Abortion Has to Stop, Says My Second-Grader

My 8-year-old daughter Maria knocked my socks off when she came home from school with an essay entitled, "Abortion Has to Stop." My husband Manny and I both participate in pro-life efforts, but we don't preach about it directly to the kids. As a Catholic psychiatrist, Manny has assisted in Project Rachel retreats for post-abortion healing. He also counsels post-abortive patients, some of whom experience psychiatric complications decades after the fact. 

For those patients who are wracked with feelings of guilt, my husband always advises that they receive God's forgiveness in the Sacrament of confession. We learned from Maria's essay that our kids listen to us more than we think. Here's Maria's explanation of why she "won't stop fighting until abortion ends."

ABORTION HAS TO STOP

Abortion is a very bad thing. Almost 1,000,000 babies die from it [in the U.S. per year]. You cannot just say that you don't want your baby. You could send the baby to an orphanage. But you cannot kill them.

Babies are living people. You cannot throw them away like broken toys. God made these babies. God will not be happy with you. Imagine if your parents didn't want you, and they said "I want this baby to be aborted." Imagine if they killed you. You wouldn't be here right now. Do you really want to do that to someone else? Think about what they're doing. Think about what you're doing.

I get a say in this, and I say abortion has to STOP! Say no to abortion. If you had an abortion go to church and confess what you did. You have a say in this too. Make the right choice. Make a difference in the world. I won't stop fighting until abortion ENDS.

by Maria Santos, age 8