Chris Slattery a pro-life hero died the day before Thanksgiving at 4:15 A.M. He fought for the one truth that protects the dignity of us all, that we are made in image of God and are therefore equally valuable without partiality. He risked being unpopular to save the lives of the unseen. If America fails to return to this fact, that we are “endowed by our Creator,” then Chris will go down in the annals of heaven, if not the history of the modern west, as one of America’s greatest humanitarian heroes. He tirelessly fought to save the lives of over 43,000 preborn boys and girls from death by abortion, counseling over 150,000 women seriously considering abortion.
A Pro-Life Pillar
As Chris battled two different stage four cancers, a mutual friend said, “Chris Slattery is a pro-life pillar.” It is true. Chris has been on the front lines, toe-to-toe with the abortion Goliath, in the abortion capital of the world for 40 years. In his words at an interview shortly after receiving his grim prognosis, Chris said, “I’ve been in trouble before and sweat bullets in court and prison and lawsuits, but this is a time of peace for me because God’s given me a chance to get my affairs in order.” Finding a way for his beloved pregnancy center ministry to continue was a top priority.
Chris blazed a trail that many who have come after paved. He launched the first pro-life pregnancy center in New York with the founding of Expectant Mother Care, later known as EMC Frontlines in the belly of the abortion beast, New York City. EMC Frontline pioneered the use of ultrasound technology in 1986 in the pro-life pregnancy center context, decades before any other pregnancy center even thought about it. He conceived the mobile medical concept now promoted nationwide. And Chris, with his Boston College advertising training, stayed on the cutting edge of marketing, to compete head-on with the abortion industry headquartered in NYC. Saving women and babies from abortion was his obsession. He was so good at it that in order to keep doing it he found he had to fend off the political and media wolves rabidly infected with pro-abortion ideology, seeking to shut him down.
‘Figure Out How to Save More Babies’
This pro-life champion entered hospice on November 14. While his once-imposing energy emanating from his 6’2” frame waned, his resolve to save women and babies from abortion never faltered. His advice to me and the pro-life community in his last public appearance a few weeks before his death amid his cancer battle: “Figure out how to save more babies.”
Chris and I have taken the fight to the abortion industry’s front gate since the early 2000s. Former NY Attorney General and infamous ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer were unable to shut down NY pro-life pregnancy centers, even abandoning a bogus effort to subpoena all their staffers. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo must have spent many sleepless nights plotting how to destroy the ability of pro-life pregnancy centers to keep serving women, passing his Machiavellian legacy on to Kathy Hochul. None of the pro-abortion Goliaths in NYC were able to stand before this pro-life David.
A quote from Carroll Shelby depicted in the movie Ford v Ferrari makes me think of Chris. During a speech, Shelby said:
When I was 10 years old, Pops said to me, ‘Son, it’s a truly lucky man who knows what he wants to do in this world. ‘Cause that man will never work a day in his life.’ But there are a few, a precious few, and … I don’t know if they’re lucky or not. But there are a few people who find something they have to do. Something obsesses ’em. Something that if they can’t do it, it’s gonna drive them clean out of their mind. I’m that guy.’
The Work of God
Chris was a member of the Catholic order Opus Dei. In Latin it means “work of God.” The idea is for the members to see their life work as God’s calling to bring God glory with the highest levels of excellence. Chris opined:
This is not just a job. It’s a vocation, and you’ve got to excel at it. You’ve got to become professional at it. I’ve always tried to be good at it … . We have to keep God in mind every moment, praying before, during, and after our work, always offering it for God’s glory. These are God’s children. The most precious beings in the world are human beings, made in His likeness and image, with an eternal soul. The mothers who abort their babies risk their immortal soul. Saving women and babies from abortion is a holy calling.
Over 43,000 babies saved from abortion. Opus Dei indeed.
By REV. JIM HARDEN Published on November 27, 2023
Posted on the Stream – Full article here
