Respect All Life: A Weekly Address
By Eddie Baza Calvo

Hafa Adai my fellow Guamanians,

Life is tough for many people. That's why we must do all we can to help our most vulnerable... to speak up for them, to stand up with them. Our policies have been pretty straight-forward: Lift up those with substance abuse problems, our homeless, foster children, people with disabilities, and families struggling to own a home. Sometimes all people need is a hand up so they can walk on their own.

But there are those who do not have a voice. These silent angels are no less important than any other person in need. I'm talking about unborn children. We are all they have in their defense.

Last week your island leaders stood together to protect life. Last week the community came out in force to show the commitment of this island to defend the unborn.

Together we gave women the right to information about the abortion she is seeking, in hopes that she'll change her mind based on the information she gets. And if this new law saves just one life, then we all have done our jobs. Life is so precious. We must continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. We, as a community embracing a culture of life, hear the cries of children who have a right to be born, just as all of us have the right to live. I will continue to dedicate my time to unborn children; to the memory of those who never knew life outside the womb, and to the great hope that every unborn child from this date will live life to the fullest.

But I must share my concern about what some senators expressed on the session floor: that they were bullied, threatened, and coerced during their deliberations. We must respect all human life. We must treat all people as our brothers and sisters - even when we disagree. The Good Lord tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and to treat others as we want to be treated.

Our differences, even on issues as important as this, should not be at the cost of friendship and fellowship. No one should judge another for their beliefs and opinions. No one should be persecuted just because they don't agree with us.

Finally, I recognize that there are some who would like to see Roe v. Wade reversed, and there are others who believe in the right to choose. In our legal system, choice is the law of the land. So if we are willing to fight for life, then that fight will ultimately be won in the hearts and minds of those who currently have the right to choose. This fight will be won by education and reasonÖ by a respectful appeal to the conscience of women struggling with choice, and by the awareness that life begins at conceptionÖ Supreme Court decision or not.

As we approach the holiday season, let's remember how blessed we are. Let's take the time to thank our God and our loved ones for these blessings. And with the passage of Bill 52 into law, may these blessings extend to generations of the unborn and defenseless, who may now be born into a world of many Christmases to come.