Today is World Prematurity Day, raising awareness of what is now the leading cause of death world wide among children under five. Fifteen million babies are born prematurely each year, of whom more than one million die in the first weeks of life because of issues directly related to that fact.
I have lots of thoughts about this reality, but one may really surprise people. I am struck by the fact that this situation could be a real boon to the right to life movement, assuming that the movement is about the sacredness of life, and not simply opposed to abortion.
Over one million children die because of prematurity, a number almost identical to the number of abortions performed in the United States each year. Imagine what might happen if the pro-life movement put all its energy, if only for a single year, into fighting pre-maturity and caring for the 1.1 million most vulnerable among those born dangerously early. The movement could probably save as many lives as its proponents believe are being pre-maturely extinguished through abortion.
Rather than simply fight against what some people believe is “anti-life”, why not gather around something which virtually all people would agree is pro-life, especially as the number of lives effected, is roughly the same? Something to think about, no?
Brad Hirschfield is the co-founder and co-executive editor of The Wisdom Daily. A rabbi, Brad has been featured on ABC’s Nightline UpClose, PBS’s Frontline, Fox News and National Public Radio. He wrote a long-standing column, “For God’s Sake,” for the Washington Post, and has also written for The Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com. He authored the book, You Don?t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Brad also serves as President of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a leadership training institute, think tank and resource center in New York City.