Breaking News Archive 2008

Priceless Pennies

I’ve seen many memorials that pay tribute to the lives of unborn babies killed by abortion. This latest one really caught my attention, and it adds a whole new meaning to the old saying, “a penny for your thoughts.” The Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission recently announced the completion of their tribute to America’s aborted babies, called Memorial to the Missing.

Outside their building in Jackson, MS, stands a glass structure which faces the State Capitol. It measures 13’ by 7’ and is constructed of heavy tubular steel and bullet-proof glass. Inside are 50-million pennies — each representing a baby lost to abortion. The contents weigh 140 tons. The structure was donated and built by Laws Construction Company of Jackson.

The memorial collection started on Mother’s Day weekend in 2006 and took two-and-a-half years to complete. Pennies were collected from church congregations throughout Mississippi. The display stands as a silent tribute to the 50-million-plus voices silenced by abortion — a tragic reminder of the human toll of legal abortion in America since 1973.

As I watched the online video of the installation, I saw thousands and thousands of pennies flash before my eyes as they were poured into the glass building. With regularity, individual pennies would, for a fraction of a second, reflect the sunlight and brightly shine. It was an ironic reminder that the precious lives these pennies represent were only briefly able to reflect the glory given to them by their Heavenly Father, but then all too quickly snuffed out by abortion. Here’s a link to watch this and other videos relating to the Memorial to the Missing.

This moving display will eventually be dismantled and the pennies — all $500,000 of them — will be placed in a special account to benefit pro-life programs.

It’s a powerful and lasting witness to the sacredness of innocent human life that I hope you will share with others. Once you see the Memorial to the Missing, you’ll never look at a penny the same way again.

Sincerely for LIFE,
Bradley Mattes
Executive Director
Life Issues Institute

12/05/08

Life Issues Institute is dedicated to changing hearts and minds of millions of people through education. Organizations and individuals around the world depend upon Life Issues Institute to provide the latest information and effective tools to protect innocent human life from womb to tomb.

Please visit our home page for more pro-life news!