“Our once great western Christian civilization is dying. If this matters to followers of Jesus Christ, then we must set aside our denominational differences and work together to strengthen the things that remain and reclaim what has been lost. Evangelicals and Catholics must stand together to re-establish that former Christian culture and moral consensus. We have the numbers and the organization but the question is this: Do we have the will to win this present spiritual battle for Jesus Christ against secularism? Will we prayerfully and cooperatively work toward a new Christian spiritual revival ― or will we choose to hunker down in our churches and denominationalisms and watch everything sink into the spiritual and moral abyss of a New Dark Age?” - Mark Davis Pickup

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

News from the American Life League

Below is Pro-Life Today, from our dear friends at the American Life League in Stafford, VA.

Mark Pickup


Pro-Life Today | 28 October 2008

Your National Daily News Wrap from American Life League! American Life League is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or media inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at kwalker@all.org.

HEADLINES

Born-alive abortion movie stuns viewers
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=79274
World Net Daily
A movie based on the true story reported by WND of a woman trapped in the bathroom of an abortion clinic watching helplessly as her baby died after being born alive is being released to an increasing number of audiences, including the U.S. Congress.

Anti-Catholic Bias in Mercy-Killing Campaign?http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/16222/
NC Register
Church is becoming a target of proponents of a ballot initiative that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide in Washington state. The Church denies any inappropriateness in anti-suicide efforts, which now include ads featuring actor Martin Sheen, a Catholic. “Catholic Church Funnels Abuse Money into I-1000 Opposition,” claims a headline on the website of Compassion & Choices, which is pushing the initiative. The story claims that the Public Disclosure Commission reported that “out-of-state sexual abuse reparations” are being sent to help fund the anti-assisted suicide effort in Washington state.But opponents point out that no report exists showing a connection between funds for sexual abuse reparations and donations to the anti-assisted suicide organization. The Public Disclosure Commission merely lists the donors to campaigns, which, for the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide, happens to include donations from several Catholic dioceses around the country.

“Suicide is a Human Right”: Dignitas Suicide Doctorhttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08102704.html
Life Site News
Geiger blames the monotheistic religions, particularly Christianity, for the prohibition against suicide. But, he writes, “what if there is no God?” Suicide should be an option, he argues, for those who do not believe.

American Life League's www.Canon915.org

There are many politicians who appeal to their Catholic constituants by flaunting their faith but simultaneously support wildly un-Catholic positions, such as abortion, contraception, and euthanasia. In response, American Life League compiled the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on pro-abortion Catholic politicians to inform the clergy and the public on who they are and where they stand.

Be sure to visit www.Canon915.org!

FEATURE STORY
IS FORCED DEATH COMING TO WASHINGTON STATE . . AGAIN?By Judie Brown

I have a very personal interest in a proposed initiative that is on the November 4 election ballot in Washington State. You see 38 years ago, my husband and I went door to door, begging people to vote no on Referendum 20, a proposal that would have, and in fact, did liberalize the law regarding abortion in that state. Pro-life Americans lost that vote by a very narrow margin, and we all know what occurred in the intervening years. It was then and still is a bloody war on the most vulnerable members of the human family.

But now, the voters in Washington have to make a decision again regarding who should live and who should die. And as the Coalition Against Assisted Suicide makes perfectly clear, Initiative 1000 has huge problems, which is why they are working night and day to encourage voters in the state to vote against the Initiative. Make sure to check out the powerful ad on the Coalition's web site, featuring recently deceased Barbara Ann Wagner.

For starters, Eileen Geller, R.N., B.S.N., points out what could and probably will happen if this Initiative becomes law:

• Spouses and family members do not need to be told before – or after – a loved one is given lethal drugs.
• Persons suffering from depression can be given a lethal overdose without any psychological counseling or treatment – nothing in the Initiative requires an assessment of potential depression by a qualified professional.
• Health care insurers and HMO's could exploit I-1000 to save costs, since a bottle of lethal drugs costs far less than other end-of-life care.
• Heirs to a patient's estate are allowed to participate in the assisted suicide and to witness the request for lethal drugs. This would contravene existing practice governing wills and estates, a scenario that worries law enforcement because of the real potential for abuse.
Martin Sheen, a well-known Hollywood actor and Democrat, has seen through the lies and has helped the Coalition by recording a radio ad, which will hopefully resonate with the voters on several levels. But in order to run the ad as frequently as possible, as we all know, funding is required.

And as you might have guessed, that is really not a problem for the pro-death forces. According to a report compiled by the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, more than $3 million has been raised by the proponents of death on request. IAETF makes this clear:

This is the fourth highest all time record for money raised in support of any initiative campaign in Washington State.
Of that amount, assisted-suicide advocacy groups and spokesperson, former Governor Booth Gardner, his family and his "Legacy Committee" have given cash donations of $2,032,164.
That is more than double the total receipts of $874,646 reported over the same time period by the "Coalition against Assisted Suicide."

Frightening, isn't it? It seems that those who favor killing are always able to raise more money for their agenda than those who value life, respect the human person and regard the most vulnerable members of the human family as the most precious.

Booth Gardner, an heir to the Weyerhaeuser fortune, was governor for two terms in Washington. When he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he chose to become, according to news reports, a crusader for the "right to die":

Although Gardner backs the initiative, he told The New York Times Magazine that he sees it as a step toward a more comprehensive law that would allow people with diseases like Parkinson's that are debilitating, but not necessarily terminal, to choose physician-assisted suicide.
In other words, he views Initiative 1000 as simply a foot in the door, to soften up the people of Washington so that more "rights" to schedule one's death will become acceptable in the coming years. That's always the trouble with the agenda of the death peddlers: Given the least little crack in the legal framework, they will drill a hole large enough for as many deaths as they deem desirable. That's how it went with abortion. Will it be the same with euthanasia?

I have to tell you, complacency is the last thing needed in Washington right now. A recent news report on suicides in a Veterans Administration hospital in Spokane, Washington makes the point much better than I can. At the Spokane facility, a suicide prevention coordinator has been appointed to oversee mandatory suicide awareness training for every hospital employee.

You see, in this year alone there have been six suicides in that hospital. That's up from two the previous year. Alex Schadenberg wrote in his commentary on the Spokane situation,

I fully endorse the need for a suicide prevention coordinator in hospitals and long-term care facilities to properly care for people who are experiencing depression, mental illness or psychological problems.
But isn't there going to be a problem if Washington State voters decide to support the I-1000 assisted suicide Initiative?

Will the staff of this hospital be forced to abandon a patient who has received a legal lethal dose to their autonomy, even though that person has become depressed and mentally incompetent?

Will legalizing assisted suicide in Washington State not create an inequality among the patients in hospitals, whereby one patient is given the green light to go ahead and ingest a death cocktail while the next patient is discouraged to commit suicide, through the provision of counseling and anti-depressant medications?

Washington has become a testing ground once again for the struggle between respect for the human person and self-satisfaction at any cost.

Protecting the vulnerable, the ill and the dying is a never-ending struggle for each of us who realize that a human being's life, including one's own life, is a gift from God and not a thing to be used or abused at will. So, in this politically volatile year, I believe it is time for every person with the right to vote and a properly formed conscience to assess carefully what President Ronald Reagan once said: What America needs is spiritual renewal and reconciliation – first, man with God, and then man with man.

Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

____________________________
Katie Walker
Director of Communication
American Life League
1179 Courthouse Road
Stafford, Virginia 22554
540.659.4942
kwalker@all.org
http://www.all.org/

Friday, October 24, 2008


E-Update below for 23 October, is courtesy of
Alberta Pro-Life Association.
LaRee Pickup, Provincial Director
Email: apl@albertaprolife.com
Tel: (780) 929-9230

___________________________________

E-Update - October 23, 2008

Pro-lifer will appeal his decision on withholding taxes over abortion

PEI resident David Little will be in court on October 24 to appeal an earlier ruling by the Court of Queen’s Bench in New Brunswick. Mr. Little, who used to live in New Brunswick, has not filed income tax since 1999 as a protest against tax-funded abortion which he argues violates his religious freedom as a Roman Catholic. Earlier this week he told the Globe and Mail: "When I finally took the decision to embrace courage and fight the federal government, it was because I could no longer look myself in the mirror and ask the question: Who am I to pray for life and pay for death?" Mr. Little says he will appeal his case to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary and he is confident that he will win his constitutional challenge. Lawyer and left-wing activist Clayton Ruby told the newspaper that there is little hope for this case. As reported in the Globe and Mail, he said, “the freedom-of-religion defence cannot be based on one person's ‘idiosyncratic interpretation’ of a church's teaching, noting the difference between that and the more broad-based Sikh requirement to wear a turban, or the Hutterite opposition to photographs. ‘The church must have this as a stricture that must be followed,’ he said. ‘The Catholic Church does not.’” That would be news to Pope Benedict XVI and to most faithful Catholics throughout the world.

UBC Okanagan campus pro-life club loses in Supreme Court of BC

John Hof, Campaign Life Coalition BC, sends this report: “In a decision that could act as a green light for student unions to censor other pro-life clubs in BC and perhaps the rest of Canada, Justice Wong of the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled against a petition brought on behalf of two pro-life students at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan campus. The students were seeking to overturn a BC Human Rights Commission decision to dismiss the students' complaint that the student union acted in a discriminatory fashion in refusing to ratify a pro-life club on campus. The matter was deferred to a special general meeting at which members of the student body voted to deny the group club status. Justice Wong determined that the Tribunal's decision to dismiss the complaint brought against UBCSUO was not inappropriate, arbitrary, or based on irrelevant facts. He cited the use of offensive material - namely a film and pamphlet originating from the Centre for Bioethical Reform's 'Genocide Awareness Project - on the part of Students for Life as appropriate justification for the refusal of club status. In even more damaging language, Justice Wong declared that the boundaries of the right to religious expression needed to be clearly established in order to prevent the situation in which secular students are forced to fund activities that they may find offensive. He gave no consideration to the argument that pro-life students are currently forced to pay student union fees, many of which go to fund activities and ideals that they find offensive. To make matters even worse, the defendants in the case, the student union, now have the option of holding the plaintiffs, two young nursing students, financially responsible for some of the legal costs incurred. It remains to be seen if the well-funded student union will exercise that option and force the two young students to pay out of pocket.”

Parents accompany their son to Swiss suicide clinic

A British couple disclosed last week that they accompanied their 23-year-old son to a Swiss suicide clinic where he died. Mark and Julie James said their son Dan, a rugby player who was paralyzed in March 2007 during a game, found his life “unbearable” and had tried to kill himself three times. They said he was not prepared to live what he described as a “second-class existence.” His mother criticized the person who reported their actions to police. "Our son could not have been more loved and had he felt he could live his life this way he would have been loved just the same but this was his right as a human being, nobody but nobody should judge him or anyone else,'' she told the The Daily Telegraph. The newspaper said the family was being investigated by the police. They could be charged with aiding and abetting a suicide although no one has ever been convicted before. At least 100 Britons have travelled to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland to die.

Let’s get 100,000 signatures on this UN petition

Three weeks ago, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, C-FAM, launched its Petition for the Unborn Child to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, Human Rights Day around the world. As C-FAM president Austin Ruse explained then, “This will be a very big deal at UN headquarters in New York. The opponents of the unborn child will be out in force. We expect they will present petitions to the General Assembly asking for an explicit right to abortion. Those agitating for this are the largest, richest and deadliest abortion groups in the world: International Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International.” As of Monday, October 20, 46,417 people have signed the petition and Austin Ruse is now hoping to hit 100,000. Download the petition from C-FAM and get it signed by friends, neighbours, church communities, youth groups and anyone else you can think of and encourage others to do the same. Go to http://www.cfam.org/publications/id.95/default.asp.

Last chance to apply for sponsorships for Medical Students’ forum

Tomorrow is the last day to submit an application for sponsorship to the Medical Students’ for Life forum on November 22 - 23, 2008 at Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster, Ontario. This is a terrific event hosted by Canadian Physicians for Life. Pro-life medical students and residents who are interested in deepening their understanding of the life issues and who want to acquire the knowledge, the skills, and the courage to defend the pro-life ethic in the medical profession are invited to apply for sponsorship to attend this event. You can get more information on the forum, the sponsorships and download an application form at www.physiciansforlife.ca. Completed applications must be received in the office by October 24, 2008. You can also contact: KC McLean, Communications and Events Coordinator, 613-728- LIFE (5433) or at info@physiciansforlife.ca. Pass this message on to medical students you know who might be interested in attending.

Don’t get tricked by UNICEF Halloween candy

If you are buying Halloween candy this week, please read the packages carefully. UNICEF has stopped using the trick or treat boxes for children but many candy manufacturers are supporting UNICEF through their sales. UNICEF does much good work in developing countries but unfortunately, it also supports the pro-abortion agenda of many United Nations organizations and International Planned Parenthood. Go to http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.604/pub_detail.asp to read about their most recent involvement promoting abortion. Many of the bags of chocolate bars and other treats available now in stores for Halloween have a small UNICEF logo on the package. See the September issue of The Rose for a sample of the logo. (It is online at www.albertaprolife.com. See story on page 9.) Please avoid these treats. You might also want to write the manufacturer to explain why you did not buy their product. Also, many schools will be doing UNICEF projects for Halloween so keep tabs your school’s Halloween projects.

Ice Cream Sundaes

Come and celebrate National Child Day of Canada on Thursday, November 20th, with make-your-own sundaes for the whole family! The Back Porch, an Edmonton-based ministry across from the Morgentaler Clinic, is hosting this fundraiser to support their work helping women who are reconsidering their decision to abort. Join us in the Holy Family Parish hall at 75 Poirier Ave, St. Albert. The fun will begin at 6:30 p.m., with face painting for the kids, a presentation for parents, and ice cream for all. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. For more information call 780-421-99

______________________________

If you would like to post something pertaining to Life issues to the HumanLifeMatters blog, forward information to HumanLifeMatters@shaw.ca for consideration. This blog has an international readership primarily in the U.S. and Canada, but also has readers as far away as Great Britain, Europe, Australia the Philippines and India.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Al-Qaida supports McCain because they want Obama in the White House


Apparently the Washington Post has reported that Al-Qaida supports John McCain because he will continue to exhaust the US economically and militarily with the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Although I have only seen reports about the WP article, and not the article itself, it's obvious Al-Qaida wants to see Barack Obama in the White House. In a thinly veiled attempt at reverse psychology, their supposed support for McCain will ideally drive American voters to Obama -- or so they must hope. Think about it, if Al-Qaida wants Obama in the White House ... should you?

Not only will an Obama/Biden Presidency be disastrous for national security, it would be disastrous for the Right to Life cause in America. He is apologetically pro-abortion, he would appoint a Supreme Court vacancy with a "pro-choice" judge to ensure the continuation of Roe V Wade. Where does Obama stand on euthanasia and assisted suicide? We don't know. He avoids answering those two questions. It would only stand to reason that the same thinking that brought him to support the arbitrary killing of life at the beginning of the life spectrum could also be applied to the end of life.

This evening CNN reported that their polls (which we know are always so balanced)give B.O. a double digit percentage lead in public support of John McCain. I hope they are wrong just like they were in the 2004 election. You may remember that pollsters right up to election day had John Kerry beating George Bush.

Democratic gremlin James Carville sat in the CNN studios on election night with a waste paper basket over his head (literally). He thought it was funny -- I was just grateful.

It's my hope the same happens with another Republican win on election night. If Americans committed to life and national security will just get out en masse and vote for John McCain, I will happily supply a new waste paper basket for Carville.

Mark Pickup

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A western perspective on Canadian Life issues


Below is a copy of Alberta Pro-Life Association's (APL) email update on Life Issues across Canada. Further, the latest edition of APL's newsletter can be seen at http://www.albertaprolife.com/alberta/rose/sept_2007.pdf .

E-Update - October 16, 2008

Linda Gibbons arrested again

Toronto pro-life activist Linda Gibbons, who was acquitted just two weeks ago, returned to pray outside the Scott abortion clinic in Toronto on October 8th and was arrested. She appeared in court this week and was remanded to October 21st. Mrs. Gibbons, a 60 year-old grandmother, was charged with violating a court order, that being the “temporary injunction” imposed 14 years ago by the former NDP government. Mrs. Gibbons was acquitted two weeks ago because the judge said her peaceful protest could not be construed as obstruction. The police and Crown have always avoided charges under the court order because it might be found at trial to be unconstitutional. Mrs. Gibbons may finally get her chance to have the case heard by a jury. She has served 75 months in jail over the past 14 years for her peaceful protests outside abortion clinics.

It’s another Conservative minority government

Prime Minister Stephen (I won’t reopen the abortion debate) Harper strengthened his position in Parliament but still fell 12 seats shy of a majority government. As usual, there were a number of pro-life MPs elected but it is difficult to see what difference their presence will make if all the party leaders are content with Canada’s radical pro-abortion policies. The final tally is 143 seats for the Conservatives, 76 Liberals, 37 NDP and the Bloc Quebecois with 50 and two independents. Life issues were not part of any mainstream party’s agenda. Only the Christian Heritage Party is officially pro-life.

Cardinal Ouellet says spiritual vacuum is bad for Quebec

The Primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, Cardinal Mark Ouellet, wrote in an Italian newspaper last week that the anti-Catholic mentality in Quebec, partly fostered by the media, has led to a religious and cultural breakdown in the province. "Hence the confusion of our youths, the dramatic drop in marriages, the very low birth rate and the alarming number of abortions and suicides. The crisis in values and the search for meaning are profound and urgent problems in Quebec that are even having serious repercussions on public health that have led to considerable costs on the health-care system." He said the province is ripe for re-evangelization and urged Catholics to get involved.

Chauvin court challenge to OC award

Frank Chauvin, one of the Order of Canada recipients who has notified the Governor General’s office that he will be returning his award, has launched a legal challenge against the advisory council that recommended Henry Morgentaler for the award. The announcement was made the same day Morgentaler’s award was presented in Quebec City last week. Mr. Chauvin has not yet returned his medal because as long as he has it, he has standing in the case as a member of the Order of Canada. Mr. Chauvin is asking the court to rescind the award because the council did not follow the criteria established for recipients and also because Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin should have recused herself from the process since Henry Morgentaler has a case before the court in New Brunswick which could end up in the Supreme Court of Canada, the court she oversees. Last week, a former Supreme Court justice, Louise Arbour, also received an Order of Canada award, and she enthusiastically endorsed the Morgentaler appointment. I suppose we should celebrate the fact that she is no longer on the bench.

Looking for great pro-life Christmas gifts?

I know it’s early but some people actually start their Christmas shopping before December 15th. We’ve got the 2009 Pro-Life calendars sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and displaying artwork by high school students. These make great stocking stuffers. Also, we’ve got our very popular “unaborted” clothing line, T-shirts and hoodies in great colours and a variety of designs. If you are interested in calendars or “unaborted” stuff, call our office at 780-421-7747 or toll free at 1-877-880-5433.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Order of Canada lost its honour!


With a look of obvious adoration, Canada’s Governor General, Michaëlle Jean gave Canada’s highest civilian award, the Order of Canada, to the most infamous abortionist in the land, “Dr.” Henry Morgentaler. A statement released by Rideau Hall (the Governor General’s office) stated, “A Holocaust survivor, he [Henry Morgentaler] has not hesitated to put himself at risk in his determined drive to increase health care options for women.”

The Holocaust survivor from Europe created a new holocaust in Canada. Morgentaler has admitted to personally presiding over a 100,000 abortions. His abortion mills dotted across Canada have helped to make him a millionaire.

This dark and sinister irony went unspoken but was glaringly apparent to all but the most ardent abortion ideologues. Canada’s liberal elite at Rideau Hall and the mainstream media – like the Globe and Mail, CTV and CBC television networks – cheered that their champion of abortion 'rights' received such a high honor. Awarding Morgentaler the Order of Canada did not raise him up; it brought the prestige of the Order down.

Abortion is not a right – it is a wrong. Victory for one person’s rights gained at the expense of another person's right to exist is no victory at all. Nobody who truly believes in the ideal of universal human rights could deny any life the right to be born, breath, walk on the earth, and find their place in the world.

No, abortion on demand is not a victory for women’s rights, it is a defeat for universal human rights. Universal human rights must be universally applied to all humanity – otherwise they are not “universal” human rights. Basic biology tells us that life begins at conception. This is not a metaphysical contention; it is a plain and simple biological truth. Human rights begin when human life begins. Anything less is prejudice and sophistry. Abortion denies protection and care of the youngest, smallest and most defenseless members of the human family.
Yet that is what Canada has celebrated by giving Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada.

You can decorate an abortionist with all prestigious medals ever made … he is still an abortionist. A murderer by any other name is still a murderer.

Canada has lost the honour in its highest honour. Its luster is gone. By giving the Order of Canada to the most contentious and infamous abortionist in the land, we have unwittingly proclaimed that we no longer embrace the great and noble ideal of universal human rights – of which the right to life is the first and highest.


A mass murderer of prenatal life has been honoured for doing just that. The insignia at the center of the medal should be changed to a swastika.

Mark Pickup

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Meaning of Suffering: A Christian Perspective


Read my latest blog "The Meaning of Suffering: A Christian Perspective" at http://markpickup.blogspot.com

Mark Pickup

Monday, October 6, 2008

I received an email that moved me to tears


On October 2nd, I received an unexpected email from a woman I shall refer to as simply J. for the sake of her anonimity. Her note deeply moved me. There are times when one realizes that his life has made a difference for good. This was one such occasion.

Keep reading. -- Mark Pickup
______________________________________________

Dear Mr. Pickup,

I don't know if you'll remember me, but I met you at the National Right to Life Committee Conference in 2001. I remember being moved by your speech, and my mother and I took home a copy of your video [To Be, or Not To Be -- The Human Family] when we went back to Boston. What I didn't count on at the time was just how meaningful that speech would be for me just a few months down the line.

Less than a year after being at the NRLC event, I found out that I was pregnant, during my senior year of high school. My fiance was supportive and was prepared to do whatever he needed to do to help me as I carried our child. Both of us were pro-life, but I was absolutely petrified. I knew 100% that abortion was wrong and that my child was a child, made in the image and according to the likeness of God, but it was so hard to fight back the knowledge that I was in Massachusetts and could easily have had a taxpayer funded abortion without anyone ever knowing about it. My life could just go on as it had before, unless you count a broken heart and wounded humanity.

Whenever I started feeling weaker in resolve, I would watch the video of your speech because it gave me the courage to see that I was not so weak that violence ought to be done to "protect" me. Your courage in facing your own trials made it easier for me to stand up to my own challenges, and we have done so with reliance on the grace of God and a firm commitment to hard work. My son turns 6 years old this Sunday, and my husband and I now also have 3 other small children ages 3, 1 ½, and 2 months:

We both graduated college the same year that we would have without becoming pregnant, and now both of us are working at jobs that we love. I'm working from home now, for the same pro-life organization that was so helpful to me and my husband as we planned for parenthood while working our ways through college.

I stumbled on your blog, and felt like I needed to say "thank you" for having the courage to share your story and to speak the truth in a world growing deaf. I heard you, and my life and the lives of my children have been better for it.

Thank you again,

J

Saturday, October 4, 2008

New blog entry



Read Mark Pickup's latest blog "Did the financial bailout solve the problem?" at http://markpickup.blogspot.com