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I had the opportunity to visit Israel In December 1996. One of the sites we visited in Jerusalem was Yad Vashem, which is a place of commemoration and homage to the six million Jewish victims of the Nazi regime.

There are many components of Yad Vashem. Ohel Yizkor, the Hall of Remembrance, is a low building made of unhewn boulders. Here we found the names of the major death camps written on the floor and an eternal flame burning next to a vault containing the ashes of some of those who died in the Holocaust.

Another component of Yad Vashem is a museum that documents the rise of Hitler's National Socialist Party, the deeds it perpetrated during World War II, and the aftermath. At the end of the museum tour we climbed a set of steps that led to a room of monuments. Each monument listed the country and the number of Jews from that country who died in the Holocaust.

Another component was a memorial for the one and a half million Jewish children who perished in the Holocaust. This memorial was erected through the generous gifts of Abraham and Edita Spiegel of Beverly Hills, CA in memory of their son, Liziel, who died in Auschwitz in 1944. As we walked through this memorial, we had to hold on to a railing that guided our way. We heard the names read and saw a lighted flame for each child who had died during the Holocaust.

As we left Yad Vashem, we walked through an olive grove with trees that had been planted in memory of those individuals who hid Jews. Beneath each tree was a plaque listing the individual's name and his/her country.

I don't want to minimize what took place during the Holocaust of WWII. However, on January 22, 1973, the US Supreme Court made abortion an individual right. Today, 25 years later, abortion is protected by the courts, promoted as a fundamental right, and has become one of the most divisive issues across America. Since 1973, over 37 million babies have been aborted here in the United States. That is over six times the number of Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Since 1973 the same number of babies have been aborted each year - one and a half million - as the total number of Jewish children who died in the Holocaust of WWII.

Since 1993, I have traveled to Washington DC to participate in the annual March for Life. Last year I was reminded how easy it is to request a day off work to go to Washington to be a part of thousands of individuals who are taking a stand for life. In addition, I question what am I doing on a daily basis to help preborn children?

In Matthew Jesus teaches His disciples about the separation of the sheep and the goats. Jesus said "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. . . . Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:35-40 KJV).

One day each of us will be accountable before Almighty God. We will be accountable for our obedience to Him -- including our obedience concerning the abortion issue. Each of us needs to take some time to pray, reflect, and ask God what He would have each of us do as individuals to stop this abortion holocaust. It may be something very simple like reaching out to a woman in crisis pregnancy . . . or providing a gift of clothing for an unwed mother and her baby . . . or giving a monetary gift to a pro-life organization or pregnancy center. God may be asking you to do something more challenging such as taking a young expectant mother into your home . . . or adopting a baby . . . or doing sidewalk counseling outside an abortion mill . . . or taking a stronger stand within your local community . . . or taking a stand after being intimidated time and time again.

As I walked through the Yad Vashem museum I saw the following famous quotation that has been attributed to Martin Niemoeller.

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Are we willing to persevere in speaking up for the little ones?

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me [Jesus]." Matthew 25:40 (KJV)

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