It appears today that the truth is not important anymore. What is important is to do what is "politically correct", not what is right. Our involvement in politics should be driven by the uncompromising belief that no one is worthless and that truth is paramount. For this reason, we, as Christians, defend the Right of the unborn to live. It is also the reason why we stand against suicide and euthanasia. We do not have a right to kill people because they are near death and need our help. Our witness to the dignity of human life also requires that we speak up against unjust wars, (eg. Ukraine, Gaza), for migrants who are fleeing violence (eg. Somalia, Kenya) and other hardships (eg. North Korea, Afghanistan). These people have dignity no matter what language they speak and no matter what religion they practice. The same is true for prisoners. No matter what crimes they have committed, their lives still matter and they still deserve to be treated with respect. As Christians, we must give voice to all those people whom the world says are worthless. When it comes to human dignity, we cannot make any compromises. Period! The world needs our witness more than ever. So let us not be afraid to speak up for those who are so often forgotten and overlooked.
Date posted: 2024-04-11
One of the most painful things we can ever experience is being made to feel that we don't belong. All of us have experienced this sometime in our lives. For example, some people are made to feel different because of their race or ethnic background. All around us we see the damaging effects of racism in society just because of the color of another person's skin, age (unborn/elderly), or disability (Down Syndrome). We can also be made to feel different because of our job. Other times, people can be made to feel "less than" because they struggle with physical limitations, mental illness or just feeling different from others without knowing why. We find cases like this throughout the gospels. Take for example the leper story which centers on a segment of people "not belonging". Many of us today have been singled out like the leper. In those days, lepers suffered a particular kind of ostracism. People found them disgusting. Imagine the pain and loneliness that those lepers must have felt. Wherever you find yourself today in life's journey, be assured that God is in control. He loves you. Like the leper, not only can Jesus heal you, but Jesus wants to heal you.
Date posted: 2024-03-05
Bishop Tobin states that "homosexual activity is unnatural and gravely immoral. It's offensive to Almighty God. It can never be condoned, under any circumstances." The movement for same-sex "marriage," he added, "seeks to radically redefine the most fundamental institution of the human race, the building block of every society and culture. From the beginning, marriage has been defined as the stable union of man and woman, designed by God to continue the human race through the procreation of children. Homosexual relationships are not marriage - never have been, never will be." It is important to clarify that the Church "DOES ACCEPT" the LGBTQ+ Community. This presents NO problem for the Church. But the sexual behaviour, the sexual acts of the LGBTQ+ Community does present a problem. It does NOT correspond with Catholic teaching which applies to everyone who is Catholic, married or unmarried.
Date posted: 2023-08-06
Millions of babies have come into the world through In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). This method can provide couples with a child they desperately want. And it has brought many precious new lives into being, and real happiness to millions of parents. Therefore, many now think IVF is the answer to infertility. BUT IT IS NOT! There is no story in the Bible that describes our current society better than the story of the Tower of Babel. Like us, the people of Babel were professionals with a working amount of technical skills. However, they allowed that knowledge to fool them into believing that they could compete with God - that they could do what God alone can do. We know that with all their human know-how, in the end, all they had to show for their work was a pile of rubble. We, in the present century, find ourselves in much the same situation. Our scientific technical know-how today far exceeds the scientists of Babel. However, there has also been a dark side to this technological advancement.
Date posted: 2023-07-08
Every day, throughout the world, we see the effects of hatred between people whenever we watch news on TV or open the morning newspaper. When violence breaks out, it takes place in homes, workplaces, public institutions, schools, health care facilities and on city streets. It happens in so many senseless ways and women and children are often the victims. We also see the devastating effects of violence and hatred in so many places in our world that are at war. A prime example is Ukraine. Where once there were people raising their families and making livelihoods for themselves, there is nothing but the ashes of burnt out homes and businesses. We humans can become so full of rage that we don't care who we destroy in the process. Recently, not very much has been written about Down Syndrome human beings. As the intentional killing of unborn babies with Downs syndrome continues to increase at an alarming rate, we, the adult generation, are gradually erasing an entire category of people. Once diagnosed with Down Syndrome, the unborn child of today faces almost certain death by abortion.
Date posted: 2023-06-14
Turning 80 several years ago, I have come to accept the fact that now I am a part of the worldwide "Senior Family". By 2050, the world's population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million. We also know for a fact that the number of people aged 60 years and older have outnumbered children younger than 5 years. Yes, people worldwide are living longer. A new world order is being created, a generation referred to as the "Senior Family Generation". For extensive research on contribution of elderly to society, much can be found by searching google. Here I would like to speak about death, a topic on the minds of all who belong to this new generation. Whether in good health or not, preparations are necessary to age gracefully.
Date posted: 2023-02-24
Ukrainian authorities say over 400 hundred children have been killed and many more injured since the start of Russia's invasion nearly eight months ago. Among the many victims of the deadliest conflict since World War II are these small children for whom life has just begun. According to the news this morning, Russia has raised the level of unmerciful destruction. The military is hitting Ukraine with a wave of attacks, dive-bombing the capital, Kyiv, with Iranian-made "kamikaze drones". These massive strikes have cut the electricity in hundreds of towns and villages causing blackouts and much fear with winter approaching. We are facing a new type of war, nuclear countries with nuclear weapons attacking or intimidating smaller non-nuclear countries. In the midst of this conflict which we view daily on TV and read in newspapers, we wonder where God is. Does He really care? Why does He allow this to happen? Just when we feel we need God the most, it seems as though He is further away than ever. Why is He silent?
Date posted: 2022-10-23
When we look at the state of the world today, it is easy to get discouraged and depressed. In all areas of our life as a society - whether it is the economy, the corona pandemic, world politics or the war on children - things are not good and in general appear to be getting worse, like the senseless attacks in Ukraine by Putin and his gestapo army. I think that most people will admit that our world is more divided now than ever before. The real value and dignity of human life has been placed on the slippery slope of destruction while science and technology introduce a false future of hope for mankind, not to mention big businesses raking in money from these so-called modern advances. Just recently, we learned that Israeli scientists have created the world's first "synthetic embryos". This time the attack by adults focuses on pre-born children at the very beginning of their lives, ie. "synthetic embryos" grown outside of the womb without the natural process of sperm, egg and fertilization. Now the slippery slope of science begins.
Date posted: 2022-09-14
A recent scandal hit the news recently highlighting an unbelievable attack on our children by the gay community: "Child-friendly Drag Shows". This article shows two video recordings of scarcely dressed drag queens dancing in front of children and a bright pink neon sign in the background saying "It's Not Going to Lick Itself." Young children can be seen sitting at a bar and handing money to drag queens. Repugnant and Sickening! Why is there no ADULT outcry? The original intention of removing the stigma of homosexuality from the gay community seems to have changed in recent years. It has shifted from acceptance to abolishing the difference between males and females, and between adults and children. Yet, science states definitely (100%) that a man and a woman are biologically different. God created them different for a reason and one cannot become the other. Regardless of what the media says, this is an impossibility. PERIOD. Candice Jackson summaries it well: "'LGBTQ Pride' is a spiritual cult that's anti-reality, anti-civil liberties, targeting children for fantasy-based rites of body sacrifice to liberate 'gender souls' & 'queer' sexualization."
Date posted: 2022-07-03
It is so easy in life to lose sight of what's most important. Our days are so busy that we often overlook problems facing our children both born and unborn. Take for example freezing unborn embryos. This is another obsession in waging war on Children. This procedure takes a living human person and actually freezes it. This freezing, also known commonly as solidification, is a phase transition where an unborn child turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. We must ask ourselves "When does human life begin?" Are embryos human people? Are pre-born children human embryos at the beginning of pregnancy? The answer is very simple. Is the pregnant woman human? Yes. Is her partner human? Yes. It follows that the embryo in the woman's body must be of the same species - HUMAN. Then it is safe to say that frozen human embryos are the most weak and vulnerable of human beings.
Date posted: 2022-05-21
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine is deepening as Russian illegal forces intensify their shelling; food, water, heat and medicine are growing increasingly scarce. More than four million refugees, including 1.5 million children, have fled Ukraine and many more are still on the way. For me, it is difficult to comprehend how a group of young Russians can intentionally inflict such unbelieveable suffering on another group of defenseless human beings, especially grandparents, mothers and their children. How they can target and destroy their homes, hospitals, Churches, residential apartments and shopping centers? 75 year later, are we witnessing another Hitler and his Gestapo military? I wonder if the Russian people really support this deadly invasion which is causing so much needless suffering to so many Ukrainians? It's hard to tell. Putin has not only taken control of Russian free press, radio and TV, but has also threatened his own population with a 15-year prison penalty for anyone who dare oppose the war in Ukraine or speak against his military; in short, suppressing his own people and those of other nations as well. How long can the Russian population remain silent? Western officials warned of their "serious concern" that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons on Kyiv. It's time for new leadership, this guy has lost it.
Date posted: 2022-03-09
A Christian wants to listen closely to Jesus' words. It makes sense that if we only love those who love us back and only do good to those who do good to us then there is nothing noble or heroic in that. The truth of Jesus' words resounds in our hearts. It makes us want to be the type of people who can love even our enemies and do good even to those who wish us harm. In the core of our being, we want to be people who forgive, who bless others, and who love unconditionally. However, as we try to live Jesus' words, we come face-to-face with our human weakness. As much as we may want to forgive, we find ourselves holding on to petty grudges or carrying out prejudices to an extreme. As much as we may want to do good to others, we fear that we will be taken advantage of. So few people take up the challenges of Jesus' words because of pride and fear. And when we see others holding back, we are tempted to do the same. Is it really possible to love our enemies?
Date posted: 2022-03-01
"Every child is a different kind of flower and all together make this world a beautiful garden." (by unknown) One of the most precious things that we have in this world are our children. God has created each one individually as a unique human person, a one-of-a-kind who is very precious to Him. In the beginning, God made "male and female", wishing them to share in His creative work by saying "increase and multiply". The result of this participation with God is children, each of whom are precious and possess a "special" talent and ability that gives life to the world. Beginning at an early age and throughout its childhood, the child needs a safe atmosphere to develop as a human being. This is a time in which children should live free from fear, safe from violence, and protected from abuse and exploitation. Children are the world's future, and we need to take care of them like we would any precious resource.
Date posted: 2022-02-04
It's that time of the year again. Christmas. It's been a long year - the pandemic with its new faces still lingers, major military buildups across the planet, dictators suppressing human rights, waging war on children both unborn and born, transgender men taking over women sports, daily fake news, and the list continues as we glance at the headlines in the morning newspapers. And yes, Christmas 2023 is here, at least as a holiday. Yet what is missing in today's troubled world? Simply put, Christmas is missing. The big question is "How can we possibly celebrate December 25th when Christ is missing." To celebrate Christmas without the person Christ is like celebrating your birthday without you.
Date posted: 2021-12-25
(BEFORE COP25) -- "You'll die of old age; we'll die of climate change!" Young people strike back against apathy among politicians dealing with climate change. "What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!" echoed throughout central Glasgow as thousands of protesters took the streets during the dedicated "Youth Day" at COP26. Young leaders did their best to make their voices be heard, expressing their discontent with the current state of climate action, or, as some claimed, "climate inaction." Even very small children gathered in the demonstration. "Climate change is worse than homework", one of them told UN News. WHO estimates that 80% of the illnesses, injuries, and deaths occurring due to climate change are poor children under 5-years of age. Worldwide, over half a billion children are forced to live in extremely high flood area-zones; nearly 160 million live in extremely high drought area-zones. Isn't it about time for our apathic politicians to take "responsibility" and "do something constructive" to protect the future of our planet and our children? (AFTER COP25) -- ......
Date posted: 2021-11-10
What would you do? Let's say you are walking along the streets of a major city and you see a mother and child sitting on the sidewalk. The child looks very ill and is holding out a tin cup, desperately asking for help. How should I respond? Child begging is not only one of the worst forms of child labour, but one of the worst violations of a child's right and absolutely against the dignity of a child. The use of children for begging - whether the child appears to be accompanied by a 'parent' or not - is a denial of their fundamental rights, such as the right to protection, integrity and dignity. Immediate risks comprise physical and emotional abuse, abduction, rape, and accidents. Longer risks include ... an increased likelihood of drug use to ease this hard lifestyle, along with the exposure of being coerced into other dangerous work or bad situations (prostitution, forced labour, unsafe migration), involvement in crime plus a growing disconnection from their family and community. As Christians, how should we respond? Do we have a responsibility to do something?
Date posted: 2021-10-01
As you know, there is a very real war going on in the world right now. It's a war against the life of a child. In this segment, I will talk about "Child Laundering". The Bible tells us that each and every human being is made in the image of God, and the enemy would like nothing better than to attack that image by destroying each and every person he can, beginning with the preborn. It's up to us to fight on behalf of these innocent children. It's not easy, but God is on our side. The legal definition of "Child Laundering" refers to an act of stealing and selling a child to adopting parents under false pretenses. Then, through false paperwork, the child is "laundered" into a legal "orphan" and then sold commercially on a corrupt market. "Child Laundering" is a dirty business against children. It is motivated by evil men solely for the purpose of making money by exploiting the weakest. To counteract this, we must be strong, speak out publicly in order to provide a loving environment for our children. Individually, every Christian adult needs to be actively involved in solving this horrendous crisis. Children are the most precious treasure that we have. They guarantee our future.
Date posted: 2021-08-29
Life is Beautiful. Life is precious and sacred. Good people believe in the sanctity of the human person with rights and dignity to be protected and preserved. Yet there are those who disagree. They declare open war against the unborn child, but there is no such thing as a "good" war. In the end, millions of children die and many are left crippled. Why then fight this war in the first place? The reason is that a "War Against the Unborn" is very profitable. Selling/Buying aborted body parts is a billion-dollar (multi-billion?) industry. Scott Carney in his new book, "The Red Market", figures that he is worth about $250,000 if his body was broken down and sold as individual parts on what he called the "red market." The world was even more shocked when it learned that the University of Pittsburgh was harvesting organs of unborn babies "while their hearts were still beating".
Date posted: 2021-08-28
What harm does "Internet pornography" do to the lives of children? If you take a large glass of water and try to pour it into another glass one-fourth of its size, it is impossible. If you take an adult pornographic scene and show it to a small child, the result is the same. The small brain cannot comprehend the scene. As a result, try to imagine the psychologic impact and shock the child experiences. The corrosion of a child's mind and interior feelings begin at this early age and continue into adulthood. Estimates suggest that up to 90% or more youth between 12 and 18 years have access to the Internet. These school children in many cases are exposed to pornography when they accidentally view material online while searching for game or sports. Surprisingly, 70% of children viewing pornography on the internet do so in public schools and libraries. Other children may come into contact with a parent's pornographic material at home.
Date posted: 2021-08-18
In our world today, about 700 million people go to bed hungry every night. Yes, 700 million human beings. How many children? An estimated 18 million children worldwide are facing extreme food shortages and more than 5.7 million children under five are on the brink of starvation. How many kids die from hunger? Every year, more than 3 million children die from hunger-related causes. One child dies every 10 seconds. You may think one reason is that there is not enough food to go around. A recent study by the German government concluded that it would cost 330 billion dollars to end hunger in the world by 2030. That is, roughly, 37 billion dollars per year. By contrast for example, take the United States, people spend 659 billion dollars dining out in restaurants. They spend over 253 billion dollars a year on alcohol. And they spend about 87 billion dollars on food for their pets This alone would be enough to end world hunger by 2025. What can we conclude from this? SHORTAGE OF FOOD DOES NOT EXIST.
Date posted: 2021-08-10
The killing of unborn children is truly "A Crime Against Humanity". Their number far surpasses the total number of all war deaths in man's history. Each and every day, hospitals and licensed clinics are responsible for the continous killing of countless babies before they even get a chance to breathe air outside of the mother's womb. It should be clearly emphasized that an abortion involves carrying out the deliberate massacre of an innocent human life by adult doctor who made a vow to protect human life. To justify this procedure to kill, they proclaim it is their "right." Since these doctors are "human beings", we presumed they are speaking of "human rights". However, their usage of this term is incorrect. What are human rights? Human rights are those basic rights and freedoms that "belong to every person in the world", from their beginning until their natural death. To be more precise, these basic rights are based on shared values such as dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. This is the "universal definition and understanding" of the term "human rights". Consequently, in no way do doctors have the authority to claim that abortion is a "human right". Abortion and "human rights" are opposites. Life and Death. The voice of the global majority acknowledges this to be true and do not accept the statement that abortion falls into this category of "human rights". One cannot change the definition to suit one's personal evil action. Simple logic. To think otherwise is absurd.
Date posted: 2021-08-08
Why this adult obsession today in killing the unborn and/or permanently scarring the lives of the born?..... Throughout the world, children, be they preborn or born, are facing unspeakable attacks by adults everyday. These attacks can be classified as "crimes against humanity". Why? Because they kill or leave children permanently scarred for life. Children are in danger more today than at any time in the last 20 years. Instead of receiving care and protection from parents and guardians, they are introduced into a dangerous world, a world in which their life-journey begins by facing a terrifying first hurtle - death by abortion. They are looked upon as a commercial commodity by a waiting, hungry world-market. Major corporations like medical research centers, major universities, government labs and even cosmetic companies are waiting to buy preborn body parts. Selling and Buying aborted body parts is a billion-dollar (multi-billion$$$?) industry. Scott Carney in his new book, The Red Market, figures he is worth about $250,000 if his body was broken down into individual parts and sold on what he calls the "red market."
Date posted: 2021-07-28
While coping with the pandemic, we have an opportunity to rediscover basic values of humanity and the human bonds that connect us. One lesson: world hunger and apathy. In our world today, about 700 million people go to bed hungry every night. Yes, 700 million. You may think that the reason is that there is not enough food to go around. A recent study by the German government concluded that it would cost 330 billion dollars to end hunger in the world by 2030. That is, roughly, 37 billion dollars per year. By contrast a richer country, like in the United States, people spend 659 billion dollars dining out in restaurants. They spend over 253 billion dollars a year on alcohol. And they spend about 87 billion dollars on food for their pets - which would be enough to end world hunger by 2025. What can we conclude from this? Answer: SHORTAGE OF FOOD DOES NOT EXIST. There is plenty of food to go around. Problem: it is not reaching the people who need it most. One basic reason for this hunger crisis is that we have the attitude that feeding the hungry is someone else's problem, not mine.
Date posted: 2021-06-30
Abortion is the modern-day Massacre of the Innocents. We, as women, wish our feminine cry to be heard round the world. This declaration comes from the depth of our maternal hearts, which are devoted to defending the cause of life and combatting the culture of death. We therefore wholeheartedly affirm: "We will not be complicit in the modern-day Massacre of the Holy Innocents and we therefore refuse to accept any and all vaccines made using cells derived from aborted human fetuses."
Date posted: 2021-03-15
Eighty-six Catholic women from 25 countries issued a letter Monday opposing what they called "abortion-tainted" COVID-19 vaccines, and arguing Church statements approving their use rely on "an incomplete assessment of the science of vaccination and immunology." The signatories of the letter include doctors, nurses, bioethics experts, religious sisters, and pro-life activists from four continents. "We cannot sit back as the use of aborted human fetuses in medical research is gradually normalized as an "unfortunate" part of modern-day medicine," the women stated. "It is time for clergy and laity to boldly confront this horror and defend the right to life for the most vulnerable with maximum determination."? The evil of using aborted fetal cell lines involves not just the original murder, but the ongoing commercialization .....
Date posted: 2021-03-13
In recent weeks, news agencies and various information sources have reported that, in response to the Covid-19 emergency, some countries have produced vaccines using cell lines from aborted human fetuses. In the case of vaccines made from the cell lines of aborted human fetuses, we see a clear contradiction between the Catholic doctrine to categorically, and beyond the shadow of any doubt, reject abortion in all cases as a grave moral evil that cries out to heaven for vengeance (see Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 2268, n. 2270), and the practice of regarding vaccines derived from aborted fetal cell lines as morally acceptable in exceptional cases of "urgent needs? on the grounds of remote, passive, material cooperation. To argue that such vaccines can be morally licit if there is no alternative is in itself contradictory and cannot be acceptable for Catholics. Any link to the abortion process, even the most remote and implicit, will cast a shadow over the Church's duty to bear unwavering witness to the truth that abortion must be utterly rejected. The END cannot justify the MEANS.
Date posted: 2021-01-04
The Journey: HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!
The Light. What a great image to reflect on at the closing of one year and the beginning of a New Year. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:35). This Light began on Christmas Day 2020 and will carry us throughout the coming year 2021.
We learn much about light and darkness by looking around us. For example, if we briefly consider light and darkness from physics, we know that they are not two opposing forces. They are not fighting each other. Rather darkness simply implies the absence of light. Heat and cold are similar. Where there is heat, coldness disappears.
We can apply the same reasoning to our spiritual life. Every day we make choices.....
Date posted: 2021-01-01
There are 79,500,000 displaced people worldwide. How many displaced children are in the world today? In a report recently released by UNICEF, there are nearly 31 million children who have been forcibly displaced worldwide. This number includes some 13 million child refugees, approximately one million asylum-seeking children and an estimated 17 million children displaced within their own country who run the risk of exposure to violence, abuse and trafficking. The report notes that child refugees often live in overcrowded camps or temporary settlements, where physical distancing is not possible, and access to basic hygiene and health services is limited. These children are the "hidden victims" of the coronavirus as it continues to spread around the world.
Date posted: 2020-05-05
Dear Friends for Life: Many individuals in today's society understand the pain felt by mothers after they have aborted their babies. But what about Post-Abortion Syndrome which affects men? As the body count of unborn babies continues to increase, research shows that more and more fathers are desperately crying out in pain as a result of these abortions. Several weeks ago while browsing google on this topic, I ran across the following article: "My 'Friend' Assumed I'd Be Pro Abortion for Cleft Babies Like Mine & He's Dead Wrong". This, in turn, resulted in writing on abortion and unborn babies with cleft lip.
Date posted: 2020-04-20
Pope Francis said on New Year's Eve, "It is an act of love to spend time with others, to listen to them and their needs, and to try to see them as Christ sees them. "We are called to meet others and listen to their life, their cry for help." "LISTENING IS ALREADY AN ACT OF LOVE!" he said. In his homily in St. Peter's Basilica, our Holy Father said "having time for others, dialoguing, recognizing with a contemplative gaze the presence and action of God in their lives, witnessing the new life of the Gospel with DEEDS RATHER THAN WORDS, is truly a service of love which changes reality."
Date posted: 2020-01-01
Every Nativity scene is a "living Gospel", Pope Francis tells us. Looking at the Child in the manger, I try to understand what this means. What is a "living Gospel"? The Nativity scene for me communicates a message that the world should live out the important values of life more actively. These values include our relationship with each other, with the poor, the oppressed, the refugee, the unborn child, the elderly, in short, the "world's unimportant people" living around us. "We can see the invisible in what God has made visible", St. Paul says. How many refugees today are fleeing violence, seeking safety and rejected by many who claim to be Christian but discriminate against them. Jesus wants us to give them respect, food, shelter and a welcome. This small gesture will assure happiness and a healthy society. Why is it that in our materialistic world, even though Jesus inspires the principles and values behind 2human rights2?, his name is rarely mentioned. Will I take this child Jesus into my heart? Will I bring Him into a dark, lonely, and cold world? If I dare to do so, Christmas this year will not be an event of the past but a reality that continues in the present and into the future. Jesus is alive and active in me. Come, let us adore Him!
Date posted: 2019-12-24
Dear Friends for Life: In recent months, newspapers, magazines and news reporting have shown worsening trends regard current life issues. The slippery slope is widening and people's lives are hurting. God is gradually being removed from society, leaving a road of confusion, suffering and hidden guilt in its wake. During my annual retreat earlier this year, Psalm 139 caught my attention with its powerful message on Life and God's personal relationship to us as individuals. The Psalm is very meaningful and easy to understand. The Psalmist teaches us God's direction to Life, Happiness and Truth. While reflecting on the greatness of God's character to the reality of troublesome times surrounding us, a thought struck me, "What would the world be like without the living presence of God in my life, in the life of the world?"
Date posted: 2019-09-28
Dear Friends for Life: A serious question lingers among Catholic believers today. Are our Shepherds doing their job? According to Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America and the world, recently stated that among Catholic Republicans, 55% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases (leaving 45% approval). At the same time, 64% of Catholic Democrats say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The PRC concludes that Catholics often express opinions that are much more in line with the positions of their political parties than with the teachings of their church. Is this a sign that God and the Catholic Church no longer play a primary role in the lives of Baptized Catholics?
Date posted: 2019-06-11
Parents like us must remain anonymous to maintain our children's privacy, and because we face legal repercussions if our names are revealed. Parents who do not support their child's gender identity risk being reported to Child Protective Services and losing custody of their children.
Date posted: 2019-03-25
Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan responded to calls from Christians to excommunicate New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's for his role in enshrining a fundamental right?to virtually unlimited abortion in the state, by saying: Excommunicating Andrew Cuomo is "NOT an Appropriate Response" for Legalizing Abortions Up to Birth. What? We did not quite catch what you said Cardinal Dolan, would you please repeat that again for us Catholics: Excommunicating Andrew Cuomo is NOT an Appropriate Response for Legalizing Abortions Up to Birth. Wow! This is Gov. Andrew Cuomo who has always been an advocate of abortion, has just signed a bill to legally kill unborn innocent children throughout pregnancy, mocks the Catholic Church and you say that "excommunication is NOT an appropriated response". This bill paves the way for New York to become unquestionably an abortion paradise in the world. At present, a third of all new unborn babies are aborted. And the "DEVIL IS SMILING". Where are our Shepherds? Why are the Catholic bishops and priests not following the Church teachings that these Catholic politicians who passed this murderous law are to be excommunicated from the Church for doing this unless they publicly repent? By failing to stand up for God and protect innocent lives, they are leading others to grave mortal sin. Can you imagine it - an innocent baby, just hours from being naturally born, murdered in cold blood? It is disgusting.
Date posted: 2019-01-30
Pope Francis's greeting at the beginning of this year is: "Peace be to this house!" Bringing peace is central to the mission of Christ's disciples. That "peace" is offered to all those men and women who long for peace amid the tragedies and violence that mark human history. The "house" of which Jesus speaks is every family, community, country, and continent, in all their diversity and history.
Date posted: 2019-01-02
Christmas! God yearns for intimacy with humanity. He sends His Son who enters and becomes man in our current human condition: where more than one billion children live in extreme poverty, 22,000 die each day due to poverty; where an estimate of 40-50 million babies every year are not allowed to be born, about 125,000 per day; where more than 357 million children live in war and conflict zones, half in high-intensity areas. Yet the LIGHT of HOPE continues to burn for humanity. EMMANUEL- "God is with us". Jesus is born for all of us and gives all of us the love of God.He gives all His children this same love. Let us allow our heart, our soul, and our mind be touched by this fact. "Merry Christ-mas"
Date posted: 2018-12-24
Pornography on the Internet has exploded into millions of pornographic websites. Currently, it is a booming industry of nearly 100 billion dollars. Internet Pornography invades homes and destroys good families without any accountability to anyone. Early this afternoon, I count 36 phonographic emails in my computer's mailbox and there are still 10 hours left in the day. This, my friends, is a daily occurrence. Just one click on any of these emails will allow me unrestricted private access to their pornographic website. This simple procedure is also available to the fingertips of small children. The porn companies "without any moral principles" have opened the doors to Net porn, instantly allowing our innocent young generation of all ages to view both soft and hard pornography. Their sole purpose is the almighty dollar.
Date posted: 2018-09-29
Dear Friends for Life: A worldwide strategy ignites additional war on unborn babies. It's called "Prenatal Testing". The movement this time is not against healthy babies, but against babies with abnormalities in the womb. In Japan, since more women are delaying pregnancy, medical institutions will soon be allowed to conduct prenatal testing for Down syndrome. This bioethical testing debate has been going on for over 5 years since it was first introduced. The main reason is that over 90% of women having fetus abnormalities make a decision for abortion.
Date posted: 2018-09-18
On October 3rd, 2020, Pope Francis' new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti," does something that some Catholics believed could not be done: It ratifies a change in church teaching. In this case, on the death penalty. In August 2, 2018, Pope Francis ordered a revision to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, updating it to describe the death penalty as "inadmissible" and an "attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person." In Evangelium Vitae, St. Pope John Paul II identified a contradiction in contemporary culture. "Precisely in an age when the inviolable rights of the person are solemnly proclaimed and the value of life is publicly affirmed," he lamented, "the very right to life is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death."
Date posted: 2018-08-26
Dear Friends for Life: Violence against women is a violation of human dignity and, in its worst form, it violates the right to life. It is also an extreme expression of inequality on the ground of sex. To raise awareness of this problem, the UN sets aside 16 days each year to observe International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Statistics show that violence against women has become a global pandemic and is mainly three-fold: physical, sexual and psychological. Leslie Morgan Steiner, a Harvard-educated businesswoman who was in an abusive relationship, states that "domestic violence can happen to anyone. All races, all religions, all income and education levels. Over the past two years, UN found 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence“ 30% by an intimate partner.
Date posted: 2018-08-19
The crisis of health of trafficking victims in Southeast Asia deepens as a recent study finds victims badly abused. The research discovered that people caught in trafficking suffer beatings, neglect and severe health problems no matter where they end up working. Researchers interviewed more than 1,100 men, women and children in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, who had been trafficked into at least 15 sectors - including factory work, domestic labour, sex work and fishing. An estimated 56% of forced labourers live in the Asia and Pacific region, especially in the Greater Mekong subregion, which has more than 13 million migrant workers, 13% are trafficked Vietnamese migrants, and 17% of 596 Thai fisherman reported that they were working against their will or under threat of penalties.
Date posted: 2018-07-25
Dear Friends for Life: I mentioned in a previous article that surrogacy was a crack in a wall which would eventually break open into a huge, evil, slippery slope. It's happening faster than anticipated. LifeNews.com recently posted an article "Surrogacy Firms are Selling 'Extra' Babies on the Black Market to the Highest Bidder". Yes, human trafficking now includes "surrogacy companies" which sell babies on the black market. The purpose of any company is to make a profit. In this case, the more babies sold, the more money made.
Date posted: 2018-07-08
Our children deserve to have a decent fighting chance to succeed in their lives; it starts with keeping them safe from the sick predators of flesh and looters of our children's innocence. Recently, a new wave of human trafficking "cybersex" has come to light. Yes, it's a growing billion-dollar child-porn-industry which relies on the internet to prey on vulnerable children, beginning at an early age and extending into early teen years. New Cyber Trend in Human Trafficking is creating worldwide alarm. What is it? Cyber-sex is the use of children in live performances over the internet for paying customers. It is the perfect 21st century crime without borders, making it difficult to stop.
Date posted: 2018-06-08
The Culture of Death takes one giant step forward in Britain. A British judge, passing a verdict from his lofty position, looked down on Alfie Evans, a 23-month-old boy who was in a ?semi-vegetative state"? and stated in so many words that human care and treatment for him were "unkind and inhumane". He overrode the wishes of Alfie's parents "to protect their child" and condemned him "to die" by authorizing the hospital to remove his life supports. He decided on his own that the love of Alfie's parents and the medical treatment were not in Alfie's "best interests". For one moment, the judge played God, a false human God who lacked compassion, love and the will to protect the rights of another human being. The sole purpose of judges was established to secure human life, human rights, not to judge its worth. Judges serve mankind, not vice versa. This fact is not debatable.
Date posted: 2018-05-05
Why this evil-disposed attack on procreation today? Procreation, the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing a biological offspring, is gradually being equalized with the phrase "profit and power at any cost". Just look around. Big industry extending its strong influence over procreation and changing the meaning through manufacturing, engineering and controlling. For example, babies are made by IVF. In the process, on the average of 24 tiny lives die in order for one life to survive. Another example: Desired embryos are implanted in a uterus. The big question is: Whose uterus? The mother's? A rented one (surrogacy)? An artificial womb? Yes, we are approaching a biotechnological breakthrough. Ectogenesis, the invention of a complete external womb, could completely change the nature of human reproduction. Several years ago, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announced their development of an artificial womb.
Date posted: 2018-04-22
Dear Friends for Life: "Humanae Vitae", the prophetic encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968, warned Catholics about the culture of contraception and the deadly impact it would have on society. "Humanae Vitae"explains why the Catholic Church rejects contraception. Pope Paul VI warned of dire consequences if contraception became widely practiced. He cautioned that there would be greater infidelity in marriage, confusion regarding the nature of human sexuality and its role in society, using women for sexual pleasure, compulsory government birth control policies, and the reduction of the human body to an instrument of human manipulation. In 2021, these warnings are a living reality.
Date posted: 2018-03-26
Dear Friends for Life: Throughout the world we are witnessing the Culture of Death penetrating all areas of human life, in particular it's relentless war on unborn babies. Who is more threatened at the very beginning of life by outside forces than the newly-conceived human embryos? The IVF Industry (only 1 out of 23 survive, the rest discarded, frozen, or experimented on), the Pharmaceutical Industry (a line of contraceptive drugs and devices whose sole purpose is to prevent the embryo from implanting in the womb), the Abortion Industry (to kill the human life which does implant itself in the womb), are all active players in this war. Now the final haven of protection for the unborn child is being attacked - THE DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.
Date posted: 2018-03-09
Dear Friends: (1) When was the last time I experienced pain? (2) When was the last time I felt "Excruciating Pain"? These are questions that ran through my mind as I read the article "Medical Expert Confirms Unborn Children Feel Excruciating Pain During Abortions" by Dr. David Prentice of the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Dr. David Prentice clearly states that science pretty conclusively demonstrates: Young babies still in the womb at 20 weeks do indeed feel pain, and in fact, may feel more intense pain than a newborn or an adult. Many pro-life doctors maintain that fetuses can feel pain by 8 weeks, about the time most surgical abortions take place. Human beings feel pain. Newborn babies can feel pain. Unborn babies can feel pain. There is no pain button that suddenly switches to "on" or "off" as one's journey progresses through life. "To feel pain" is a life long process for a human being.
Date posted: 2018-01-28
Dear Friends for Life: Many news articles use the words refugees, migrants and asylum seekers when reporting on the movement of people. Japan Times' headline this morning reads "Japan to limit work permits for asylum seekers from 2018" and talks about asylum seekers who file for refugee status in order to work as immigrants in the country. The number of applications has jumped from 1,202 in 2012 to nearly 17,000 in 2017. But only "28 people" were recognized as refugees in 2016, causing much international criticism that Japan is closed to refugees. On the other hand, Japan has over one million foreign workers who are referred to as "Immigrants". Are these workers really "Immigrants" or "Migrants? What is the difference? Or is there?
Date posted: 2018-01-05
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we are reminded that God is with us on our individual life journeys and that we too are called to accompany others on theirs.
During the Advent season leading up to Christmas, we are invited to contemplate a young pregnant woman with her husband who left their home and faced a journey of difficulty and uncertainty.
The Holy Family was a family of MIGRANTS. Jesus was born in a stable outside Bethlehem, on the ?wrong side of the tracks", as they say nowadays. There was no welcome for his pregnant mother and her husband. The doors and hearts of the day were closed to them.
Jesus was born in the poorest and humblest of settings and not long after his birth, he became a REFUGEE. Fearing for their lives, his parents fled with him to Egypt.
Date posted: 2017-12-30
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth - His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.
Date posted: 2017-12-30
Dear Friends for Life: We have entered a sad period of history. Never before has there ever been such a disrespect and indifference for human life, whether it be at its beginning or at its end. The recently released series of videos exposing Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry's baby body part trafficking scandal has only brought to light what has existed in our societies for a number of years. "Those for Life" have talked about it with words, now people are forced to see it with their eyes. What the Nazis did in secret, our government does openly and even creates laws to protect and justify their criminal actions. As history has condemned the Nazi Holocaust, so will it condemn this generation for its cruel war on babies: killing them in the womb, cutting them up and selling their body parts (even after birth). Never in the history of mankind has this horrible evil occurred to the extent we see it in the USA and throughout the world.
Date posted: 2017-12-18
Dear Friends for Life: The current population of Japan is a little over 127 million, of which approximately 25 million are children under the age of 18. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is defined as anyone under the age of 18. Japan is a major destination, source, and transit country for children subjected to sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. In recent years, Japanese children have become the victims of commercial production, dissemination and sale of child abuse material, namely ?child pornography".
Date posted: 2017-10-29
Dear Friends for Life: Who are the Rohingyas? The Rohingya are a Muslim people in the Buddhist-majority countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Not only are they the world's most persecuted minority group, but they are not officially recognized by governments as an ethnic minority group. For decades they have been subjected to discrimination and violence by the Buddhist majority. In the capital city of Sittwe in Myanmar, ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people began in 2012. The purpose was to completely eliminate them. This new type of "genocide" is forcing thousands to flee by boat to Indonesia, and Malaysia, only to fall into the hands of traffickers who profit from their desperation and misery.
Date posted: 2017-10-15
Dear Friends for Life: Every year, Planned Parenthood receives over $500 million of U.S. taxpayer money to fund abortions. To this, it has recently been revealed that more money is made selling aborted baby parts. That's right! Planned Parenthood not only terminates the lives of unborn babies but they also sell aborted body parts for additional profit.
Date posted: 2017-09-24
Certain political parties and their appointees continue to chip away at traditional values, principles and religious freedom. As you know, Ireland had become the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. That's right. A Catholic nation defied the teachings of the Catholic Church with over 60% of Catholic voters voting in favor. Shortly after, the supreme court in the United States voted 5-4 to legalize same-sex marriage. Yet in this democratic country, the people had NO VOICE, NO VOTE. The decision was imposed on the American society by 5 judges, NOT ELECTED by the people, rather appointed by politicians. The Catholic Church's position on this matter has been consistent over the years and has not changed today in spite of attacks by those who disagree. Marriage is based on the TRUTH that men and women are complementary, the biological factor shows that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and studies confirm that children need a mother and a father. Redefining marriage simply rejects these basic truths.
Date posted: 2017-09-14
Dear Friends for Life: If you thought the three gender movement was a unproven novelty, try picking from six "genders" with the option of creating your own pronoun. And it gets stranger yet. Princeton University and University of Michigan are among the leaders promoting this type of behavior. According to Washington Post, more than 50 colleges or universities allow students to choose their genders without documentation of medical intervention. It's reported that Princeton University students have the option of even choosing several genders. Or choose to be both male and female.
Date posted: 2017-08-25
Dear Friends for Life: What happens when we raise the level of our legal system above God? A Belfast High Court ruled that abortion should be made available in the north of Ireland to babies with a severe disability or conceived through rape. This type of thinking is spreading to all corners of our planet. The legal system is ruling that it has the RIGHT TO KILL an innocent life created by God. Under what authority can a court decide which baby should enjoy life and which should not? Not too long ago, the womb was the safest place in the world for an unborn child. Today it is the most dangerous place.
Date posted: 2017-08-25
The UN estimates that about 60 million people are displaced forcibly in the world. Would these people be called "Refugees" or "Migrants"? Online news as well as the mass media use these terms interchangeably, yet there is a great difference which affects our approach when tackling this problem.
Date posted: 2017-08-16
Why is pregnancy a war between a mother and her child? A little research shows that the number of casualties of all the wars in the history of the world is estimated at somewhat less than 500 million. This is less than one-third the amount of unborn lives sacrificed in the last 36 years. This war on unborn babies is the "longest war" in the history of our planet. Since 1980 more than one and one half billion babies have been legally slaughtered. The United States alone stands at 60 million.
Date posted: 2017-07-31
Dear Friends for Life: China's treatment of Liu's democratic voice has been brutal and inhumane, even during his last days. Liu Xiaobo is a Chinese citizen, a Chinese intellectual and a Chinese winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. On July 13, 2017, Liu died from liver cancer in a Shenyang hospital in Liaoning Province while being guarded by armed state security. Despite needing urgent medical treatment, Chinese authorities refused to give him what he asked for and deserved - freedom.
Date posted: 2017-07-28
Dear Friends for Life: David Gutierrez in NaturalNews asks, ?Chernobyl Has Killed One Million People; Will Fukushima Kill Five Million?" In Fukushima, March 2011, a major earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at three separate reactors, the cores of which continue to disperse so much ?radiation" that one would die instantly if entering the area. Is there a quick-fix solution to this radiation problem? Definitely not. The radiation problem will continue on its present course of destruction for many years into the future.
Date posted: 2017-07-17
There is a trend today to pass laws and guidelines in schools for the few without sufficient data on what effects they'll have on the many. A large majority of students are forced to bow and accept without question the unproven claims of a very small minority. This approach to sex education ignores the stages of development which encourage youth to jump from concrete concepts to abstract concepts before they are ready. For instance, government agencies, educational journalists, academics, and do-gooders seem to be hell-bent on informing children about issues that they are neither intellectually, physically or emotionally equipped to handle.
Date posted: 2017-07-05
In Syria, massive and systematised violence - including the killing of detainees in official and makeshift detention centres - is taking place out of sight, far from the battlefield. The UN Commission explains how Syrian civilians are arrested, unlawfully detained, or taken hostage. Eyewitness accounts and documentary evidence suggest that tens of thousands of people are detained at any one time. Poor conditions in detention centers are exposing prisoners to life-threatening situations and resulting in mass deaths. The UN Commission determines that the Government of Syria has further committed crimes of murder, rape, torture, imprisonment, enforced disappearance and other inhuman acts. These violations constitute war crimes since the acts were committed after the start of the armed conflict.
Date posted: 2017-06-28
The war against babies with Down syndrome by abortion has increased as a newer and more accurate prenatal test for Down's syndrome was developed in Britain. Pro-life campaigners fear this is eugenics by the back door. They have warned that because most people terminate pregnancies where Down syndrome is identified, this accurate form of testing will result in the disappearance of people with this condition. It is important to remember that a baby is a baby first and foremost and that the syndrome is very much secondary. This little baby is a real baby. It is precious. It is beautiful as all new babies are and has the exact same needs. Some parents cope better than others in caring for any new baby. In this case it is a question whether the baby has a disability or not. A baby with Down syndrome is not the fault of the mother or father.
Date posted: 2017-06-21
Dear Friends for Life: In recent years, much has been written on the legal status of frozen embryos. Throughout human history, babies are born around nine months after being conceived by the union of the father's sperm cell with mother's egg cell. Today scientists are able to remove the egg cell from the mother, unite it to the father's sperm cell and then freeze the embryo. At a future date, the frozen embryo can be thawed, implanted into the mother's womb or any unrelated woman's womb. The odds are that less than 50% that it will develop into a normal child.
Date posted: 2017-06-02
Reading daily about the suffering of refugees, we conclude that no one chooses to flee their home. Forced to depart suddenly, it is impossible for people to apply for the necessary papers and visas required to travel. This results in a growing number of persons who have no alternative but to choose potentially hazardous methods to slip away by foot, by boat or by being smuggled out. There is no such thing as a typical refugee. People of any age, race, gender or religion can be forced to leave their homes. Claiming refugee status doesn't mean giving up universal human rights. In addition, detention of asylum seekers is a questionable policy. Studies show high levels of mental health problems in detainees. The longer in detention, the more mental health deteriorates.
Date posted: 2017-05-19
With 21 million refugees, does anyone really believe that this large number of people decided beforehand to join the ranks of a refugee. I doubt it very much. No-one in their wildest dreams expects to become a refugee. Imagine a doctor heading home from work after a busy day at the hospital, or a mechanic fixing a broken axel on a Toyota truck in the early afternoon, or a girl walking to school with a schoolbag draped over her shoulder, or a father kissing his son goodnight. Every one of them expects tomorrow to be the same as today. Each is relaxed and in a sense enjoying the moment. But fear can come in that same moment. It can be the sound of gunfire, the fall of a bomb, a knock at the door. Many of those forced to flee have just minutes to make vital decisions, to grab what they can and run.
Date posted: 2017-05-05
Think of a little unborn child fighting for life in its mother's womb. A beautiful scene of God's creation- the growing process. Then consider the biggest lie to hit the news in the previous presidential race. Hillary Clinton stating publicly that babies are people but don't have human rights. What? "The unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights," she said. Having conceded that pregnant mothers are carrying the life of another person, she did not feel obligated to protect that life.
Date posted: 2017-04-26
Dear Friends for Life: In the past few years, record numbers of refugees worldwide have been forced to flee their homes. In South Sudan alone, UNHCR William Spindler states: "More than 60 per cent of the refugees are children, many arriving with alarming levels of malnutrition... Recent new arrivals report suffering inside South Sudan with intense fighting, kidnappings, rape, fears of armed groups and threats to life, as well as acute food shortage." Refugees from other countries report similar crisis.
Date posted: 2017-04-15
Today we are observing a world which is descending into moral darkness. We avoid looking at the refugees living in camps, poverty resulting from the combined wealth of the richest 1% will soon overtake that of the other 99%, sex-education based on un-researched conclusions, traditional marriage being swept under the carpet, hard earned taxes supporting the abortion industry and the slippery slope continues. Now we are bombarded with laws forcing the general public to believe what is false and abnormal. The most recent madness infiltrating different segments of society is the utterly absurd "bathroom wars". The crisis: Men walking into girls' bathrooms, locker rooms or showers, stripping and exposing their male naked bodies to little girls. Feeble-minded men and Perverts by any human standards.
Date posted: 2017-04-13
Dear Friends for Life: 71 years have passed since the United States dropped the atomic bomb on masses of innocent people, many still at home having breakfast with their families. The first city hit by the atomic bomb was Hiroshima. The time was 8:15am on August 6, 1945. In just a few minutes, the entire city - babies, school children, mothers and grandparents - was completely erased. Radiation was so intense that those who did not die immediately died of exposure poisoning in the weeks, months and years that followed. The intense pain and long suffering must have been horrible since 90% of doctors, nurses and medical facilities were destroyed.
Date posted: 2017-04-09
The problem of loneliness among the elderly continues as a growing problem around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic contributes to the number of older adults who are socially isolated including both community-dwelling older adults and nursing home residents. Many countries have issued stay-at-home orders and banned visits for nursing home residents. Excluding the COVID-19 pandemic influence, the number of over-50s experiencing loneliness in Britain alone is set to reach two million by 2025/6. This compares to around 1.4 million in 2016/7 increase in 10 years. In Britain and the United States, roughly one in three people older than 65 live alone. And in the United States, half of those older than 85 live alone. In Japan, the number of elderly people aged 65 or older accounts for 28.4 percent of the 126.4 million total population. This will reach a third by 2050. China, India, Singapore, South Korea and other countries are facing similar problems.
Date posted: 2017-04-03
Dear Friends for Life: Wow! Can you imagine girl-child(ren) forced into marriage, the psychological fear, the unspeakable suffering, the small bodies not fully developed yet to give birth and the limited mental capacity to comprehend what is happening. This my friends is the latest violent attack against small girls and the world stands silent.
Date posted: 2017-03-30
Mary Meehan recently published a piece on suicide prevention, "Outfoxing the Grim Reaper,"in Human Life Review. It describes promising work in this area and suggests how individuals can help friends or family members who are inclined toward suicide. (Mary is grateful to Consistent Life's Rachel MacNair with her expertise in psychology for reviewing the manuscript before publication.)
Date posted: 2011-01-28
"This is the secret that a lot of media has not reported much on," says Smith, an attorney whose opinions on assisted suicide, bioethics and myriad other topics have appeared in some of the world's most influential publications.
"Assisted suicide is not about terminal illness. That's a pretext, in terms of the political fight to get people to accept the concept."
Smith suggests that "none of us know what our limits are or how we might react to pain or what mental illness might do to us, which is why when someone is suicidal, the rest of us have an even greater obligation not to accept that person's definition necessarily."
He is unabashedly judgmental "about people who, pursuant to their own ideology, would facilitate these kinds of things, because a lot of people who could be helped, instead will be dead. I frankly think some of the people get off on this."
Smith's passion reflects the controversial nature of the hot-button topic. Clearly, good thinkers on all sides of the endless debate on assisted suicide seem to find themselves at each other's throats (metaphorically, at least most of the time) before too long.
Date posted: 2007-08-24
Sexual union in marriage ought to be a complete giving of each spouse to the other, and when fertility (or potential fertility) is deliberately excluded from that giving I am convinced that something valuable is lost. A husband will sometimes begin to see his wife as an object of sexual pleasure who should always be available for gratification. This tendency is reinforced by the dominant perspective on sexuality in our society, which idealizes unlimited sexual titillation and gratification freed (at least theoretically) from any consideration of pregnancy.
Date posted: 2004-01-05
A 23-year-long study released on June 12, 2000, states that two-thirds of all capital punishment cases contained flaws serious enough to warrant that they be retried. The study also prompted renewed calls for review, or outright abolition, of the death penalty, which is administered on a state-by-state basis.
Date posted: 2002-11-11
The idea of someone being put to death, no matter what the means, is not a pleasant one. But the fact is, more than half of the world's countries and 38 U.S. states have a death penalty, so this unpleasant topic is bound to come up. The form by which prisoners are executed is changing. In America and a growing number of other countries, lethal injection is becoming the most commonly used form of capital punishment.
Date posted: 2002-11-11
We now know that untreated HIV disease typically progresses relentlessly in almost all infected persons from clinically silent infection detectable only by laboratory tests to severely damaged immunologic function, resulting in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Without treatment, the disease progresses over a median interval of about 10 years, although with great individual variation, and eventually causes death in most, if not all, cases. During the course of HIV disease, a variety of clinical syndromes may occur. Incompletely understood interactions between host, HIV, and environmental factors determine the particular clinical manifestations and rate of disease progression for each individual.
Date posted: 2002-11-11
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a new disease in the United States when clinicians in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco began to see young, homosexual men with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), unusual diseases for young adults not known to be immunosuppressed. The first report in the medical literature that alerted the world to this new immunodeficiency syndrome appeared in June of 1981 and described five young, homosexual men in Los Angeles with PCP.
Date posted: 2002-11-11
Classification of HIV disease can be undertaken for several purposes and should be distinguished from disease staging. Staging is disease classification that aims primarily to make groupings that have different prognosis and can be used in guiding treatment decisions. Stages attempt to classify disease in a progressive sequence from least to most severe, each higher stage having a poorer prognosis or different medical management than the preceding stage.
Date posted: 2002-11-11
Globally, 40 million adults and children were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2001. Of infected adults, 48 percent were women. In 2001, the global adult HIV prevalence rate was 1.2 percent. During that year, 5 million people were newly infected with HIV, and there were 3 million adult and child deaths due to HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS 2001).
Date posted: 2002-11-11
A new pastoral letter released by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops is winning praise from the gay Catholic community. "Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers" is the product of several years' work by the U.S. bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family.
Date posted: 2002-05-12
The problem of homosexuality seems complex, as does any problem concerning man and concerning him in depth: many different and difficult aspects are connected with it. This complexity seems to reveal that unique richness which marks the human person, who often is correctly described as a "mystery". On the other hand, it is precisely this very "mystery" that spurs the reflection on homosexuality towards a reading and interpretation marked by simplicity, within a deeply unified vision. And it is again the unique richness of the human person that demands such a unified vision: the wealth proper to the person is in fact not chaotic but intrinsically ordered.
Date posted: 2002-05-12