November Newsletter, 1995, Part 2

Quarterly Issue

God's Miracle

THE MISSING LINK

When Planned Parenthood opened its doors in Chandler, AZ, pro-lifers gathered together on the sidewalks to peacefully pray and picket. Over a hundred people were at the site to help educate the public about the nation's largest killing machine. After the wonderful turnout that day, many of these people never came back on a weekly basis to pray or to picket.

If you are serious about fighting abortion, whichever group you are active with, you need to make a commitment to be in front of the death houses on a weekly or at least a monthly basis.

CoR chooses to pray but there is a lot of room out there for everyone who wants to demonstrate in a peaceful manner.

CHAPTER NEWS

El Paso, TX chapter pro-lifers have increased their attendance at times. As with all abortuary prayer warriors, the numbers change from one week to the next. Ben Morgan, O.P.B., new coordinator for the area, has always encouraged us all to pray more and spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

He composed a spiritual invitation to encourage attandence at the abortion mills. We have printed it on this page, without the El Paso address on it. We encourage you to make copies of the invitation, inserting your location and time of prayer to end abortion. As always, Ben reminds us the hour in prayer before you go is a beautiful way of beseeching God's mercy on your work.

Northwest, IN chapter is blessed to have the Diocesan Pro-Life Director, Fr. Ted Mens, accompany the prayer warriors to the abortuary to pray to end abortion.

Fr. Fernando deCristobal will celebrate Mass and hear confessions on the First Saturday in December. January is open for a guest celebrant. In February and March Fr. Bronislaus Jaskulski, OFM, and Fr. Douglas Mayer, respectively, will be the guest celebrants at the Mass.

Coordinator Carolyn Kenney received a beautiful letter from Most Rev. Dale J. Melczek in reference to the Respect Life Mass that he celebrated on October 7,1995. In the correspondence, he stated:

"It was good to be with you in the large gathering of people to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Rosary in behalf of the Respect of Life as a gift from God to be treasured. I really do believe that the witness of some many people and especially prayer does have a very great impact upon the attitudes of people, even though we can not immediately discern the good effects."

There was a large group who gathered after the Mass on the Feast of the Holy Rosary near Planned Parenthood to pray to end abortion. They were joined by Blue Army members who escorted the Diocesan Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima while they prayed the 15-Decade-Life-Rosary. Pro-Life Masses are scheduled up through March of 1996.

Prescott, AZ chapter sadly reported that the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish had passed away unexpectly. He will truly be missed.

Vickey Shuey, coordinator, reported that their Respect Life Sunday table was a great success. The weekly prayer schedule in front of Planned Parenthood's referral clinic has been continual, with a good turnout. More people are needed at this referral clinic. Though some people may not realize it, these "referral" clinics are referring for "death" and are dispensing the dangerous birth control pills. If there are no abortuaries in an area, please consider starting a pray-in at the referral clinics.

Flagstaff, AZ chapter reports that approximately eight prayer warriors drive in from Sedona, to pray in front of Planned Parenthood in Flagstaff. Colleen Canter, coordinator for their chapter, reports that they have on the average of one to three babies saved weekly at that location. She stated those are only the ones they know about. After the group finishes the rosary, they go to Catholic Community Center and spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

Rev. Eugene McCarthy, 73, had passed away in the spring. He had been the pastor in Sedona as well as pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Flagstaff years ago. He was known as a strong pro-life advocate. His grave site on a hill is located overlooking the abortuary. Pro-lifers feel that through his intercession, attendance has grown and there has been a steady increase of the number mothers choosing life.

The prayer warriors are headed up by a 74-year-old, great-grandmother. Flagstaff has already experienced temperatures of 18 degrees this year but the cold has not daunted the pro-life counsellors and prayer warriors.

Barry Cooper, the abortionist, picks up double duty killing babies in Flagstaff, then drives to Phoenix, traveling 136 miles to kill more babies. It's rather odd the abortionist lives in Sedona where there are no abortuaries. - K.S.

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If you are interested in starting a Children of the Rosary group in your area, please give us a call. Naturally there are no costs or fees, just lots of prayer and work for life!

We urge you to clip out the spiritual invitation below . Print the location and time you have locally and print as many copies as possible. Consider listing a phone number for people to call for more information. Keep a stack handy, passing them out at meetings, functions, school, restaurants, and in public places

Beloved in Christ,

Our Lord asked the apostles to stay awake and pray not to be put to the test during the agony in the garden. They found this difficult and took their rest. Today the same question is being asked of us, the faithful; to pray, not in the beautiful garden of Gethsemane, but before the repugnant abortion chamber. Please, for the love of God, for the love of life, for the love of loved ones, join us in prayer at:

Bring your rosary, prayer cards, Bible or just yourself with good intentions. Your presence at this lawful gathering shall speak the message of good will so urgently needed. What hearts would not be touched by this outward display of concern for mothers and their babies?

I pray God bless and His Holy Angels love and protect you.

THE JOURNEY

By Pat Chesterton

I have been blessed with many friends, co-workers, and sisters through these many years. We talk, as girlfriends talk, and we talk...and we talk. And, sometimes, we really talk. Sooner or later, we realize that we have all been deeply affected by abortion. It is, after all, occurring at the rate of 4,000 women and abortions a day, in the U.S. alone.

So we all know someone that, if we loved enough and listened enough, she would tell us the story of her abortion. She would tell us that it haunts her. Oh no, maybe not for awhile afterwards. But later, she felt that gnawing emptiness, that undeniable fact that political propaganda didn’t soothe or make go away. You would find that she "understandably" resorted to drug use; that she found alcohol, marijuana, crystal meth made the pain go away...for awhile. She’d tell you that the shame made her keep a part of herself from everyone who loved her or tried to love her. She felt unworthy. She might tell you she would hurt herself, not let herself eat, or she would eat until she was so full and then she would force herself to vomit and she would be empty again. She couldn’t be around babies, and her own children were a reminder of something she desperately wanted to forget. With about 30 million abortions to date, anywhere from 18-26 million women have been aborted. If you love enough and listen enough, this is what you will hear.

So I ask 'Why?'

My friends, my co-workers, my sisters tell me, "Because I had no choice." No choice. "I was scared; my boyfriend abandoned me; my mother took me; my boyfriend paid and said he would be there for me; my best friend thought it was the best for me; my doctor referred me...BUT I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS. I didn’t know my baby’s heart beat at just 26 days old. I didn’t know my baby had arms and legs at eight weeks old. I didn’t know my baby could feel pain. I didn’t know until I saw the truth — in a video, a magazine, or a text book, of a friend’s pregnancy or my own pregnancy, later. I just didn’t know."

This is what I’ve been told. Clearly, women are suffering, relationships are suffering, and children are abused. It’s getting worse every year, every person.What can I do about the double tragedy of: 1) having no choice, and 2) not knowing the vital information necessary to make a choice?

So, I ask, "What can I do?"

I began observing the process, to identify the weak links, as best as I could, from the time a women is informed that she is with child to the moment that she submits to an abortion. And, I saw firsthand the double tragedy.

I carefully considered it and consulted with my friends, my co-workers, my sisters and I began to reach out. I went to the sidewalks and joined others outside of these places and gently offered help to anyone who would listen. Yes, many are not ready " and nothing I can do or say or show will make a difference. There is no need to go out of my way, certainly not to trespass " she has been convinced that there are no other choices to abortion. Others, yes, there are women who are still considering choices even as they arrive at the abortuary. Once considered, the medical facts are undeniable and, coupled with the fact that we offer help (emotional and practical help), the maternal instinct, arguably the strongest instinct known to humankind, kicks in. It is then that a woman finds the courage to naturally face her pregnancy.

I have witnessed about one out of eight women entering the abortuary are interested and do seek other choices. That is a conservative estimate. That is why I go to the sidewalk. Because I believe a woman has a choice up to the very moment that she submits to the abortion. Copyright 1995 - Pat Chesterton Used with permission.

THEY SAID WHAT??

We present just a few statements (11/1/95) from the floor of the House of Representatives during the debate concerning the bill, HR 1833, which would ban the partial-birth abortion procedure.

Rep Smith, (R) NJ (Supports bill)

This is an historic day for our nation. The cover-up of the abortion methods is over. Today congress comes to grips with the specifics of what an abortion actually does and it ain't pretty! From this day forward we will never be able to say "We didn't know." We now know and every member of this chamber should know that every abortion, whether it be a partial birth abortion, or D&E abortion where the baby is literally dismembered while in utero or the suction abortions routinely done, thousands per day, where a high-powered vacuum, 20 to 30 times more powerful than a vacuum cleaner than one's home literally dismembers the child and kills that baby. This is all about human rights for children, it's about preserving and protecting the right to life of baby girls and baby boys.

Somebody said this is anti-woman. Half of those little infants that are killed are baby girls. Let's not ever forget that.. Then again, let's also remember to, and what Dr. Haskell himself has said and I would like to repeat it very briefly, 'That the surgeon forces the scissors into the base of the skull.' This is medical practice? '...Then a high-powered suction catheter is introduced and the baby's brains are sucked out.' This is child abuse."

Rep. Tom Coburn, M.D. (R) OK. (Supports bill)

"This bill in no way limits the ability of a doctor to care for a woman whose life is at risk with a late term pregnancy. Having been involved in obstetrical care, delivering over three thousand children, caring for caring for complicated pregnancies......[names technical-termed situations] ...and all the conditions associated with that, this procedure is an unneeded gruesome attack on life. May God forgive this nation for what we allow in terms of procedures to be preformed on our unborn children."

Rep. Nancy Johnson (R) CA (Against bill)

"Of the 600 third term abortions preformed last year, 450 were done through this method. What does that tell you? Why? Because it's the safest, less bleeding, lower complication rates for the mother and less painful. The geneticists can tell what went wrong and counsel the couple for future pregnancies."

In rebuttal Rep. Tom Coburn , M.D. Oklahoma (Supports bill)

"I think it is very important that we have just had a medical lesson from a member of this body that is totally inaccurate. The late-term abortion can be preformed in a number of ways, this least of which is most convenient for the abortionist, has nothing to do with the safety of the mother. Other methods are far safer than this method where the uterus itself is never instrumented, the risk of bleeding, the risk of incompetent cervix and the risk of fertility is avoided by the other methods."

Rep. Ed Bryant, R Tennessee (Supports bill)

" As a freshman I am very often disappointed with what goes on in Washington but nothing disappoints me more than to hear the low-level on occasion the debate on this floor reaches especially when you hear people like my distinguished colleague from the other side refer to the folks who disagree with him as zealots and anti-choice militants. I'm very disappointed that that gentleman, as a former judge, I'm sure if he were in the courtroom and someone attempted to use this procedure as a means of execution in a capital murder case, his courtroom would have been full of civil libertarians, hallering that this was cruel and inhuman punishment. But let me tell you who some of these zealots are, some of these anti-choice militants are. It's the Council on Legislation for the American Medical Association, who unanimously voted to endorse this particular bill (12-0). Some of those said that this was not a recognized medical technique. One even called it 'repulsive.' So if that's the kind of zealots, anti-choice militants that we have, then I will stand with the Council of Legislation of AMA everyday."

Pastor (D) Arizona (Against bill)

"This is in response to the question from the distinguished lady from Connecticut to consider. I have two daughters and they are in their mid-twenties. My wife and I expect that they will have happy lives and we hope that they have children and are very productive. And we pray to God that our daughters will never in their pregnancy have to face a situation in which their life is threatened or the fetus is developing in a very abnormal way. But if God wills it, then we hope that the decision of this medical practice be determined by a doctor and not a politician. This bill will force doctors to decide whether or not to perform this medical procedure under the threat of civil and criminal prosecution, even though my daughter's life may be threatened."

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtener R Fla. (Supports bill)

"I rise to support Mr.. Canady's bill which is an important step to help eliminate this tragic procedure. There is wide spread agreement that this unfortunate and sickening act is not necessary and should not be permitted. The partial-birth abortion is not a legitimate medical procedure and it is not needed for any particular reason. While the American Medical Association has officially taken no position on this bill, the AMA's Council on Legislation has voted unanimously to support this bill. As one member of the council said the council believes that this is not a recognized medical technique and the procedure is basically repulsive.

"Listen to the words of a registered nurse who has witnessed partial-birth abortions. 'The baby's feet were moving, his little fingers were clasping together. He was kicking his feet., all the while his little head was stuck inside. The doctor took a pair of scissors and inserted them in the back of the baby's head.. Then he opened the scissors up. Then he stuck the high-powered suction tube into the hole and sucked the baby's brains out..' As a mother of two children I do not comprehend how we can allow any baby to be subjected to such inhumane treatment. I wholeheartedly support Mr. Canady's bill and I urge my colleagues to do so as well."

Shiela Jackson (D) Texas (Against bill)

"This is so very tough, it is grueling. It's overwhelming. It's in the name of Abigail. It's in the name of Tami Watts, who came to our committee and said she lost a child because of its severe abnormalities and inability to live and her quote was that '...I would done anything to save its life.' I don't want to be here. I don't want to have this debate but truth must be told. Today unfortunately, we are not telling the truth. This bill presumes a physician guilty. This bill allows your sheriff, your chief of police, your F.B.I. your whatever law enforcement to go into the office of a physician and simply say that they have violated the law. This bill attacks Roe v. Wade. This bill presumes that saving the life of the mother is not a relevant part of what this physician or any physician has to do. This bill mistakes scissors and suggests this procedure is being preformed on a living fetus. The fetus is already demised by way of an overdose of an anesthetic. This is the only way to allow a situation for that mother to then be a mother again. I only ask that you look realistically, not castigate those of us who painfully stand up here that Americans rights be protected. Vote against this bill. It does not help the American people. It criminalizes the mother and physicians.

Rep. Coburn, M.D. (Rebuttal to inaccurate statements)

Again, to correct the medical facts, infants under this procedure who have received an anesthetic from their mother, were not dead.. They are not dead. They are as alive as you or I. The anesthetic required to terminate a fetus in utero would put the mother at great risk and is never performed.

Rep. Tim Romer, (D) Indiana (Supports bill)

I rise in support of this bill as a pro-life Democrat, not only concerned as we talk about the process of birth today but the cycle of life for our nation's children. What are we talking about today with partial-birth abortions. On page 5 of this bill we define this as meaning an abortion in which the person preforming the abortion partially delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery. I would encourage my colleagues to pay careful attention to that... delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus.

Now we have had disagreements on the floor before about states rights and restricting abortion and health care plans. This debate today is about a gruesome and repulsive medical technique that we should act on in a bipartisan way ban on this house floor. This is not a vote that should divide men and women, or Democrats from Republicans This is a vote to ban a procedure that is not ethical and that is inhumane to children."

Barney Franks (D) Massachusetts (Against bill)

Let's underline again the outrage of bringing up this bill in a absolutely closed rule. No one was allowed to offer an amendment to explicitly allow for the protection of the life or serious health of the mother except in a convoluted way in this bill because in only an hour of debate I have rarely seen so important a subject so shabbily treated procedurally.

"Secondly, this once again, shows the great gap that exists between the Republicans profession about states rights and the reality. This bill makes criminal, procedures which the states could make criminally, presumably if they wanted to or not. What this bill says is that you states aren't smart enough. You don't care enough about these children. We, the federal government will step in. Now it does try and deal with that. It says this only involves abortions as crimes which are in or affects interstate or foreign commerce. Now how does the woman know if she's in foreign commerce or in interstate commerce. Is her head in Canada and her feet in Detroit? What kind of nonsense are we talking about? What they are is embarrassed that they are so blatantly preempting the states because they know how much it differs from what they profess so it say we'll make it a criminal procedure if you happen to be in interstate commerce. It also has a supposed defense, if you are worried about the life of the mother but it becomes a defense that the doctor has to prove. To avoid a criminal proceeding here the doctor will have to show that he's not in interstate commerce. Nothing in here tells the doctor whether he's in interstate commerce or not Secondly, the doctor would have to show, he would have the burden of proof before the jury to show he was trying to save the woman's life so obviously it will keep people from doing it. This obviously, once again shows that all you hear about states rights was just cover. When they think the states are wrong, they will preempt the states. This is a disrespectful bill toward states rights as well as for the rights of women."

Rep. Nita Lowey (D) New York (Against bill)

I just want to alert the proponents of this bill as we speak two clinics have received bomb threats. I think we have to be very careful for our rhetoric and take responsibility for our words.. This legislation is another attempt that make sure that doctors who perform abortions which is legal in this country are harassed and around the country the anti-choice extremists are targeting doctors and their patients with harassment and violence and it looks like on Capital Hill, anti-choice politicians seek to criminalize abortions and put the doctors who perform them in jail. I rise in strong opposition, Mr. Speaker, to this bill. Proponents of this bill attempt to exploit one of the greatest tragedies any family can ever face with using graphic pictures, sensationalized language and distortions. Families facing a late-term abortion are families that want to have a child. These couples have chosen to become parents and only face terminating the pregnancy due to unavoidable circumstances. Unfortunately, our technology is still not sophisticated enough to detect all possible medical problems early in the pregnancy. This bill is not about choice, my colleagues. It's about necessity. [Statement continues, at length concerning a crisis situation called into her office.]

Rep. Sue Myrich (R) N. Carolina (Supports bill)

I honestly believe that many of the societal problems that we have today stem from the fact that we have no regard for human life., Partial-birth abortions, drive-by shootings, cop killing - they've all become a way of life. Call me old fashioned but I believe that every individual born into this world is special, needed and important. Our forefathers shared this philosophy with and wrote into our declaration of Independence, "We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I ask we consider the difference. A doctor performs a painful, cruel partial-birth abortion one day and it's accepted. But if that same mother gave birth to that same aged child the next day and then she killed her child. She would be charged with murder. Only a few hours separate these two acts. The one is considered unjust and the other is accepted and even promoted. There's something wrong with our society today if we continue to justify such an unjust procedure. Let's show respect for human life, support HR 1833."

TEEN STAR IS A FALLEN STAR

By Doris Kobrzycki

Regarding the recent push for "abstinence bases" or "chastity education" programs considered for or now in use in the Catholic schools, I would like to quote from a letter from Msgr. Carlo Caffarra, the Vatican's foremost authority on family life matters.

May 31, 1990: "The Church, when educating children at the elementary and secondary levels with regards to sexual morality, has constantly done so within the framework of the regular religion class and has not attempted to isolate the teaching of sexual morality or "chastity educaton" in separate programs not related to the other virtues."

While I have information on many of the programs, I will comment specifically on the TEEN STAR program at this time.

In the May 30, 1991, issue of the Catholic Advance, there appeared a promotion for a TEEN STAR teacher training workshop: "TEEN STAR teaches sexuality in a context of adult responsiblity. The program can be used in all grades, K through 12, as a basic sexuality appreciation program. Fertility appreciation information is given from 5th grade up. The program teaches responsible decision making and communication skills in the area of sexual behavior and enhances a teens' self-understanding and self-esteem." Do we really want our little children to be engaged in the monitoring of their fertility cycle, from the 5th grade up according to the promotional information.?

Is not information on natural family planning part of a marriage preparation course? Young, unmarried "children" and teens should not be preoccupied with cervical mucus.

If your readers would like information on TEENSTAR and other "alternative" sex education programs, they can contact the National Coalition for Clergy and Laity, 1929 Tilghman Str, Suite B, Allentown, PA 18104, or the United States Coalition for Life, Box 315, Export, PA. 15632 (Article has been reprinted from the October newsgram due to many requests.)

MISSING THE POINT

By Katherine Sabelko

In a past issue, CoR listed groups and material recommended for the support of the teaching of chastity. Since then, we have been notified by concerned readers. The article on this page, Teen Star Is A Fallen Star addresses the concerns with that program.

We were alerted to another referral; that of Molly Kelly's popular video presentations to teens. Molly Kelly's videos address chastity with the teenage audience. After a review of the material presented in Mothers' Watch, we felt it was important that you are aware of the questionable attitude Molly Kelly presents in the videos.

We attempt only to quote some major points in the six-page study. The points in the writing are referred to as "flaws."

"Flaw #1: The subject of the tape Teens and Chastity is not about chastity; rather, major topics are sex, birth control and consequences.

Flaw #2: Molly Kelly's words and demeanor lack reverence toward God's creations of sexuality and marital love....Molly Kelly's presentation is absolutely void of reverence towards the marriage act. She repeatedly uses irreverent, clinic terms like "sex", "intercourse" and "doing it" rather than using terms which display reverence and permanency like "martial love," "the marriage act" or "martial relations."

Flaw #3: By her irreverence and humor, Molly Kelly displays the SIRCUS mentality, 'Sex is for fun."

Flaw #4: By establishing the false premise that 'Sex is for fun' rather than having babies, a contraceptive mentality is automatically established.

Flaw #5: her examples comparing animals to humans give the impression she approves of sterilization, contraception, and population control.

Flaw #6: No moral absolutes are present in the presentation.

Flaw #7: Molly Kelly uses Values Clarificaton teaching techniques. She gives her students supreme authority over their value system.

Flaw #8: Her presentation is

End of Part 2 of the November, 1995 Newsletter.

NewsLetter, November, Part 1, 1995
NewsLetter, November, Part 3, 1995
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