Chris Slattery died the day before Thanksgiving at 4:15 a.m.
For those who may not know his name, he fought for the one truth that protects the dignity of all, that we are made in the image of God and are therefore equally valuable without partiality.
He risked being unpopular to save the lives of the unseen, the overlooked.
He should go down in the annals of Heaven, if not the history of the modern west, as one of America’s greatest humanitarians.
Slattery tirelessly fought to save the lives of over 43,000 preborn boys and girls from death by abortion.
He counseled over 150,000 women seriously considering abortion as an option.
As Chris battled two different stage-four cancers, a mutual friend said, "Chris Slattery is a pro-life pillar."
It's true.
Chris has been on the frontlines, toe-to-toe with the abortion Goliath, in the abortion capital of the world for 40 years.
In an interview shortly after receiving his grim prognosis, Chris said, "I’ve been in trouble before and sweat bullets in court and prison and lawsuits, but this is a time of peace for me because God’s given me a chance to get my affairs in order."
Finding a way for his beloved pregnancy center ministry to continue was a top priority.
Chris blazed a trail that many who have come after paved.
He launched the first anti-abortion pregnancy center in New York with the founding of Expectant Mother Care, later known as EMC Frontlines in New York City.
EMC Frontline pioneered the use of ultrasound technology in 1986 in the anti-abortion pregnancy center context, decades before any other pregnancy center even thought about it. He conceived the mobile medical concept now promoted nationally.
And Chris, with his Boston College advertising training, stayed on the cutting edge of marketing to compete head-on with the abortion industry headquartered in Gotham.
Saving women and babies from abortion was his obsession.
H execelled at this, so much so that in order to keep going, he found he had to fend off both political and media wolves rabidly infected with pro-abortion rights ideology.
Those two forces sought to shut Slattery down.
Fighting two stage-four cancers, this anti-abortion champion entered hospice on Nov. 14.
While his once-imposing energy emanating from his six-foot-two frame frame waned, his resolve to save women and babies from the life-terminating procedure that is abortion never faltered.
His advice to me and the entire pro-life community in his last public appearance a few weeks before his death was this simple 7-word phrase: “Figure out how to save more babies.”
Chris and I have taken the fight to the abortion industry’s front gate since the early 2000s. Former New York Attorney General and ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer were unable to shut down New York anti-abortion pregnancy centers, even abandoning a bogus effort to subpoena pro-life pregnancy centers.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo must have spent many sleepless nights plotting how to destroy the ability of anti-abortion pregnancy centers to keep serving women, passing his Machiavellian legacy on to Governor Kathy Hochul.
None of the pro-abortion rights goliaths in Gotham were able to stand before this anti-abortion David.
In the film "Ford v Ferrari," Carroll Shelby says:
"When I was 10 years old, Pops said to me, 'Son, it's a truly lucky man who knows what he wants to do in this world. 'Cause that man will never work a day in his life.'"
But there are a few, a precious few, and. . . I don't know if they're lucky or not.
"But there are a few people who find something they have to do. Something obsesses 'em. Something that if they can't do it, it's gonna drive them clean out of their mind. I'm that guy."
When I hear that quote, I think of Chris.
He was a member of the Catholic order Opus Dei ("Work of God").
The idea is for the members of the order is to see their life work as God’s calling to bring God glory with the highest levels of excellence. Chris opined:
"This is not just a job. It’s a vocation, and you’ve got to excel at it. You’ve got to become professional at it. I’ve always tried to be good at it. . . .
"We have to keep God in mind every moment, praying before, during, and after our work, always offering it for God’s glory.
"These are God’s children. The most precious beings in the world are human beings, made in his likeness and image, with an eternal soul… Saving women and babies from abortion is a holy calling."
Over 43,000 babies saved from abortion through the work of Chris Slattery. Opus Dei indeed.
Rev. Jim Harden, CEO of CompassCare, a pro-life medical network based in Buffalo, New York. He is married with 10 children. He passionately exposes unequal enforcement of the law and immoral public policy. Read More of Rev. Jim Harden's Reports — Here.