Dear Friends,

As September gives way to autumnal fullness, we find ourselves in October, the month dedicated to our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, which has been duly dedicated by the American Catholic Bishops as Respect Life Month. And, while we may approach the idea of Pro-Life from a faith perspective (as we should); we should not be blinded to the reality that this matter cannot be simply reduced to the sphere of religion. There are many who have no religious ties and support the Pro-Life movement indefatigably, evincing this is a matter that is profoundly human, regardless of a person’s faith or creed, or lack thereof. Abortion is an attack on the very fiber of what makes us human beings, whether one believes in a Creator God or not. Allow me, therefore, to share part of an article written by Kristine Kruszelnicki, titled “A Secular Case Against Abortion.” Interestingly it was posted on the Pro-Life Humanist website [which currently is offline] on 13 May 2013 (the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima). Understand that while I may not agree with everything to which the Pro-Life Humanists adhere; I must admit that listening to their point of view strengthens my own perspective and provides insights as to how to better discuss this matter with non-religious people. She writes:

The late atheist author Christopher Hitchens, when asked in a January 2008 debate with Jay Wesley Richards whether he was opposed to abortion and was a member of the pro-life movement, replied: “I’ve had a lot of quarrels with some of my fellow materialists and secularists on this point, [but] I think that if the concept ‘child’ means anything, the concept ‘unborn child’ can be said to mean something. All the discoveries of embryology [and viability] – which have been very considerable in the last generation or so – appear to confirm that opinion, which I think should be innate in everybody. It’s innate in the Hippocratic Oath, it’s instinct in anyone who’s ever watched a sonogram. So, ‘Yes’ is my answer to that.” … Abortion is an emotionally complex issue, stacked with distressing circumstances that elicit our sympathy and compassion, but abortion is not morally complex: If the preborn are not human beings equally worthy of our compassion and support, no justification for abortion is required. Women should maintain full autonomy over their bodies and make their own decisions about their pregnancies. However, if the preborn are human beings, no justification for abortion is morally adequate, if such a reason cannot justify ending the life of a toddler or any born human in similar circumstances. Would we kill a two-year-old whose father suddenly abandons his unemployed mother, in order to ease the mother’s budget or prevent the child from growing up in poverty? Would we dismember a young preschooler if there were indications she might grow up in an abusive home? If the preborn are indeed human beings, we have a social duty to find compassionate ways to support women, that do not require the death of one in order to solve the problems of the other. … While some abortion advocates have accused pro-lifers of using “pseudoscience,” in fact, scientific evidence strongly backs the pro-life claim that the human embryo and fetus are biological members of the human species. Dr. Keith L. Moore’s “The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology,” used in medical schools worldwide, is but one scientific resource confirming this knowledge. It states: “Human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm (spermatozoa) unites with a female gamete or oocyte (ovum) to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.” Unlike other cells containing human DNA – sperm, ovum and skin cells, for instance – the newly fertilized embryo has complete inherent capacity to propel itself through all stages of human development, providing adequate nutrition and protection is maintained. Conversely, sperm and ovum are differentiated parts of other human organisms, each having their own specified function. Upon merging, both cease to exist in their current states, and the result is a new and whole entity with unique behavior toward human maturity. Similarly, skin cells contain genetic information that can be inserted into an enucleated ovum and stimulated to create an embryo, but only the embryo possesses this self-directed inherent capacity for all human development.

Our Lady of Fatima told the children to pray the Rosary every day for peace in the world. Consider “scattering” your rosary decades throughout the day, like scattering roses for Our Lady in the garden of your life. Keep a rosary in your car, listen to a recording of the rosary or start with one decade each day.

Be of good cheer and have a blessed week!

Msgr. Grous