The Greatest Destroyer of Peace

Abortion turns the most intimate human relationship—a mother and her child—into a place of violence, and a society that accepts such violence at its very core cannot be truly at peace.

Mother Teresa called abortion “the greatest destroyer of peace” because it is “a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.” When the womb, meant to be the safest place on earth, becomes a battlefield, it teaches that lethal force is an acceptable way to “solve” problems. She warns that if a mother can kill her own child, “what is left but for me to kill you and you kill me?”—in other words, abortion erodes the moral barrier that protects every other human relationship from violence. In this way, abortion does not just end one life; it damages the capacity to love and to sacrifice, which are the foundations of authentic peace.

I can affirm the truth of what Mother Teresa said because I have lived it. Abortion is murder, and I bear that guilt. At the time of my abortion, I wasn’t thinking, "I’m killing my child." I was 21 years old, not saved, and ignorant of the truth found in the Bible and biology. I believed the lie of the devil and Planned Parenthood that “it was just a blob of tissue.” Although I was unaware of the truth at that time, it does not absolve me of the responsibility for contributing to my child’s death and sinning against God, as well as against those related to my baby. As a result, I lived in turmoil, tortured by guilt, shame, and regret, which led to depression and further sinful behavior, until Jesus rescued and redeemed me. I have since repented of my sins, fully accepted God's forgiveness, and experienced healing and reconciliation with the Lord. Now, I live in peace because Jesus took my guilt and shame to the cross, set me free, and called me to live abundantly for Him.

I’m not catholic, but I respect the very Biblical and consistent position the Catholic church takes on abortion, and I pray that all Christians would believe and promote this truth. John Paul II stated that laws permitting abortion are “radically opposed” to the common good because they deny legal protection to the very individuals society is meant to serve. Biblical teachings emphasize that human life must be respected and protected “from the moment of conception,” asserting that attacks on life in its earliest stages are an “aggression against society itself.” Pope Leo XIV pointed out that there can be no peace while humanity “wages war against itself.” This principle highlights that a society that kills its own children and neglects vulnerable mothers is essentially at war within itself. Therefore, policies that deny the unborn the right to life or fail to support struggling families cannot be considered “peaceful,” regardless of any other promises made, as they are based on institutionalized injustice.

Abortion Destroys Peace in Hearts, Families, and Society

Abortion destroys peace in at least three interconnected ways:

• First, it shatters personal peace: as Mother Teresa said, it destroys “the life of the child and the conscience of the mother,” and it teaches fathers that they can abandon their responsibilities.

  
  

• Second, it harms families, because a decision rooted in fear, isolation, or pressure leaves deep wounds in relationships, often leading to silence, shame, and breakdown rather than trust and reconciliation.

  
  

• Third, it undermines social peace: when a culture accepts killing the smallest and weakest as a solution, it forms citizens to use “any violence to get what they want,” weakening solidarity, compassion, and respect for all vulnerable people.

In conclusion, abortion impacts all of society. On a personal level, it is a direct act of violence in the one place where love and protection should be strongest, disrupting the peace that comes from embracing and welcoming life. On a broader scale, when a nation enshrines this violence in its policies, it essentially wages war against its own citizens and undermines the foundations of justice that are essential for genuine peace.

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of rightly ordered relationships—between God and mankind, mother and child, family and society, citizen and state—and abortion strikes at the heart of all of these.