(LifeSiteNews) — Thanksgiving is upon us, and of course that means that Advent and the Christmas season will soon follow. While we always have so much to be thankful for, this year, we can add some pro-life victories to that list.
Voters in West Virginia passed a state constitutional amendment prohibiting assisted suicide. Three states – Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota – defeated abortion ballot measures and will not allow abortion to be embedded in their state constitutions. The election of Donald Trump, though he is not pro-life, is safer for many more babies than the radical pro-abortion policies that would have come with a Harris administration. Likewise, a Trump presidency is safer for children who are confused about their sex.
In addition, we can be thankful for the possibility that the government will defund Planned Parenthood. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed coauthored by Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, the two explained that they will serve as volunteers to advise the Department of Government Efficiency and that this department “will help end federal overspending by taking aim at the $500 billion plus in annual federal expenditures that are unauthorized by Congress or being used in ways that Congress never intended [including] . . . nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood.”
We can only hope and pray that this comes to fruition.
These positive changes should make us hopeful for the future, yet we know that we cannot become complacent. Despite the many wins for life, the culture of death forces are still hard at work. The devil does indeed prowl around looking to devour souls, and today he hides in wide open spaces, not even attempting to conceal himself.
Pro-aborts won’t stop at the seven states that did codify abortion in their constitutions, so we must battle every day to protect the vulnerable and to teach pro-life truths. And that must start within our families. Why? Because these pro-death forces will not stop trying to slaughter babies and divide America, and they accomplish this by first attempting to divide and crush families.
They begin by dehumanizing babies, by making the elderly and sick feel like burdens, and by teaching people to look out for themselves first. And most recently, they have attempted to sabotage Thanksgiving.
Since the election, there has been an uptick in the amount of people who advise those who voted for Harris not to celebrate Thanksgiving with family who voted for Trump. Through angry words and rants, they attempt to widen the chasm of hate and drive a wedge between family members.
Even Yale University’s chief psychiatry resident, Amanda Calhoun, jumped on the bandwagon. She was recently on The View talking about this very thing and said, “If you are going to a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you … against your livelihood, it’s completely fine to not be around those people.”
Why do they suggest this? I believe it’s because they know that the family has value, and they can only accomplish their pro-death agenda if they tear apart and redefine the family, for when its basic tenets are stripped away, people naturally turn somewhere else for affirmation and love. And when someone feels lost and alone because they rejected their family, who will be there to “help” them? Those who want to vilify the family structure.
We know that the family is the foundation of society, and for society to be strong, the family must also be strong. It is the responsibility of every single person to love and cherish each family member and to make them feel welcome, valued, and important. Remember that pro-life family values start in the home. We cannot expect to have a society that respects life if we can’t even respect those within the walls of our own houses.
READ: Who am I not to judge? Correcting the sinner is an essential work of charity
So this Thanksgiving, and throughout the year, cherish and strengthen your family. Let them know you value them and that they matter to you. Do not reject them because of how they voted. Shine the light of Christ and lead by example so that your words and actions will draw them to Him. Love them as Christ loves them, and help them see the truth about the sanctity of all life. This is how we will strengthen our society. This is how we will foster a culture where all people are valued and respected.
Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for over 20 years; 15 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the director and executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization.