In the early 1970s, a young girl named Mary Scalise penned a letter to then-President Richard Nixon.
She didn’t ask about what it felt like to run the most powerful democracy on earth, request an Executive Order to make the school year shorter, or quiz him on his fondest memory from being the first sitting president to visit China.
Instead, like the rest of her 6th grade class at Duquesne Catholic, she pleaded for the rights of the unborn. The Supreme Court was in the throes of the Roe v. Wade case, hearing oral arguments in December 1971 (and later again in October 1972).
Mary eventually received a presidential reply from the Office of the White House Press Secretary in January of 1971. Here’s a snippet:
“Historically, laws regulating abortion in the United States have been the province of States, not the Federal Government. That remains the situation today, as one state after another takes up this question, debates it, and decides it. That is where the decisions should be made…
For, surely, the unborn have rights also, recognized in law.”
Later, the Supreme Court’s January 1973 ruling in the landmark case cleared the way for abortion on demand.
Plenty changed during the 49 years since, but some things have come full circle.
For starters, Mary Scalise would grow up and become a born again believer in Jesus Christ. She’d also swap out last names, marrying her husband Dale Cochrane, and starting a family. That’s why I’m writing today.
Of course, more important than my family tree was Friday’s Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. Good riddance (and long-awaited).
So I felt something close to peace while scrolling through news updates about the ruling on Friday. I can also report that one Mary Cochrane was delighted, too.
I’ll admit, besides a stint in mock trial senior year of high school, my expertise in jurisprudence lacks merit. But I gather that individual states will set policy, giving Americans the opportunity to advocate for what fork in the road each one should take. Looks like Slick Rick Nixon wasn’t the only one who agreed that the states should decide.
May Pennsylvania, my home state, protect the lives of the unborn. I live near Pittsburgh, where city politics stand firmly opposed to pro-life policies. Nonetheless, the Keystone state is far larger than the Steel City. And I look forward to doing my part to give the unborn a voice.
If it’s not already obvious, I’m no neutral observer in this case. How could I be when Psalm 139:16 comes to mind?
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
The Holy Scriptures are settled on the matter. And so is the science. Abortion kills the life of a pre-born child. I’m no OB/GYN, but advanced ultrasound technology doesn’t lie. My vision is 20/20 in that regard, and I won’t play peekaboo with reality because a scoffing comedian on a late night show tells me otherwise.
Some pregnancies result from cruel crimes. I’m not blind to that. But there’s someone I’d like you to meet.
When Lianna Rebolledo was 12 and living in Mexico City, two men kidnapped and raped her. She became pregnant with a baby girl as a result.
When discussing the possibility of an abortion with a doctor, Lianna asked if the abortion would help her cope. The doctor said it wouldn’t.
Despite a prior suicide attempt, and severe trauma, she delivered her daughter.
“After my pregnancy from rape, two lives were saved,” said Lianna in an interview. “I saved my daughter’s life, and she saved mine.”
She holds to the view that “even in cases of rape, like mine, the value of human life doesn’t come from the way in which it was conceived.”
I’ll also direct your attention to a man named Nathan. His mother, Kathy Folan, was raped during her junior year of college.
She described the gut-wrenching emotions when she realized she was pregnant.
The three minutes that I sat on the edge of my bathtub waiting for the results were some of the longest minutes of my life. If it [was] positive, my nearly perfect, all-American, well-planned life would be over…
I was in a state of shock and panic, yet in that same moment, I recognized the intrinsic dignity of this newly created human being that God entrusted to me.
(Click here for source.)
Kathy delivered little Nathan. Understanding she wouldn’t be able to provide as stable an environment as a family, she pursued adoption, eventually settling on Barry and Liz Sullivan, who would become Nathan’s parents.
At the 2020 West Coast March for Life, Kathy told her story to the crowd.
“Giving birth to Nathan did not destroy my life, as the abortion side would like you to think is the only [possible] outcome, but [instead] gave reason to a painful experience. He is the beauty that came out of a very dark place.”
After Kathy told her story, Nathan walked out to the surprise of the crowd.
“You’ve heard it before…’I am pro-life, except in cases of rape.’ I want everyone to realize, especially the ‘excepters,’ that you’re talking about me and everyone like me,” he said. “Life is precious, no exceptions.”
In the coming days, weeks, and months, the pro-choice persuasion playbook will be dutifully repeated.
Men don’t have a say.
Pro-lifers only care about children when they’re inside the womb.
You’re threatening democracy.
You have no right to meddle with my reproductive rights.
That’s only a select few play calls from the laminated sheet. Just check your social feeds for the meltdowns. For some of you, the July 4th cookouts are going to be lit in a whole ‘nother sense of the word. (Just grin, bear it, and take another bite of the hamburger.)
When it’s all said and done, an unborn life is just that—a separate life, due all the privileges of protection. So life isn’t cheap after all. We just cheapen it.
Back in 2015-16, I wrote a collection of essays called, “Let Them Breathe” and published them on another blog of mine cooked up in study hall during senior year of high school.
I’ll spare you the high-handed style. For some reason, I was still bent on writing like a quasi-smart-guy, with lots of flowery language, making it hard to get through. I’ve since taken steps to amend my ways (at least, I hope).
Anyway, there’s one line worth preserving from those essays.
Psalm 11:3 inquires each of God’s children, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
Unborn lives are foundational. They’re why Lianna Rebolledo and Nathan lives to tell their stories.
It’s also why one Mary Cochrane (née Scalise) wrote to the President along with her classmates all those years ago.
I’ll admit, it was neat experience to watch my mother dig out the old letter from her hope chest.
So this one’s for you, ma!
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Kevin Cochrane is the creator of Replenish, the site to resupply your faith with overlooked insights from Scripture-based stories. Share your thoughts by commenting below or dropping a line to kevin@replenishstories.com.
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