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on The Right To Life
Abortion is not a choice. It is a decision. It must be made plain and clear to the participants that this decision's consequences are irreversible.
The Gospel of Life
"The Gospel of Life" is a reminder that the call to cherish and support life from conception to natural death comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself.
THE
POPE'S PRO-LIFE MANIFESTO
Of all the Church documents over the centuries, one of the most complete statements
on the dignity and value of human life is the 1995 encyclical by Pope John Paul
II entitled The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae). This document
sets forth clearly the Catholic position on today's life issues, including abortion,
euthanasia, capital punishment, the relationship between civil and moral law,
the responsibilities of politicians and voters, and indeed the whole "civilization
of love."
The text is presented here with a study guide by journalist and author Russell Shaw. Because of its magisterial splendor, this encyclical is the cornerstone of our pro-life section.
THE
U.S. BISHOPS IN DEFENSE OF LIFE
At their 1998 November meeting in Washington, DC, the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops for the United States issued a Statement on Life that
calls Catholics to transform their culture according to the Gospel of Life.
HUMANAE
VITAE: ON HUMAN LIFE
On 25th of July, 1968 the Feast of St. James the Apostle Pope Paul VI issued
the prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae. This encyclical is a beautiful
statement of the procreative and unitive ends of marriage and the inseparability
of life and love. The Pope also correctly foresaw the moral chaos that would
ensue as society took on a contraceptive mentality. The antidote to this moral
poison is in this compelling document, which proclaims in a new way what the
entire Christian world believed until our own time.
ORDER
DEFENDS HOLY SEE AT THE UNITED NATIONS
The Knights of Columbus has recently been granted status as a non-governmental
organization (NGO) by the United Nations. In its first action as an NGO, the
Knights of Columbus opposed attempts by Catholics for a Free Choice and other
pro-abortion organizations to have the Holy See's U.N. status downgraded from
permanent observer to NGO. For more details, see the article UN Grants NGO Status
to K of C. For a web site which tracks the activities of pro-family NGOs at
the United Nations, visit the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute.
SUMMARY
OF K OF C PRO-LIFE INITIATIVES
In his annual report for 1998, Supreme Knight Virgil C. Dechant devoted a major
section to the Knights' pro-life activities. Information gathered from this
report serves admirably to demonstrate the Knights of Columbus' wide-ranging
commitment to life.
MILESTONES
IN THE CRUSADE FOR LIFE
Even before the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, the
Knights of Columbus had positioned itself as a leader in the pro-life movement.
In the fall of 1972, the Knights went to work with other pro-life groups to
combat abortion. Its opposition to abortion is a pledge the Order has proudly
kept for a quarter of a century of milestones in the Crusade for Life.
SECOND LOOK
This link came about as a result of an article in a recent edition of Knightline. One of these articles titled, "Knights Back U.S. Bishops' Effort Urging a 'Second Look' at Abortion" refered readers to the website: http://www.secondlookproject.org/ The website link shown contains two very poignant posters relating to Pro-Life issues. We have elected to make this link permanent on this site until it is either taken down or modified by the source.
The St. Juan Diego Society Women's Center
Pro-Life Advocates At Their Best
The Juan Diego Society Women's Center is located on North White Road across the street from James Link High School. In very close proximity to their offices is a Planned Parenthood office. Talk about competition. They operate out of a 1,200 square foot office space. What makes their mission more difficult is that receive NO financial support from the Diocese of San Jose. All of their funding comes from donations. It is a sad statement but it was revealed to us that the Prostestant Pro-Life organizations have more resources to draw from than The Juan Diego Society Women's Center.
Originally founded by the late Msgr. Sweeney, former pastor of Our Lady of Peace parish, the Juan Diego Society has been fighting a constant uphill battle to guide young girls in trouble from taking the horrible path to the abortion clinic nearby. Over the past year, approxiamately 70% of the girls who enter their offices are under the age of 20. Sad as this is to say, the youngest girl that has walked into their offices was only 12 years of age.
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Financial support
- Diapers (newborn to size 5)
- Strollers
- Baby Furniture
- Blankets
- Layette sets
- Baby Cribs made after 2003. The reason for this is that cribs older than this do not comply with recent safety standards
Some of the items that the Juan Diego Society cannot accept are baby formula because of shelf life issues and restrictions based on the infant's specific dietary/health requirements.
PRAYER
FOR THE UNBORN
We should make it a habit to pray daily for the lives of the unborn. Here is
a very short and easy to remember prayer by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen:
Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
I love you very much.
I beg you to spare the life
of the unborn child
that I have spiritually adopted,
who is in danger of abortion. Amen.
A Letter from Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson
Regarding the Dangers of the
Freedom of Choice Act (F.O.C.A.)
The Battle To Protect Life Is Far From Over
Dear Brother Knight:It is probably fair to say that no other single activity has defined the Knights of Columbus over the past half century as much as the pro-life movement.
Following the shock of the Supreme Court's decision to preempt all state and federal laws regulating abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973, we launched a long-term battle to fight legalized abortion. While achieving the ultimate goal of overturning Roe remains somewhere in the future, we have been able to achieve many small successes along the way:
· the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions;
· the federal law banning partial birth abortions, which was finally upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in April 2007;
· the "Mexico City Policy," which has barred the use of federal taxpayers' money to pay for abortions in other countries;
· laws in 44 states that preserve a parental role when children under 18 seek abortions;
· laws in 40 states that restrict late-term abortions;
· laws in 46 states that protect the right of conscience for individual health care providers;
· laws in 27 states that protect the right of conscience for institutions;
· laws in 38 states that ban partial birth abortions;
· laws in 33 states that require counseling before having an abortion;
· and laws in 16 states that provide for ultrasounds before an abortion.
All of these restrictions on abortion - all of the progress we've made over the past 35 years in trying to limit and reduce abortions in the United States - would be invalidated with the stroke of a pen if the next Congress passes, and the next president signs, the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA).
Before you cast your vote on Tuesday, please take the time and effort necessary to learn whether candidates for whom you might vote favor or oppose Freedom of Choice Act.
The House sponsors of the Freedom of Choice Act are listed here
The Senate sponsors of the Freedom of Choice Act are listed here
Obviously, if a candidate in your area is not listed among the sponsors, you may have to ask his or her campaign for their position on theFreedom of Choice Act.
We have gathered much additional information about the Freedom of Choice Act, including links to material from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and on life issues generally on a special Knights of Columbus web page:
Remember, all that we've done together since Roe to save the lives of the unborn is at stake. Please pass on this message to your pro-life friends.Fraternally,
Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight
