Priests for Life Newsletter
Volume 12, Number 4
July - August 2002
Contents
MIDTERM ELECTIONS:
Have you informed your people of the deadlines for voter
registration and how to register? Remember that in the end, what matters in
every election is who gets to the polls. How will you help? See the link "Register
and Vote" on the front page of our site, www.priestsforlife.org.
Resources in Spanish
Priests for Life is happy to announce that we have increased
the number of resources we have in Spanish. Along with Fr. Frank's bi-weekly
commentary on pro-life issues, we also have intercessions and bulletin inserts,
as well as our Priests for Life prayer booklet. All of these may be downloaded
from our website at the Spanish resources page, www.priestsforlife.org/spanish/Spanish.html.
We ask you to please spread the word to priests, deacons, and others who minister
in the Church to our Hispanic brothers and sisters.
Suggested Petitions in Spanish for the General Intercessions
- Que todos los líderes y miembros de la Iglesia,
puedan acoger con gozo el llamado de proclamar, celebrar, y servir al Evangelio
de la Vida, roguemos al Señor...
- Que la Iglesia, Pueblo de la Vida, pueda dar un alegre
y convincente testimonio de que cada vida humana proviene de Dios, le pertenece
a Dios, y está hecha para regresar a Dios, roguemos al Señor...
- Que la Iglesia, llamada a optar siempre por los más
pobres, siempre defienda a los no nacidos, que son los hijos de Dios más
indefensos, roguemos al Señor...
Suggested bulletin insert in Spanish:
El Monumento Nacional de la guerra de Vietnam en Washington
DC es una brillante pared negra que mide 492 pies y contiene los nombres de
los 58,022 Americanos que se sabe, murieron en dicha guerra. Si en lugar de
nombrar los soldados caídos en la guerra, esta pared nombrara a todos
los niños asesinados por el aborto desde 1973, la pared mediría
unas 60 millas de longitud. Las fatalidades de nuestras guerras juntas, son
menores que las fatalidades que produce el aborto en un solo año.
Counseling tips: Helping People
Choose Life, Not Abortion
Fr. Frank Pavone, Founding Director
Saving lives in our day has never been easier, and this
is so for the tragic reason that more lives are in danger and easily snuffed
out than ever before. The potential victims are all around us: in our families,
in our neighborhoods, in our Churches. How do we counsel someone who is pregnant,
in need, and tempted to abortion?
Counseling in these situations can be direct (speaking to
the one who is pregnant) or indirect (speaking to someone who knows her), brief
or extended. We intend to carry a series of articles on practical counseling
in this newsletter, but want to begin with a few insights and suggestions about
the direct counseling of the pregnant individual.
- Narrowing the focus. We are speaking here of the
abortion-minded woman, and for our purposes we will define this person
as one who sees abortion as either her only option or one of her likely options.
Others who are pregnant but not abortion-minded
may come to us for various kinds of help and advice, and helping them is certainly
part of the mission of the Church. But stopping an abortion has dynamics that
are unique and require special attention.
- She does not want the abortion. A key thought
to keep in mind is that those who have abortions don't want them. As Frederica
Mathewes-Green has said, no woman wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche
or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants
to gnaw off its own leg.
Most likely, this pregnant girl has received no advice from anyone she has
spoken to except "You have to get an abortion; there's no other way." We should
assess right from the start who knows about the situation and what they are
telling her. We then need to provide the voice of hope, that there are alternatives.
Deep down, this is what she is hoping against hope to hear. Countless post-abortion
testimonies reflect the experience of crying out -- on the inside -- for an
alternative.
- Why some feel adoption is worse than abortion.
In his article, "Abortion:
A Failure to Communicate," (First Things 82, April 1998: 31-35), Paul
Swope of the Caring Foundation gives us the following insights regarding studies
done on women's perception of abortion, adoption, and parenting:
"Adoption, unfortunately, is seen as the most
"evil" of the three options, as it is perceived as a kind of double
death. First, the death of self, as the woman would have to accept motherhood
by carrying the baby to term. Further, not only would the woman be a mother,
but she would perceive herself as a bad mother, one who gave her own child
away to strangers. The second death is the death of the child "through
abandonment." A woman worries about the chance of her child being abused.
She is further haunted by the uncertainty of the child’s future, and about
the possibility of the child returning to intrude on her own life many years
later. Basically, a woman desperately wants a sense of resolution to her crisis,
and in her mind, adoption leaves the situation the most unresolved, with uncertainty
and guilt as far as she can see for both herself and her child. As much as
we might like to see the slogan "Adoption, Not Abortion" embraced
by women, this study suggests that in pitting adoption against abortion, adoption
will be the hands-down loser.
"The attitude of these women toward abortion
is quite surprising. First, all of the scores of women involved in the study
(none of whom were pro-life activists and all of whom called themselves "pro-choice")
agreed that abortion is killing. While this is something that is no doubt
"written on the human heart," credit for driving home the reality
of abortion is also due to the persevering educational work of the pro-life
movement. Second, the women believe that abortion is wrong, an evil, and that
God will punish a woman who makes that choice. Third, however, these women
feel that God will ultimately forgive the woman, because He is a forgiving
God, because the woman did not intend to get pregnant, and finally, because
a woman in such crisis has no real choice, the perception is that the woman’s
whole life is at stake.
- Find out whom she is afraid to hurt, disappoint, or
lose. Whom is she trying to please or protect?
Some believe that the key elements causing a person
to seek abortion are practical matters like money or housing. Just as significant,
however, are relational concerns. Frederica Mathewes-Green conducted listening
groups in major cities across the United States to ascertain why women get
abortions. Her book, Real Choices, gives excellent insights from what
she learned. She writes, "Women in the listening groups uniformly talked
about pressures in relationships; the abortion was done, each told us, either
to please someone or to protect someone" (p.17). "For nearly every woman,
the abortion decision is the result of many reasons, not just one. Relational
and practical, emotional and material problems all jumble together in a dense
knot, and abortion appears the most efficient -- if not the only -- way to
solve them all" (p. 20).
The "pro-choice" Alan Guttmacher Institute states
the following on its website (www.agi-usa.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html)
about why women get abortions:
"On average, women give at least 3 reasons for
choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school
or other responsibilities; about 2/3 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2
say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their
husband or partner."
- See and treat the situation as a life and death emergency,
which it is. Though it may come to us in the most calm and normal of circumstances,
the conversation with someone who might have an abortion has immersed us all
at once into a life-or-death struggle. We need to treat it accordingly with
the highest priority, being sure not only to assist the pregnant individual
in our conversation, but to maintain contact with her on a daily basis, either
doing so ourselves or entrusting her to an individual who can do so. Even
if we seem to have persuaded her to choose life, those who are pressuring
her to abort will be at it again later that day and the next day.
We should know the nearest abortion-alternatives
and the people who serve there, and we should, wherever possible, establish
the connection ourselves between the person in need and the pregnancy assistance
center. Simply giving her the contact information does not assure that she
will call. Hotline numbers like the National Life Center (800-848-LOVE) should
be on the tip of our tongue.
- Different levels of persuasion are necessary in different
cases. Some abortion-minded individuals can be talked out of it with counseling
alone, maybe just one talk. Others will be persuaded only if they see photos
of the developing baby. It is good to have some at hand (see our website at
www.priestsforlife.org/resources/abortionimages/fetaldevelopment.htm).
It is also advisable to identify a doctor in the parish who is willing to
volunteer his or her services in these emergencies, and provide an ultrasound
for the mother.
Some will not be moved either by counseling or by
positive images, and may need to see the pictures of aborted children (see
www.priestsforlife.org/images).
There are those who, despite their knowledge of the life of the child and
the violence of abortion, have completely closed their heart to the child.
Sometimes, speaking about the risks of abortion to their own health and safety,
and information about abortion malpractice and the dangers of the procedure,
can persuade them not to go through with it. Finally, there are those who
have placed themselves beyond the realm of reason, and only some form of peaceful,
direct intervention can save that life.
- A priest's counseling is unique. You as a priest are
offering, by your very presence, a caring fatherly image that contradicts
the abandonment that this woman likely experiences from the baby's father.
Moreover, the powerful religious symbolism a priest provides is an essential
element which professional counseling by itself cannot provide.
- Invite them to come. People who are pregnant and in
need will come if we invite them to. By preaching and writing about abortion
within our parishes and schools, and inviting people to come forward to seek
help, we give them permission to bring to us this deeply personal and troubling
matter. And as a result, lives will be saved.
Prayer Intentions
You are encouraged to remember the following intentions
as you pray the Liturgy of the Hours:
July intention: For an end to capital punishment.
August intention: Daily intention for the babies scheduled
to be aborted that day.
Recommended Books
(See a fuller list of pro-life books we recommend on our
website at www.priestsforlife.org/books)
Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life
by William May
This book gives a detailed overview of Catholic teaching
on major bioethical issues, including contraception, abortion, reproductive
technologies, experimentation, euthanasia, assisted suicide, organ transplantation,
and the definition of death.
ISBN Number 0-87973-683-6
Published in 2000 by Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza,
Huntington, IN 46750; Phone 1-800-348-2440; Email osvbooks@osv.com;
Website www.osv.com
Abortion Industry in Trouble!
The pro-life movement, through the work of Life Dynamics,
is now in possession of concrete evidence that hundreds of abortion clinics
have knowingly and deliberately avoided their duty to report statutory rape.
Minors who have been impregnated by adults are sold abortions every day, and
not a word is spoken about the sexual abuse they have suffered. Priests for
Life will be working closely with other groups to facilitate legal action against
these clinics. For more information, visit www.childpredators.com.
Recommended Summer Action Item
The pro-life movement needs to reach people who are not
going to come, on their own, to a pro-life talk or presentation. The summer
months provide a great opportunity to bring the pro-life message to people who
are out and about at the malls, ball games, beaches, parks, and other public
gatherings. Organize literature distribution, life chains, and other peaceful
gatherings with signs showing the reality of abortion. The First Amendment gives
us an open door to this type of activity. Youth groups especially can be harnessed
for this type of action. Please let us know if you need help in planning this
kind of activity!
Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. 888-PFL-3448, (718) 980-4400
Fax 718-980-6515
Email mail@priestsforlife.org
Subscribe to Fr. Frank's bi-weekly
prolife column (free): subscribe@priestsforlife.org
Click
here to See What Abortion Looks Like!
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