As a Catholic, I join my fellow pro-life Catholics in prayer for the unborn, their mothers and fathers and the medical professionals charged with their care.  I pray a rosary daily for an end to the practice of abortion.  I will continue to pray, but I do not just pray for an end to the practice alone.  When I pray, I pray for

1) an end to the POVERTY, which leads so many to make that choice

2) increased education and awareness of the reality of  human life and the dignity of that life, which has been promised and sanctified by God http://www.baby2see.com/development/week8.html

3) a conversion of hearts of those who promote the practice of abortion

4) a conversion of the heart of the mother and/or father, parents, family, who are considering the abortion

5) the sacramental marriage between man, woman and God…that all choose to marry first before sex

6) all young adults and teens who are considering extramarital sex…may God lead their hearts to the one true love He has selected for them for the rest of their lives.  May they abstain from sex before marriage.

  “In Jesus name Lord, let them choose LIFE. Amen” 

 7) the little one’s who cannot defend themselves or yet articulate their dreams of a life to come. May the Blessed Mother wrap her loving arms around them and protect them and their mother from all evil.

8) tolerance, acceptance and love of all, regardess of their own beliefs and practices

9) end to HATE and violence, I pray for the conversion of hearts of those who choose to hate, lie and distort information in the name of the unborn…especially those who kill in the name of the unborn

10) the sanctity of all human life, regardless of stage of develoment or station in life

As a fellow American, I accept the constitution of the United States and respect that all individuals have the right to privacy and in particular to make personal reproductive choices under the law, including the choice of abortion if needed.  As a faithful citizen, I see that the same constitution that protects my right to pray and to practice my religion freely, without persecution, also protects the individual’s right to privacy, especially in choices involving reproduction.

So what do we do about abortion if we accept that an individual must have the right to make their own reproductive choices?

If we want all people, especially non-Catholics to stop the practice of abortion, then we MUST make abortion a non-choice. We must..

1) provide free or affordable reproductive education and health care, including birth control if that is their personal choice

2) Empower all women and men to take responsibility for their reproductive choices

With choice, comes great responsibility.  The time to choose is before having sex and only THEY

have the power to control the outcome of their experience.

3) Accept the fact that sometimes the woman’s life is in danger and that a medical choice must be made.

4) Accept that the woman/man/family that chooses life must have assistance to provide for that life

5) stop judging and condemning and love as Jesus taught you to love

6) LOVE not just in word but in actions and deeds

What is unacceptable?

1) Choosing to kill an innocent life simply because NOW is not the best time for taking that responsibility.

           The time to choose is before engaging in sex.

2) abortion of any fetus who would otherwise be viable outside of the body is a direct violation of the

restrictions set out by Roe v. Wade and should not be allowed except in extreme medical situations

3) Infringing on the personal freedoms of a citizen and making reproductive choices for them,

male or female, is also not right.

Roe v. Wade protects a woman’s reproductive rights and in that the right to have an abortion if needed.  It limits the abortion to the first trimester, when the fetus is not considered viable outside of the body and when it is medically deemed safe for the mother to have the procedure, thereby overruling states laws which prohibited any legal method of abortion at that time.  It is the state, with permissions outlined in the supreme court framework of Roe V Wade, who later redefined the parameters set by Roe v. Wade and has extended the procedure throughout pregnancy.  The Supreme Court specifically noted that abortion should only be done after the point of viability in extreme medical situations and left the regulation of this to the states.

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1970-1987: We wrestle with our democratic freedoms, arguing issues old and new

January 22, 1973In Roe v. Wade, the Court overturns state prohibition of abortions

“Norma McCorvey, “Jane Roe” in Roe vs. Wade Image Donated by Corbis – Bettmann

“The right of personal privacy includes the abortion decision, but…this right is not unqualified and must be considered against important state interests in regulation.”—Justice Harry A. BlackmunRoe v. Wade   “Jane Roe” didn’t set out to change the Constitution; she just wanted a legal abortion in Texas. By 1971, several states had liberalized abortion laws. Texas hadn’t.  Roe’s lawyers challenged the Texas law, claiming a constitutional right to privacy—a right broad enough to cover a woman’s decision to continue or terminate her pregnancy. The Supreme Court agreed, saying that such a right is part of the “liberty” protected by the 14th Amendment. Today the Court struck down all state limitations on abortion in the first three months of pregnancy.

This decision sparks a heated debate that’s likely to burn for years to come.”http://constitutioncenter.org/timeline/html/cw12_12317.html

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Roe v. Wade will continue to stand for 40 more years.  What can be done to save lives now?  

1) We must support all who are choosing life.

                     We must put our money where our righteousness is.

2) fight for legislation that restricts access to late term abortions 

 outside of a medical emergency and also provides the necessary allowance for such a procedure if it is medically needed.  

         No woman should die from septicemia because a law restricts her fetus being born pre-maturely due to a heartbeat.  If the fetus is viable outside of the body, then medical care must be given to the child at no cost to the parents.

3) fight for universal health care for all and stamp out the poverty that leads women to choose abortion in the first place.

4) fight for inclusive education for our children. Instead of demanding that others follow “our” religious beliefs at the expense of their own, accept an “all” inclusive approach. Teach them about their bodies, their responsibilities, what happens during pregnancy and especially what happens after the baby is born.  Let them learn about safe sex practices and the use of birth control.

 Learning about it does not mean they must use it.

Let them see the reality of life in the womb and the evil of killing that life.  ALL must be seen and learned.  

The choice is still the free will of the individual.  

My greatest and continuous prayer is for LIFE to always be the choice.  

C. Dianne Phillips