In many instances the value of something is determined entirely by the person in whose hands it is held. Okay, I confess, to most of you this point may seem so obvious that you wonder why it would be worth discussing. It’s because what is often not so obvious is the significant impact this principle can have in terms of either extinguishing or preserving human life. To appreciate this point, take a moment to consider the value of the following things: a nuclear bomb; a war-time business contract; and lastly the dollars sitting in our pockets.
First, the nuclear bomb. In the hands of most Americans (at least I would like to think) its value is priceless. In other words, were your average American to have one in his closet, it is not something he would consider trading or selling at any price. But now take the same bomb and put it in the hands of someone like Kim Jong Il and we would have a different situation. For a host of reasons (both political as well as economic), that bomb could well be given a price that not only is certain, but that some potential buyers of such stuff located around the world may find to be quite reasonable. Thus, an international market for nukes would be given birth, with all the life-threatening ramifications implicit to it.
Now apply the same principle to a war-time business contract, and we can see how it works in the reverse. For this hypothetical assume the German government in a time of war, say World War II, intends to award some businessman a simple contract to manufacture pots and pans for its military. In the hands of most individuals the value of such a contract would probably be determined easily by calculating the money it would put in their pockets at the end. But now place that same contract in the hands of a man like Oskar Schindler and instantly it assumes a different value that would include the incomparable worth of the many lives he saved from being murdered by a madman. In short, in the hands of Schindler an otherwise mundane contract soared in value to something far beyond priceless.
Lastly, apply this same principle to the value of the dollars we carry around. In the hands of a child their value is likely to equal a certain combination of Snickers Candy Bars, sodas and/or rock CD’s. However, in the palm of your average responsible adult, their value would hopefully increase. Assuming they are not required to cover life’s necessities, the same dollars would probably be more “prudently” applied toward acquiring some of life’s more important items like, say, a flashy car, an expensive meal or a flat screen T.V. Yet, as was the case with Schindler, there do exist among us a few in whose hands the value of those same dollars can become priceless.
How? By placing them in the hands of a group like the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center. There they would be used by people working in our community to make available medically accurate information to our young women who become pregnant, and thereby assisting these women to make informed decisions as to whether or not they should choose to carry their babies to term -- women who might otherwise think they are confronted with nothing but bad choices, or who, in some instances, may even believe that abortion is their only choice.
Well, there are other choices, and fortunately there are a few among us dedicated to communicating that fact to women who need to hear it in a safe and supportive environment. That is what the WPRC works to accomplish. But, it is something not done without a certain amount of courage. In today’s politically heated environment their work is often scrutinized, mischaracterized and criticized both in the media and by so-called advocates of “choice.” The irony, of course, is that such pro-choice people are actually condemning the very ones who are truly bold enough to give the term “choice” real meaning. After all, doesn’t basic common sense mandate that, for a “choice” to be meaningful, the person called upon to choose should first be accurately informed about all the options that are available? Sure it does. And, if the choice so made results in a child being born, who among the rest of us is even remotely qualified to say that’s a bad thing? Sadly, however, there are some who do, just as there were those who said the world would be better without those who Schindler saved. So I can only thank God for those who, like Schindler, have the boldness to stand firm against such hostile forces and actually do what many of the rest of us know to be right.
In turn, that now brings us full circle back to the dollars in our hands. Consider their value were some of them to be placed in the hands of people such as work at the WPRC. The fruit produced by even a few of them could very well be the lives of the children that your children or grandchildren will someday befriend. And were that to happen, I hope you would agree that the value of those dollars would thereby be made priceless?
This coming November 11th the Westside Pregnancy Resource Center is holding its annual fundraising gala at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Special guests at this event are anticipated to include Shelley Long, Kerri Caveziel, Patricia Heaton, Melissa Disney, Nancy Stafford, Clarence Gilyard, Mark Moseley and more. These will be the stars that have now come to invite the wise to assist the bold. Best of all, all of you who have the wisdom to want to make the value of a few of your dollars become priceless are invited to join us. Don’t be left out. For more information, allow me to encourage all of you to either email 2006galainfo@wprc.org or call 310-581-1140 today. I, for one, really hope you will join us.
© 2006 Clifford C. Nichols, Esq.
Cliff Nichols is an attorney practicing criminal defense in Santa Monica, California. He may be contacted regarding this editorial at either (310) 917-1083, cliff@cliffnicholslaw.com or www.cliffnicholslaw.com and you may join his blog at www.thedailystand.com.