Why not abortion?

Henry Bergh was a New York philanthropist appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to a diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar Alexander. During his time in Russia, Bergh was greatly disturbed to see work horses mercilessly beaten by their peasant drivers. While passing through London on his way back to America in June 1865, Bergh decided to visit the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The visit not only awakened his determination to charter an ASPCA at home, but also to exercise the power to prosecute those who mistreat “these mute servants of mankind.”

Back in New York, Henry Bergh began speaking in schools and public meetings. He pointed out that protecting animals was an issue that crossed party lines and class boundaries. “This is a matter purely of conscience; it has no perplexing side issues,” he said. “It is a moral question in all its aspects.”

Bergh’s impassioned accounts of the horrors inflicted on animals convinced the New York State Legislature to pass a charter incorporating the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on April 10, 1866. The first effective anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed nine days later. His efforts also led to the inspections of slaughter houses, the closing of dog and rat-fighting pits, and the passage of anti-cruelty laws in 37 of the 38 states by the time he died in 1888.

But, more importantly, Bergh’s dramatic rescues of mistreated horses and livestock served as a model for those trying to do as much for abused children. In 1874, nine-year-old Mary Ellen McCormack was found tied to a bed and brutally beaten by her foster parents. As a result, the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was formed and Henry Bergh served as one of the organization’s first vice presidents.

Imagine. No challenge to Henry Bergh’s premise that mistreating animals (or children) is a moral question without perplexing side issues. That is because the underlying MORAL aspects were universally understood.

Unfortunately, the moral aspects of most social issues in our time are not understood or even considered. For instance, all elected officials in our state consider it an immoral criminal act to purposefully harm a household pet, but few find such application for the killing of a pre-born human being. How illogical is that?

We are inspired by the accomplishments of Henry Bergh. And we are inspired by your continued support for our efforts to bring moral clarity to the defining issues of our day.

Rick Forcier