I've been rather stridently passionate in voicing my disgust these last couple of days as I continue to see and gauge the reaction to the news concerning the killing of the lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe and the non-reaction in some circles of 
the release of the Center for Medical Progress' Planned Parenthood videos.
There's a strong possibility that perhaps I've been overly passionate, a tad too zealous, particularly toward those who while voicing their indignation about Cecil's killing have been silent about the videos. The disparity in reactions has to me been jarring and beyond my ability to understand and/or comprehend.
I admit too struggling with the notion that I'm called as a Christian, as a Catholic, to balance justice with mercy, a struggle made all the more obvious when I read this from Simcha Fisher over at The National Catholic Register:
Many Americans call themselves pro-choice, but are uncomfortable with unlimited abortion on demand, and these videos could help tip the balance in their hearts. But even as we hope and pray that the videos accomplish this conversion, let's not forget another large population of Americans, whose hearts matter just as much: the population of women who have had abortions.
Many thousands of women regret their abortions, and are haunted even decades later by what they have done, and what has been done to them. Thousands more are troubled and wounded, but aren't ready to make the connection between their suffering and their abortions. And for every one of those thousands of mothers of an aborted child, there is a post-abortive father, too. Many of these men never had a choice in the matter, and many pushed for an abortion and later regretted it.
So let's be careful as we use the videos, how we display the preview images, and what we say about the mothers of those poor babies. There is nothing righteous about grinding someone's face in a past sin. Like everything powerful and sacred, the images of those babies should be used with great care, because they have the potential to wound and damage along with the potential to change minds. As Susan Windley-Daoust said yesterday on Facebook:
This is likely a moment when many women (and men who helped women, or told women, to get abortions) are coming face to face with the harsh reality of their past. If you are reading this and find yourself in that category, there are people who want to help ...
I did not have an abortion, but every human alive knows what it is like to be hoodwinked and to make decisions they regret.
If you have had an abortion, you are not alone. Rachel's Vinyard offers healing retreats for women wounded by abortion, and Project Rachel offers free counselling, as well as adivce for how to help a friend who has had an abortion.
Abortion Changes You offers post-abortive women the support of a community online.
And for abortion workers who want to get out of the industry, And Then There Were None offers free financial, legal, and emotional support from peers who have left the industry, and helps abortion workers find ethical new jobs,
Birthright, Catholic Charities, Birthmothers and Optionline all offer help and information for pregnant women in need of support.
Simcha's closing remarks are worth the trip over.
My passion on this topic is not likely to subside any time soon as I think frankly it shouldn't but I do hope, in the light of Simcha's piece, I'll be a tad more cognizant of what might be the reason for some of the baffling silence I'm seeing in the world from certain segments of my social media aware friends.
Lord, help us all deal with this passion inducing subject and help us remember the humanity of those we disagree with.
Begin with me.
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