Superman is a classic example of a pop-culture icon who embodies personal

Today is Good Friday.

A day which will have special significance for Christians, as according to the Bible it’s the day that Jesus died on the cross in order to save the whole humanity. In many ways it’s the ultimate hero story, of a man giving his life as a sacrifice to save others.

It’s a story we see paralleled all the time in popular culture, in literature, comics and film – just think of Harry Potter, Narnia or Lord of the Rings! In fact, on the weekend that Batman v Superman hits theatres, the theme of sacrifice is as popular as it's ever been.

Inspiring examples

And whether you’re a Christian or not, whatever your religious belief, I think there’s a lot we all can take from this inspiring example of sacrifice. Nor am I only talking about laying down your life; there are other sacrifices we might be asked to make in order to try to make this world a better place.

Nowhere is this more true than in the fight for social justice – in the pro-life movement and in the historical movements which can inspire us.

David Daleiden

One example we’ve reported on in the past is David Daleiden, the courageous undercover investigator who’s exposed truly horrific abuses being committed by the abortion industry in the United States. Thanks to David and his Centre for Medical Progress, we now know that Planned Parenthood makes money by harvesting organs from unborn babies killed by abortion.

Let’s not forget that the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF) has its headquarters right here in the UK, and they’re at the forefront of international efforts to push abortion on countries in Africa and South America. This is an organisation which has enormous reach and influence, with the power to affect us all.

In return for his investigative work, David has been vilified by the media and threatened with legal action and even 20 YEARS in prison. The courage and resolve he has shown in going undercover for 18 months to expose Planned Parenthood is now going to be needed again to defend himself from these unjust charges.

Aisling Hubert

A similar example of sacrifice here in the UK is the work of Aisling Hubert, a 22-year-old pro-life campaigner who took two abortionists to court for offering to perform illegal sex-selective abortions on unborn baby girls.

Aisling stepped up to do the job that the Crown Prosecution Service refused to do – and in return, they took over her case in order to drop it immediately. The sheer, staggering injustice of this establishment cover-up is hard to put into words.

Aisling now faces tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees – that is the sacrifice she was willing to make in order to expose those abortionists and try to protect unborn children.

The Glasgow Midwives

Of course, her case is hardly the first we’ve seen of pro-lifers being unfairly treated by the legal system in this country. I’m sure many of you will remember the case of the Glasgow Midwives, Connie Wood and Mary Doogan, who went to court for the right to refuse to participate in abortions.

Well, after a legal battle lasting for years and costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, the UK Supreme Court decided to deny them that right. Even though doing so meant reinterpreting the law in a way that now puts GPs, nurses and other medical professionals at risk as well as midwives.

Thankfully, all the examples I’ve given above are ones where the pro-life movement has rallied in support of these champions of the unborn. SPUC backed the Glasgow Midwives and paid all their legal costs.

Sacrifice

Connie and Mary delivered around 10,000 babies to Glasgow mothers during a career that lasted more than 20 years. But they were both willing to sacrifice that career in order to stand up for the right to conscientious objection.

David was willing to sacrifice his reputation and maybe even his freedom to expose Planned Parenthood.

Aisling was willing to sacrifice her financial security if it meant a chance to stop gendercide in the UK.

The pro-life movement needs heroes like these, who are willing to make sacrifices in order to build a world where each and every life is respected, valued and protected by law.

What will you sacrifice?