To the Journal editor:

Even as America approached the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths due to Covid-19, the poignancy of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend losing their “son Jack” this September 30th was not lost on many of us. The hurt loudly resounded on the social media circuit and perhaps especially among Hollywood elites who, one by one, publicly expressed their condolences. And a nation’s heart paused to acknowledge that one small death amidst the otherwise towering tragedy engulfing us all. Notably, People Magazine has just run a follow-up article about Mom getting a remembrance tattoo, replete with photos of the parents holding the tiny child’s lifeless body one last time.

Teigen’s son, Jack, was 20 weeks old- in the womb. And yet, we had no problem acknowledging his personhood. Neither liberal Hollywood, nor People Magazine questioned the significance of this mother’s loss. And all of this, in the same nation that hasn’t blinked an eye at the loss of over 50,000,000 aborted children since 1973. The madness of such mind-bending hypocrisy is beyond the pale.

It would seem that in the absence of God Himself, someone will always arise to play His role, to decide in His stead. In the case of abortion, we have allotted that power to women, themselves. “Our bodies, ourselves”, they have said. And yet, it is not their bodies that are unceremoniously collected into stainless steel receptacles for disposal. These are the bodies of little “Jacks” and “Jills” whose mothers “chose” to declare them non-human.

In the midst of such unreality, do you really wonder why so many of our youths are unimpressed with the Covid death toll? Look at the society in which they were raised- the same society that had proclaimed it legal and acceptable for each one of their own young lives to be cruelly terminated before it began. Still, we expect them to value our decrepit old bodies, and to behave responsibly when others’ lives are in jeopardy.

This January, one “Caesar” will depart the American “Coliseum” and another will take his place. And as he implores the madding crowd, “Life or death?”, the jeering thumbs-down response will once again echo through the land. Sorry, kids. Sorry, little Jack, but our compassion ends where you begin.

PAUL GROBAR

Marquette