A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day. - Emily Dickinson

On the Fourth of July, we’re often reminded of poetic and gutsy words, indisputably sensible sequences of syntax, within the Declaration of Independence. Like many Americans, I’ve come to appreciate them, rereading on occasion and, as the years go by, finding them rooted in my mind. Such is the (staying) power of words; changing world history one day, becoming part of our DNA the next.  

When in the course of the past week’s historic human events, while listening to sympathetic media and often misinformed pro-abortion activists lament the otherwise self-evident truths held in Dobbs, I heard one particular phrase repeated in their respective statements: enshrine abortion. You likely heard it, too. I found it annoying at first, given they’ve sprinkled it about before. “Can’t their communications people come up with anything original?” I wondered. By Tuesday, the word “enshrine” made me wince, cringe, and utter and admittedly unoriginal, “ugh.” 

The Oxford dictionary defines the word enshrine as “to preserve a right, tradition, or idea in a form that ensures it will be protected and respected.” Weigh that against Justice Alito’s opinion. In it, he explains simply that the Constitution never granted a right to abortion, nor did our nation ever deem it a tradition. So, one must conclude, it doesn’t even warrant preservation, protection, respect — it cannot ever, as of June 24, 2022, be enshrined in the United States of America. 

A word is dead when it is said, some say.

But back to Adams, Jefferson, et al. Theirs are the immortal words we honor today and every day as Americans, men and women created equal, endowed by our Creator “with certain unalienable Rights,” chief among them: LIFE. 

Oxford includes a second definition of enshrine, noting it means to “place a revered or precious object in an appropriate receptacle.” The unborn baby is that precious object. You and I are called to place her right to life, her beating heart, before every person we encounter. 

I say “enshrine” just begins to live this day, born anew within our movement, owned by you and me. Enshrine life.

In the last week, I’ve been asked on several occasions “what’s next” for MCFL. In the flurry, I was quick to list our current initiatives and still-percolating life-affirming notions. What I should have noted then, which I take a moment for now, is an acknowledgment. We can't do "what's next" just yet.  

There was a State House rally on the 24th, just hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, easily the most deadly of the Court’s opinions, having resulted in the gruesome slaughters, via abortion, of at least 64 million innocent children since 1973. At the event, the head of the Massachusetts chapter of the organization formerly known as NARAL warned with her words that “64 million people of reproductive age are about to lose access to basic health care.” 

Before we move on as a movement into our next, brighter, chapter, celebratory as we deserve to be, this is a solemn moment, too, and one to which others are apparently oblivious. They just can’t see. But for our lost babies,

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. 

And let perpetual light shine upon them. 

May they rest in peace.

The objective scientific truth. Courage. Sacrifice. Selflessness that is willing the good of the other, AKA love. In the days and weeks ahead, MCFL will design and launch a comprehensive years-long educational campaign to enshrine these seemingly foreign concepts in the hearts of Massachusetts’ youth, the minds of our neighbors, and the consciences of our legislators, "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Women deserve better than abortion, and our culture must heal the chasm that Roe created in order to provide the ultimate “better” — compassion, encouragement, long-term societal support, virtuous men. The scale of our effort will be unprecedented, its hurdles numerous, its success unimaginable. We will need help. 

If you are interested in volunteering, so as to create a culture of life here in Massachusetts, take a look at this form. Offer your preferences and areas of expertise. We’ll get in touch soon.

Until then, thank you for all you have contributed to this organization in the last 49 years. Take time today to celebrate our massive win. Like tonight’s fireworks display, we have lit up the darkness. And we’re just getting started.

With gratitude for all you do for life,

Myrna