A wonderful resource on the lives of the “Heroes in the pro-life movement” is the book for you. presenting short but vivid and insightful profiles of individuals who worked heroically, consistently, and effectively in defense of life. Grouped according to various fields of endeavor – medicine, philosophy, theology, sports, entertainment, and politics and the arts – and hailing from many different countries, the heroes described within exemplify the diversity of the pro-life movement.
Each profile of these pro-life witnesses is only three to four pages long, so you can pick it up and read a chapter in a few minutes, perhaps while waiting for the carpool. One doesn’t have to read the chapters in any order. Don’t think that you are reading a chronological history of the pro-life movement in any way, shape, or form. You can jump around to your heart’s content in this concise encyclopedia of pro-life believers.
However I do recommend starting with the preface for a good overview of the book. Right away the first jewel jumps out at you: “[Dr. DeMarco] refer[s] to pro-life heroes in this gallery of heroes as ‘apostles’ because their acts of heroism include delivering a message to society that is as vitally important as it is politically incorrect.” From the beginning, you are shown what you are going to be reading: stories of people who know so deeply that what God has created in the womb is LIFE and that what God has created lasts until its NATURAL END.
This is a great resource for those who want to dip their toes into the lives of many people across many fields. The footnotes in each chapter provide even more into the past and present of the pro-life community, for those who might want to learn more about one or more of the people profiled.
These “heroes” come from small and large families. They include Cradle Catholics, Catholic converts and those with a Jewish socialist upbringing. They even extend to the “reel world.” Apostles of the culture of life are everywhere. Dr. Donald DeMarco’s book introduces us to the family of men and women—the priests, “celebrities,” and the philosophers—who have built a culture of life. These larger-than-life men, like Ben Stein, and women, like Mother Angelica, impel you to read further. All of these witnesses show us that life and the love of life are the only things that matter.
I will close with this quote from the inestimable Judie Brown, founder of American Life League (Disclaimer: of which California Right to Life Educational Fund is an affiliate organization) who is featured in the book as well: “If you can finish this book and remain totally unchanged by what you learn, then you really didn’t pay attention. READ IT AGAIN.”
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