Editorial

Tragic discovery reminds us that now, more than ever, we must stand up for life

We’re about to begin October, which the Church recognizes as Respect Life Month.

It is a time for people of faith and all people of goodwill to affirm every human life is sacred, from conception to natural death. As Catholics, we believe each of us—the unborn, the sick, the elderly … no matter what your state in life—is made in the image and likeness of God and worthy of dignity.

On Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 6, members of the Church are invited to a 10:30 a.m. liturgy at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. Archbishop Charles C. Thompson will be the principal celebrant. Later that day, the annual Life Chain will take place at several locations throughout central and southern Indiana, including in Indianapolis from 2:30-3:30 p.m. along Meridian Street from North to 38th streets. For a complete list of the Life Chain events in the archdiocese, see the story on page 7.

While people of faith will no doubt make a concerted effort during October to stand up for life, many of us are still reeling from the unsettling news two weeks ago of the discovery of the more than 2,200 fetal remains found on the Illinois property of an abortion doctor.

On Sept. 13, police announced that 2,246 preserved aborted babies had been found at the rural Illinois home of recently deceased abortionist Dr. Ulrich “George” Klopfer. The doctor, who died on Sept. 3, performed abortions in Fort Wayne, Gary and South Bend, Ind. His medical license in Indiana was revoked in 2016.

On Sept. 20, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced that the aborted babies found at the doctor’s Illinois home were from Indiana. (See related story, page 1.) The three former abortion center buildings in northern Indiana were searched by police on Sept. 19. No additional fetal remains were found.

We, like so many others, are shocked and horrified by the tragic discovery in Illinois.

The Catholic Church, we are taught from an early age, condemns the intended direct killing of the unborn at any time from conception on. The act of abortion is cruel, immoral and wrong.

But what we find just as criminal and horrific is the realization that a doctor would store fetal remains—in his home, no less. Considering the stories we’ve heard in recent years about other abortion doctors, including the barbaric actions and countless violations committed by Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Pennsylvania, perhaps we should not be surprised.

“This gruesome news underscores that abortion is not an issue in theory, it is an issue of life and death for unborn baby girls and boys,” noted Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter in a statement. “To think of these children being preserved, for whatever purposes, is simply sickening. This discovery opens a flood of questions that must be answered.”

Some of the questions, Fichter stated, include:

• Why were these babies preserved?
• Did the mothers of these babies know their remains were going to be preserved?
• Were these babies being preserved in order to be sold to universities or research facilities?
• Are there staff members of Dr. Klopfer’s operations complicit in the preserving and transportation of these remains?
• Are there other Indiana abortion doctors doing the exact same thing, even today as we speak?
• How do we make sure this never happens again?

The questions are legitimate ones, and we believe state and federal officials must do all they can to answer them. Fichter and others have called for an investigation, and Hill and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul are working together to find answers to this troubling discovery.

The aborted fetuses, Hill said, are currently being housed at the coroner’s office in Will County, Ill., the county in which Klopfer lived. They will eventually be brought back to Indiana, and “treated in accordance with current Indiana law [requiring] burial and cremation and dignity and respect,” said Hill.

“We’re thankful the attorney general is treating these babies as babies, with the dignity and respect they deserved all along,” said Marc Tuttle, president of Right to Life of Indianapolis, after the Sept. 20 press conference.

“And we’re thankful he’s taking this seriously, to get to the bottom of any laws or regulations that were violated. We hope this is a wake-up call for authorities to continue to monitor and regulate the abortion industry, because these types of things happen too often.”

As we move forward in October and beyond, we pray that Klopfer’s case is an isolated incident. We also turn to God with the hope that more and more hearts are converted each day in this life-and-death issue.

—Mike Krokos