Of Polio, Pornography, and Peace

Last month I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio to spend the weekend with my sisters. One of our excursions took us to the world-renown Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. My talented sister-in-law, Dr. Sanita Hunsaker, is a child psychologist there.

 I wouldn’t initially anticipate that a hospital was a sacred place, but our experience at Cincinnati Children's was absolutely holy. Entering the campus, we saw a beautiful old structure, dating back to 1931. It was in this original research building that Dr. Albert Sabin developed the oral polio vaccine. As the wife of a Rotarian, I understand the urgency and importance of eradicating polio from the world. 

On the steps of that antique edifice hundreds of mothers gathered on April 24, 1964—the first “Sabin Sunday”—to have their children vaccinated against polio. A statue in honor of Dr. Sabin stands in the courtyard today.

We walked through the hospital halls—old and new—where children come daily to receive life-saving help and treatments. Bright colors welcomed the young patients, adding an element of cheerfulness to an otherwise heavy situation. Smiling staff, state-of-the-art equipment, and dedicated researchers provide the comforting services that give the hospital its fame. I couldn’t have been more proud of my sister-in-law and her part in this healing symphony.

During its time polio was the scourge of the day, debilitating and crippling children and robbing them of an abundant life. In many places today—including our society—polio is merely a word. What a miracle that most children are finally safe from this epidemic. I am thankful for scientists, doctors, and mothers who made the difference. My trip to Cincinnati was indeed life changing.

Two weeks after visiting Ohio, I attended the Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hundreds of good men and women gathered to learn about and discuss the epidemic of our day: Pornography. Statistics and research were shared on the startling growth of this raging evil among children. Children! The event’s founder, Pamela Atkinson, invited all in attendance to think of ten people we could reach out to and help in this battle for life. I immediately thought of my own ten children: ten souls I could hopefully influence and inoculate against pornography.

Keynote speaker Sister Joy D. Jones shared the power of loving children. “Don’t fear the topic, fear the results,” she explained, and urged parents to discuss the dangers of pornography with their children again and again and again.

Another presenter, Dina Alexander, taught, “Video gaming is married to porn.” She shared worrisome evidence that addiction to digital games often leads to more evil viewing.

I left the seminar heavy with the weight of this outrageous sickness, yet hopeful that a cure could be found. A cure created by caring teachers and parents, by knowledgeable leaders, by proactive efforts. Indeed, eradicating pornography from the world will only come through diligent effort and the dedication of many souls—similar to the polio vaccine of the 1930s.

A week later, with Polio and Pornography both spinning in my head, I attended a Scout leader training directed by our local Church leaders. 

“What does PEACE look like?” asked one sister. I sat in silence with the other participants in the room. What does peace look like? In today’s world—with terrorism, drugs, abuse, gun rampages, sickness, pornography and other scourges—how can we possibly find peace? Peace for us and for our families? Surely there is no easy antibiotic or immunization against evil today.

Then she gave us her personal answer: Peace is an 18-year-old boy who knows who he is; a young man who can think above the clouds and who has clear direction for his future.  A boy who is free from addictions, substances and screens, and can take care of his own life and provide for his own needs. This is a picture of peace.

As a mother, teacher, and leader, I wholeheartedly agreed. Give me a young man who is physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally self-reliant. A young man who can live away from home, make decisions, manage his time, make a difference in the world, and keep himself on a path of progression. A young man free from soul sickness and addiction. And not just a young man, but also a pure young woman who has the skills and stamina to live triumphantly. As the mother of five boys and five girls—who spends plenty of time "worrying" over children as any parent does—these images mean peace to me.

Polio. Pornography. Peace.

One has been eradicated. One is a modern epidemic. And one is within our grasp. 

What am I doing as a parent to perpetrate peace in my children? So that I—and they—can look peacefully backwards at our lives and confidently forward to the future with hope and freedom?  

Who knows? One of my children may eventually have a statue in their honor on the holy grounds of a hospital, or a courthouse, or a public building. But greater still, I want a sacred statue in my heart of a child who is free from epidemics and addictions, and has lived the life he was meant to live. That success, to me, is peace.