Linda Gibbons: 7 years in prison for trying to save babies. Karla Homolka: 12

Linda Gibbons has now spent half as much time in prison as Karla Homolka did. Linda is in prison for saving babies’ lives and helping women avoid the harm of abortion. Karla Homolka spent 12 years in prison for the charge of “manslaughter,” the charge she admitted to in her plea bargain.

Linda is in prison on a criminal charge for violating an Ontario civil court order, an order that amounts to her being banned from telling the truth about abortion outside a facility where abortions are being performed.

Last-minute scrambling by the Federal Government prevented Karla Homolka from applying for a pardon in July. Although the details of the legislation passed by the House of Commons had not been released by the time this blog was written, it appears from media reports that the door to a pardon for her has not been entirely sealed shut. There’s still a chance that in the future she could apply and be granted.

Linda, on the other hand, is now deemed to have a criminal record. Is she likely ever to receive a pardon? No. Because she won’t stop doing what the injunction forbids her from doing.

Linda was initially charged with obstructing a police officer. The judge in her current case, Justice J. Sutherland, asked how it was possible for someone to obstruct a police officer by disobeying an injunction. Crown Attorney L. Shin argued it was Linda’s refusal to leave the bubble zone that constituted the obstruction. The judge was unconvinced. That charge was dropped.

How absurd to accuse this frail grandmother of obstructing a police officer, especially since she offers no resistance to being bundled into a police vehicle.

How absurd for Parliament has to debate whether Homolka deserves to appeal for a pardon, while a provincial court refuses Linda bail citing Linda’s “criminal record.”

How absurd that in Canada, Linda’s attempts at free speech in the public square earn her half the imprisonment of a convicted killer.

Tom Kelly, Executive Director

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Prayer Campaign for Life

May 10, 2010 - A prayer campaign for life that has been launched in the U.S. invites all people of good will to pray daily using a prayer being co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Sisters of Life.  

The National Prayer Campaign for Life was initiated by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York at a Mass on May 3 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the passing of His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor.

 This is the prayer that the Archbishop and the two co-sponsoring organizations invite “Knights, Catholics and all people of good will” to pray:

Eternal Father, Source of Life,

strengthen us with your Holy Spirit

to receive the abundance of life you have promised.

 

Open our hearts to see and desire

the beauty of your plan for life and love.

 

Make our love generous and self-giving so that we may be blessed with joy.

 

Grant us great trust in your mercy.

Forgive us for not receiving your gift of life

and heal us from the effects of the culture of death.

 

Instill in us and all people reverence for every human life.

Inspire and protect our efforts on behalf of those most vulnerable especially the unborn, the sick and the elderly.

 

We ask this in the Name of Jesus

who by His Cross makes all things new. Amen.

The prayer can be concluded with:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Co-sponsoring the campaign along with the KoC is the contemplative/active religious community of the Sisters of Life, founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O’Connor for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. The Sisters of Life have a community in Toronto at St. Augustine Convent, 2661 Kingston Road, Scarborough, ON, M1M 1M3.

‘You saved my life . . .”

The website of the KoC contains this spiritually uplifting quote from Cardinal O’Connor: 

“If all the marches, all the prayers, the speeches, the encyclicals, the entire effort of each of you saved but one human life, would not the Lord of Life say to each one of us and to each individual who has ever made the effort on behalf of human life: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Receive the kingdom the Lord has prepared for you from all of eternity. For you not only fed me and clothed me, confirmed and consoled, and visited me in prison. You saved my life.’” - John Cardinal O’Connor

Tom Kelly, Executive Director

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What Alice Heard from Humpty Dumpty on Euthanasia

April 19, 2010 -Alice in Wonderland’s conversation with Humpty Dumpty has invaded the debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Open dialog on the ethics, morality and long-term societal effects of the proposed legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide is essential and urgent in view of the Parliamentary vote on Bill C-384 due for this week (see item below). Despite this, the doctors who edit the influential Canadian Medical Association Journal have written an editorial stating that it is: “Time to move on from the euthanasia debate.”

Yet the authors of this editorial, Ken Flegel, MDCM, MSc, senior associate editor, and Paul C. Hébert, MD, MHSc, editor-in-chief, of the CAMJ, conclude by urging physicians to “help educate the public to enable engagement in this very important societal issue.”

They make two disturbing assertions:

1. They want doctors to stop using the word “euthanasia” and substitute it with something else.
2. They want doctors to ”avoid further polarization of this important debate with our own values and ideologies.”

What ‘Euthanasia’ Means

The first assertion is disturbing because to change the name confuses the meaning. Drs Flegel and Hébert wrote that the word euthanasia should no longer be used “to describe the actions we might take to help dying patients.” But another doctor, Jose Pereira, physician and professor of palliative care at the University of Ottawa, has said that the actions he and his staff take in palliative care also help dying patients. (Dr. Pereira took part in the recent televised debate on TVO.)

To expunge the word euthanasia and replace it with something like “help in dying” confuses euthanasia with palliative care.

Some people, including some doctors, it seems, are already confused about the difference between euthanasia and a person refusing or asking for withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment. Euthanasia is any deliberate and intentional act that causes death. Withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment allows death to occur naturally.

A Strategy That Promotes Euthanasia

Margaret Somerville, who holds professorships in both the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, has stated that: “Redefinition is a particular strategy to promote euthanasia. It confuses euthanasia with other medical interventions that are acceptable, such as consenting to withdrawal of life-support treatment.” (Prof. Somerville was interviewed for the website Zenit.org and is quoted on the website of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.)

Prof. Somerville sees no difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide. She has written that every argument in favour of legalization is made on the basis of individual cases of suffering, which is an attempt to justify euthanasia in these particular cases. If something needs to be justified it is inherently unethical, she explained in an article in the Globe and Mail that is also posted on the website The Mark (click here to see the full article.)

Doctors Who Put Personal Values Aside

The second assertion calls for doctors to put their own values and ideologies to one side. That sounds like politicians who say they don’t allow their religious beliefs or personal ideologies to influence their politics. If they don’t follow their own beliefs and values, whose do they? And how can I trust them?

I don’t want to be governed by politicians who believe one thing but do another. I don’t want to be treated by doctors who do the same. And I don’t want such doctors to influence our lawmakers.

 Humpty Dumpty’s View vs The Real World

What was it Humpty Dumpty said to Alice that has some bearing on this?

“‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’”

This is not Wonderland, doctors. This is the real world where, in Oregon, when the state medical authority rejects an application from a patient to cover the cost of an expensive drug, it also sends out a notice offering the state’s assisted suicide program.

That’s the road that legalization of euthanasia will take us.

Euthanasia means killing, pure and simple.

Tom Kelly, Executive Director

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Twitter Video of Medical Abortion: Where’s the Compassion?

A video recently posted on Twitter shows a young woman, Angie Jackson, explaining that she is “having an abortion - right now” through use of the abortion-inducing pill, RU-486. She recorded it, she says, to show people that it’s “not that bad - not that scary - basically like a miscarriage” . . . “to demystify abortion,” and to tell women “this is nothing compared to childbirth.”

What is so sad about this is how misinformed she is, how widely her misinformation is being spread an influencing others, and how her baby will never know her love. But also sad is the judgmental and hostile reaction to her by a few of the people who regret the death of her preborn child. They too are misinformed.

Although this happened in the U.S., and RU-486 is not legally available in Canada except for experimental purposes, the story is relevant. The way she tells it and the supportive reaction on her Twitter site could encourage people to press for legal availability of RU-486 here also.

Planned Parenthood clinic

Angie explains that she already has a child, a special-needs little boy. She was warned when she gave birth to him that, for health reasons, she should not have more children. When she later discovered she was four weeks pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic which provided her with the abortion-inducing medications.

On the video, she states she is having an abortion “right now.” A little later, she types into her Twitter page “cramps are getting a bit more persistent.” A few hours later: “Definitely bleeding now.”

Risks of RU-486, the ‘Abortion Pill’

In reporting the cramping and bleeding, she acknowledged common effects of RU-486. What she has not acknowledged, and probably was unaware of, are dangerous after-effects. It appears Planned Parenthood did not have enough true compassion for Angie to explain to here the risks. 

Here is a summary, taken from the book Women’s Health After Abortion, published by the deVeber Institute, and from the website of the Abortion/Breast-Cancer Coalition:

• Bleeding: usually women bleed for 10 days, some longer. In U.S. trials, nine per cent of women bled for longer than 30 days, one per cent for more than 60 days. The Population Council, sponsor and patent-holder of RU-486, states that one out of 50 women will hemorrhage requiring surgical intervention.
• Delayed bleeding: bleeding starts an average of 24 days after treatment, which “may be unacceptable to some women,” according to a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine to which the deVeber book refers. The woman needs to remain close to a hospital.
• Incomplete abortions: during U.S. trials, five per cent of women experienced incomplete abortions. Incomplete abortions can cause infection, sterility and death. Surgical abortion is then necessary.
• Pain: some women report more pain that with a surgical abortion.
• Other side-effects: nausea, extreme cramping, headache, diarrhea, skin rash, allergic reaction, vomiting, and high temperatures.

The women, like Angie Jackson, goes through the pain of the induced delivery at home, not in a clinic or hospital where she wouldhave immediate care.

The authors of the deVeber book state: “As in other questions about the effects of abortion on women’s health, many of these findings have been understated by North-American researchers. . . . leading to the question: Are women in Canada and the United States being fully informed of the medical risks of the procedure?”

Psychiatric Problems of Abortion

Although there is no specific mention in these sources to psychological consequences of medically-induced abortion, the deVeber book states:

• “Researchers at the deVeber Institute have consistently found a link between mental health and abortion. Women who have had an induced abortion are at a greater risk for suicide, major depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, alcohol dependence, illicit drug dependence, and mean number of mental health problems
• “A study by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario revealed that women who had abortions had a five times increase in hospitalizations for psychiatric problems than a control population.
• “We have found that induced abortion does affect women’s mental health.”

Since the mental health problems occur because a woman knows she has caused the death of a baby, the method - surgical or medical - seems irrelevant.

Compassion for Preborn and Women in Crisis

When Angie Jackson’s baby died at four or five weeks, he or she was about one-third of an inch long, had a rudimentary heart and a developing brain and nervous system.

Many people who entered comments on her blog commended her for having the abortion and for publicising it. This shows she has encouraged others to overlook the reality of life of the preborn and to abort them. She has spread misinformation that medically-induced abortion is a safe and easy procedure.

What adds to the sadness are the vitriolic accusations, condemnation and hateful insults directed at her by some of the other people posting comments on her blog, people who oppose abortion. Yes, they are right to stand up for the right to life of her baby. But their accusations are being taken by Angie Jackson’s supporters as characteristic of pro-life and turning them even more firmly away from us.

Where is the empathy of those few for a young woman convinced that her health and ability to care for her son were at risk? Where, in their blog postings, is any expression of the compassion that should be the hallmark of pro-life, that would help to lead Angie Jackson and her supporters to turn to Birthright or Project Rachel? Angry reactions to those who blogged pro-life sentiments far outnumbered the pro-life comments and showed that the effect was for pro-abortion sentiments to become more firmly entrenched.

What we should offer people like Angie are the mercy and non-judging that the Gospel says should be the signs of a Christian.

Sources:

Women’s Health After Abortion, The Medical and Psychological Evidence, by Elizabeth Ring-Cassidy and Ian Gentles, The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research, Toronto  http://www.deveber.org/

Abortion/Breast-Cancer Coalition  http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/abc.html

American Life League http://www.all.org/

Picture: Artist’s depiction of a baby at five weeks gestation. Courtesy  http://www.standupgirl.com/

 

Tom Kelly, Executive Director

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Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad: Food for Thought on Women’s Rights

9 February 2010 - The much anticipated Tim Tebow pro-life ad aired on US TV stations during the Super Bowl (but not on Canadian cable channels that substituted Canadian advertisements). It proved to be a gentle light-hearted show of affection between Pam Tebow and the son she was advised to abort, Tim Tebow, who grew up to be an award-winning football player. The reactions of Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women (NOW), which opposed the ad as being “anti-choice,” give us an opportunity to reflect on the rights of women to be told the truth.

In the ad, Pam Tebow talks of how she nearly lost Tim more than once during the pregnancy and reflects on how tough a time it was. Looking at the size of Tim now, it’s hard to picture him as a baby.

As she talks, Tim appears to knock her to the ground with a (computer-faked) flying tackle. She pops back up to tell her son “You’re not nearly as tough as I am.” The ad closes by inviting viewers to visit the Focus on the Family website for her full story.

Every woman is valued

Prior to the release of the ad, Planned Parenthood issued a video as a rebuttal, featuring two other star athletes, football player Sean James and Olympic gold medallist Al Joyner.

Sean James says, “We’re working towards the day when every woman will be valued and every woman’s decision about her health and her family will be respected.” Al Joyner adds, “I want my daughter to live in a world were everyone’s decision are respected.”

The clear implication is that pro-lifers do not value women and respect their decisions as much as Planned Parenthood does. Well, the truth is we do value women and respect their decision-making.

Every woman’s right to know

We value them so much that we believe a woman has the right to full, accurate and honest information to enable her to make fully-informed decisions. We know that such information is not coming from Planned Parenthood or its Canadian counterpart, the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, which both persist in denying the harmful effects of abortion, such as the increased risk of breast cancer.

We know from experience and research that when given the full facts about life in the womb, about the health risks of abortion and about all her options and the services available to help women in crisis pregnancies carry their babies to full term, most say “yes” to their babies’ lives and to their own health.

NOW silliness

Once the ad was aired and seen to be innocuous, the National Organization for Women (NOW) resorted to silliness to find something to criticize. NOW president Terry O’Neill told the LA Times she was “blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it,” referring to Tim’s “tackle” of his mum. Well, the Snickers candy bar people had an ad in which Betty White and Abe Vigoa were also thrown to the ground by tackles. About that the NOW website says: “the joke of this ad really is on women and old people — how lame we are physically and how funny it is when we go boom.”

What went “boom” is NOW, the sound of its double-standard blowing up in its face.

Tom Kelly, Executive Dirtector

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What Babies Hear in the Womb

Many mothers know for sure that their babies hear and react to their voices and even to music while in the womb, and now scientists in Germany and Ireland have caught up with them.

When my wife Mary was pregnant with our son Dan, our fourth child, she went through a period of stress and anxiety, and to calm her and give her an emotional and spiritual comfort, she used to play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Later, as a lively little boy, whenever she played it again Dan would stop leaping around the house and lie down to listen.

When he was about seven, Mary had read about research done on babies being able to hear in the womb and as an experiment she took Dan into the bedroom and asked him to listen to some music and tell her what he thought. She put on the Four Seasons and left him looking a little puzzled. When she came back in, he was lying on the bed in the fetal position and he said, “I kind of remember that music but I don’t know why.

A recent study of babies in Ireland showed that “babies with normal hearing start moving in reaction to sound around 16 weeks gestational age.” This is earlier than previous estimates and about two months before the baby’s ear is completely formed. Babies react to music and even “begin learning the mother’s native language . . .while in the womb,” according to the scientists’ report to the Association for Pre- & Perinatal Psychology and Health (www.birthpsychology.com).

In Germany, researchers at the University of Würzburg studied the cries of 60 newborns three to five days old, 30 from French families and 30 from German. They found that the way babies hear their mothers’ voices is related to how they hear music before birth.

French speaking people use a rising melodic pattern in their language, while Germn speaking people prefer a falling pattern. Their babies show they same preference: French babies in the research cried with a rising pattern and German babies with a falling pattern.

How babies imitate melodic patterns relies on only a command of their voice-boxes developed before birth, researcher Kathkeen Wermke told the website Live Science (www.livescience.com).

Statistics Canada says that more than 3,000 abortions are performed each year in Canada on babies at 16 weeks, when they are already learning their mothers’ voices.

Tom Kelly, Executive Director

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The Joy of Life at Christmas

There’s a certain joy to be felt when working for pro-life, even though we are surrounded by abortion and euthanasia and they don’t seem to be going away. It comes, I believe, from the faith that one day the culture of death will be vanquished by the culture of Life, and each of us — every volunteer, every worker, every donor, every pray-er — will have played a part pleasing to God.

Tom Kelly, Executive Director