, and some of you don't because you have not paid attention. and some of you have refused to pay attention hoping that it would all go away and I confess to you that for seven years I hoped it would all go away I said to myself that something so horrifically wrong as this must be recognized as the evil and the sin that it is and it must go away, it will go away, and therefore I don't have to say anything. And it didn't go away.

It got worse. And so I began saying something. And it still got worse.

It was exactly 11 years ago today, on January 22nd in 1973, that the Supreme Court of the United States of America handed down what I believe was the most momentous and the most tragic decision of its history. And in effect, what it did was it legalized abortion at any time during the nine months of any woman's pregnancy. and most people don't know that.

They think there are limits. That applies only to the very early stages, especially during the last three months of pregnancy. They suppose that a woman may obtain an abortion only if her health or her life is threatened, and that is true, except for the fact that the Supreme Court has defined health so broadly as to include her emotional well-being, her psychological well-being, her financial well-being, her peace of mind.

And in 11 years, there has never yet been one single woman refused on grounds of health. Which is to say, whatever you want to say is being threatened, that's enough. If it's inconvenient to you, if it's become a problem, if it's distasteful, if it's unwanted, a woman may stop her pregnancy.

There have been numerous attempts to limit that so-called freedom of choice, and they've all been unsuccessful. They've all been unsuccessful. There's no waiting period required.

You don't need 24 hours to think about it. No requirement that the doctor explain to a potential mother what's about to happen to the baby inside of her. Do you know that if she's in her third trimester, it may take four or five hours for the baby to die by being poisoned and burned to death inside her?

but he doesn't have to explain that doesn't have to explain what might happen to her and there are severe medical risks involved but he doesn't have to say that there's no need for a second opinion there's no stipulation that a wife who decides she doesn't want this baby has to have her husband's consent her choice her body there's no requirement that the parents of a minor even know about it John Powell in the book we've been recommending to you comments in utter astonishment and horror he says in most states a minor is still required to have parental consent before leaving home before marrying, before getting a job, before undergoing surgery, before attending adult movies, before having her ears pierced. But the Supreme Court has made it clear that a teenage girl can make the decision to take a life without her parents even knowing about it. I know that some of you don't want to hear this.

And I really would rather not have to say it. But a great Catholic theologian of the last century put it this way. He said, there comes a time when the greatest betrayal is silence.

and Jeremiah said if I don't speak your word it's like fire in my bones when the dust settled after World War II and the allies went through Germany and they spoke with the German people the question that they raised over and over was why didn't you stop the Holocaust? Why didn't you speak out? Why didn't you do something?

The answer they got over and over and over was, we didn't know what was going on. You will never be able to say that again after this morning. And I believe Jesus is going to look into your face and say, What did you do to stop the American Holocaust?

What did you do? Let me start with statistics. They're so staggering you can hardly get a hold of them, but let me try.

Do you know that the U.S. Veterans Administration says that the total number of U.S. soldiers killed in all of the wars that we have ever fought are 1,152,821.

A little over a million in all the wars that we have ever fought. We are killing one and a half times that many children every year. Adolf Hitler is considered the greatest villain of all history because he gassed six million people.

Simply because they were unwanted. We have killed two and a half times that many children in the last decade. Let me put it to you another way.

People have said to me, I'm crazy when I say this is the greatest moral issue before us in our generation. They say, certainly it doesn't begin to compare with the issue of nuclear war. Do you know that when we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, 75,000 people died?

And we're killing that many babies every 18 days, friends. In the Declaration of Independence, our forebears proclaim that every person is endowed by their Creator with the inalienable right to life. Liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and we're killing a baby every 21 seconds.

4,000 a day. 4,000 a day. We didn't know what was happening.

here in Fairfax City there were more abortions last year than live births did you know that? same thing is true in the district and in Falls Church abortion is becoming the preferred method of birth control and yet over 97% of all the abortions performed in this country are for one reason Not the health, not the life of the mother, not even because she fears she's going to have a handicapped child, but for her convenience. Actually, there is another reason.

The doctors who are willing to major in this trade become very wealthy. A good abortionist can easily do 20 abortions a day at about $300 apiece, which is $6,000 a day. Which, if he only works five days a week, is a million and a half dollars a year with two weeks to go to the Riviera.

We didn't know what was happening. We didn't know. That's why we didn't say anything.

We didn't know. As far as I'm concerned, there are only two questions. The first one is, is this really human life that we're talking about, or is it something less?

Is it a little bit of protoplasm? or as bill put it last week is it is it just a few cells see we've coined all these wonderful terms to take reality away from us we call it a fetus it's a baby an embryo a zygote no it's a baby is a human being in process of being formed in the womb by the Heavenly Father. Do you know what they call it?

The product of conception. Some of them call it the POC. Do you know what a product of conception is?

It's called a baby. And then they call it terminating a pregnancy. the other word for that is murder some people say well we don't really know when human life begins that's nonsense at best that is deliberate refusal to face the facts and let me tell you if you don't know this the people who are in the forefront of the abortion movement know exactly what they're doing.

They make no bones about it. Mary Calderon, the former medical director of Planned Parenthood, which is the biggest abortion movement in the world, she puts it this way, abortion is the taking of a life. That's what it is.

Alan Guttmacher, the president of Planned Parenthood, said, quote, the exact moment in the creation of a baby is fertilization. Fertilization has taken place. A baby has been conceived.

We just don't want it. Bernard Nathanson directed the largest abortion center in the world, in New York City. He personally presided over something like 60,000 abortions in about 18 months.

Interestingly enough, he was and he remains a convinced atheist. But here's what he finally had to say on the subject. There is no serious doubt in my mind that human life exists within the womb from the very onset of pregnancy.

They know what they're doing. Jasper Williams, president of the National Medical Association, said, Human life begins when, after the ovum is fertilized, the new combined cell mass begins to divide. We didn't know what was happening.

Dr. Jack Wilkie, the author of the handbook on abortion, and if you haven't bought one, buy one this morning, said this, Nothing, nothing, no bits or pieces will be added to this living human being from the time of fertilization until the old man dies. nothing will be added except nutrition. When does human life begin?

At the beginning. At conception. We're talking about a million and a half human beings every year.

I could multiply these statements endlessly. you might be more interested to know what God has to say on the subject Job chapter 31 verse 15 did not God fashion us in the womb did not God God was involved in the fashioning the shaping of us, of you, of me and of all those babies in the womb Isaiah 44, verse 2, Thus says the Lord, who made you, who formed you from the womb. Isaiah 49, verse 1, The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother, He named my name.

Isaiah 49, verse 15, Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget. but I will not forget you says the Lord behold I have braven you on the palms of my hands Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5 before I formed you in the womb I knew you before I formed you I knew you Psalm 139, we heard it read a few minutes ago, Thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb.

Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance. Luke 1, verse 36, Elizabeth has conceived a son. And this is the sixth month.

Not a little bit of tissue. A son. And that son leapt for joy when Mary approached carrying in her womb a few cells.

Maybe four days after they were conceived. The babe leaped in her womb. Galatians 1 verse 15, He who had set me apart before I was born.

says Paul. And the Scriptures are absolutely consistent, Old Testament, New Testament, in speaking of a pregnant woman as being with child. With child.

And again, I could go on and on. The point is obvious and it is inescapable. God considers life within the womb to be already human, and if already human, then sacred.

and to take even one such life is murder. And to take 15 million of them is Holocaust. We don't solve our problems by destroying other human beings, whether they're too young or too old, or whether they're handicapped or senile, or whether they've lost their usefulness, or whether they've not yet become useful or whether they're too expensive or whether they're the wrong color or whether they're inconvenient.

That's not what God would have. And that leaves only one other question. What are you going to do about it?

what are you going to do about it? Some of you have already had an abortion or some have urged it on your girlfriend or your wife or your daughter and the first thing you need to do is recognize that that's sin it's not the unforgivable sin but it is sin. And you need to treat that just as you'd treat any other sin, which is to confess it as sin and to repent of it and to ask God to forgive you and to dare to believe that that's exactly what He wants to do and He wants to heal your memories and He wants to pour out His mercy upon you.

But you can't get any of that unless you'll see it as God sees it and confesses it. The second thing you need to do is decide where do you stand on this issue? Moses said, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse, therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live.

Choose life. And let your choice be known. Whether it's you, or your daughter, or your girlfriend, or your girlfriend, or whoever.

And let your choice be known. pick up the phone call your congressman write your senator come and march with us tomorrow the majority of American people hate what is happening but they've been silent they haven't demanded that we change it there's only one way to change it because the Supreme Court has ruled seven men have decided this for us to or against it we haven't spoken out and we haven't demanded a human life amendment the majority of our elected representatives are in favor of a human life amendment but not a big enough majority it takes two thirds of both houses do something if you can't come march speak to somebody tomorrow do what you can do thirdly get involved in the pro-life ministry here does no good to be against abortion unless you're willing to help pick up the pieces of people's lives. To provide care and love and support and understanding for the women and especially for the young girls who choose to have their babies.

In many cases, without any support from their families, they desperately need help. And God is taking us into a new thing already. There's going to be a crisis pregnancy center here.

I don't know how, I don't know when, whether it's ours or whether it's the churches of Fairfax, there will be that. Many of us are going to be part of it. It's the most important.

Pray. That's always the most important. Have you prayed?

Have you prayed? Have you begged God to forgive us? have mercy upon us.

Kyrie Eleison, have mercy. Maybe it's too late for mercy. If My people who are called by My name will hear My voice and turn from their wickedness and pray and seek My face and confess their sins, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.

Jesus said, the days shall come upon you when your enemies, you do know we have enemies, spiritual enemies, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you and hem you in on every side and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you. that day has come let's bow our heads Kyrie eleison Lord have mercy upon us Lord touch our hearts and give us courage to speak and to act for your name's sake Amen