Life Canvass in Ireland: Helping to "Save the 8th"

Canvassers of Life Canvass helping save the unborn and ensure a "No" note on May 25. Photo: Twitter/Savethe8th

In only a few days' time, on May 25, Ireland will vote on a referendum on whether or not to repeal the Eighth Amendment of its constitution: the pro-life provision that prevents the killing of a developing human being in the womb. Among many of the faithful Catholics who are fighting the good fight to ensure that the referendum results in a "No" vote are the folks of Life Canvass: a nationwide awareness effort of volunteers who travel from door-to-door having conversations, discussing the issues, answering questions, and disseminating information.

Life Canvass, now three years in the running, has yielded some impressive results. As noted on the Save Lives Save the 8th website, Life Canvass is the biggest grass roots movement in living memory with almost 3,000 canvassers grouped into 146 teams spread out in counties across Ireland. To date, 95% of Limerick has been canvassed and teams in Mullingar and Mayo are busy at it as well, canvassing seven days a week! And if that isn't impressive enough, the website went on to further report that, "The target of reaching 700,000 homes will be exceeded and every one of those powerful personal conversations is shifting more and more people to a No vote."

The daily effort of this extraordinary group of people has revealed just how essential their work has been and continues to be in the remaining days leading up to the referendum: many of those canvassed were undecided due to a lack of information. To remedy that canvassers have been properly informing citizens with the truth about the referendum: the facts about what happens to a baby when an abortion occurs; that the referendum is a "stepping stone" to abortion available on demand, that if passed would include the killing of babies identified with any "defects"; that everyone has the right to life; the killing of a human being in the womb can never be considered acceptable under any circumstances; the negative ramifications of abortion upon women and society; and how abortion could negatively impact Ireland for generations to come.

Part of the effort to disseminate information also includes the Protect The 8th's green booklet, Your Guide to the Referendum: Information on the Government’s Proposals: an essential reading for anyone that seeks to fully understand what a "Yes" or "No" vote would mean for women and their unborn children.

Canvassers out in Roscommon and Mayo. Photo: thejournal.ie/8 out of 10 voters in this area backed the Eighth Amendment in '83. We went to talk to locals this week

Admittedly, I am very impressed with Life Canvass! I have been following this campaign for several months on Twitter and I cannot help but think of Saint John Paul II's Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, on the vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the World, in which he wrote, "A new state of affairs today both in the Church and in social, economic, political and cultural life, calls with a particular urgency for the action of the lay faithful. If lack of commitment is always unacceptable, the present time renders it even more so. It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle." (3)

Released in 1988, on the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Christifideles Laici, is more relevant today given Ireland's tragic abandonment of Catholic teaching that has resulted in a moral disorder: contraceptive devices and birth control pills have been available for decades; a 1992 referendum resulted in the option for women to travel to another country (England) in order to have an abortion, as well as the availability of information regarding abortion "services" in other countries; in 1995, Ireland's ban on divorce was removed through another referendum; and the referendum of 2015, ushered in "same-sex marriage."

On May 25, the government, supported by mainstream media and with the backing of wealthy foreign donors and organizations like Amnesty International, seeks to usher in a Culture of Death with the repeal referendum, which if passed would essentially amount to abortion available on demand.

Canvassers out in the coastal suburb of Dún Laoghaire. Photo: thejournal.ie/Anti-amendment Dún Laoghaire bucked the national trend in '83. We went to talk to locals this week

There are many faithful in Ireland who have not remained idle! With the understanding of the gravity of what a "Yes" vote would mean for the unborn and the future of Ireland, thousands of faithful Catholics have been putting faith into action, doing their part to "Save the 8th" on a national level: the Rosary on the Coast for Life and Faith on November 26, 2017; the Rally For Life event just a couple of months ago on March 10 in Dublin; the Rosary at the Mass Rock For Life and Faith that followed on March 18; 40 Days/Nights Eucharist Reparation; 54 Day Rosary for Life; Eucharistic Adoration and Mass; public, private and parish vigils; fasts on bread and water (Wednesday and Friday); and novenas.

Life Canvass spotlights in a unique way just how committed the faithful in Ireland are to protecting and defending the unborn: individuals who brave all types of weather conditions, fight off fatigue, discouragement and other temptations, and do so on a daily basis (some for more than two years) canvassing counties across the nation, including at times hostile territory. With Life Canvass, the division within Ireland over abortion and the anger among some of the citizenry is directly felt by canvassers. And some take the "heat" with great patience and perseverance, knowing full well, that it is part of the battle. It is no small matter to publicly engage people in an awareness campaign: it can drain one both physically and emotionally, especially when confronted with verbal abuse and aggression.

Life Canvass in County Wexford. Photo: Twitter/Savethe8th

Canvassers are fighting the good fight for the unborn and are doing so enthusiastically and undeterred with the hope that their actions, united to prayer, will draw God's Divine Intervention and Mercy upon the nation to uproot and remove the moral disorder among the landscape and restore Ireland to a Culture of Life.

Life Canvass demonstrates openly and publicly what faith put into action looks like, highlighting in the process the scriptural passage from James: What good is faith that does nothing in practice, it is thoroughly lifeless. (James 2:17)

In addition to being informed on the issues of abortion, canvassing also requires being knowledgeable of what the Catholic Church teaches about the killing of an innocent developing human being in the womb, and drawing from that teaching during each conversation. By doing so, the faithful Catholics of Life Canvass are demonstrating by their witness the importance of what we as Catholics are called to do: evangelize. Evangelization as Blessed Pope Paul VI put it in his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, "...[I]s in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity." (14)

Canvassers knocking on doors in the town of Sligo. Photo: Twitter/Savethe8th

Blessed Pope Paul VI's successor, St. John Paul II, responded to that vocation with a distinctive and efficacious missionary zeal. Not only did St. John Paul II publicly expose the evil of abortion on numerous occasions, but he dedicated an entire encyclical on the value and inviolability of human life and the many threats to it entitled, Evangelium vitae (Gospel of life). Particularly noteworthy is section fifty-eight which helps to explain why many Catholics are no longer aware and do not understand the truth about abortion, and why the government has even bothered to hold a referendum:

Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime". [Gaudium et Spes, 51]

But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth. (58)

The truth about abortion is understood by many who are canvassed by Life Canvass. In an article from the Irish News web site Independent.ie, Knocking on doors in hostile territories: What its like to canvass for the referendum when local voting trends are against you, one such individual, an elderly lady stated to canvassers, "Abortion is murder...It's as simple as that."

That simple point was further spotlighted by Saint John Paul II in the same aforementioned encyclical on the Gospel of Life, when he wrote, "...[I] declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. (62) 

Young volunteers canvassing, standing strong for life in Galway and Roscommon. Photo: Twitter/Savethe8th

If we seek to further understand why the killing of a developing human being in the womb is immoral, we can find it in God's Holy Law, The Fifth Commandment, "You Shall Not Kill."

Moreover, human life is sacred! The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains why this is so, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being." (2258)

Some of the newest canvassers, including Cllr. Declan Harvey of
Fianna Fáil (the Republican Party) handing out Protect The 8th's
green referendum booklet, in Tullamore, County Offaly.
Photo: Twitter/Savethe8th

Sadly, there are many Catholics in Ireland that simply do not know, understand or accept God's Holy Law and the sacredness of human life. This reality has been exploited by the Together for Yes, the anti-life campaign of the referendum, who have assigned their own canvassers with deceptive facts and leading questions, attempting in the process to justify and rationalize abortion: that abortion should be allowed in the case of rape, incest or if someone was handicapped; emphasizing that Irish women are already having abortions by taking unregulated abortion pills or by traveling to England, that it would be safer for them to kill their unborn children in Ireland; that this referendum is the last chance to legalize abortion in Ireland; that abortion is a "compassionate approach" for anyone who needs it; that a "No" vote result would continue to "endanger" the health and lives of women; and a host of other rationalizations and justifications that attempt to make abortion acceptable in the hearts and minds of the citizenry.

The Together For Yes anti-life campaign has even tried to exploit the negligence of the medical staff at University Hospital Galway, who were responsible for the controversial death of Savita Halappanavar and her baby in 2012, claiming that the Eight Amendment was a contributing factor to her death, "Even though she was miscarrying and sick, she was refused a termination [abortion] because there was a foetal heartbeat. As a result, she contracted sepsis and died. If doctors had intervened earlier, the issue of sepsis would not have arisen and she would not have died." The true story about Savita and her baby was captured in a well-made documentary film: A Silent Killer: Savita's Story.

None of what the anti-life campaign promotes and disseminates negates the truth about abortion: that it is the killing of a developing human being in the womb and that each human being has a right to life. 

And that truth was embodied in the life of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla—a devout Catholic doctor from Lombardy, Italy, who put God first in everything and allowed her Christian faith to permeate every aspect of life—whose unwavering adherence to God's Holy Law and belief in the sacredness of human life was exemplified by the willing sacrifice of her own life for the life of her unborn child in 1962. 

Ireland responded very positively to the "Eighth Amendment Referendum" in 1983; a referendum that was held to vote on the inclusion of a pro-life provision in its constitution—approved by 67% of the population—which states, “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.” In a few days time, Ireland will have another opportunity to choose life by keeping the Eighth Amendment, responding once again to St. John Paul II's homily of October 1, 1979, in Limerick:

And so I say to all, have an absolute and holy respect for the sacredness of human life from the first moment of its conception. Abortion, as the Vatican Council stated, is one of the "abominable crimes" (Gaudium et Spes, 51). To attack unborn life at any moment from its conception is to undermine the whole moral order which is the true guardian of the well-being of man. The defence of the absolute inviolability of unborn life is part of the defence of human rights and human dignity. May Ireland never weaken in her witness, before Europe and before the whole world, to the dignity and sacredness of all human life, from conception until death. (6)

In that homily St. John Paul II—as part of his Apostolic Journey to Ireland in 1979, which lasted from September 29 to October 1—demonstrated how seriously he understood the Church's vocation to evangelize. It was a timely "visit" that positively impacted the 1983 referendum. Here is more from that homily:

Lay people today are called to a strong Christian commitment: to permeate society with the leaven of the Gospel, for Ireland is at a point of decision in her history. The Irish people have to choose today their way forward. Will it be the transformation of all strata of humanity into a new creation, or the way that many nations have gone, giving excessive importance to economic growth and material possessions while neglecting the things of the spirit? The way of substituting a new ethic of temporal enjoyment for the law of God? The way of false freedom which is only slavery to decadence? Will it be the way of subjugating the dignity of the human person to the totalitarian domination of the State? The way of violent struggle between classes? The way of extolling revolution over God? 

Ireland must choose. You the present generation of Irish people must decide; your choice must be clear and your decision firm. Let the voice of your forefathers, who suffered so much to maintain their faith in Christ and thus to preserve Ireland's soul, resound today in your ears through the voice of the Pope when he repeats the words of Christ: "What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life?" (Mt 16 :26). What would it profit Ireland to go the easy way of the world and suffer the loss of her own soul? (3)

Your country seems in a sense to be living again the temptations of Christ: Ireland is being asked to prefer the "kingdoms of the world and their splendour" to the Kingdom of God (cf. Mt 4 :8). Satan, the Tempter, the Adversary of Christ, will use all his might and all his deceptions to win Ireland for the way of the world. What a victory he would gain, what a blow he would inflict on the Body of Christ in the world, if he could seduce Irish men and women away from Christ. Now is the time of testing for Ireland. This generation is once more a generation of decision. (4)

Keep Life Canvass and Ireland in your Mass, Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and fasting intentions. Pray for the intercession of St. John Paul II that God's Divine Mercy and Intervention be drawn upon Ireland. 

Thank God for all the faithful Catholics in Ireland.

Pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Unborn

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
on St. Juan Diego's tilma

Today's feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an especially important one for millions of Catholics in the Americas and around the world who pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the protection of human life, especially for developing human beings in the womb: the unborn children who are faced with the danger of abortion.

The pregnant aspect of Our Lady's image on Saint Juan Diego's tilma (cactus cloth) has made Our Lady of Guadalupe a symbol for the plight of the unborn. It is a constant reminder of God's mercy and Divine Intervention in the world, and Our Lady's continued work for the salvation of souls that includes exposing the deception of the Evil One and his demons.

It is for that very purpose that Our Lady has appeared in so many places throughout the centuries: to eradicate pagan worship, debauchery, New Age and occult practices, and all other types of evil, and in the process has been, and continues to be, our light to Christ, showing us the path to Jesus.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was revealed in 1531, when St. Juan Diego unfolded his tilma (full of flowers) in front the local bishop and as the flowers fell to the floor, the exquisitely detailed painting of Our Lady was seen by all present. 

Our Lady's image also draws our attention to its supernatural power and the fact that it caused the conversion of eight million Aztecs and other indigenous people in less than ten years, in the area that is known today as Mexico. 

Saint Juan Diego was himself converted to the Catholic faith some time between 1524-1525, and was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries.

Praying for conversions is an important aspect in the fight against abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, contraception, in vitro fertilization, the death penalty, and all other threats to the value and inviolability of human life. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the powerful intercessor that we have recourse to in the fight against the Culture of Death.

It is important to remember that the fight to protect the unborn is primarily a spiritual battle that must be fought with spiritual weapons, of which the Holy Mass and group recitation of the Rosary—the two most powerful forms of prayer—are essential weapons in the spiritual arsenal to fight the good fight.

In addition to the Mass, Rosary, and your own personal prayers, you may want to consider the following selected prayers taken from Michael Brown's Marian devotional book, Seven Days With Mary, in which he dedicates one of the seven days to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Prayer of John Paul II

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Fair Love, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children. We beg you grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth. Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. (47)

Morning Offering

Immaculate Heart of Mary, heart of my mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, I unite to thy purity, thy sanctity, thy zeal, and thy love, all my thoughts, words, acts, and suffering this day, that there may be nothing in me that does not become through thee a pleasure to Jesus, a gain for souls, and an act of reparation for the offenses against thy heart. (49)

Closing Prayer

Remember, O most gracious Virgin of Guadalupe, that in your apparitions on Mount Tepeyac you promised to show pity and compassion to all who, loving and trusting you, seek your help and protection.

Accordingly, listen now to our supplications and grant us consolation and relief. We are full of hope that, relying on your help, nothing can trouble or affect us. As you have remained with us through your admirable image, so now obtain for us the graces we need. Amen. (51)  

So important is Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Americas that in 1945, Pope Pius XII decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be “Patroness of all the Americas,” and today in Mexico, it is a Holy Day of Obligation.

In more recent times during his pastoral visit to Mexico, Saint John Paul II, in his homily at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City on Saturday, January 23, 1999, entrusted the future of the continent and the Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, imploring the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe to, "Save the nations and peoples of this continent. Teach everyone, political leaders and citizens, to live in true freedom and to act according to the requirements of justice and respect for human rights, so that peace may thus be established once and for all." (9)

Saint John Paul II, who was well known as a staunch defender of human life, stated during that homily, “...[T]he Church must proclaim the Gospel of life and speak out with prophetic force against the culture of death.” (8)

It was in 1995, only four years prior to that homily, that St. John Paul II released his encyclical on the Gospel of Life, Evangelium Vitae; an essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Church's teaching on the value and inviolability of human life, and the many threats to it. For those who are somewhat new to the life of St. John Paul II, here is an excerpt from Evangelium Vitae that captures the richness of this encyclical and his commitment to the protection of the unborn:

"Your eyes beheld my unformed substance" (Ps 139:16): the unspeakable crime of abortion 

Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime".

But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth. (58)

If we look to the human sacrifices of St. Juan Diego's time (1500s) and our modern times, we can easily draw a parallel between the demonic worship during the Aztec era with that of today's abortions: the mass murder of innocent human beings in the womb performed in hospitals, "health care centers," "women's care clinics," and so-called "family-planning facilities" such as Planned Parenthood.

The Aztecs offered human sacrifices as part of their worship to two chief Aztec gods (demons), Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipocawhich, of which the most popular was the brutal ritual performed on top of Aztec pyramids. The Our Lady of Guadalupe web site at sancta.org details this:

Perhaps the most popular of the public rituals was taking the victims to the tops of the Aztec pyramids where they were laid on top of a flat stone. There, the priests cut open their chests and their hearts were ripped out. The bodies were then thrown down the steps of the pyramid.

After the bodies tumbled down the stairs, the priests removed the limbs, cooked and ate them. Specially hands and thighs were considered the best delicacies. The heads were placed in skull racks for public exhibition.

The atrocities committed in our modern times against human life, as during the Aztec era, are inspired and influenced by the demonic. Just as the Aztecs intentionally offered their human sacrifices to their gods (demons), so too are people today intentionally performing abortions as part of a blood sacrifice and offering to Satan.

Here in Canada, where abortion is available on demand, we are in great need of God's Divine Intervention and Our Lady of Guadalupe's intercession to eradicate abortion and all other threats to human life (euthanasia and assisted suicide, contraception, in vitro fertilization) from the landscape.

Sadly, Canada is a country whose political leaders have failed the nation by consistently rejecting God’s plan for humanity, and in the process ignored Canada’s Christian heritage, history, and identity. This failure dates back to Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and the infamous 1969 Omnibus Bill that ushered in "therapeutic abortions" performed in hospitals, which eventually paved the way for Dr. Henry Morgantaler's 1988 constitutional challenge that resulted in abortion being made available on demand across the nation.

Our current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau (supposedly a Catholic like his father Pierre Elliot Trudeau) has stated on more than one occasion that anyone seeking to join the Liberal Party of Canada must support abortion. This fact alone is a telling sign of the ongoing moral crisis in Canada that seems to be increasing with each new generation.

God's Holy Law clearly states in the Fifth Commandment, "You Shall Not Kill." The Catechism of the Catholic Church elaborates on this Commandment, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being." (2258)

None of this has meant anything to Canada's prime ministers since Pierre Elliot Trudeau; the result of which has seen a growing moral disorder in Canada and with it the establishment of a Culture of Death.

I respectfully urge my fellow Canadians to pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the protection of the unborn, and for God's Divine Intervention, that the moral disorder that has taken root over the past five decades may be eradicated from the land and that Canada be restored to a Culture of Life.


Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

My Support For Medical Professionals and Their Conscience Rights

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition's postcard from their postcard campaign, "I Support Caring Not Killing."

Today's post is an opportunity to put faith into action in support of Christian doctors, nurses, and all other medical professionals, whose conscience rights are being threatened by the recommendations of a recent parliamentary report, Medical Assistance in Dying: A Patient-Centred Approach, and the Carter vs. Canada ruling, in which the Supreme Court directed the federal government to legislate a new law by June 6, 2016, so as to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.

If you unfamiliar with the Carter decision or new to the euthanasia and assisted suicide issue, please consider reading my post, Euthanasia - A False Mercy, for some background information as to how and why euthanasia and assisted suicide has become such an issue in Canada, and what the teachings of the Catholic Church have to say about it.

In my previous post, The Negative Implications of Legalizing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, under the subheading Time to Fight For Christian Doctors, I had wholeheartedly agreed with Larry Worthen, the executive director of the Christian Medical and Dental Society, when he stated that, "The time has come to fight to keep Christian doctors." In addition to my blogging, my agreement has translated into further action, the joining of a postcard campaign, I Support Caring Not Killing, from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC).

If you are somewhat new to getting involved with a campaign, the EPC's postcard campaign could not be an easier place to start. The postcards are free, and can be ordered by contacting the EPC by telephone at 1.877.439.3348 or by email at, info@epcc.ca. There is no postage required as it is free to send mail to federal politicians. The EPC is distributing three different bilingual postcards to be sent to Prime Minister Trudeau, or Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, or your Member of Parliament (MP).

Putting Faith Into Action

As to what impact these postcards may in fact have, no one really knows. One thing is for certain, if millions of these postcards were mailed to Ottawa, it would send a strong message to the federal government that: Canadians reject the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide; that no matter how it is packaged, explained or rationalized, there is no justification for euthanizing someone or assisting in their suicide, regardless of any request, level of pain, and duration of suffering; that the killing of a human being can never be considered morally licit; and that conscience rights for medical professionals must always be protected. 

Getting involved with the EPC's postcard campaign is but one way to put faith into action. To quote scripture, "My brothers, what good is it to profess faith without practicing it...So it is with the faith that does nothing in practice. It is thoroughly lifeless." (James 2:l4-l7)

Saint John Paul II

Saint John Paul II had written extensively about putting faith into action in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christifideles Laici (Christ's Faithful People), a document that explained the laity's vocation and mission in the Church and in the world. The laity have a very specific role in the Church's mission to evangelize, and this is accomplished by "labouring in the vineyard." You might be wondering, what exactly does labouring in the vineyard mean? It is a reference that St. John Paul II explained in the first paragraph:

The lay members of Christ's Faithful People (Christifideles Laici)...are those who form that part of the People of God which might be likened to the labourers in the vineyard mentioned in Matthew's Gospel: "For the Kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard" (Matthew 20:1-2).

Our "vineyard" is the vast world we live in, one that is to be transformed according to God's plan, and in it, a multitude of men and women are called to labour in anticipation of the final coming of the Kingdom of God. The call to "labour" is for everyone; a call that is more urgent and necessary today than when Christifideles Laici was released on December 30, 1988.

Since Christifideles Laici release, Christian faith has waned considerably in Canada, coupled with a sharp rise in consumerism, both of which have contributed to the secularization of society. Saint John Paul II made an important point that was relevant for Canadian society back then, and is even more pertinent today, "A new state of affairs today both in the Church and in social, economic, political and cultural life, calls with a particular urgency for the action of the lay faithful. If lack of commitment is always unacceptable, the present time renders it even more so. It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle." (3)

God's Holy Law of "Thou shall not kill"

What the sending of these postcards also spotlights is the moral responsibility that Members of Parliament (MPs) should demonstrate to their respective constituencies, by rejecting the Supreme Court's Carter vs. Canada ruling; a ruling that was nothing but an exercise in judicial activism. If you are wondering by what rationale MPs should not abide by the Carter decision, the answer is to be found in God's Holy Law of "Thou shall not kill." Catholics, Christians alike, and all people of good will, can draw strength and clarity from the example of the Apostles: 

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, 'We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us.' But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than any human authority." (Acts 5:27-29)

The importance of God's Holy Law was addressed in Saint John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life), where he explained the truth, and shared his concerns about the threats to the value and inviolability of human life that included: abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and suicide. In addition, he wrote dedicated sections on conscience rights, and the civil and moral law, making this document an increasingly relevant read to understand the current euthanasia and assisted suicide issue we are facing here in Canada. The section dedicated to God's Holy Law is at Chapter III's - You Shall Not Kill, God's Holy Law, under the subheading, "We must obey God rather than men" Acts 5:29: civil law and the moral law (sections sixty-eight to seventy-four). In the preceding sections, he wrote about euthanasia (sections sixty-four and sixty-five "It is I who bring both death and life" Dt 32:39 - the tragedy of euthanasia), and suicide (sections sixty-six and sixty-seven).

Saint John Paul II made an important point regarding civil law, that perfectly addresses our current Canadian situation, and spotlights the failure of the Supreme Court's Carter decision, and the federal government's intention to legislate a new law based on it. Consider the following from Evangelium Vitae: 

Certainly the purpose of civil law is different and more limited in scope than that of the moral law. But "in no sphere of life can the civil law take the place of conscience or dictate norms concerning things which are outside its competence", which is that of ensuring the common good of people through the recognition and defence of their fundamental rights, and the promotion of peace and of public morality. The real purpose of civil law is to guarantee an ordered social coexistence in true justice, so that all may "lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way" (1 Tim 2:2). Precisely for this reason, civil law must ensure that all members of society enjoy respect for certain fundamental rights which innately belong to the person, rights which every positive law must recognize and guarantee. First and fundamental among these is the inviolable right to life of every innocent human being. While public authority can sometimes choose not to put a stop to something which-were it prohibited-would cause more serious harm, it can never presume to legitimize as a right of individuals-even if they are the majority of the members of society-an offence against other persons caused by the disregard of so fundamental a right as the right to life. The legal toleration of abortion or of euthanasia can in no way claim to be based on respect for the conscience of others, precisely because society has the right and the duty to protect itself against the abuses which can occur in the name of conscience and under the pretext of freedom. (71)

Saint John Paul II also wrote about the doctrine on the necessary conformity of civil law with the moral law, and its application for society. This doctrine and its application serves as a key component in the rationale for MPs to reject the Carter decision.

To clarify this doctrine, Saint John Paul II made reference to Saint Pope John XXIII, and one of the great Doctors of the Church, Saint Thomas Aquinas. He first quoted Saint Pope John XXIII from his encyclical, Pacim in Terris, "Authority is a postulate of the moral order and derives from God. Consequently, laws and decrees enacted in contravention of the moral order, and hence of the divine will, can have no binding force in conscience..." (72) He then quoted Saint Thomas Aquinas, "...[H]uman law is law inasmuch as it is in conformity with right reason and thus derives from the eternal law. But when a law is contrary to reason, it is called an unjust law; but in this case it ceases to be a law and becomes instead an act of violence." (72)

The dreaded euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation will spotlight the failure of Canadian civil law to conform with the moral law (God's Holy Law). That failure would stem from the fact that the legalizing of euthanasia and assisted suicide will disregard the fundamental right and source of all other rights; that is, the right to life. Here is how St. John Paul II applied the references of Sts. John XXIII and Thomas Aquinas:

Consequently, laws which legitimize the direct killing of innocent human beings through abortion or euthanasia are in complete opposition to the inviolable right to life proper to every individual; they thus deny the equality of everyone before the law. It might be objected that such is not the case in euthanasia, when it is requested with full awareness by the person involved. But any State which made such a request legitimate and authorized it to be carried out would be legalizing a case of suicide-murder, contrary to the fundamental principles of absolute respect for life and of the protection of every innocent life. In this way the State contributes to lessening respect for life and opens the door to ways of acting which are destructive of trust in relations between people. Laws which authorize and promote abortion and euthanasia are therefore radically opposed not only to the good of the individual but also to the common good; as such they are completely lacking in authentic juridical validity. Disregard for the right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing of the person whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts with the possibility of achieving the common good. Consequently, a civil law authorizing abortion or euthanasia ceases by that very fact to be a true, morally binding civil law. (72)

Conscience Rights

Saint John Paul II made some very important points that spotlight the moral courage and certitude that all Canadian medical professionals must demonstrate in the face of anti-life procedures and practices.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. As such, there is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; more to the point, there is a grave obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection.

From a moral standpoint it is never licit to cooperate with evil of any kind, which with respect to euthanasia and assisted suicide, would mean the direct participation in an act against innocent human life or a sharing in the immoral intention of the person committing it. Saint John Paul II put a fine point on this when he wrote, "Each individual in fact has moral responsibility for the acts which he personally performs; no one can be exempted from this responsibility, and on the basis of it everyone will be judged by God himself (cf. Rom 2:6; 14:12)." (74)

Saint John Paul II also noted that refusing to take part in committing an injustice is not only a moral duty, but a basic human right, which should be acknowledged and protected by civil law. He elaborated on this:

In this sense, the opportunity to refuse to take part in the phases of consultation, preparation and execution of these acts against life should be guaranteed to physicians, health-care personnel, and directors of hospitals, clinics and convalescent facilities. Those who have recourse to conscientious objection must be protected not only from legal penalties but also from any negative effects on the legal, disciplinary, financial and professional plane. (74)

When Christian doctors, nurses, and all other medical professionals in health and palliative care, as a matter of conscience, refuse to provide euthanasia and assisted suicide, or refer ("effective referral" is the euphemism used by proponents for euthanasia and assisted suicide) "patients" to medical professionals, and facilities that will, they properly respond to what they are called to do; that is, not cooperative in any way with these anti-life practices, even if they are legally permitted by civil law.

Regardless of what issues, controversies and problems we are facing in Canada, Catholics and Christians alike, and all people of good will must never succumb to what St. John Paul II referred to as the "culture of death," and all that it seeks to implement in Canada.

I hope that today's post has encouraged you to join this postcard campaign, and that you unite it to prayer and fasting. Like all spiritual battles, it should begin with, and be sustained by time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

May God have mercy on Canada.

RU-486 Canada's New Abortion Drug: Another Reason To Join Life Chain

A young mom and her newborn baby, a beautiful relationship that RU-486 would destroy just barely after it would begin

In case you missed the headline from this summer, Health Canada on July 29, approved of the abortion drug, Mifegymiso, commonly known as RU-486. As a Catholic I am deeply disturbed that a governmental organization which is supposed to be at the forefront of protecting the health of Canadians, has done the exact opposite with this approval. There is nothing healthy about RU-486, for women who take it and certainly not for developing human beings in the womb, who are killed because of it.

In today's post, I intend to not only spot light the deplorable approval of RU-486 and its contribution to the moral disorder in Canada, but identify and denounce the evil of abortion based on resources from the Catholic Church. I also hope to encourage Catholic laity, Christians alike and all people of good will, to take action; and to alert women to the very real dangers of using this drug, citing from a real life case of a young Portuguese woman who died from septic shock.

In addition to this blog post, one of the ways in which I am going to express my concern over this abortion drug's approval is to participate at this Fall's Life Chain pro-life effort. If you are new to Life Chain, it is a public witness against the killing of unborn children. Participants stand in silent prayer holding a sign that reads, "Abortion Kills Children" or something very similar. I will be holding an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress Of The Unborn.

Life Chain is a North American effort and if you live in Canada or the United States, Life Chain will take place in your local community or in close proximity; you can find out about a location near you by visiting the web site, www.lifechain.net. Here in Vaughan, Ontario, I will be attending the Life Chain effort to be held on October 4th from 2:00pm-3:00pm at Hwy. 7 and Islington Avenue.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress
of The Unborn

You might be asking yourself, "Why should I participate in the Life Chain effort?" There are several reasons, all of which I have included in a previous post, Life Chain - Faith Put Into Action. I have also included some recommendations that takes your participation to the next level and extends it beyond the one hour witness. The thrust of why you should participate in Life Chain is contained in the blog title itself, "putting faith into action." What good is faith that does nothing in practice, it is thoroughly lifeless. (James 2:17) 

Participation at Life Chain should form part of your effort to Labour In The Vineyard For The Unborn and Nonbelievers. The necessity to "labour in the vineyard" was presented to the Church in Saint Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici (Christ's Faithful People). It is a document that explained the vocation and mission of the laity in the Church and in the world. In it, Saint Pope John Paul II sought to instil in the laity the urgency with which we need to "labour," considering the social, economic, political and cultural state of affairs in world and in the Church. He stated that due to this, "...It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle." (3)

In identifying and denouncing the evil of abortion, I have drawn from the teaching of the Catholic Church, which is very specific about the killing of a human being, be it developing in the womb or at any other stage of life, "You Shall Not Kill" (Fifth Commandment). As a commandment, it is not negotiable or open to interpretation; it is God's holy law. There are no circumstances in which abortion is considered acceptable and any action against God's holy law, no matter what the rationale and justification, is always immoral and evil. Our Heavenly Father's teaching on the respect for human life was reiterated by Jesus at the Sermon of The Mount, "You shall not kill." (Mt 5:21)

Respect for human life has waned in many countries and it stems, in part, from a lack of understanding about a fundamental aspect of human life, that is, human life is sacred. Why is human life sacred you may ask? The Catechism Of The Catholic Church provides the answer, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being." (2258)

A further understanding of the abortion issue in Canada can be gained by reading the well known pro-life encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) written by Saint Pope John Paul II in 1995. It is a detailed and thorough document that clearly explains the value and inviolability of human life and all threats to it. He specifically dealt with the threat of abortion in Chapter III - You Shall Not Kill. Saint Pope John II noted that when man is deceived by Satan, who is a murderer from the beginning, the father of lies, the deception shows itself by the projects of sin and death that men are led to, disguised as goals and fruits of life.(53) The application by LinePharma, the pharmaceutical company that produces RU-486, based in London, England, is one such "project."

If we look to Health Canada's "regulatory decision summary" it is not difficult to identify Satan's signature. In addition to the use of euphemistic and at times ambiguous language, the information contained in this summary demonstrates a great deal of disrespect for and indifference to human life. Reading this information with the filter of truth, one can not help but feel a sense of repulsion and disappointment that such a drug was approved. Judge for yourself, here are a few excerpts:

The decision to authorize Mifegymiso for the Canadian market was made further to a thorough review of the data package provided by the sponsor that supported the safety, efficacy and quality of the product...Product labelling was revised in order to reflect and communicate the benefits, risks and uncertainties...it was concluded that the evidence provided supports the use of Mifegymiso for the medical termination of a developing intrauterine pregnancy with a gestational age up to 49 days as measured from the first day of the Last Menstrual Period based on a standard 28-day cycle...A small number of patients who took Mifegymiso presented more serious complications, such as pelvic infections (endometritis, salpingitis) and vaginal haemorrhages. Rare cases of fatalities were reported, therefore access to emergency care which can provide gynaecological surgical procedures, antibiotic intravenous therapy and blood transfusion in the rare cases where complications occur, is recommended in the labelling to ensure patient’s safety...The data provided to support this indication included data for women less than 18 years of age. The efficacy of Mifegymiso in these patients was similar to that seen in adults, however nausea and pain were reported more frequently in these patients. There were insufficient data to comment on the safety and efficacy in patients less than 15 years of age...

The existence of abortion in society is, as Saint Pope John Paul II noted in Evangelium Vitae, "...[A] telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense." (3) In Canada, the moral crisis was ushered in a very identifiable way in 1969 when the Omnibus Bill under the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Liberal government was passed, followed by the infamous Dr. Henry Morgantaler's 1988 constitutional challenge that made abortion available on demand. For all those responsible for making abortion, euthanasia, contraception and all other threats to human life available in Canada, the reproach of the Prophet can be applied, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20).

Reading between the lines of Health Canada's approval would suffice to sound the alarm the bell that RU-486 is dangerous to the health of women. If you do a little research on this drug and the potential negative physical ramifications, you might be surprised to find that many women (one is enough) have died in the most unpleasant manner. Case in point, death by septic shock in 2011 of a sixteen year old Portuguese woman.

So what exactly is septic shock. The web site, Healthline.com defines septic shock as follows, "Septic shock is what happens as a complication of an infection where toxins can initiate a full-body inflammatory response..." Sound pretty serious. Here is more information from Healthline.com elaborating on just how serious it is, "It is thought that the inflammation resulting from sepsis causes tiny blood clots to form, which can block oxygen and nutrients from reaching vital organs. As a result, the organs fail, causing a profound septic shock. This may cause a drop in blood pressure and may result in death." The web site goes on to identify three stages: 

1. sepsis, when an infection reaches the bloodstream and causes inflammation throughout the body
2. severe sepsis, which occurs when infection disrupts blood flow to the brain or kidneys, leading to organ failure. Blood clots cause gangrene (tissue death) in the arms, legs, fingers, and toes.
3. septic shock, when blood pressure drops significantly. This can lead to respiratory, heart, or organ failure and death.

Healthline.com further notes that sepsis, the initial stage, can be caused by any type of infection: bacterial, fungal, or viral. As to where sepsis commonly originates from, here is the list they provide, with the last item on the list being most relevant to today's post:

• abdominal or digestive system infections
• lung infections like pneumonia, bronchitis, or lower respiratory tract infections, which are responsible for around 25 percent of cases (NHS)
• urinary tract infection
• reproductive system infection

Those who are at a greater risk for developing septic shock includes: newborns, older people, pregnant women, and those with suppressed immune systems because of HIV or cancer treatments.

As for the details of the young Portuguese woman who died in 2011 from septic shock, (A Clostridium sordellii fatal toxic shock syndrome post-medical-abortion in Portugal) here is the information submitted to the the 21st European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), 27th International Congress of Chemotherapy (ICC):

Background: Clostridum sordellii (C. sordellii) is a gram-positive anaerobic bacillus that has been reported as a rare cause of fatal toxic syndrome after medical abortion. Portugal’s legal therapeutic abortion, before 10 weeks of gestation, was approved in 2007. We report a case of a young patient who underwent a medical induced abortion and died of a C. sordellii toxic shock syndrome. 

Case summary: A 16-year-old women who underwent a medically induced abortion by means of 200 mg of oral mifepristone followed by 800 µg of vaginal misoprostol, presented to the maternity hospital’s emergency five days after receiving mifepristone, complaining of lipothimia in the night before and abdominal cramping. On admission, she was conscient, afebrile and hypotense (76/35mmHg). A few hours later she developed a rapid onset-sepsis with marked leukocitosis (83,400 white-cells/µL with 88% of neutrophils), hemoconcentration (hematocrit of 63.4%; hemoglobin of 21.2) and severe metabolic acidosis. The patient underwent a hysterectomy and uterus biopsy cultures and anatomopathological analysis were requested. Patient was transferred to intensive care unit and died 18h after presenting to emergency. At the microbiology laboratory a direct examination by gram-stain smear of the uterine biopsy showed large, gram positive rods. The biopsy was inoculated in appropriated agar plates mediums and incubated aerobically and anaerobically. 48 h later only the anaerobic culture was positive and colonies were smeared by gram stain (showing gram positive rods) and a C. sordellii was identified by the semi-automated system, Vitek 2 (bioMerieux®) with an ANC card (Anaerobes and Corynebacterium card). 

Discussion: This was a fatal case of pos-abortion C. sordellii sepsis. The distinctive clinical features developed are the same reported in other studies. Gram staining of a uterine biopsy is a good and rapid mean of having a presumptive result and help to diagnose. C.sordellii was identified through uterine biopsy cultures with a semi-automated system which is different from other studies that used anti-clostridium species immunochemical assay and PCR assays performed on formalin fixed uterine tissue pos-autopsy. 

Conclusion: To improve diagnosis gram staining and cultures of an endometrial biopsy specimen are a good approach to an earlier recognition of the disease’s etiology.

Although I don't possess the medical competence to discuss the above details, there is something that I would like to spotlight in the "case summary," the death of this young woman only eighteen hours after being submitted to the Intensive Care Unit. The fact that such a quick and horrible death could be the reality for any woman that takes RU-486, is in itself be a powerful deterrent to completely avoid this drug. Regardless of what statistical data is presented by Health Canada or pharmaceutical companies, the reality is that this drug not only kills the developing human being in the womb, but may also kill the "mother," and it may happen in a very unpleasant manner.

In 2016, all that Canadian women will need to do in order to get this drug is obtain a prescription from their family physician. I hope that this sad reality and the reading of this post will help Canadian women and families become more aware of the dangers of RU-486, help save the lives of the unborn and women and convert those who are "anti-life." 

As Saint Pope John Paul II noted in Evangelium Vitae, "...Only God is the master of life!" (55) Whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned, it is a gift from God and should be received and respected as such. May God grant every man and woman the grace to accept and live this truth.



Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of The Unborn, pray for us.