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The Journal de Montreal, this past Monday and Tuesday, ran several articles concerning late-term abortions. Journalist Heloise Archambault covered the topic from several angles.

Yet, two important ones were left out. First there was no reference to fetal pain. South of the border we are witnessing, both federally and state-wise, legislation aimed at preventing late-term abortions because scientific studies are showing that the unborn child is capable of feeling pain as early as 20-weeks. Click here for further details.

(Click here to view an article entitled "12 Reasons Why We Need a Law Ending Painful Late Abortions.")

Second, one article in the Montreal daily's cluster treated at length the stress and the violence to which late-term abortionists are subject to. Yet the article did not report that major anti-abortion groups - Priests for Life and Campaign Life Coalition, condemn any and all uses of violence.

On this point, having participated and led several "40 Days for Life" prayer vigils for the end of abortion here in Montreal, I have witnessed both verbal and physical abuse by persons intolerant of our public display.

Dear friends of life,

I trust you have had time to catch your breath!

I have and so am writing to thank you for your support during this past 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion!

From everybody here at the Quebec Life Coalition, a very sincere thank you for participating in this prayer vigil.

You experienced a lot. First, the weather was capricious. For the first four weeks, all was balmy, idyllic in many respects. Yet week five presented an entirely different face - steady rain and strong winds. In particular, the Thursday was a combination of the two while the Friday, no rain but VERY strong winds. Thanks to the herculean efforts and cunning of many, our banner was kept from soaring away and its message prevailed – “Pray for the End of Abortion.”

Also your psychological mettle was tested in a couple of ways. First, on the eve of the vigil we were surprised to find the vigil location entirely inaccessible - a six-foot high fence stretched around its perimeter. The municipality had decided to begin park renovations that very day! Yet Divine Providence provided a new location, one which I think afforded new graces.

The second test came about from this new location. Not only were we closer to the pedestrian and other traffic (facilitating exchanges) but also to the clientele of the abortion mill. Many of you shared with me your malaise about seeing the girls enter and leave the mill, particularly the latter. Some of these young women showed obvious after effects as they walked away.

A case in point was Jessica, a young woman in her early twenties and 17-weeks pregnant, keen on carrying through with her abortion.

Was God’s hand working to save mother and child? Through various circumstances, I thought so as she met with us not once but four times prior to her abortion! We had ample opportunity to share the pro-life message as well as offer support – legal, material ... Yet, she was unswayed by our efforts to convince her to carry her unborn child for the full term.

Even the day of the abortion, accompanied by her mother, she came by our site and then accompanied two of us to a coffee shop. Our last minute plea of support fell on deaf ears.

She even dropped by after her procedure. At this time, I was struck by the change I saw in her temperament. Her initial simple disposition was usurped by an impatient, unsettled one. Please keep her in your prayers as she deals with her post-abortion turmoil.

This event contrasts quite distinctly with a similar scenario that occurred the previous fall. At this time, Floriane left the abortion mill and crossed the street to seek our help. It was a blessing befriending her and the child’s father. Our actions were rewarded this past March 18 as she gave birth to little Lucas, seen here with one of our prayer volunteers.

Those of you who've walked and prayed along Saint Joseph Blvd., and those of you who participated in your own ways elsewhere, have gained some powerful experiences over the past seven weeks. Hours of praying, fasting, counselling, and discussing with persons opposed to the pro-life message have all contributed to an faith enriching experience.

So, thank you for without you, there would be no 40 Days for Life.

For life,

Brian A. Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

Quebec Life Coalition

Tomorrow evening we at the Quebec Life Coalition will kick-off our tenth prayer vigil for the end of abortion and you are welcomed to join us.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. at Saint-Enfant-Jésus Church (5039, Saint Dominique Street) where prayers will be recited - first, a rosary and then a Eucharistic celebration.

The church is located along the eastern edge of Lahaie Park, where for the next forty days, we will meet and offer prayers of reparation for our culture which clings to its desire to abort the weakest members of our society - the unborn child.

Prayers will also be offered for the young couples who are struggling with the decison to keep or abort their child, as well as for those who have already made the tragic and irreversible decision.

Finally, we will not neglect to pray for the conversion of the abortionists and other facility workers who mistakenly perform this procedure.

Forty Days for Life first began in Texas back in 2004. Since 2007 it assumed its twice annual version and in 2009 it began here in Montreal, organised by the Quebec Life Coaliton's President Mr. Georges Buscemi.

This Fall, Montreal is one of 305 cities worldwide hosting a 40-day prayer vigil 15 of which are occuring on Canadian soil. Altogether ten separate countries are hosting this event.

Here in Montreal, this is our tenth vigil, all of which have been done across the street from the Morgentaler abortion mill.

Paramount to our vigil is the maintaining a prayerful presence. To this end a code of conduct is given below to help to this end.

Code of Conduct

• I will show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all.
• I understand that acting in a violent or harmful manner immediately and completely disassociates me from this vigil.
• I will not obstruct the driveways or sidewalk while standing in the public right of way.
• I will not block the abortion facility's entrance nor the path of anyone, including passersby, on the sidewalk; I will remain on the north side of Saint-Joseph Blvd.
• I will not litter on the public right of way.
• I will closely attend to any children I bring to the prayer vigil.
• I will not threaten, physically contact, nor verbally abuse anyone.
• I will not vandalize private property.
• I will cooperate with local city authorities.
• I will not picket nor carry any signs, pictures, displays, nor wear clothing bearing any words or images, without the consent of the organizers.
• I will maintain a spirit of prayer and refrain from judgments, debates and quarrels.
• I will refrain from unnecessary discussion with the public and with the other prayers.
• I will maintain a physical distance from others at the site whose tactics would be considered contrary to these guidelines.

Although our purpose is to pray, we are not adverse to talk with persons not associated with the vigil who approach us to ask questions or make comments. The following may help in these exchanges:

How to Share the Pro-Life Message

What is the pro-life message?

At its most basic level, the pro-life message is this:

An unborn child is a human person

whose life has value and deserves to be protected by our society.

But we also have an important message to share about how abortion harms women – and men – and about how committed the pro-life movement is to helping women face untimely pregnancies and choose life for their babies.

Ultimately, our message is a message of hope. We believe that, working together, we can transform our society into a place in which no mother will ever resort to abortion, where every child, regardless of the circumstances of his or her conception, will be welcomed and loved.

10 Guidelines for sharing the pro-life message

1. Listen – and pay attention;

2. Take time to think – and pray;

3. Always be respectful;

4. Seek common ground;

5. Make it personal;

6. Give the benefit of the doubt, and never take offense;

7. Don’t interrupt others’ conversations;

8. Pick your battles and keep it simple;

9. Admit when you lack information; and

10. Always leave the door open.

Last night, I attended a special exhibit in Redpath Hall at McGill University and the place was packed.

The draw on this evening was the work of the French geneticist Jérome Lejeune (1926-1994).

Lejeune, the father of modern genetics, is known for his discovery of the genetic anomaly that is the root cause of Trisomy 21. Yet, the exhibit - which consists of a series of seven-foot high panels and presented by resourceful hostesses, presents not only his scientific accomplishments but also his humanitarian qualities.

The latter cannot be sufficiently emphasized. Upon discovering the genetic marker for trisomy, he became more than a physician to persons with this condition and their families. He also became a supporter of their very livelihood, as many of his peers wished to use his discoveries to practice eugenic beliefs, aborting the unborn who had tested positive with trisomy.

In an outspokenness speech about the ethical role of the scientist given in 1969, he was immediately shunned by his peers. At the end of his talk, he was greeted with dead silence, something unheard of in scientific circles. Further the silence and aloofness perdured for the rest of his life, as he was denied research grants and research students stayed away for a reference letter from Dr. Lejeune had little value.

His solace became his family and his patients.

The exhibit runs through Monday.

Complimentary Québec Life Coalition Air Miles (tm) card

Now available!

The Quebec Life Coalition proudly presents its Air Miles (tm) card, available free of charge. Every time you use it, points will accumulate permitting us to save on travel expenditures. These points may be redeemed for purchasing airline tickets – either for our own use or that of an invited guest. A partial list of participating vendors appears below. To receive your card, simply tick the square on the response stub and return it to us or call us at 1-855-996-2686 and we will gladly mail you one!

Dear Friends of Life,

September 2013 is shaping up to be a busy month.

Bill 52, the charter of values, and our 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion will keep us busy battling the forces that seek to tear our society asunder.

The legislative initiative, Bill 52 – “An Act respecting end-of-life care,” was tabled this past June 12, 2013, in the National Assembly. This bill will permit the euthanizing of Quebecers under the auspices of “end of life health care.”

Ten Reasons to Oppose Bill 52

Many professional bodies have stated their opposition to euthanasia. The World Medical Association, the American Medical Association and the Canadian Medical Association, as well as fifteen (15) states and international organizations, like the European Human Rights Commission, are all categorically against euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Why might that be?

Isabelle & Ward O’Connor of the palliative care group Albatros Mont- Laurier note ten reasons to oppose bill 52. These are the following:

1. States should never have the right or the power to induce the death of their citizens: It is far too great and dangerous a power to concede to them;
2. Provoking death dehumanizes care givers;
3. Inducing death depersonalises patients, debasing them to the level of things, machines, or animals;
4. Induced death fosters the mentality that “dignity depends on autonomy”;
5. Manipulated, substituted, imposed, or presumed consent threatens the elderly, the sick, the physically or mentally handicapped and the otherwise weak and vulnerable;
6. Induced death is the polar opposite of palliative care, and therefore at odds, and competing with, palliative care;
7. Once the door is open to “medically assisted dying”, even ever so slightly, the categories of people who become candidates for euthanasia never cease to increase;
8. Euthanasia is unnecessary, as the right to refuse treatment is now entrenched in legal precedent;
9. It is preferable to invest in hope rather than in despair;
10. Dangerous confusion still lingers on concerning what constitutes euthanasia and what does not.

As for the charter of values, which the provincial government seeks to formulate and implement, it aims at violating the right to wear religious symbols. Affecting persons working in the civil service, educational institutions, and health care settings, the legislation is misguided as it will undermine values that form the foundation of society – religious expression.

Finally, the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion is about to begin its tenth peaceful edition here in Montreal this September 25, 2013. The setting for this public gathering remains unchanged: the Morgentaler mill on Saint-Joseph Blvd, East. Join us in prayer and to express your opposition to how the lowliest of our society, the unborn child, is treated and how women are exploited by this so-called “right.”

On this latter matter, we need persons of strong faith willing to peacefully express themselves by their presence for one-hour blocks of time, in the spirit of Christ’s words to his apostles – “could you not watch one hour?” We can be reached by calling either (514) 344-2686 or (438) 930-8643.

Yours Respectfully,

Brian A. Jenkins

Outreach Coordinator

Complimentary Quebec Life Coalition Air Miles card

Now available!

The Quebec Life Coalition proudly presents its Air Miles card, available free of charge.

Every time you use it, points will accumulate permitting us to save on travel expenditures.

These points may be redeemed for purchasing airline tickets – either for our own use or that of an invited guest.

A partial list of participating vendors appears below.

To receive your card, simply tick the square on the response stub and return it to us or call us at 1-855-996-2686 and we will gladly mail you one!

We are preparing for our tenth (twice per year) 40 Days for Life prayer vigil for the end of abortion. This year it is set to begin September 25. For 40 consecutive days we will pray peacefully across the street from the Morgentaler abortuary on Saint Joseph Blvd, East.

In today's emails, I received a letter from Steve Lopez (pictured below) of Spiritus Films on the topic of praying outside abortion mills. I reproduce it here below as a run up for our vigil.

Hi folks,

It's interesting that it often takes a tragedy for God's people to begin praying. For example, I recently found out that my mother had been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer and the first thing I did was pray for God's spirit to comfort her and for His will to be done in her life -- and hopefully that includes healing the cancer so that she can complete her mission to serve Him.

I know that prayer works from my own lack of faith in it.

And I'm sharing this true story in the hopes that it will motivate you to become a prayer warrior outside of your local abortuary. Your prayers are heard and they change the lives of mothers and fathers... and sometimes they change the hearts of an entire city.

God shouldn't have to appear to all of us in a dream and admonish us to pray. He should only have to do it once so that the world can learn from that one shining example. Please share the attached story far and wide. And make sure your pastors read it and share it with their congregations. And encourage them to join the fall 40 Days for Life prayer vigil: www.40daysforlife.com

Please consider posting it to your Facebook page and twitter account. And encourage your friends to do the same. This one prayer warrior was spared so that we could see the light!

Here is the url to post it on your social media pages: http://www.scribd.com/doc/163818593/The-Power-of-Prayer

I look forward to hearing how your prayers were answered!

-Steve

www.spiritusfilms.com

 

 

For additional information, call (514) 344-2686 or (438) 930-8643.

Yesterday, I accompanied Yolande as she left the hospital after having given birth to her fourth child and third daughter. Born this past Saturday afternoon, the little one weighed in at 1.310 kg, after spending 26 weeks growing inside of mommy.

Yolande came to our attention a couple of months ago as someone thinking about aborting her child. Over that period we supported her by accompanying her to her medical appointments and in other ways.

Her newborn like her other children was pretermed; her brother delivered at 31 weeks, while the two sisters at 24 and 25 weeks.

As we left the hospital room and travelled the corridors and down the elevator, Yolande's mood was not quite what I had become familiar with; she was more pensive, more introverted than usual.

My perplexity was allayed this morning on perusing my emails. I came across an article written by Lauren Enriquez (seen here) entitled "Postpartum Women: How Our Pro-Life Values Can Help Us Help Them." This article helped me contextualize yesterday's experience.

The author writes about the "physical demands and trauma of labour and delivery."

Also, she is critical of the American culture that ignores these demands, unlike many others which give women plenty of time to adjust and be cared for after a birth, "up to a month or more."

Fortunately, Yolande will be receiving some nurturing. Here in Quebec, paid paternity leave exists and on speaking with her husband, I learned that he was prescient of Saturday's delivery. Last week, he approached his employer in order to inform him of the impending delivery and requesting time off.

Returnng to the article, the author concludes her entry by noting how persons with pro-life values can aid postpartum women, citing four suggestions. These are the following:

1.  Just show up. Postpartum recovery is not a time to be texting the new mother saying “Hey, let me know if you need anything.” Go to the grocery store and pick up some fresh fruits and veggies (pre-sliced, if possible) as well as a high-fat soup or comfort food, and show up on her doorstep. If invited inside, ask how, not whether, you can help: laundry? Watching older kids so mom can take a nap? Chances are, the last thing she needs help with is sitting on the couch holding her cute little newborn, so let her do that while you pitch in with the more physically-demanding tasks, if she’s comfortable with it. Offer to make her coffee or tea, ask if she needs to take a shower, or a nap, and adjust accordingly.

2. If you don’t live nearby, send her a gift, or at least a card (but please, not an e-card). Moms love getting cute little things for their new babies like bibs and toys. But it is also very touching to consider the new mom herself: how about a gift card to a coffee shop that has a drive-thru (because nothing is more wonderful than to be able to put your infant in the car seat and head out for drive-thru coffee and a pastry in your pajamas). Or a comfy new pair of pajamas and nail polish, to encourage her to take it easy but also to feel like she’s still a beautiful woman.

3. Initiate a “dinner tree.” Don’t wait to get invited to the one that someone else is ‘surely’ going to start, because chances are, no one will. Email her friends, co-workers, and relatives, and ask them to choose a day in the two-three week period after her birth when they will volunteer to bring her a complete meal, packaged for freezer storage in case that is the most convenient place for it upon arrival. Waiting until she is in labor to choose the dates is a good way to guarantee that if she has the baby early or late, it doesn’t throw off the dates that everyone has signed up for.

4. Call her to tell her that you’re thinking of her, and ask her what she needs, what you can do for her (again, not whether she needs anything). It may just be giving her company, in which case you could try to come by sooner than later.

Dear friends of life,

What a wonderful weekend!

Eight Crossroads walkers hiked into town this past Friday, bringing their faith and joy for life along with them, and shared many great moments with them.

On Friday, the five young ladies and three men arrived to attend the monthly pro-life prayer group at Saint-Sylvain parish in Duvernay, Laval. After adoration and mass, we got to know each other in the rectory over pizza and fruit.

The next day was filled with activities. I met the group after an early morning mass at Saint-Joseph oratory and we proceded from there to walk to the Morgentaler mill via the Mont-Royal Cross.

The walk lasted about 90 minutes - following Côte-des-Neiges to Remembrance road and then the trail that runs atop the mountain until we arrived at the cross. After a little break, we continued along a series of trails in the woods on the east side of the park. In short time we arrived at the mill on Saint-Joseph Blvd. East and for about an hour the group prayed.

In time, pro-life supporters arrived and joined in. Afterwards a picnic was set up and games played and conversation shared.

On Saturday evening and Sunday morning, the eight visited parish in both Montreal and Laval. Five parishes had agreed to invite them to share their experience about walking across Canada for the cause of the unborn. At Holy Name of Jesus parish in Laval, pastor Peter Sabbath welcomed Lucy and Mariana. After the mass, they presented a message about the importance of prayer as well as supporting and participating in pro-life activities such the bi-annual 40 Days for Life prayer vigils for the end of abortion.

Finally, their stay here ended with a festive evening at their host families. Three homes welcomed the eight walkers - 2 in Laval and 1 in N.D.G. In the photo below, we see the three men and on this evening Lucy and Mariana at the home of the Cacchiones, hosts for the men. Seen below with Mariana and Lucy are walkers Daniel, Kelly, and Ian (from left to right) along with Michel and his wife Lise.

Crossroads walks have been organized in five countries worldwide. In addition to Canada and the United States, there have been walks in Ireland, Spain, and Australia. Clic here for more information.

 The following letter came to my attention from one of our faithful QLC readers. The author, David Benrimoha, a McGill medical student, (pictured left) argues against the proposed legislation permitting the practice of euthanasia in the province - bill 52. He argues that our ability to form meaning is central to human beings and to deny this is not right. Euthanasia denies this right and an important time of one's life.

I have never experienced what it is like to see a terminally ill family member in pain, and so I do not for one moment pretend to judge or criticize the choices or beliefs of patients or their families. Instead, I want to offer a philosophical argument against euthanasia and in favour of alternative practices, such as expanded access to palliative care.

There is a character in Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird called Mrs. Dubose, an old woman who is terminally ill and addicted to the morphine that she takes for her terrible, fitful pain. As a punishment for misbehaving, Jem (the narrator’s brother and the son of lawyer Atticus Finch) is made to read to her every day. At the end of every reading session a bell is rung and Mrs. Dubose receives her dose of morphine. But every day the bell is rung a little later, and in this way, even though she faces the return of her pain, Mrs. Dubose weans herself off the morphine and dies free of the mind-clouding painkillers.

It has taken me a long time, but I now realize why I find this story so powerful. It is because it is an expression of what I consider to be the most human of all desires: the desire to create and hold onto meaning in one’s life. Mrs. Dubose could probably have convinced her servants to give her a lethal dose of morphine — a common practice in assisted suicide — but instead chose a course of suffering that led to her final, though short-lived, victory over her addiction. Outwardly this may seem pointless: Why, if she was going to die anyway, should she have suffered so much?

In my opinion, our society has become preoccupied with pain and suffering and preventing it at all costs. It is of course logical and just to prevent and ease pain and suffering when we can, and to develop and use medications and technologies that can do this. But is death preferable to pain? In a video that was shown to us in class (not directly related to euthanasia) Viktor Frankl — philosopher, neurologist, psychiatrist and Auschwitz survivor — speaks of the extreme suffering he and his fellow inmates were subject to in the concentration camp, and of how, even in the midst of all that suffering, he was able to find meaning in choosing his own attitude to his situation, and in thinking of his love for his wife, who had been sent to another camp. He is far from the only example of a person who, through extreme suffering such as that caused by the Holocaust, has been able to create and find meaning.

In Quebec, euthanasia is being considered for persons suffering from a terminal illness who are still able to make competent decisions. Yet these are the very people who are most likely to be able, with the right support, to find or create meaning at the end of their lives. This is why I am against euthanasia: because allowing it is saying that we are willing to sacrifice our potential to find meaning in order to end suffering; that we have allowed pain to conquer the pursuit that most defines our humanity.

The best counter-argument to all this is that we as a society have no right to demand that people keep on living in terrible pain when they, as competent adults, would prefer a quick death. My response is that this choice is not the one we are faced with. We have, as has been pointed out by many doctors, technologies and medications that can allow us to manage pain; we have psychologists, chaplains and other guides who can help people find and create meaning in their final days. All of this is brought together in the discipline of palliative care, which aims to help patients find the peace and dignity they want at the end of life, on their own terms. These technologies and approaches are not perfect, of course; they cannot prevent all suffering. But I have seen them work, seen that despite their suffering patients continue to love, to reconcile with estranged family members, to play music, to eat favourite foods, to reflect, and to find meaning in life.

As a society we should be putting our efforts into improving end-of-life care. Palliative care in situations where an illness cannot be cured has proven to be less resource-intensive compared to aggressive treatment, or repeated stays in an intensive-care unit — both of which entail expensive medications and procedures, and the time of large numbers of specialized staff. As such, palliative care is a sustainable option, a responsible use of our health-care resources that ensures patients are able to die with dignity. Even though the process may be painful and draining for patients, families, doctors, nurses and other health professionals, I believe that the beauty and power of the human experience of creating, finding and holding onto meaning is worth it.

David Benrimoh is a first-year medical student at McGill University. He lives in Côte-St-Luc.