Text of Steve Karlen's speech at January 8 Rally

My friends, what a blessing it is to stand united with you this morning to witness against this culture of death in our nation, our state, our city and this very building.

Over the past few months, the Vigil for Life team has asked a lot of you. We’ve asked for you to pray, to fast, to stand witness outside of Planned Parenthood. We’ve asked you to volunteer, to sacrifice your time and give of your talent. And now—when we need you more than ever, when the stakes are higher than ever—you show up in greater numbers than ever to tell UW and Meriter that we do not want this fine medical facility turned into a death camp! Last night as I prepared to speak to you, I realized this is classic preaching to the choir. It’s a work day. It’s a school day. It’s the middle of winter, and you were given less than 48 hours notice that this event would be happening. Yet you’ve come. God Bless you!

As Bishop Morlino might say, I’ve got three points that I’d like to make this morning:

First, I’d like to update you on the latest developments. Exactly two days ago, Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defense Funds raised some serious question for Meriter and UW Officials. Yet this morning, these critical questions have yet to be answered. How will the University abide by a multitude of laws prohibiting public money from financing abortion? In a hastily constructed statement to the media, UW spokesperson Lisa Brunette has said that insurance and patient fees will cover these so-called services. Do not be misled. This institution is a joint venture with the public UW. The abortionist is an employee of that public UW. And her salary is paid by that public UW.

How will the Madison Surgery Center abide by conscience protection laws to ensure that faithful Christians are not coerced into participating even indirectly in killing the pre-born? That same hastily written statement said essentially no more than “Uh, just trust us. Our Lawyer said it was ok.”

In response to allegations that the University could use this facility as a cheap way to harvest nearly-fully formed organs from preborn babies for research purposes, Ms. Brunette said that this could happen quote “only after review by a faculty committee.”

As though that’s supposed to make us feel better about it! I recently learned that there is a market for fetal organs. With a little investigation, you can find price lists for various body parts. Ms. Brunette, allow me to make a suggestion for your price list: Sell every brain, every pancreas, every arm and every other body part for a flat rate of 30 pieces of silver!

If the UW Hospitals and Clinics intended to be forthcoming and transparent as we should expect from a public institution, we’d have answers by now. But still we wait. Shame on you UW, and shame on you Meriter!

Secondly, I ask you to continue this fight with me, wherever it will take us. When this fight for the pre-born goes to the Capitol, let us go there. When this fight goes to the courts, let us go there. When this fight goes to this facility and to Planned Parenthood, let us go there. When it comes to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, even our own families, let us go there.

But wherever this battle for souls goes, let us go first to our knees.

Because it is only with the armor of God, as St. Paul says, that we have the strength and courage to take a stand for life.

Ephesians 6: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”

My friends, that day of evil has arrived. So let us petition our God and Savior for the spiritual fortitude to reach out to the unwed mother and the child within her, to give the extra dollar, to spend an extra half hour in prayer. Millions of tiny little boys and girls depend on our actions, but perish at our inaction. So let us receive His grace to stand firm against the gates of hell that one day we may be welcomed in at the Gates of Heaven.

Third, I seek to encourage you. Right now, we are an angry people. But we are first and foremost a joyful people. Our victory is and has been in hand for nearly 2,000 years. Alleluia!

We are a people of faith, of hope, and of love. So let us stand witness today to the love we have for our God, for each other, for the pre-born babies, for the parents facing crisis pregnancies, for the post-abortive, and in a very special way for abortionists like Dennis Christiansen and Caryn Dutton.

Our Lord told us “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Indeed, these abortionists have become very skilled at destroying the body. They’ve made careers of it. But in doing so, they’ve caused incredible damage to their own souls and the souls of their victims. So let us always pray for their conversion in love and charity.

Regardless of what decisions are made here at this facility, let us remain hopeful. It may be easy to get discouraged by recent events, but such trials are a part of every movement for justice in the world.

This fight over abortion is THE civil rights battle of our generation. Yet history is on our side. We know that one day abortion will be in children’s textbooks alongside racism and slavery, genocide and apartheid.

So take heart. For one shining day, whether in this life or the next, abortion will be merely another historical relic of man’s shocking capacity for cruelty toward his fellow man. And on that day, we will rest peacefully knowing that we were the Lord’s humble instruments who ran the good race and fought the good fight.

I close today with words of encouragement from Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things pass away
God never changes
Patience obtains all things.
He who has GodFinds he lacks nothing
God alone suffices.

Praise be to God the Father. Praise be to Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. Praise be to the Holy Spirit in whom and through whom all our good deeds are done. Thank you and God bless you.