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Abortion's Devastating Impact
The leading cause of death in Canada is
induced abortion...110,331 deaths in 1998 alone.
Now, vocal pro-euthnasia lobby groups
are pushing for legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia. Our
society's tolerance for killing the unwanted child before birth has
paved the way for the acceptance of killing the chronically ill, the
elderly, the disabled or anyone whose quality of life is deemed to be
poor. Pro-euthanasia lobbyist claim that legalized euthanasia would
give individuals the right to control their own lives but ultimately
it would grant to others the right to control death. The Dutch
experience has shown that it is impossible to limit or restrain the
power to kill once it is granted.
We must become "prophets of life"
by concretely helping those who need us and who perhaps, without our
help, would be tempted to surrender to despair.
Reject the Current Trend in our
society to view the weaker and more vulnerable as being of lesser
value. The progress from abortion to euth
anasia has resulted in
human life being viewed as a mere commodity. Current efforts to
exploit the human embryo through stem cell research is chilling
evidence of the growing devaluation of human life at its most
vulnerable stage.
"The only thing necessary for the
triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
- Edmund Burke
How can we get involved?
Join your parish pro-life
committee. If your parish does not have a pro-life committee,
consider starting one.
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Become thoroughly informed about
pro-life issues. Action Life, your local pro-life organization can
lend you books or videos which will enable you to participate in the
discussions concerning abortion, euthanasia/assisted suicide and
embryonic stem cell research. They can be reached at (613) 798-4494.
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Assist your local crisis pregnancy
centre - Miriam Centre (613) 830-8623, the Crisis Pregnancy Centre
of Ottawa (613) 228-7475, Birthright (613) 231-5683 or the
Marguerite Centre (613) 673-4039. For example you could collect baby
items, host a baby shower or volunteer at the centre.
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Financially support the pro-life
groups in the Ottawa area.
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Be a voice for life in the
political arena. Identify and support pro-life politicians or
consider running for office yourself at the local, provincial or
national level. Circulate and sign petitions. For more information
on how to do this contact Campaign Life Coalition at (613)
729-0379.
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Consider supporting Priests for
Life (613) 833-3264.
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Identify the most timely pro-life
issues and host a pro-life letter writing party. Write letters to
the editor and to your member of parliament.
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Support the various pro-life
initiatives in your community.
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Offer your professional services
to a pro-life office, pregnancy centre or disability group.
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Be a friend to a single parent,
disabled person or elderly shut-in. Offer to babysit for a busy mom
who can't afford to pay for a sitter. Relieve a caregiver who cares
for a disabled or elderly person.
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Be Bold. Advertise a pro-life
message - use bumper stickers, pins or buttons.
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Invite friends or family members
to view a pro-life video.
"Pray without ceasing in order to
stop the prevailing culture of death and work without ceasing to
proclaim the Gospel of Life." - Pope John Paul II
A message from Ottawa Archbishop
Marcel Gervais
Next July, hundreds of thousands of
young people will be meeting with the Holy Father in Toronto for the
17th World Youth Day. They will have come from all the
regions of the world to celebrate their young lives, under the banner
of "You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the
world".
Imagine all the energy that will emerge
from this gathering. It will be a celebration of life at its highest
degree. Those of us who were once between the ages of 18 and 35 might
recall those years as a feeling of owing the world. Anything and
everything was possible. The future was ours and we would build a
better world. And that was fine.
Young people have the same feeling
today. They, as we did, view life as the base of their anticipated
accomplishments. We, of the older generation, should call the young
to the awareness that many human lives have been prevented from
sharing their enthusiasm, for they were nipped in the bud, through
abortion. The taking of unborn human life is a major blight on our
society, and we would hope that the upcoming generation of leaders
will right such a deep social wrong in this country. How the present
political and scientific leadership has ever come to deem that the
exterminating of more than 100,000 unborn children every year can
enhance the common good is impossible to grasp. We must encourage our
youth to bring reason to bear over convenience so that human life is
truly appreciated as the first and most important gift a human being
receives.
The young people of today, under
different circumstances than in the past, can truly become the salt
of the earth and the light of the world, as Jesus commanded. As they
move towards this goal, I am confident that their intelligence,
talents, enthusiasms and compassion can be applied to the service of
life if they are so guided.
Young people like to get involved in
worthwhile causes. Let us convince them that involvement in the
respect and protection of human life from conception to natural death
is a cause most worthy of their passion to make the world a kinder
and more wonderful place.
Yours truly for life,
Marcel Gervais
Archbishop of Ottawa
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