News

The May 2013 edition of the Knights of Columbus newsletter - Knightline, carries an article on how to be supportive of moms, entitled "Meals for Moms."

The article is providential. This afternoon I received a call on our toll-free line (1-855-871-4442) from a young woman, 23 weeks pregnant seeking help for her rent and food.

To end abortion we need to be supportive of women and their children.

We spoke twice, the first time to gather information about her circumstances and the second, to transmit some helpful phone numbers to her.

Also, we made tentative plans to meet tomorrow mid-day so as to see how her calls panned out and how we at the Quebec Life Coalition can be of further help. Please keep us in your prayers.

As for the KofC article, here are some excerpts from the article.

As part of your council's outreach to the community, consider launching a program to provide meals for mothers in need in your area. Hosting such events throughout the year will not only help meet the physical needs of these women and their children, but also act as testimony that there are people concerned with their welfare who are there to support them.

These meals can be served at the council hall or in conjunction with another local group such as a crisis pregnancy center, a shelter for women or similar type of organization. The program should be opened up to women at these facilities, the mothers in the community who are in need or lonely with no place to do.

The council program should be announced in advance and advertised at participating organizaton, in local news ...

As an added touch, when possible, try to have volunteers serve the mothers (and their children) rather than having them move through cafeteria-style lines. It will be just one more way to show that the Knights are there to help.

This past Wednesday, June 12, 2013, the Quebec government tabled Bill 52 - "An Act respecting end-of-life care," legislation aimed at permitting euthanasia.

Not a law yet, it will debated this Fall for the purpose of becoming law.

In an effort to bring clarity to the discussion, within my own mind at least, I've come across a couple of good commentaries.

(To view the 20-page proposed legislation, learn about the stages of consideration, and leave a comment about the bill, visit the provincial website.) 

First, the following points come from Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, appearing in a letter and then in a subsequent blog.

• Contrary to the comments by many media outlets and some media releases from prolife groups, Bill 52 does not authorize assisted suicide (Section 241 of the Criminal Code).
• Bill 52 legalizes euthanasia under the euphemism medical aid in dying. Euthanasia is a form of homicide. The difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is: Euthanasia is an act whereby the physician or someone else causes your death (homicide) and Assisted suicide is an act whereby the physician or someone else provides the means (lethal dose) and you take it yourself (assisting a suicide).
• The bill is clear, the doctor administers, that means euthanasia. Assisted suicide is when the doctor prescribes.
• The supposed safeguards that the Quebec government have chosen are nearly identical to the current Belgian model.
• The Belgium model differs from the Netherlands model in the way it is administered and paid for. The Belgian model administers and pays for the act of euthanasia through its palliative care system. The Belgian model only authorizes euthanasia by physicians, but assisted suicide does occur sometimes.
• The Quebec government is defining euthanasia as a medical act, within the continuum of palliative care.
• The palliative care system may or may not accept euthanasia within Quebec, but it is being defined in that manner.

In the blog, his introductory note on why we should oppose the practice of euthanasia is well worth repeating. These are:

1. No person, institution or government agency should be given the right or power to take the life of a human person.
2. The power of one person, to cause the death of another person, will be abused. Human interaction often includes some level of abuse. In this circumstance the abuse results in the death of a human person.
3. Discrimination exists towards identified groups of people or individuals. Legalizing euthanasia, for instance, threatens the lives of people with disabilities.

Regarding the second of these three points, Schadenberg cites in this blog several studies indicating as much in Belgium.

A second writer who provides commentary on different sections of the bill ist into the nitty-gritty of Bill 52 is Wesley Smith. He has written two pieces found here and here. In these two articles he examines sections - 3, 8, 26, and 29.

Once again, Bill 52 - "An Act respecting end-of-life care," may be viewed here.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Dear Friends of Life,

I need your help.

The French daily La Presse reported this past Thursday, June 6, 2013, that the Provincial government would be tabling, the very next day, legislation permitting the practice of euthanasia in our province.

This isn’t anything unexpected. Under the previous government, a liberal one, we witnessed two signs that our government was moving in this direction – the recommendations of the select committee Dying with Dignity which endorsed the deadly procedure and the report of the Ménard committee on the legal implementation of the select committee’s recommendations which outlined how to circumvent federal jurisdiction.

Friday came and went without any new legislation. Yet because the parliamentary session ends this Friday and breaks for the summer, we expect that the legislation will be tabled in a few days.

We need to act. Would you to call or email your member of the National Assembly in order to tell him or her about your opposition to permitting ‘medical aid in dying’ legislation – a.k.a., euthanasia and assisted suicide.

To find out who your elected official is, you need only enter your postal code in the appropriate box at the Assemblée nationale page.

Else, at this same web address, we can enter other search parameters which will permit you to find out who your elected representative is.

Finally, you can get the same information by calling:

1-866 Députés (1 866 337-8837)

It is important to act, preferably by phone, if not, by email, or both. We need to tell our elected officials that we will not stand for this contradiction to health care.

Creeping euthanasia

Some say euthanasia is already present in Quebec. I have heard tales of unscrupulous health care professionals, cowering under the title of multi-disciplinary committees to avoid taking personal responsibility, who have disregarded their Hippocratic Oath to ensure the health and safety of their patients. I have heard of at least 2 cases.

Teresa has experienced how the health care network has failed her, her parents, and her family. The death of her parents was the result of either a series of unfortunate inept decisions by the people intended to care for their well-being or worse - a deliberate and coordinated plan to play god with the more vulnerable of our society – our elderly.

The case of inept individuals include: an overzealous and territorial CLSC social worker, a pastor more respectful of governmental guidelines than pastor-parishioner care, a family doctor also cowering to CSSS pressures rather than caring for the patient, and a medical researcher and administrator more interested in medicating their research subjects rather than respecting their Hippocratic Oath.

In a second instance, Pierrette wrote to me about the death of her mother. Her experience with a provincially-run long term health care facility has left bitter feelings. She concludes that “euthanasia is a money portfolio in that inheritors and the government both stand to gain.”

She described the deterioration in the care given to her mom at the nursing home – beginning with the disappearance of personal and family heirlooms– as well as arbitrary rules preventing Pierrette to inquire about personal matters related to her mother.

Yet there is hope: Many physicians have not been silent about the pending dangers. Over 500 have signed a manifesto pledging total refusal of euthanasia. And this past May 18, 2013, the Springtime March attracted 1700 persons to Quebec City to voice their disapproval with the government’s orientation. Now, in light of the legislation, the same organizers of the May 18 event are planning a further civic action. Details are be forthcoming.

In the meantime, please contact your local MNA to voice your disapproval with the direction of our provincial legislation.

Yours Respectfully,

Brian A. Jenkins

P.S. Thank you for your ongoing support, both spiritual and financial!

June 2013 Newsletter >>

Dear Brian,

I wish to protect the elderly and the vulnerable from assisted suicide and euthanasia. Here's my donation to allow QLC to continue its important work.

Opinion

The following letter appeared in the Monday, June 3, 2013 print edition of the French daily LaPresse.(p. A14). I translated it with the help of Google translator.

Feminist and Pro-Life

Can you be a feminist and against abortion? I am in favour of the equality of the sexes. But can we talk about equality when a father has no say about the birth of his child? Yes, I am for the free choice of women to study, marry, have children - or not, including having recourse to contraception - but for abortion, no.

Over the past centuries many women made great strides in acquiring rights for us, women. Yet, I firmly believe that "choice" must be exercised prior to conceiving the child. The woman’s "choice" should not trump the right to life of the child (or the cluster of cells).

For some, this may seem a paradox to be pro-life and a feminist at the same time. However, I was brought to earth by the LaPresse reporting in on female gendercide and sex-selective abortion practices in some countries. There seemed to be a consensus that we should ban abortion based on the sex of the child. I totally agree. I wonder whether there is a real difference between two women who have abortions of female fetuses, one because she knows the sex of the child, and she insists on having a boy, and the other, because she prefers to focus on her career and not have children yet.

Ultimately, the result is the same: abortion. What are the legitimate reasons for doing so? Can we judge that one woman is right because she prefers to save the honor of the family and the other not? And above all, if abortion is such a boon for women, why do they feel so guilty afterwards?

While condemning selective abortions, we praise Dr. Henry Morgentaler who, I admit, has changed the face of Canada. Of course, he was a brave man and full of conviction, but has he made a difference for the better? Why such a refusal on behalf of the media and politicians to reopen the abortion question, to assess, in hindsight, whether it has been beneficial for Quebec society?

Dr. Morgentaler stated that he carried the fight so each child would be desired by their parents at birth. I do not agree. I do not think a child needs to be desired in order to exist. I think of this Indian woman in the story of Isabelle Hachey who took in forty girls abandoned at birth. All these had been rejected, and yet we see that they are happy and they want one thing, to live.

Maude St-Laurent (student in political science)

Calgary CTV News polled its web audience yesterday with the following question:

How Would Characterize Henry Morgentaler's Impact on Canada?

Over 4500 persons responded with one of either of the two choices - positive or negative.

At day's end 62% voted negative. Bravo Canada!

I’m disappointed with today's coverage in the Montreal Gazette concerning the death of Dr. Henry Morgentaler.

The abortionist died yesterday morning from a heart attack in his Toronto home.

Here at the Quebec Life Coalition, the phone rang off the hook all day, from reporters seeking comments from us. Not one nor two but three television crews came by the office seeking interviews and comments for their respective networks.

In the evening two more televison crews came by Lahaie Park as several of us gathered in a prayerful vigil across the street from the mill that bares his name. Despite condemning his actions, we prayed for the repose of the most notorious Canadian in history.

Returning to the Gazette's coverage, two full pages appear in today's print version. I agree with federal minister Rona Ambrose that Mr. Morgentaler was a big figure in Canadian history and made a huge impact on the nation.

His legacy for all Canadians is a very disappointing one. The epithet ‘One dead, one wounded,’ I think, justly summarizes this legacy to our nation. Yet, this summary is incomplete for the horrific consequences of abortion goes beyond the principal parties of mother and child to embrace many others – father of the child, parents, friends, and ultimately society as a whole.

Until society addresses the question how can we help both the mother and the child in her womb, the horror will continue.

p.s. Here are two good articles by Andrea Mrozek (RealWomenProLife). One is entitled 'On the death of Dr. Henry Morgentaler and the other, appearing in the Ottawa Citizen, 'There is a Life at the Heart of the Matter.' The latter explores the idea of 'choice' and cites a personal experience with a victim of Dr. Morgentaler.

While attending this past Saturday's Springtime March protesting the Quebec government's plan to permit euthanasia, I eerily felt I had been transported to Holland.

First, the lanscape was awashed with tulips. Among the more than 1500 gathered on this sunny day to march from the Plains of Abraham to the National Assembly, I arrived at the legislature to be greeted by beds of tulips.

The walkways along the font lawn leading to the provincial building had been decorated with several beds as had the fountain with a ring of red tulips circling it.

Could there be a better symbol for this European country?

Well, yes, there happens to be a better, though more infamous, symbol of that country of 6+ million souls. It is its euthanasia policy.

Since 2002, when the "Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act"  came into effect, Holland has gained the infamous distinction of being one of a few principalities worldwide permitting the legal killing of its citizenry.

Yet, on this day, I was not in Holland but in Quebec and yet our elected officials are determined to imitate its European ally in more ways than one.

I'm fond of tulips, despite its characteristic of wilting too quickly.

I'm not fond of "medical aid in dying," as the authors of the impending law have euphemistically referred to euthanasia. It amounts to the deliberate ending of a human life.

The Quebec Life Coalition was present on Saturday to lend its voice with the many other groups and individuals present against the plans of the current government. One such group is the physician outfit called "Total Refusal of Euthanasia." They have drafted a declaration found here, which I encourage all to read and sign.

For more photos and a story, click here.

Photo albums may be seen here and here.

THE SPRINGTIME MARCH:

Euthanasia, in our province, NO THANKS!

Quebec City, Saturday, May 18, 2013

Chartered Bus leaving Montreal

The Springtime March against the government legislation permitting euthanasia and assisted suicide will be held this coming Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Quebec City.

Would like to join us for this event? The Quebec Life Coalition is chartering a bus to permit you to participate.

The price per round-trip ticket is $35. Family discounts are available.

Our schedule reads as follows:

• Departures – 7 a.m. 895, De la Gauchetière West
• 9 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of the Cape – Trois-Rivières (French)
• Noon Gathering on Plains of Abraham – Québec City
• 1:45 p.m. Walk to the National Assembly
• 2:45 p.m. Arrival at National Assembly – speeches.
• 4:30 p.m. Closing Prayer
• 6:00 p.m. Board buses and return to Montreal

Cost: $35 per person, round-trip. Family discounts available.

Registering: Before May 17 at (438) 930-8643 or (514) 344-2686. Or email us at [email protected].

Also, bring a lunch! (There will also be a canteen on-site.)

Close to 100 people travelled from Montreal to Ottawa yesterday in two chartered buses to join the close to 25 000 who attended the 16th annual National March for Life on Parliament Hill.

These pilgrims came from all over - Laval, Ile-Perrot, West Island, Greenfield Park, and St-Hyacinthe, to board one of two buses leased by the Quebec Life Coalition (QLC).

A third bus chartered by the QLC came all the way from Quebec City carrying upwards of 45 pilgrims. These left the provincial capital at 7 a.m. and arrived in time to attend the mid-day speeches on the hill from leaders in the political, religious, and civil areas. A film about their travel may be seen here.

As for the Montreal pilgrims, here are a few pictures.

Famous Montrealers in attendance include Archbishops Christian Lépine of Montreal and Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa. 

QLC President Georges Buscemi was the co-Master of ceremony for the afternoon event, providing commentary in French.

Additional photos of the day may be seen here.

The television network EWTN, in attendance at the march for the first time, will rebroadcast the event tomorrow Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

Finally, two local papers carried stories about the event. The Gazette featured two while LaPresse a single one - "Dissension sur fond d'avortement," a spin on the dissension within the federal conservative party. I didn't see any article in Montreal's largest daily - Le Journal de Montréal.