This weekend I gave nine talks out east at the invitation of Jack Ames of Defend Life. I started in Baltimore with a talk at Johns Hopkins University to fifty students, many of whom were pro-abortion including leaders of two campus pro-abortion groups.
Nine Talks in 48 Hours
The Johns Hopkins audience was polite and quietly listened to my talk, which was a relief considering some college groups I’ve talked to. A pro-life junior who spoke with me about her interest in a career in pro-life genetic counseling contacted the League and we sent her some information to help her along.
Then I spoke at Immaculate Conception parish in Towson to 200 people, then to Lancaster, PA where I spoke to two assemblies of Lancaster High School students, did an interview with the Lancaster New Era, to Ellicott City, MD to speak at our Lady of Perpetual Help and at the Church of the Annunciation in Rosedale, MD. Saturday I spoke at St. Andrew by the Bay in Annapolis, MD and at St. James Church in Falls Church, VA.
Nine talks in less than 48 hours. And I loved it.
Eleventh Hour for Terri Schiavo
The ongoing case of Terri Schiavo seems to be coming to a head, with the Florida Court determined, along with her husband, to withdraw Terri’s feeding tube and allow her to die a painful death by starvation. Despite efforts by Governor Jeb Bush and an appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court, it now appears that there is nothing more the Schindlers, Terri’s parents, can do to keep Terri alive.
But several groups of pro-life leaders are still trying to save Terri. The League has joined a group of seven pro-life leaders who are mailing a letter explaining the entire story and what can be done at this late date.
We cannot repeat the letter here explaining the particulars of Terri’s case and what a death by starvation is like, but here are six things you can do:
- Pray harder than ever for Terri.
- If Terri’s feeding tube is removed, fast from food and water for one day to experience what she will be suffering for ten to twelve days until she dies.
- Write or call Gov. Jeb Bush at 850-488-4441 and ask him to do all he can to save Terri.
- If you can get to Florida to demonstrate in front of Terri’s Hospice in Pinellas, FL please plan to do so.
- Make an online donation to the effort.
- Read and forward our letter to every pro-lifer you know.
Learn the whole story by reading our letter.
Face the Truth in Ireland
Three cheers for Precious Life and President Bernie Smyth of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Bernie and her group go out on the streets of Belfast to show the pictures of abortion, and have been doing so for the past seven years.
They have had little trouble until last week when Belfast Police seized their display and said they could no longer show the “offensive material.” The pictures were thrown into a police van and the group was cautioned that they faced prosecution for showing such materials.
Bernie called this threat a disgrace, since all they are trying to do is protect mothers and babies from abortion. She said that 600 abortions are performed each day in the United Kingdom, many from Northern Ireland.
In the past they have had no trouble with the police, and even had a ruling from the Director of Public Prosecutions stating that it is not illegal to display these pictures. Bernie’s conclusion to her press release does not surprise us at all:
We will not be deterred by the police action today. We will continue to show the true reality of abortion. We will be out again on Monday showing these pictures on the streets of Belfast. The horror of abortion is the world’s best kept secret and it must be exposed.
If we know Bernie Smyth, her team will be back on the streets of Belfast with their pictures, police or not. More on this matter later. Stay tuned.
Birth Control Not the Answer
In Monday’s Chicago Tribune, Nathan Origer of Notre Dame, IN. is right on target, pointing out that the Catholic Church is not the problem in the abortion battle by outlawing birth control, but indeed is the solution, because if people were willing to look upon sexuality as something important and God-given, we would have fewer unwanted pregnancies, stop glorifying sex for its own sake and become responsible for our actions.
