Quebec Life Coalition

Has much changed between gladiatorial Rome and today's western society?

Back then, the life or death fate of the arena combatants was determined by Caesar. Were he to turn his thumb upward, the combatant would live; downward ... death.

In contemporary society, the fate of the unborn is as precariously determined as that of gladiators of old. In our times, it is either the pregnant woman or those exercising undue force on her that decide.

In "Caesar's Thumb," Lord Nicholas Windsor laments as much:

We live in what is truly a moral world turned upside down, and the greatest irony may be that a broad consensus exists, in a highly rights-aware political establishment, in favor of one of the gravest and most egregious abuses of human rights that human society has ever tolerated. Didn't Europeans think they could never and must never kill again on an industrial scale? What a cruel deceit, then, that has led us to this mass killing of children, for a theoretical greater good, which in this case is simply the wish not to be bound by a pregnancy unless it is fully and feely chosen, and which, outside of that parameter, is declared, by fiat, to be null and void.

Lord Windsor argues for a new "New Abolitionism for Europe." He admits that though the first abolitionism in late 19th century America may not be a perfect template for current events, yet the courage and imagination shown then need be carried over to contemporary circumstances.

Read the full article here.

The following trailer comes to us complements of Canada Silent No More, an organization founded in 2004 by Denise Mountenay with the purpose of helping victims of abortion. More information about their purpose may be found here.

Listen to testimonies from women damaged by legal abortions.

See evidence on how abortions are hurting women physically and psychologically... worldwide studies expose the link to depression, substance abuse, suicides, sterility, pre-term births in subsequent pregnancies and Breast Cancer!

Hear doctors testify on the fact that abortion is more harmful to women then giving birth to their children.

So why are we PAYING for this procedure that harms women and children?

We are sending copies to every MP and some MLA's...Can you help us finance this project? Go to www.canadasilentnomore.com and give to promote LIFE and HEALTH for women & children. Rev. 12:11,12, Prov. 31:8...

The adverse after-effects of an abortion upon the health of the woman is garnering ever greater evidence. May it be the physical, social, or psychological, science is corroborating what faith traditions have long asserted - the destructive nature of abortions.

A recent example regarding the psychological effects may be found in the British Journal of Psychiatry. American academic Priscilla Coleman's research covers nearly a million women and reports that nearly 81% of post-abortive women experience an increase risk of mental health problems.

News stories on the report may be found here and here.

Also, the pro-abortion community tried to discredit this research;an examination of this criticism may be found here.

JOIN THOUSANDS DECEMBER 9,

FOR DAY OF FASTING AND PRAYER FOR P.E.I.

Dear Friends of Brian Jenkins,

P.E.I., Canada's "Sanctuary of Life," is Under Siege

Peter Ryan, Executive Director of New Brunswick Right to Life Association has called for a day of prayer and fasting in petition for P.E.I., Friday December 9.  Recently Pro-Abortion advocates, teamed with the media have been raising their voices in protest against the lack of abortion availablitiy throughout Prince Edward Island.

Unfortunately abortions are available in P.E.I.

For a woman to get an abortion in a hosptial in P.E.I she needs two referrals. One of them being from her family doctor. The cost of these abortions are covered as long as they are a medical necessity.

If a woman wants to avoid getting signatures to get an abortion, she can go to the private Morgantaler Clinic in Fredricton, PEI, but has to pay for it out of her own pocket. PEI's Health Care system does not cover abortions done in private facilities. 

Whats the problem in the Pro-Abortion activists world?

Clearly abortion is available in the province. What the issue for the Pro-Abortion activists really is, is that there is no abortion on demand. A great deal of pressure is being put on Doctors to step forward and begin providing more abortions for women who want them. 

Kandace Hagen of the PEI Reproductive Rights organization, a group founded this year in PEI to push for easier access to abortion, said that it would be "very beneficial" to have more doctors performing abortions; it would "reduce the wait time" and become more "medically accessible for Island women." 

Prayer and fasting for protection

"We at New Brunswick Right to Life are worried the worst is about to happen in the coming weeks and months. We feel a deep need to pray for God's protection on the Island." Said Ryan in his e-mail petitioning others to join the day of prayer and fasting, "God has spared the Island all these years. May He preserve the Sanctuary of Life now. If P.E.I. succumbs to the pressure, all Canada will be the poorer. Lord, have mercy: keep the Island abortion-free".

We at Alberta Pro Life join in Peters petition and now ask you to join

us in prayer and fasting on December 9.

Want to get more involved?

Want to be more involved in the Pro-Life movement and don't know how? Below are a few suggestions 

1. Contact your local Pro-Life group to find out how you can get more involved. You can google search for one in your local area or look on Alberta Pro-Life's website for a list of Pro-Life groups in the province
2. Write  to your local Pro-Life MP's and tell them of your support. Write to Pro-Choice MP's and share with them your stance on life.  
3. Join the Alberta Pro-Life Facebook page and invite your friends
4. Talk to your Priest or Pastor at your parish to find out how you can share Pro-Life news and "happenings" in Alberta and Canada

Thank you for all your efforts in fighting to protect the dignity and value of all life. Let us continue forward joyfully in hope, keeping our eyes on the Ressurected Christ.

Sincerely,

Naomi Senten (Alberta Pro-Life)

The following video is produced by the Canadian Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.

Along with it, the CCBER includes this description: "In this video the mask of choice is ripped off to reveal the reality of abortion in all of its gruesome horror."

Warning: It contains a lot of pretty graphic clips.

The current "40 Days for Life" campaign is the largest in the movement's history. Over 300 grass-root groups have stepped forward to host a site where praying for the end of abortion is occurring and this in seven different countries. Information regarding the history of the movement may be found here.

Here in Canada, we are also seeing the greatest numbers of vigil locations occurring in any one campaign since these began back in 2007. From Victoria, B.C., through the prairies, into central Canada, and out east in the Maritime provinces, fifteen organizations have committed themselves to the cause of the unborn through 40 days of praying and fasting and constant vigil.

In Edmonton, Alberta, the prayer vigil caught the attention of the Western Catholic Reporter. In an October 10 story, and found here, the article notes the ecumenical tone to the vigil as both protestant and Catholic groups are participating.

Further, the reporter notes that what had been a once a year vigil - in the spring time, has for the first time become a twice a year event. Karen Richert, office director for Edmonton Pro-Life, says in regard to this change: "...we had a lot of people say to us that the weather is so much more favourable in the fall, so that's why we're doing both now.

Finally, we read how the vigilers are disproving the myth that we are there to judge and condemn the women who wish to procure an abortion. “People just want somebody to talk to, and they want to know that they are not hated for what they’ve done, so that sign of hope and witness is always so important,” said Richert.

In today's Journal de Montreal, you will find a story, on pages 14-15, entitled "Le bilan de sante du Grand Montreal" - An Inventory of Montreal's Health. The two-page spread outlines various statistics regarding well-being in Montreal, both pros and cons.

I wish to add a statistic that has escaped the editors of the daily. According to Stats Can, for every hundred births in the Quebec hub, there are 60 abortions.  That's right, out of 160 pregnancies, 60 of our defenseless brothers and sisters do not get to see the light of day.

As the 40 Days for Life Prayer vigil was approaching its end, we received an urgent request. One of the vigilers asked for prayers for a young woman who was being pressured to abort. Seemingly, this young woman's parents and boy-friend were insisting that she end the life of her unborn child. Deeply troubled, she confided to a work mate.

Being on the mailing list of the Elliot Institude, I eerily experienced first-hand what I had frequently read from this post-abortion service. Its web site is aptly identified: http://afterabortion.org

The Elliot Institute actively documents cases of forced abortions. Since 1988, it has compiled an impressive bibliography of original research. Further, it has used these studies to educate and advocate for women, men, children and families hurt by abortion. For example, a sample of its peer-reviewed research includes articles, leaflets, and books such as:

• Abortion Linked to Preterm Birth, But Why Aren't Women Being Told?
• More Than 30 Studies in Last Five Years show Negative Impact of Abortion on Women's Mental Health (11/16/10)
• Researchers Say Study Claiming Abortion Not Linked to Teen Depression is Falwed (10/11/11)

These and other of their researching findings make their way into their education work via flyers and fact-sheets.  One flyer set for mother's day reads:

whereas a fact-sheet includes the following statistics:

• 64% of abortions involve coercion
• 84% were not fully informed
• 52% felt rushed and 54% uncertain beforehand, yet ...
• 67% received no counseling,
• 79% were not informed about alternatives.

The Elliot Institute also notes that too often coercion can escalate to violence.  A recent posting of theirs bears this out - "Ohio Man Pleads guilty to Attempting to Force Girlfriend into Abortion Clinic at Gunpoint."  Recent incidents in Newfoundland and in western Canada have shown such that such violence also occurs here in Canada.

 Their advocacy has included participation in the ad hoc Committee of Women Pregnant Through Sexual Assault and in the drafting of laws targeting women coerced, forced, or pressured into abortion by those around them.

In sum, the Elliot Institute is a valuable on-line resource for all persons involved in the pro-life cause. 

Returning to the young lady to whom I alluded to earlier, I commend her to your prayers.  Though I'm told she has fortunately not gone through with an abortion, yet, as the Elliot Institute has shown, the mother's womb is not safe place for the unborn at any time during its time there.