Defending Life
What is your definition of Freedom?
Psalm 139
You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
Partial-Birth Abortion In Canada
I think it's time that Canadians knew about what a gruesome procedure Partial-Birth Abortion is. They must also know that it is absolutely legal in Canada. There are no laws against ANY abortion right now. Abortion is legal right up until the time the mother expels a live baby. Before that, anything goes. And anything does. According to medical ethicist Margaret Somerville, there were 243 late-term abortions in 2001, the last year for which we have such statistics. And those only include abortions for which we know the period during which they were committed.
Often, the poor-choice side of the debate accuses the Fetal Rights side of dishonesty. Since they're the experts at abortion, I am more than willing to entertain the notion that people who commit abortions know more about this than I do. After all, it's their stock and trade. I would also like to underscore that calling a "Dilation and Extraction" (a "D and E") a Partial-Birth Abortion is no more dishonest than calling rhinoplasty a nose job. I am certain that Partial-Birth Abortion does not exist in any medical dictionary, but that doesn't mean it's a dishonest phrase. It's probably more honest than the aseptic-sounding "D and E".
In 2004, in the US, there were several court challenges launched against laws that banned Partial-Birth Abortion, especially the federal law signed by President Bush in November 2003. A number of providers who do these partial-birth abortions testified about the procedure.
For pro-lifers, all abortions are gruesome, but some are more barbaric than others. The heinousness of partial-birth abortion derives from the fact that a second- or third- trimester baby-- often viable-- is partially delivered so that the head remains in the womb, but the rest of the body is exposed. The abortionist then takes a sharp instrument, such as scissors, and uses it to puncture the baby's skull to collapse it, suck out the brain, killing the baby and facilitating delivery. This is corroborated by abortionist Carolyn Westhoff's testimony in New York District Court Case to overturn that law.
Quote: After Westhoff said that some women like to hold the dead baby to facilitate grieving, Judge Casey asked: "Did you tell them you were sucking the brains out of the same baby they desired to hold?" "They know the head's empty," Westhoff replied. "I don't tell them I'm sucking the brain out."" Abortionist Timothy Johnson corroborated this testimony:
[Judge] Casey also wanted to know if women were informed that the abortion involved "sucking the brain out of the skull." "I don't think we would use those terms," Johnson replied. "I think we would probably use a term like decompression of the skull or reducing the contents of the skull." The fetus can also be dismembered as well in order to facilitate delivery. Abortionist Timothy Johnson testified:
Quote: [Judge] Casey also wanted to know if women were informed that their child would be dismembered before dying. "So you tell her the arms and legs are pulled off?" he asked. "I mean, that's what I want to know. Do you tell her?" "We tell her the baby, the fetus, is dismembered as part of the procedure, yes," Johnson replied.
And if the baby's head gets stuck, the abortionist simply rips the baby's head off:
Quote: The abortionist continued his horrific testimony by saying: "I have continued to pull the body and the head comes off. I have also used scissors to pierce the base of the skull and suction out the brains, or I have also used an instrument to reach up and crush the skull."
There you have it, straight from the mouths of people who do late-term abortions for a living. And as if this weren't bad enough, the abortionists give no consideration to the suffering of the child. Abortionist Timothy Johnson said he was not aware as to whether the child suffered and was unaware of any studies as to whether the fetus feels pain-- as if you'd need a study to know that! And we're the extremists for opposing this?
Imagine a world...
Where every baby is welcomed, loved, nurtured, and seen for the amazing, conscious and aware being they are from conception, the beginning of life. As these babies grow, so does their capacity to love, to empathize with others, to be in a relationship, and to live in joy. As our first generation matures, we would see the ripple effect grow to encompass greater learning capacity, emotional intelligence and creativity, the emergence of new leaders, and healthier families and communities. Our potential is unlimited.
A World of Mercy
"Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (1)
Our heavenly Father loves us and cares for our needs. In faith, we bring our prayers to him with confidence inspired by the Resurrection of his Son.
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (2)
The outcome of this "Universal Call to Mercy" will be a great change of hearts in all of humanity. "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances" (Ezek 36:26-7). For it is in the heart where change must take place, and it is through trust in God that this action will take place. When we, as a human race, reach out to God with "childlike trust," He will respond because He has promised us this that He would. Our Lord told St. Faustina, "The graces of My mercy are drawn by one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive" (Diary, 1578).
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy (3)
We must cooperate, and we must act for we are currently engaged in a spiritual battle for the hearts and souls of every person on earth. Our mission, like St. Faustina's, is God and Souls. We will either live in a pagan world completely devoid of God and His authority, or we will live in a world where the Judeo-Christian ethic is the basis of moral and legal authority. As a nation, we have already seen the initial and gradual divorce of our society from anything that is of God. We need to act and address the issue, and the time to do so is now.
40 Days & 40 Knights
We ask that you assist our efforts and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet at least once daily; pray it with childlike trust for all your intentions, and also for mothers contemplating abortion, the infants dying in the wombs, victims of euthanasia, stem cell research, cloning, and for a change in the hearts of our elected political leaders.
Pope John Paul II Papal Blessing
In 2003 Pope John Paul II gave a special papal blessing to the Eucharistic Apostles of Mercy and all the faithful of the world who would pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy for an end to abortion and the culture of death. But most Catholics with whom I’ve spoken know nothing of this blessing, the five intentions suggested by the Pope, or the explicit connection with abortion to be found in the diary of St. Faustina herself, which makes the praying of this devotion more important than ever at this time in our country’s political situation.
“On at least three occasions, from 8:00-11:00 in the evening, she felt like her insides were being torn apart. She suffered so much that she thought she was going to die. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was ailing her, and no medication was able to alleviate her sufferings. Later, she was given to understand that she was undergoing those pains for mothers who were aborting their children. (See Diary, 1276. Quoted from an article by Fr. Frank Pavone.)
The five intentions to be prayed are:
1. for mothers, that they not abort their offspring; 2. for infants in danger of being put to death in the womb; 3. for a change of heart of providers of abortions and of their collaborators; 4. for human victims of stem cell research, genetic manipulation, cloning and euthanasia; 5. and for all entrusted with the government of peoples, that they may promote the Culture of Life, so as to put an end to the culture of death.
Note that in intention #3 we are praying for the conversion of heart of abortion providers and their collaborators. Who are their collaborators? Anyone who gives them any money for any reason, whether directly for abortion or some other service. Any money given to them helps them continue to perform abortions and helps them continue to bring ruin upon themselves and others. Anyone who does business with them at any level for any reason is also a collaborator. Anyone who helps them continue in the business and helps them continue to perform abortions, no matter what else they may do, helps them to continue in their performing of abortion which is an intrinsically evil action.
When we approach our loving Father in obedience and offer the merits of His Son’s bitter Passion and death for our sins, He responds with an outpouring of grace. We have within our grasp the means of effectuating a great Miracle of Divine Mercy for the entire world. We must cooperate as a human race with the Divine Will of Our Father and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as often as our station in life permits. —Quoted from Praying the Chaplet for Pro-life Causes.
We cannot collaborate with them, but we must pray for them. We are to pray for all those in need of conversion and in need of mercy. We do pray for these things every day in our morning prayers, those of us who have that good and time-honoured practice. We pray for these things in every Rosary. And also in the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, to mention just three of the most beloved Catholic prayer forms. By adding the Pope’s special intentions to our praying of the Chaplet, we can do more to bring about the end of the culture of death, and bring love, mercy, forgiveness and healing to all those who have suffered from abortion and its ruinous effects on lives, hearts and souls. We must let it be known that no sin is too great for forgiveness. No sin is greater than God. No sinner is beyond hope.
Our Lord told St. Faustina, “Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy” (Diary, 687).
Abortionists, their collaborators—including people who vote in such a way as to make it possible for abortions to continue to be performed and sanctioned by law and also people who do not vote in such a way as to make it illegal—need our prayers. They need our intercession. They need us to ask God to melt their hearts and fill them with the Living Flame of Love. They need Christians to do what Christians are supposed to do and that is to be the light of the world as representatives of Him Who is the True Light of the World. We need to point people toward the Good Shepherd Who will lead them to the lives they were created to live, instead of the darkness into which they have led themselves. We Christians need to bring Christ to those around us, Christ Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
We must cooperate, and we must act; the outcome of this “Universal Call to Mercy” will be a great change of hearts in all of humanity. “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances” (Ez 36:26-7). For it is in the heart where change must take place, and it is through trust in God that this action will take place. When we, as a human race, reach out to God with “childlike trust,” He will respond because He has promised us this that He would. Our Lord told St. Faustina, “The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive” (Diary, 1578).
Christ will do what He said He would do. If we ask Him to save souls, He will save them. If we ask Him to have mercy on us and on the whole world, in the words He Himself gave to St. Faustina in the Chaplet He gave her to pray, then He will have mercy on us and on the whole world full of sinners in need of mercy, including ourselves and the abortionists and those who have been victims and those who will be victims before the culture of death ends. We must pray for this. The world is counting on us.
The world needs mercy. Now.
“Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy” (Diary, 300).
