Celebrating July 4th? Signs of Life And Intolerance
“Every life is worth living.” Seemingly innocuous words; especially as they breeze by a car window at 55 mph. There they are, though, along a quiet stretch of roadway in central Michigan. Smaller than a typical billboard, the words look out across the countryside. The accompanying picture is of an older man, holding what could be his grandchild. The image reflecting the mission of the affiliate group that put it there:
Right to Life of Michigan is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, nonprofit organization of diverse and caring people united to protect the precious gift of human life from fertilization to natural death.
We strive to achieve the passage and ratification of a Human Life Amendment, to educate people on identified Right to Life issues, to motivate them to action, to encourage community support for the participation in programs and legislation that foster respect and protection for human life.
We work on the behalf of defenseless or vulnerable human beings, born and unborn, within our identified life issues of abortion, infanticide and assisted suicide.
On the other side next to a smiling baby, the sign simply says, “Choose Life.”
At least it did.
Sometime over Independence Day weekend, a person or perhaps a group decided to vandalize the sign. It had been up little more than a week before someone decided to destroy it with paint and hatred. Where a baby once smiled down, the words “Pro Choice” are now inscribed in cheap spray paint. The entire sign, both sides, stand ruined.
Assuming the person that destroyed this sign isn’t a bored teenager with too little parental supervision, I have a few words for him or her. You appear to be confused. Allow me to make things a little clearer for you. As defined by Merriam-Webster, “choice” is “the act of choosing; the act of picking or deciding between two or more possibilities; the opportunity or power to choose between two or more possibilities; the opportunity or power to make a decision; a range of things that can be chosen.”
You chose to drive down that road, past that sign. You chose to read those words. You could have looked away. You chose to go to your home or a store and grab paint. You could have read a book or taken a walk to clear your irrational thoughts away. You chose to drive back to that sign in the middle of the night. You could have gone to sleep. You chose to break the law, not only to trespass, but to destroy property. You could have ignored it. You seem so hell bent promoting your own cause, you forgot what it was; the ability to choose. And you had so many choices. They didn’t require breaking the law and ruining what others worked hard to pay for. You could have put up your own sign. But you didn’t. You could have been rational. But you weren’t. You could have avoided the charges that could be leveled against you. I hope you won’t.
Right to Life of Mecosta County called the Sheriff’s Department. Unless someone comes forward with information, little can be done. Ardath Stadtfeld, a board member with RTL Mecosta County, assured me the sign will be replaced when the funds are raised. For a small community like this, several hundred dollars is a lot to ask.
I echo Mrs. Stadtfeld’s sentiment. How sad that these misguided souls picked the celebration of our independence as a nation to trample on someone else’s rights. Perhaps I was hoping for better from humanity. Why would someone destroy something that contained such a positive, life-affirming message? The simple truth is, if someone can’t respect the life of an unborn child, it’s pretty hard to expect that they’d respect something as simple as a sign.
Image Courtesy of: Kelly Dubowski
