Annual Mass Recognizes Lives Lost Through Abortion
Archbishop
Beltran chats with Tony Lauinger at the program following the
Sanctity
of Life Mass. Photos /Sooner Catholic
By Ray Dyer
The Sooner Catholic
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tony Lauinger asked those in the audience to consider what they would say to a 19th Century politician who argued slavery is a choice, a moral issue and people who oppose slavery have no business trying to impose their morality on others. Fast forward to the 21st Century, Lauinger said. “Is the unborn child any less a slave,” he asked. “The most dangerous place for a child today is in his mother’s womb, 3,500 abortions per day.”
Lauinger was the guest speaker at the program following the annual Sanctity of Life Mass. Archbishop Beltran celebrated the Jan. 18 Mass at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Mass has been held annually since 1973, the year the United States Supreme Court made abortion on demand legal in this nation.
Lauinger, who with his wife, Phyllis, co-founded Tulsans for Life in 1973, called abortion the most divisive issue in American society today. He pointed to recent hearings for Supreme Court nominees and how “the abortion litmus test” was front and center in hearings for both John Roberts and Samuel Alito. Roberts was eventually confirmed and now serves on the nation’s High Court, while Alito is still awaiting Senate confirmation.
Lauinger recognized a number of Oklahomans for their pro-life efforts, including Shirley Cox of Catholic Charities; Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Del City; and Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City. He also pointed to Barbara Chisko and the many volunteers she works with at Birth Choice, as well as other Oklahomans committed to life. Lauinger said Calvey plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming Legislative session that would require a woman considering an abortion to have an ultrasound at least 48 hours before the abortion is performed.
A
graduate of Georgetown University, Lauinger and his wife have eight
children. They are members of Saint Mary’s parish in Tulsa. He is
the president and chairman of Oklahomans for Life and spends countless
hours at the State Capitol pushing for pro-life legislation. While
the pro-life effort can at times be exasperating, Lauinger encouraged
those who support life to maintain their commitment and their energy
to the cause.
He said this nation was founded on pro-life principals and pointed to the opening sentence in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life...”
“Our founding fathers knew that all other rights were meaningless without life,” Lauinger said.
In his homily, Archbishop Beltran pointed to the recent beatings of homeless people in Florida as another indication how our nation has lost regard for the dignity of human life. He said it was very sad to learn 150 similar beatings had occurred in the past year, most acts were committed by young men between the ages of 15 and 25, he said.
“Society has lost respect for human life,” Archbishop Beltran said. “In the last 30 years, people have accepted abortion as okay.” He urged people to turn to Christ for the truth and he encouraged those who fight for life to “continue the struggle, because God is with us.”
He called Pope John Paul II “a true hero” because “he discovered the truth, he spread the truth and he defended the truth.”