Why are People Outraged by Dead Cats, But Support Killing Babies?

Last week I read a disturbing article that described how a vigil for murdered cats turned violent. For an unknown reason, a man (who was arrested and released on bail) allegedly injected poison into dozens of cats, killing them. So during this vigil, the mob descended on what they thought was his home (it wasn’t), screaming and yelling, breaking windows, and even pepper spraying the occupant.

The murder of an animal is certainly disturbing, yet so were their actions. Violence is never an acceptable response when protesting anything. But their outrage over the killing of cats made me wonder: Where is the outrage over the killing of preborn babies?

Why are people angrier about dead cats than dead babies?

Every day in the US, there are between 1,500 and 2,500 abortions. This is likely on the low end, as abortions via the abortion pill have increased and are not always tracked.

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But people hear these statistics and they yawn. They move on to the next story, saying “It’s not my problem.” Or they talk about “legislating morality,” as if all laws (including laws that make it illegal to kill cats) aren’t based on morality.

Where is the anger over the murder of the millions of babies who have died since abortion was decriminalized?

Feeling angry and sad about what happens to these babies is normal. It’s not normal to be apathetic and to have our senses dulled so much that their violent deaths mean nothing. It’s not normal to scream for the “right” to kill a child. Our hearts should not be hardened to the slaughter of the vulnerable.

The violent deaths of these babies should cause us to make changes—to laws and to hearts and minds. This is called righteous anger, and as long as it does not result in violence, it can be a good thing because it creates awareness of the truth and helps effect positive change.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “‘To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit,’ but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution ‘to correct vices and maintain justice.’”

Speaking out about the evil of abortion certainly falls under correcting vices and maintaining justice.

Even Jesus Himself exhibited righteous anger. In Matthew 21, we see Him overturning money-changing tables in the temple area because they were “making it a den of thieves.”

Just as the temple area was a sacred space, so is the womb of a mother, for it is here where the baby grows, develops, and should remain safe. Yet like the money changers, those who advocate for and perform abortions make a mother’s womb a den of thieves, where the life of a baby is stolen.

Jesus was angry because the money changers in the temple were committing blasphemy, a grave evil. But the killing of a preborn child is an evil of even greater proportion because it takes the life of a human being.

The Catechism goes on to explain:

Respect for and development of human life require peace. . . . Peace cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity. Peace is “the tranquility of order.” Peace is the work of justice and the effect of charity.

Our anger about the slaughter of preborn babies cannot drive us to violent acts, but it must drive us to act. For only when we act can we achieve the peace so desperately needed for our society that it will become unthinkable to take the life of an innocent child.

Yet it seems that more and more these days it’s those who scream “my body my choice” who are heard and acknowledged. Anyone who goes against this mantra or who tries to speak up for the defenseless preborn is called names, screamed at, or even punched in the face. Post a pro-life meme on social media and you’re excoriated or ignored. Post a pro-life article and nobody says a word. But share a meme about something inconsequential like a TV show or food, and thousands upon thousands of people share it or comment.

Many lament this reality and ask: What has happened to our society? But too few are willing to actually speak up or do anything to save lives.

How do we get people to care?

There’s no simple answer to that. But it starts with each of us. Maybe we should all take a look around our homes and communities and ask how we can personally defend the vulnerable. Change will only occur when we take action.

Jesus told us that following Him would not be easy, but the alternative is ignoring His laws for the ways of the world and forgoing eternal life with Him. We have to act, and even if we do just a little work at a time, we will see results.

The Renaissance painter and sculptor Michelangelo took a block of marble and chiseled the Pieta, the world’s most remarkable sculpture of Mary holding the dead body of her Son. Before Michelangelo began working, that unformed block of marble was merely a big piece of rock. It had no shape, but it had potential. It just needed the right person to create something beautiful out of it. Inspired by his work, we can look at the hardened culture around us as something that can become beautiful if we take the time to chisel away at it.

It took Michelangelo just over a year to complete his work. It’s clearly going to take us much longer to change our culture from one that becomes angry about dead cats to one that becomes angry enough about dead babies that we actually stop killing them. But one thing is certain: If we don’t pick up the chisel and start working, we will never create a thing of beauty. We will never create a society where peace exists both inside and outside of the womb.

LifeNews Note: Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for over 20 years; 16 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine—the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the director and executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program—a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization.

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