After Barack Obama’s controversial visit to the University of Notre Dame where he gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2009, many in the mainstream media believed the President won the day.  Mr. Obama’s flowery words calling for “compromise” over the issue of abortion supposedly threw water on the heated debate over the dispatch of the innocent unborn–which he supports.
 
However, Obama’s trip to Notre Dame did more for the pro-life cause than many realized.  The issue of abortion was front and center in the media for at least a month, due to the flap over a pro-abortion president being honored by the nation’s preeminent Catholic University.  There were some on the pro-life side who felt victory would only be achieved if Notre Dame rescinded its invitation to Obama.  In fact, at first, I was among those who held that opinion.  But, in reality, a tremendous victory was achieved because the mainstream media was forced to focus on the issue of abortion, and this would not have happened without Obama coming to Notre Dame. 
 
I believe the more Americans learn about the tragedy which has resulted from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 landmark decision in the case titled Roe v. Wade, the better.  Because of Obama’s Notre Dame visit, a plethora of polls were taken which revealed–for the first time in over 45 years–most Americans now support the rights of the innocent unborn.
 
A recent Gallup Poll indicated that 51% of Americans describe themselves as pro-life while only 42% say they are pro-choice.  A Rasmussen Report told us 58% of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time, compared with 25% who do not think abortion is morally wrong.
 
A Pew Poll taken earlier this year revealed 46% of Americans think abortion should be legal in most cases or all cases–while 44% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.  [These figures  are within the margin of error, indicating a virtual dead heat.]  According to Operation Rescue [www.StopObamaNotreDame.com (no longer exists)] these numbers represent “a stunning 10% change from just last August when 54% of Americans said that abortion should be legal in most cases.”
 
Another poll taken by FOX News directly before Obama appeared at Notre Dame said 49% of Americans considered themselves pro-life, compared to 43% who say they are “pro-choice.”
 
What has brought about this seed change in the opinions of the public regarding the issue of abortion? 
 
Certainly, advancements in medical technology have proven unborn babies are not simply “globs of tissue” which organizations like Planned Parenthood (the largest abortion provider in the U.S.) would like us to believe.  Most women, through technology, including ultrasound, can now see their babies in the womb.  Indeed, operations on the preborn have become commonplace. 
 
Documentaries have followed the development of babies from conception to birth.  In reality, the mainstream media–which, for the most part, has been hostile to the right to life movement–have played an unwitting role in efforts to educate the public concerning the viability of the unborn through such programming.  Many of these factors have combined to state the obvious.   
 
But Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame may have led to, by far, more public enlightenment regarding abortion than anything.  The press was forced to cover the issue.  There was no escape from the subject, which drove the controversy surrounding Obama’s visit to a Catholic University.  The situation laid open a door for discussion which is usually closed by those in the left-leaning media.
 
It is said evil is allowed to flourish in the darkness.  However, what many thought would be a political coup for supporters of abortion turned out to be quite the opposite.  The “dirty little secret” regarding abortion was exposed to the light of day in America.  It was a subject for discussion around office water coolers instead of being a topic obscured by the rhetoric of politics.  Abortion and the positions held by those who support the horrific procedure were made known to all who cared to know. 
 
I’m sure there are many who do not believe the controversy over a pro-abortion politician being honored by a Catholic institution was worth it.  However, sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways, and, perhaps, what many believed would be a disaster has instead ended up stimulating the debate over what truly matters–the lives of innocent unborn children.