The Screwtape Letters is a satirical novel written by C.S. Lewis in which a senior demon advises his nephew on how to lead humans astray. It exposes moral issues by presenting them from evil’s perspective. It made me think about how Uncle Screwtape would react to some of Arizona’s pro-life laws.

My Dear Wormwood,

You are to be congratulated. The filing of Isaacson v. Mayes is shaping up to be one of our most exquisite triumphs.

Our legal allies are moving swiftly now, carving through the last scraps of pro-life resistance like a scalpel through soft tissue. At the top of our target list is that revolting statute, ARS 13-3603.02 — the one that dares to prohibit abortions based on race, sex, or disability. How dare they presume to protect the weak, the imperfect, the unwanted? That law, Wormwood, is an affront to everything we’ve worked for. A child has Down syndrome? Terminate. It’s a girl? Dispose. The father is the wrong skin color? Eliminate. This is not discrimination — it is efficiency. And we must preserve that efficiency at all costs.

One of our most brilliant human thinkers once said, “The demand that defective people be prevented from propagating equally defective offspring is a demand of the clearest reason and if systematically executed represents the most humane act of mankind.” Ah, Hitler — rarely quoted these days, but his reasoning lives on, albeit in more “palatable” packaging.

Even worse, their laws force abortionists to speak truth — to describe fetal development, risks, alternatives, and the heartbeat pulsing inside the mother’s womb. You know how dangerous truth is, Wormwood. A heartbeat can unsettle even the most hardened conscience. The shape of a tiny hand on an ultrasound has undone entire years of our work. We must strip these laws bare. Truth is the Enemy’s weapon. Silence is ours.

They call it “healthcare” — but we know it’s the slow death of conscience. Strip away protections for the preborn, and soon they’ll stop seeing humanity in the elderly, the disabled, the inconvenient. It’s a spectacular unraveling.

Expect a few murmurs — rallies, opinion pieces, even prayers (tedious, as always). But most will hold their tongues. Remind them it’s impolite to bring up such “divisive” topics. Tell them it’s not their place, that moral clarity is rude, and silence is virtuous. Make them believe that speaking truth is worse than allowing evil to proceed. That, Wormwood, is how we keep them docile.

Meanwhile, our friends in the abortion clinics are prepared. Every life ended is another efficient procedure, another soul fed to the furnace. And Arizona — scorched and sleepy — drifts closer to surrender.

Carry on. The womb is nearly ours.

Your devoted uncle,
Screwtape

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