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Dear pro-Lifer,

Blessed summer greetings to you.

“We pray that people will understand that to be pro-life means to be pro-woman,

and that to be pro-woman demands that we be pro-life.”

(Taken from "Pro-Life Meditations" by Priests for Life.)

This month I want to underscore the importance of coming to the aid of women. Whether those struggling with an unplanned pregnancy or those who have already aborted, we as a society need to be front and centre in our support of both groups so as to eliminate altogether the scourge of abortion.

Before saying any more on this, I want to encourage you not to forget us over the summer months. Our bills do not take a holiday. Please click here to donate today. Your support would help us to continue supporting life initiatives such as:

• Welcoming a delegation from the Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform;
• Hosting the Canada Crossroads walkers, a group of intrepid youth who are walking across the country for the cause of life; and
• Canvassing select areas of Montreal with pro-life material.

Our Attitude Towards Women

An important way to confront and change the culture of death that we live in is to confront and change our inertia towards helping women in distress. I’m thinking of the adage; to be pro-life is to be pro-woman.

The Post-Abortive Woman

While visiting Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Laval ten days ago, a parishioner pulled me aside. He worried for the fate of his sister-in-law. The latter is post-abortive, having had three. Rightly her soul is in danger and I was asked for prayers, particularly as she shows little remorse or contrition for her acts. The parishioner struggled on what role he can play in her spiritual journey.

As he spoke with me, I recalled the words a bishop had said to St. Monica about her wayward son, Augustine. “Speak less to Augustine about God, but more to God about Augustine.”

In aiding women, whether this sister-in-law or others, I believe we need to greet them in their terms- i.e., meet them where they are at in their spiritual journey. Our role is to walk with them towards Christ. Only then will they discover the way, the light, and the truth.

Rachel’s Vineyard

Other women have recognized the gravity of their abortion. Diane (not her real name), mother of five, had her abortion some thirty years ago, as a sixteen year-old.

Her road afterwards was quite bumpy. There were years of broken relationships, drugs, and alcohol. There was estrangement from her parents. Healing appeared unattainable.

Yet healing was available and was found through participation in a post-abortion recovery ministry. The form hers took was called Rachel’s Vineyard.

Rachel’s Vineyard organizes weekend retreats throughout the year to help women who suffer mental anguish and pain after having an abortion. This ministry aims at assisting post-abortive women come to deal with the emotional, physical, and spiritual pain the death of their child has had on them.

Diane says that she continues to experience bouts of depression, yet because of the structures she learned in this ministry, she finds support and peace.

Montreal and Quebec needs a similar kind of post abortion healing retreat. In Montreal alone, there are about 10 000 abortions per year. Since unrestricted abortions came into effect in 1988, that means about 250 000.

It is our goal to organize such a retreat. With your support we can organize one as early as this fall. Will you help? Your support would allow us to get the training needed to organize such a retreat.

So, let’s continue to be supportive of women.

Yours in faith,

Brian Jenkins

English and Multicultural Communities Outreach Director

Quebec Life Coalition

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation wants to gather commitments of billions of dollars from heads of state and other leaders for contraceptive programs aimed at poor women. The Gates Foundation also wants governments to help overcome what they consider to be "barriers" to contraceptive use such as parental involvement. These efforts will take place at a Gates-sponsored Family Planning Summit on July 11 in London.

According to a Gates Foundation paper published in conjunction with the government of the United Kingdom, a key goal is permanent government funding for advocates to promote global agreements on sexual and reproductive health services and rights, and to lobby for more money for contraceptive information and services.

Melinda Gates insists the campaign is not associated with abortion or population control. She says is it about enabling women to choose as small or large a family as wanted. Yet the Summit provides no support for maternal or child health, and its primary partners have engaged in forced abortion and sterilization campaigns.

Even Amnesty International fears the campaign will “return to coercive family planning programs.”

The outcome document for the Summit calls on all members of the "global community" – countries, donors, civil society, manufacturers and others – to fund and advocate for family planning for all, including for the unmarried and adolescents.

The Summit’s underlying premise is a so-called “unmet need” for contraception. The concept refers to women not wanting a child immediately and not using contraception for any reason – including infrequent sexual activity, dislike of side effects, or religious objections. According to Harvard professor Lant Pritchett, women who have no expressed desire for contraceptives are reported as needing it. Also women “who require motivation to want what they are presumed to need.”

This broad net capturing women who do not want to use contraception, and may desire children at a later time than when surveyed, explains the Summit’s overbearing intention to use funds to “increase demand” for contraception.

Funds raised by the Summit will also be used to buy and distribute more contraception, presuming that women want contraceptives but cannot obtain them. Yet the World Bank reports, “unmet need should not be equated with the lack of access to contraception . . . women with unmet need may still not have any intention to use contraception were it readily accessible and of good quality.”

In fact, contrary to the two main arguments promoted by family planners, studies show that greater access to contraception does not result in fewer pregnancies or abortions.

Critics fear the Summit’s campaign for contraception will divert funding and staff from struggling health issues that lack powerful advocates, such as medical care for pregnant women.

The tightly-controlled Summit is organized by the UK’s Department for International Development, which has been charged by the Guardian newspaper with funding India’s coerced sterilization program. So tightly is the conference organized that the venue will not be announced until shortly before the meeting commences, and only governments that make pledges can attend. International Planned Parenthood Federation, the largest abortion provider, is mobilizing civil society ahead of the event. Pro-lifers are complaining about the lack of transparency and accountability

Dear members of Quebec Life Coalition,

After five months of working here, the end of my term is shortly approaching. Prior to departing I would like to say a few things…

First of all, thank-you to all of my colleagues at Quebec Life Coalition! Though the battle against abortion is a tough and challenging one, the charming, joyful, and hopeful spirit of all of you has helped keep me strong amidst the difficulties that we encounter in the pro-life field. It has been a pleasure working with you.

To all members and donors whom I have met: I will always remember your smiling faces, your endurance and faith, as well as your dedication to the pro-life cause. I hope you continue to attend the Quebec Life Coalition events and spread awareness of the injustice of abortion to those around you. I want to thank-you for all your acts of kindness and generosity.

I have learned so much over the course of the past five months, but what has shaped me far more than the knowledge acquired are the personal stories of pro-life warriors, post-abortion testifiers, couples and families, previous abortion industry employees, converters to the Christian faith, and all those whose lives reflect love, courage, and faith (and there are so many of you!).

Finally, I can assure you that the pro-life cause will always be in my heart and I will continue to do the best that I can to defend the lives of the unborn. I will be starting a program in Education in Ottawa this September and I look forward to joining the Students for Life club at the University of Ottawa.

I leave you with a prayer, one that I find helpful in times of discouragement or distress:

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

- Proverbs 3 : 5-6

God bless all of you! Stay strong!

-Agnès Colantuoni

This past Sunday I was warmly welcomed by Cornwall's pro-life community as I travelled there to take part in their annual March fo Life and Annual General Meeting.

Under sunny skies, the afternoon began when Gale Barr, head of Pro-Life Cornwall Pro-Vie, gathered the thirty or so of us in prayer before the entrance of the Charles-Émile Claude Centre before leading us thrugh the streets of Cornwall. At the head of the march, she was accompanied by her husband as well as a fourth degree Knight of Columbus.

Walking in pairs, we followed behind. Deacon Christopher Chisholm introduced himself to me and accompanied me for the forty-minute, 1.6 km walk.

Back at the recreation centre, the AGM was presided by Ms. Barr. In addition to reports by the secretary and financial officer and the election of new board members, there was a surprise addition to the agenda - me!

Ms. Joan Lemieux, office manager for Pro-Life Cornwall, invited me to say a few words about our work here in Quebec. With delight, I accepted and after briefly outlining the history of QLC, I spoke about a few of our current projects - such as outreach into the community, 40 Days for Life prayer vigils, and sidewalk counselling.

The meeting ended with a presentation by Ms. Anastasia Bowles, Special Projects Coordinator wiith Life Canada. I gathered from her thirty-minute power-point presentation that Life Canada produces national campaigns promoting adoption. Venues in which their adds run include buses, bus shelters, and in the general media.

By 4 p.m. the meeting had ended and I was making my way back to Montreal.

A story appears in the local paper - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder.

P.S.  The AGM began with the following prayer:

Prayer for the Unborn

Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil, those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life.

Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today who are not thinking of motherhood.

Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image - as well as theirs - made for eternal life.

Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts to love their babies and give them birth and all the needed care that a mother can give.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

Austin Ruse, President at C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute) sends us the following message about Melinda Gates and those with whom she associates - i.e., population controllers.

Have a read and, if you are in agreement, follow through and sign the open letter.

I did; # 8071 who had done so.

June 21, 2012

Dear Friend,

In just a few weeks billionaire Melinda Gates is hosting a Family Planning Summit in London. She is doing this with the largest abortion providers and promoters in the world, the UN Population Fund and International Planned Parenthood Federation.

They say they want to raise $4 billion to promote contraception among poor women. This is population control plain and simple, population control aimed at poor dark-skinned women.

We have tried to get pro-lifers registered for this summit so there can be a counter voice…

BUT WE ARE BEING SHUT OUT BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD!

Even though our voices will be shut out, we will not be silenced.

I ask you to read the OPEN LETTER TO MELINDA GATES and if you agree that this is a dangerous conference and if you agree that pro-lifers should not be shut out, sign the letter!

We hope to gather 100,000 signatures from all over the world and we will hand deliver them to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle, Washington and/or directly on the steps of the Family Planning Summit in London on July 11th!

BUT WE HAVE ONLY TWO WEEKS TO DO IT. PLEASE ACT NOW!

Please read the OPEN LETTER TO MELINDA GATES, sign it, and then send this email to everyone in your address book. The only way this will be effective is if this email and this petition go viral all over the Internet.

So, help us say NO to Melinda Gates. No abortion. No abortion groups. No coerced family planning.

Sign the OPEN LETTER TO MELINDA GATES and send this email to all of your family and friends, TO YOUR ENTIRE ADDRESS BOOK.

We will deliver all signatures to Melinda Gates office in three weeks!

Yours sincerely,

Austin Ruse, President, C-FAM New York/Washington DC

PS We have only two weeks to get this done. Please act fast, act now, sign this letter and send this email to everyone you know!

For a second consecutive year, we at the Quebec Life Coalition will be hosting the crossroads walkers when they arrive in Montreal the first weekend of August - August 4-6.

The group of ten left the west coast five weeks ago and, as I write to you, are arriving in Regina to spend the weekend.

The following story was written by Thaddeus Baklinski.

SOMEWHERE on the prairies, June 21, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - After walking through British Columbia in almost incessant rain, the team of stalwart Crossroads Canada pro-life walkers made it to the plains of Alberta and are now trekking through the vast expanses of Saskatchewan sharing their message of life in major cities and small towns along the way.

"It’s week 4 and we’ve hit the plains! After descending the Rockies into the plains of southern Alberta, we have since jumped north and continued walking east from the Calgary area. We are now in mid-western Saskatchewan heading to Saskatoon,” the group related on their blog late last week.

Patrick Wilson, leader of the group of 10 young people ages 18 to 30, said that blisters - the most serious physical hardship the walkers have experienced so far - are both a painful reminder and an inspiration to the walkers of the reason they walk, so the phrase “offer it up” is used often.

“I am happy to report that we have sustained no real injuries as of yet - despite some fairly bad blisters for some - but everyone is more than happy to walk, even though it may at times be painful,” Patrick said. “In that vein, the phrase “offer it up!” has already become a bit of a joking cliché term - and though we joke about how frequently we say it, there is still much truth in the idea of offering up any pain in our walking for the unborn and the intentions we receive along the way at parishes.”

The team’s daily routine involves walking in shifts through the night and day. They also attend daily Mass at the nearest parish.

The group walks for five days and then spends weekends praying in front of abortion clinics, visiting parishes to talk to youth groups and to drum up donations. The weekends also give blisters and sore muscles time to heal.

“One of the things which has surprised me the most on Crossroads - in a good way - is the importance of the parish mission on the weekends,” Patrick related.

“Visiting local churches, we share with parishioners what our walk is about, and ask for spiritual and financial support. I was initially reluctant to do this part of the walk, but have since found it extremely rewarding for both the parishioners, and our own motivation.”

“For them to see young people active and engaged in the mission, who care deeply enough about it to want to walk across the country for the cause, is very encouraging for many of these people. Their encouragement, in exchange, is very encouraging for us. To feel and receive this abundant support on weekends has helped to strengthen our resolve to walk with purpose this summer. Thank-you parishioners!”

Nineteen-year-old team member Lindsay Richey of B.C., said the positive response, especially from parishes along the way has been a highlight for her.

“I’ve noticed a lot of positive response. We get a lot of encouragement, especially from parish communities on the weekends, which really fills us up and keeps us motivated,” Lindsay told the Western Catholic Reporter, which caught up with the team in Edmonton.

“I’m walking this summer because I’ve come to realize how precious all human life is and I want to witness to how important it is especially for the unborn,” added Lindsay.

The team notes that, “The general response we have received so far along the road has been interesting.”

“While the majority of actual responses we visibly receive has been so far positive - friendly horn blasts, thumbs up and waves - it is still tough to gauge exactly what the majority of those who drive by us actually think.”

As participants in previous Crossroads Canada walks have told LifeSiteNews, their experience is that many Canadians are apathetic about abortion.

Patrick observed that, “Looking into the cars of passersby (we do not try to make it look obvious!), nearly all drivers notice us, and with some degree of interest. It is easy to notice the turning heads, or the glance, and the averted eyes. We very rarely get middle fingers, angry yells, or any negative response.”

“It is interesting to note,” Patrick said, “because I think it is sadly indicative of the typical Canadian tendency towards apathy on topics such as abortion. I feel that many of these people likely do not disagree with our cause, or respect us for standing up for it, but might feel that since abortion is not directly their problem, then they should not be concerned or excited about the movement.

“How do we reach these apathetic Canadians? This is not an easy question to answer. But I only hope that our shirts have at least got these apathetic passersby to think about the issue a little more, and maybe open their minds to consider that maybe there is something wrong with the genocide that we are inflicting on our future generation.”

Again, as has been the experience by teams in previous years, Patrick and the team agree that the level of support for the pro-life cause and for their cross-Canada walk was by far the highest in the province of Saskatchewan.

"So far, our experience in this province of Saskatchewan has proven to be most supportive overall, judging by the amount of positive response we are getting from passing cars and those we meet in the towns along the way. We have even got some donations on the road!” Patrick said.

Crossroads Canada will wind up in Ottawa on August 11 with a rally on Parliament Hill. The organizers and participants are urging pro-lifers to take the time to come out and show their support of the walkers, and for the pro-life cause in Canada.

The Canada Crossroads walkers are blogging their adventures here.

The schedule of the 2012 Crossroads Canada pro-life walk is available here.

Anyone wishing to donate toward the pro-life walkers’ expenses can do so online at www.crossroadswalk.org by phone at 1-800-353-8817 or by mailing a cheque made out to Crossroads Pro Life to:

Crossroads, Inc., PO Box 2219 Columbia, MD 21045, USA

http://www.youtube.com/embed/6HGj4xVD834

Here's a wonderful story of one man's response to the horror of abortion, writen by Jonathon van Maren (Unmaskingchoice.ca)

Tong Phuoc Phuc is an exceptional man, with an exceptional way of dealing with the rampant abortion rate in Vietnam: He adopts the unwanted children. Over fifty of them so far, to be exact.

In Vietnam, abortion is common and practiced at nearly every hospital. Faced with often crippling poverty, women often choose abortion—over 114,000 of them every single year. Faced with the reality that many of these women do not know where to turn and a severe shortage of shelters for pregnant women, Phuc has opened the doors of his home to any mother who needs care and needs a place for her child to stay.

Eight years ago, Phuc promised God that if his wife survived a difficult labour giving birth to their son, he would find some way to help others. According to one article detailing his remarkable story, “As his wife lay recuperating after the difficult birth, he recalls seeing many pregnant women going into the delivery room but always leaving alone. ‘I was wondering, where are the babies?’ he says, cradling an infant in each arm. ‘Then I realized they had abortions.’”

He first began saving money from his wages as a construction contractor to buy a plot of land to bury the unwanted children, picking them up from hospitals and abortion clinics and giving them a proper burial. Everyone, even his wife questioned what he was doing—as of last year, there were “some 7,000 tiny plots dotting the shady hillside, many marked with bright red, pink and yellow artificial roses.”

Post-abortive women began to hear about Phuc’s actions, and came to his little cemetery to pray. When women considering abortions also came to him, he opened his doors and they began moving into his home.

One woman considering abortion talked to Phuc first, and then changed her mind. “She moved into the 904 square foot house soon after and remains there with seven other new or expectant mothers. They spend their days washing, feeding, burping, changing and playing with the babies…It’s a full-time operation that involves Phuc’s entire family. His older sister manages the chaos, mixing vats of strained potatoes and carrots and preparing formula for bottles, while shushing crying babies and chasing crawlers.”

Phuc’s work has begun to draw attention, and donations come in from as far away as the United States. The president of Vietnam has praised him for “caring for women and children scorned by society.” He does not, however, run an orphanage—his goal is to either reunite the babies with their mothers, or raise them as his own children. He has managed to reunite twenty-seven children with their mothers.

It might seem to many people that Phuc’s life is a hard one, but that is not the way he sees it: “I will continue this job until my last breath of life. I will encourage my children to take over to help other people who are underprivileged.”

Truly, this man’s life is a testimony to selflessness. His desire to help others no matter what the personal is an inspiration.

Doesn't he make you want to do likewise? For story and more pictures, click here.

Yesterday's Journal de Montréal ran a story about a Montreal hospital helping families grieve their perinatal losses.

Isabelle Maher writes that a committee at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, mindful of the helplessness parents feel at the unforeseen death of their child, has set up the Angels' Craddle - "Le Berceau des anges," plot at Laval Cemetery for infants deceased during pregnancy, at birth, or shortly thereafter.

Though inauguration of the site was last week, it has been active for several months, interning thus far twenty or so infants.

One trusts that the Laval site will also comfort parents and individuals grieving other reproductive losses - abortion, adoption, sudden infant death syndrome, infertility, sterility, or life situations which precluded having children.

See related story in Lapresse.

 Here's CLC's June promotional letter. Not only does it provide a good review of the recent National March for Life in Ottawa, but also describes regional marches across the country as well as other pro-life initiatives such as the Crossroads Canada and the "New" Abortion Caravan. Enjoy.

June, 2012

The National March for Life flowed through the streets of Ottawa, noisily, joyfully and with chants and cheers, as I'd predicted. The streets were teaming with people who had decided they would march to bring truth back to the discussion, to the public square and to public office arund the country.

The crowd was numbered at 19,500 by CLC National President jim Hughes. However in a delightful twist of fate, the Globe and Mail reported us at 20,000. We'll take it! In fact, this year the overall media coverage of the March was more balanced than it had ever been.

Stephen Woodworth was one of almost 20 MPs who appeared on the Hill and received a genuinely warm and enthusiastic welcome from the crowd. He was eloquent but it must be said that actions speak louder than words and his Motion has generated a discussion prolifers in our country are grateful for. Whatever support is lacking from his party is made up for by the strong support from all of us. The MPs spoke briefly but eloquently and we were grateful for their presence and supprt. The RCMP was concerned about security, given the student protests in Montreal and decided to block off 3/4 of one side of Parliament Hill, but frankly the optics were terrific. The tiny group that came to deliberately disrupt a peaceful rally were dwarfed by the amount of space they had been given. All my interactons with the RCMP were polite and professional and they seemed to want to protect the pro-lifers. Some were more gruff than others, but we know these events can erupt with the malfeasance of jsut a few.

The Rally and the March are not the beginning and end of course. The Youth Banquet had over 800 students and the Rose Dinner had over 300 adults. Our respective speakers, Rev. Patrick Mahoney and Steven Mosher were excellent and well received... The workshops that were attended the next day by hundreds and hundreds of students, equipped them for service or for activism in the pro-life movements. They were being instructed in ways they would not have received elsewhere, with holy boldness and love. It was very moving to withness the development of the next generations.

Around the country, 4000 pro-lifers participated in regional Marches. Though only 20 Islanders participated in the March in front of the provincial legislature in St. John's, Patrick Hanlon reported that the largest pro-life demonstration in Newfoundland takes place on Good Friday. This year 300 people took part in that just a few weeks before the March for Life. Furthermore, as Senator Norman Doyle (Conservative, Newfoundland and Labrador) noted on Parliament Hill, there was a large contingent of Newfoundlanders at the National March for Life in Ottawa (they could be seen waving their pronvical flag as they marched). In Halifax, the Nova Scotia March for Life drew about 75 people. Ellen Chesal, Executive Director of CLC Nova Scotia and Andre Turcot, State Pro-Life Director for the Knights of Columbus, addressed the crowd in front of the Province House. A candlelight vigil held the night before was attended by more than 20 people. In Prince Edward Island, at least 100 people took part in the March outside the legislature in Charlottetown.

David Abbott of the Knights of Columbus told the gathering it is a fallacy to believe that a nation can legally and wilfully destroy its own people without also destroying itself." The New Brunswick March for Life, organized by New Brunswick Right to Life took place at the legislature with more than 400 people in attendance. Several members from both the Conservative and Liberal parties attended the gathering. The Winnepeg March for Life was organized by CLC Manitoba, the Knights of Columbus and Life's Vision. Winnepeg Archbishop James Weisgerber told the 433 pro-life activists gathered at The Forks to defend life:"We have to defend life in all of the ways that we can." The crowd then walked to the legislature where they heard testimony from a member of Silent No More Awareness Campaign and were challenged to swell the numbers for next years' march. The Saskatchewan March for Life in Regina drew 500 people while the March in Saskatoon was attended by 220 people. Various Saskatchewan bishops, clergy and reperesentatives of several church groups, members of Silent No More Awareness Campaign and Rachel's Vineyard and other pro-life groups were present at the Marches. The Regina rally was also attended by several MLA's who lent their support to the cause. The Alberta March for Life took place in Edmonton on May 17, 2012. Julius Yankowsky, Executive director of CLC Alberta, estimated that there were over 400 peoole at the March which started at the Alberta legislature and processed 2 km to City Hall where more speakers addressed the crowd. Participants then walked back to the legislature for the closing ceremony. More than 1,800 people participated in the fifth annual British Columbia March for Life in Victoria. "Our intention here today is to peacefully and prayerfully bring attention to the victims of abortion in our province," said BC March for Life media spokesmwoman, Anastasia Pearse.

Across the country the Spirit is moving and so are the young adults. Crossroads Canada, a non-profit pro-life organization, dedicated to the renewal of the Culture of Life, has begun its journey. The students left Vancouver B.C. heading to Ottawa. They will be walking for a total of 12 weeks, in shifts day and night, Monday through Friday, all the while, praying for the unborn. On weekends the Crossroads Walkers will be staying at host homes and giving presentations to Churches. Look for them in your area. (Their blog will keep you informed about their travel.) 

Meanwhile a different approach starts on May 29th, with the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform leaving Vancouver in the "New" Abortion Caravan. For those of you who don't remember, in 1970 a group of radical pro-abortion feminists gathered outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to start a cross-counry trek to Ottawa to have abortion laws repealed and have abortion on demand. 42 years later, the New Abortion Caravan seeks to boldly show the death and destruction that has been caused by the "choice" of abortion. A picture paints a thousand words; a CCRB picture, a thousand souls.

...

Johanne Brownrigg