New Pro-Life Initiative

Do you know anyone who feels despair when they consider all the lives lost to abortion? We live in the shadow of those millions of deaths, and sometimes it is hard for even staunch pro-life people to handle the reality that even a pro-life victory cannot change. What we need is a gesture of hope – a way to look at that mountain of death and see, not just the loss, but the reality that each one of those children can still be accorded dignity, still be seen as a unique individual, still be the center of a ripple of positive effects.

To name a child is such a way. At 50MillionNames.org, names are being given for the aborted babies. So far, almost 3000 ‘statistics’ have become precious persons in a simple, public way that says, “This baby is real, and I will honor him, or her, through real action in the world today.” We know these little human beings already have personhood and dignity. We give them names in order that others might realize what we already acknowledge. Some post-abortive mamas, who did name their babies as they began their own healing journeys, register those dear names at 50MillionNames, or give their baby’s name for one of the unnamed children. Many of the names given so far honor miscarried children, grandparents, saints, or the natural mothers of our adopted children. Some of the names have been created to convey special meanings, or are names from other languages with significance and beauty.

Each time we name a child, we offer a concrete gesture to honor that particular person. Plant a tree, pray the Our Father, create a Christmas ornament, host an event to tell others about naming babies, design a work of art, give time at the homeless shelter or the crisis hotline, donate to a pro-life organization….these are just a few of the things people have already done to honor these babies! You can look at all their gestures, and some of the stories behind the names they’ve given, at 50MillionNames.org and on our Facebook page.

Behind all the effort to collect names is a wealth of prayer. We are praying for the relatives of these specific babies, and for their abortionists. Everyone has been hurt by abortion, and some don’t even realize it. We pray they will be blessed, healed from this horrible wound, turned from repeating the awful ‘choice’ others have made. We pray for the healing of our nation, and for an end to abortion. Naming a baby is a simple, beautiful, quick way to turn from despair to hope. Truly, violence is not the end of the story. Through us, their stories are just beginning.