Terrace 40 Days for Life

Day 15

2012-03-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

I went out to the hospital at about 4:15 this afternoon. I was joined by 4 others shortly after that. The "girls" stood across from the main entrance and prayed the Rosary and the "boys" walked on the two streets bordering the hospital. Nobody stopped to talk with us but we got lots of waves and thumbs up.

Pro-Life is scientific

2012-03-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

“He who denies that human life begins with conception does not need to contend with religion, but science. To deny this certainty of biology is not to express a lack of faith, but a lack of basic knowledge of human genetics, something that is even known by the general public.”

~ Ecuadorian Federation of Societies of Gynecology and Obstetrics, April 17, 2008

How I became Pro-Life

2012-03-05T00:50:00.001-07:00

I had an extremely naive view of abortion as a young teen in the mid-1970s. We didn't really talk about how the procedure was done but it was presented to me as a reasonable and simple way to fix a problem. The only abortion method I was somewhat familiar with was the saline abortion. I thought a needle was inserted into the womb and the baby was "put to sleep"and eventually slipped out with the help of a tool like a rubber spatula - similar to what you'd use to scrape out a mixing bowl. And just like that your problem was solved. There were no sharp instruments involved, no burning, very little blood and very little pain except maybe some cramping for the woman (she was never referred to as the mother, of course). It was all very hygienic and civilized.

As I grew older I learned that if a woman requested an abortion she'd have to submit her case to a panel of three doctors (this was prior to 1988) and they would decide how to proceed depending on how the pregnancy would affect her physical and/or mental health. I thought this was sensible compared to abortion on demand which was becoming a big issue at that time. I didn't see any need for abortion on demand because I was under the delusion that every unplanned pregnancy would cause untold grief and intense suffering. Naturally, or so my reasoning went, the panel would give the go ahead for the abortion every time (I don't think I was entirely wrong on that one.) I was still under the impression that the method described in the first paragraph is how abortions were performed. Remember - this was before the internet and encyclopedias did not supply this sort of information.

I moved to Terrace in the late 1980s and I remember driving across the "new bridge" one day. Lined up as far as I could see were people carrying signs. As I drove by I read the signs that said things like "abortion stops a beating heart" and "choose life, your mom did." I was so angry! I turned to my passenger and said something I thought highly original and very clever. I said, "When all those prolifers are willing adopt every single unwanted baby then maybe I will listen to them."

As the years went by several friends confessed to me that they had had abortions. Two of my friends were driven to the clinic by their own mothers. As much as I talked the talk that abortion was a good thing I felt profoundly uncomfortable regarding their abortions. I mean - abortion happens to other people, not people you know, right? Wrong.

Then one of the friends that had had a previous abortion was considering another. She was married and had three children over the age of four so I tried to talk her out of it. She was so mad at me for "judging" her that she broke off our friendship. She did end up having the baby but the friendship was beyond salvaging. I do not regret standing up for that little life even though I lost my best friend. However - my motives were hardly pure. If she had three children under the age of four I have a feeling I wouldn't have been quite so anxious to talk her out of the abortion. I believed that life should be convenient and easy.

Many years passed before I finally realized what abortion does. It ends a human life and it mortally wounds the mother, father, grandparents, and other family members. I've seen how abortion tears families apart, how unresolved grief pits people against each other, and that SILENCE is one of the biggest enemies of the unborn. Society will not stop abortion until the silence and secrets surrounding it are laid bare.

This is why I am such a firm believer in 40 Days for Life. Maybe we won't save any babies here in Terrace but our prayers are being added to others in this campaign and as I write this 148 babies have been saved in 12 days. People have stopped by to talk to those holding vigil at Mills Memorial and expressed their thanks, not only on behalf of the unborn, but because we have touched them in a profound way. Perhaps they had an abortion and are looking for a shoulder to cry on. Perhaps they were conceived in less than ideal circumstances. Perhaps we are giving them the words and the courage to talk a loved one out of doing something that cannot be undone. Perhaps we are just showing them that Christ loves them.

by Linda

If you would like to share how you became Pro-Life, or became stronger in your Pro-Life beliefs, please send me an email at terrace40days@gmail.com and I will publish your story. Anonymous stories are welcome.

Day Twelve

2012-03-04T15:36:00.002-07:00

I am so proud of the Catholic church youth group – they have signed up to hold vigil at our local hospital for one hour each Sunday.

Don't let the shorts fool you - it’s about 40 degrees F / 6 degrees C here in northern British Columbia but they are not letting the weather stop them! They are strong young adults – not only against the cold – but more importantly against the culture of death!

Not every member of the group is able to make it out every Sunday but the important thing is that they are doing their best to maintain a presence at the local hospital.

May God bless their efforts!

We are NOT going away!

2012-03-02T22:00:00.002-07:00

Our parish youth group held vigil at

Mills Memorial Hospital

on Sunday Feb. 26.

Good job everybody!

Day 10

2012-03-02T18:25:00.002-07:00

It seems like I had more one-on-one contact with passersby last year. Nobody stopped to talk today but about a dozen people did drive by and waved or gave me a thumbs up. Two girls walked by and when they were almost out of earshot they shouted something about abortion but I couldn't hear if it was for us or against us. I found it more interesting that they equated the word abortion with 40 Days for Life. Either way - I am glad they know what we represent.

Coming soon - photos of our youth group who were out in force last Sunday and praying the Rosary for the unborn. I am SO proud of them! They are proof that Pro-Lifers aren't all over the age of 60 and that we.are.not.going.away!

Just the facts

2012-03-02T00:15:00.001-07:00

"Question: Can the heart of a fetus or embryo still be beating during a suction curettage abortion as the fetus or embryo comes down the cannula?

Answer: For a few seconds to a minute, yes.”

(Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Harlan Raymond Giles, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.)

Christ's ambassadors

2012-02-29T01:28:00.004-07:00

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body (which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Colossians 1:24

Q. ~ What does this mean that when Paul suffers for the church he is "filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions"? How can any man fill up what is surely as full as any suffering could be?

A. ~ It is full and lacking in nothing—except one thing, a personal presentation by Christ himself to the nations of the world and the people you know. God's answer to this lack is to call the people of Christ to present the afflictions of Christ to the world—to carry them from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.

In doing this we "fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ." We finish what they were designed for, namely, a personal presentation to the world of people who do not know about their infinite worth.

+++

And isn't this just what we are doing at 40 Days for Life?!

40 Days--Matt Maher

2012-02-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

My friend V. played this at Mass yesterday. I know it's about Lent but I thought it was a timely and inspirational song for 40 Days for Life too!

Fasting

2012-02-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Our Lord knew that to draw strength and efficacy from fasting, something more than abstinence from prohibited food is necessary. Thus He instructed His disciples and, consequently, disposed them to gather the fruits proper to fasting. Among many others are these four: fasting fortifies the spirit, mortifying the flesh and its sensuality; it raises the spirit to God; it fights concupiscence and gives power to conquer and deaden its passions; in short, it disposes the heart to seek to please only God with great purity of heart.

St. Francis de Sales

What would you ask...

2012-02-26T20:18:00.001-07:00

If you had one question for Abby Johnson, what would it be?

40 Days phone problem

2012-02-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

My apologies, but I had to remove the cell phone number from this blog. Telemarketers have been calling and ringing up my bill. If you have questions please call Sacred Heart Parish (I won't be listing their number either - but they are in the phone book.)

The 180 movie

2012-02-26T10:26:00.001-07:00

I've had a request from a reader to post the "180" movie. Please click here to view.
Thanks, J. for the suggestion!

* there is some graphic content on the video*

You.Are.Loved.

2012-02-25T18:12:00.002-07:00

I've never met Paige. She lives in Calgary and she is also a Pro-Life blogger. But I found her blog and I feel like we are kindred spirits. On Friday she posted a simple yet profound post that had me wiping away the tears. You are loved. So simple! So true! Read the whole story HERE.

Day Three

2012-02-24T19:28:00.001-07:00

It snowed today. And it was cold. At least we aren't in Anchorage, AK! There were three of us at the hospital between 4:00 - 5:00 PM. The lady from Day One was visiting at the hospital again and she waved to me. A few others drove by and read the sign I was wearing. Other than that it was quiet.

If you have a story you'd like to share about your experience praying at the hospital, please email terrace40days@gmail.com. Thanks!

Be bold!

2012-02-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

"And now, Lord...grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

----Acts 4:29-31

Abortion Day in Terrace

2012-02-23T22:42:00.002-07:00

Abortion day in Terrace is normally on Friday. We have a lot of time slots filled for Friday afternoon - and some brave souls coming out at 6:00 a.m.! - but it would be great to get more coverage on Friday morning. Please prayerfully consider if you are able to pray at the hospital on Friday mornings. God bless you!

Click HERE to read the vigil schedule.

The final judgement

2012-02-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

"When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgement, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God -- and a terror will rip your soul like nothing you can imagine.

But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there'll be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world -- and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, "Spare him, because he loved us" - and God will look at you and say not, "Did you succeed?" but "Did you try?"

---Congressman Henry Hyde

Day One

2012-02-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Finally! The 40 Days for Life campaign has officially started! All the planning and organizing is over and now we just fast, pray, reach out, and let the Holy Spirit take charge.

I was at the hospital from about 4:30 - 5:15 this afternoon. It was sunny and cool. Lots of cars drove by and a few people waved. One lady came to talk to me. She was going in to visit someone at the hospital but she said she had to know what "40 Days" was about. I told her I was praying for an end to abortion, that the campaign was taking place in 258 cities around the world and suggested she may want to look at the website. She thanked us and said she'd pray for us. We're off to a good start!

Lord, bless our vigil

2012-02-21T23:52:00.000-07:00

Lord, we ask for your blessing on our 40 Days for Life campaign. We join our prayers with everyone in all 258 locations and with those praying from home. Teach us what to say when passersby approach us with questions or comments. Help us to pray for the hundreds more who will ignore us. Amen.

40 Days for Life in England

2012-02-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

Please call.

2012-02-21T01:16:00.000-07:00

If you would like to carry/wear a sign letting people know why you are praying at the hospital, please email terrace40days@gmail.com or call Sacred Heart Parish so you can get the address where the signs are being stored.

There will be 11 signs available bearing the phrase "40 Days for Life", the official logo and the website address.

All human beings have worth

2012-02-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

Genesis 1:26-27

Then God said, ”Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth..” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them.

All human beings have worth

That all human beings are made in the image of God is the basis of human dignity and of human rights. The unborn cannot speak for themselves. Our text teaches that the Lord would have us speak and act on their behalf for to do so is one of the important ways in which we exercise the dominion God has given us over the earth and all the living things upon it, including our fellow human beings, including the unborn. This responsibility is given as a command, and calls for obedience and faithfulness. It is a truth not merely to be accepted and believed, but to be put into practice.

From the earliest days of the Christian Church the unborn child was considered a neighbor; made in the image of God and worthy of the respect and compassion we owe all neighbors. Thomas Jefferson drew on this truth in the Declaration of Independence affirming, “all men are created equal.” More recently, in his Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II upheld this fundamental affirmation of human dignity. Until all human beings, and the unborn in particular, are recognized as being made in God's image, the struggle for universal human rights will go on.

To de-legitimize abortion and to elevate the unborn into full acceptance among the human family will be a long and arduous struggle, not unlike the struggle against slavery and racism. As Christians, we are committed for as long as the struggle may take. It is a matter of truth; for the dignity of the unborn, and of every other human being regardless of race or condition, is apparent to anyone with eyes to see.

O Lord, open the eyes of the blind to the reality and the worth of the unborn. Give to your faithful people the courage and wisdom to endure in this ongoing struggle to bring them fully into the acceptance of the whole human family. We pray this in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rev. John Brown

Signs of Life

2012-02-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

There was a good turn out this evening to get more people to sign up for 40 Days for Life! Hopefully the trend will continue for tomorrow morning. If you haven't signed up at Sacred Heart Parish this weekend you can sign up online anytime, day or night, throughout the entire campaign! Click here for more details. Note: your name is NOT published on the site - it simply says "Prayer Volunteer Pending" when you select your time slot.

Quite a number of people were asking where they could pick up a sign to carry. If you call Sacred Heart Parish they can let you know where they are. If you do not want to carry a sign you do not have to. However, it does let people know why we are walking back and forth in front of the hospital which correlates to the community outreach aspect of 40 Days for Life.

Also, a number of people are looking for a partner they can pray with at the hospital. Email terrace40days@gmail.com and we will help you connect with someone.

And remember - this is a Peaceful, Prayerful Vigil.

Abortion - the great "no"

2012-02-18T01:09:00.001-07:00

Psalm 139:13-16

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Abortion -- the great “no”

Unlike the rest of creation, we are capable of a personal relationship with God. Not only did God create us, but created us according to a plan devised from all eternity. No matter how far back we go in our imagination, there was never a time when God did not know each of us, in every detail of our being. There was not a particular time when God decided to make us. The decision to make us has been in the mind of God from all eternity. He decided to make us for as long as He has been God. All our days were written in His book. To dare to say that a human being, developing in the womb, should not be born is as wrong as to say that a born person should not continue to grow and live. In each case, an attack on human life is an attack on the God who formed and made us. Jesus Christ is the great “Yes” to the promises of God; abortion is the great “No.”

To assert that the unborn are not human is to ignore indisputable evidence and is a classic manifestation of the oppression and exploitation of people. When people challenge us to prove that the unborn are human, they should be challenged, in turn, to prove that they are human! All the scientific evidence that proves born persons are human also proves the unborn to be human.

Lord, I pray today for every unborn child. The beauty of the bodies and souls of these children flows from your hands and your eternal plan. Awaken in every human conscience a profound reverence for human life, and grant us grace to defend our smallest and most defenseless brothers and sisters, those still being formed in the secret places of their mothers’ womb.

Fr. Frank Pavone

Roots of the Pro-Life message

2012-02-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of life: 1) There is a God; 2) He isn’t me

From the beginning of the Bible until the end the theme is echoed that God alone has dominion over human life. He made it; shared it; died to save it; will raise it up forever. The act of creation described in Genesis 2:7, and earlier in Genesis 1:26-27, is a sovereign act. God did not have to do it and would have been happy forever without us. Yet without our asking for it or earning it, God brought us out of nothingness and into life, and sustains our existence at every moment. And He does so in Christ. “For by Him all things were created…in Him all things exist” (Colossians 1:16-17).

“You are not your own,” Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 6. God alone owns us. While He entrusts us to the care of one another, He does not allow any human being to own another. A Southern California abortionist, James McMahon, once explained how he justified killing children after 20 weeks gestation by partial-birth abortion. He did not deny that this was a child, but rather asked, “Who owns the child? It’s got to be the mother.” The struggle over abortion is really a struggle over the dominion of God. The Christian individual, and the Christian Church, cannot sit idly by when others declare that God is not God.

Lord, we are yours. Thank you for breathing into us the breath of life. Thank you for claiming us as your own. May our words and actions in defense of human life proclaim to all the world that you alone are Lord of life and death, Lord of our freedom and of our choices. We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone

A Pro-Life Prayer

2012-02-16T01:26:00.001-07:00

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Register online

2012-02-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

The foolish thing

2012-02-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

“Lord, I thank you for giving me the holy dilemma of having tochoose between the foolish thing or the dangerous thing. Yet for me the solution is clear. Lord, Iwill obey you, even if it means aiming for a goal which, in the eyes of others,seems foolish. I will obey you, and will hope for the end of abortion (andeuthanasia) soon, no matter how impossible that may seem to others. I dare notmistrust you; I dare not doubt your power; I dare not fail to follow your call. Inyou, who raise the dead, all hope comes alive. Amen.”

Will and Grace

2012-02-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

If you are afraid of standing in front of Mills Memorial Hospital and praying for the unborn - remember - the Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

Last year during 40 Days for Life I met so many supportive people who thanked us for what we were doing. Some people that were passing by stopped to stand with us for a few minutes and joined us in prayer. One girl told me her parents made her abort her baby and she is still upset with them for making her do that. And one lady thanked us for our witness - it meant so much to her because her husband was conceived when his mother was raped.

Stand up for Life! You won't be sorry.

Psalm 139

2012-02-13T01:07:00.000-07:00

You formed my most inner being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works!

--Psalm 139:13-14

Persuade with love

2012-02-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

"How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts."

--Mother Teresa

Vigil location

2012-02-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Click on the map to enlarge.

While all aspects of 40 Days for Life are crucial in our effort to end abortion, the most visible component is the peaceful prayer vigil outside our local hospital.

You can help make a life-saving impact by joining our local vigil at:
Mills Memorial Hospital
4720 Haugland Ave.
Terrace, BC

Participants are invited to keep vigil on the sidewalks along Haugland Ave. and Tetrault St. (indicated by the blue lines).
We are NOT permitted to park on the hospital grounds or keep vigil on the hospital grounds - please stay on the sidewalks.

All participants in 40 Days for Life are required to adhere to the Statement of Peace.

Defend, uphold, rescue, deliver

2012-02-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3-4

We are not so desperate

2012-02-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

"I am here to urge you: Do not, in the name of progress for disabled people, certify or justify the destructive harvesting of human embryos for stem cell research, a practice both immoral and unnecessary. While disabled people are interested in cures, as well as better tools for living, greater inclusion in society and other possibilities which will improve our quality of life, we are not so desperate for cures that moral considerations disappear."

--Mary Jane Owens, Executive Director, National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities

Be not afraid!

2012-02-09T01:13:00.001-07:00

"Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (Cfr. Rom 1,16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (Cfr. Matth 10,27). Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern "metropolis". It is you who must "go out into the byroads" (Matth 22,9) and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father."

-- Pope John Paul II, Aug. 15, 1993

Fetal Timeline

2012-02-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

Day 1: fertilization. All human chromosomes are present; unique human life begins.

Day 6: embryo begins implantation in the uterus.

Day 22: heart begins to beat with the child's own blood, often a different type than the mothers'.

Week 3: by the end of the third week the child's backbone, spinal column and nervous system are forming. the liver kidneys and intestines begin to take shape.

Week 4: by the end of week four the child is ten thousand times larger than the fertilized egg.

Week 5: eyes, legs and hands begin to develop.

Week 6: Brain waves are detectable; mouth and lips are present; fingernails are forming.

Week 7: Eyelids, and toes form, nose distinct. The baby is kicking and swimming.

Week 8: Every organ is in place, bones begin to replace cartilage, and fingerprints begin to form. By the 8^th week the baby can begin to hear.

Weeks 9 and 10: Teeth begin to form, fingernails develop. The baby can turn his head, and frown. The baby can hiccup.

Weeks 10 and 11: The baby can “breathe” amniotic fluid and urinate. Week 11 the baby can grasp objects placed in its hand; all organ systems are functioning. The baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and circulation.

Week 12: The baby has all of the parts necessary to experience pain, including nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus. Vocal cords are complete. The baby can suck its thumb.

Week 14: At this age, the heart pumps several quarts of blood through the body every day.

Week 15: The baby has an adult’s taste buds.

Month 4: Bone Marrow is now beginning to form. The heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood a day. By the end of month 4 the baby will be 8-10 inches in length and will be one half of its birth weight.

Week 17: The baby can have dream (REM) sleep.

Week 19: Babies can routinely be saved at 21 to 22 weeks after fertilization, and sometimes they can be saved even younger.

Week 20: The earliest stage at which Partial birth abortions are performed. At 20 weeks the baby recognizes its’ mothers voice.

Months 5 and 6: The baby practices breathing by inhaling amniotic fluid into its developing lungs. The baby will grasp at the umbilical cord when it feels it. Most mothers feel an increase in movement, kicking, and hiccups from the baby. Oil and sweat glands are now functioning. The baby is now twelve inches long or more, and weighs up to one and a half pounds.

Months 7 through 9: Eyeteeth are present. The baby opens and closes his eyes. The baby is using four of the five senses (vision, hearing, taste, and touch.) He knows the difference between waking and sleeping, and can relate to the moods of the mother. The baby’s skin begins to thicken, and a layer of fat is produced and stored beneath the skin. Antibodies are built up, and the baby’s heart begins to pump 300 gallons of blood per day. Approximately one week before the birth the baby stops growing, and “drops” usually head down into the pelvic cavity.

With thanks to North Carolina Right to Life

What kind of society...?

2012-02-07T01:11:00.000-07:00

Ironically, as abortion has become more common, our insight into the reality of life within the womb has grown. Advancements in ultrasound methods now show us the three-dimensional images of the undeniable human features of children long before they are born.

In addition, survival of an infant outside the womb is possible at increasingly earlier stages of pregnancy - as early as twenty-one weeks in some cases - with new treatments to ensure the health of these tiny children being developed all the time.

In recent years, surgery on children still in utero to correct spina bifida, hydrocephalus, breathing obstructions, and other problems has become more common, sophisticated, and safe.

Our culture's sensitivity to the effects of a mother's lifestyle on her preborn child has grown as well. Expectant mothers are discouraged from smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking drugs, and parents are encouraged to interact with an unborn child through talking and music.

It's worth thinking about long and hard: What kind of society goes to such great lengths to care for unborn children, but at the very same time declares that they have no right to life?

~ From a Pro-Life pamphlet published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Statement of Peace

2012-02-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Statement of Peace

I testify to the following:

Iwill only pursue peaceful solutions to the violence of abortion whenvolunteering with the 40 Days for Life campaign
Iwill show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all abortion facilityemployees, volunteers, and customers
Iunderstand that acting in a violent or harmful manner immediately andcompletely disassociates me from the 40 Days for Life campaign
Iam in no way associated with the abortion facility/Planned Parenthood or itsaffiliates by way of employment, informant, volunteer, client, or otherwise.

While standing in the city right ofway in front of the abortion facility

Iwill not obstruct the driveways or sidewalk while standing in the public rightof way
Iwill not litter on the public right of way
Iwill closely attend to any children I bring to the prayer vigil
Iwill not threaten, physically contact, or verbally abuse abortion facility employees,volunteers, or customers
Iwill not vandalize private property
Iwill cooperate with local city authorities

Questions and answers about 40 Days for Life

2012-02-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Question: What is 40 Days for Life?
Answer: A peaceful, prayerful vigil that takes place at your local hospital or abortion clinic. In our case the hospital is Mills Memorial on Haugland Ave.

Q: Why 40 days?
A: It's a number of biblical significance - Noah was transformed by 40 days in the flood, Moses by 40 days on the mountain, Jesus by 40 days in the dessert and the Disciples by the 40 days following the resurrection. If one day of vigil is good, then 40 has to be that much more powerful and transforming!

Q. Do we have to pray at the hospital or clinic every day for 40 days?
A: We are aiming for a presence at the hospital every day but that does not mean any one individual has to be there every single day. Come out for an hour or two each week. If your schedule permits, come out more often, or for 15 minutes between running errands or on your way to work.

Q: My health/home situation/other doesn't make it possible to come pray at the hospital but I want to join you in prayer - how can I do that?
A: Pray from home or pray at church. Please contact us so we can add your name and prayer times to the sign up sheet.

Q: I'm scared to be out there on my own but I want to join in - what can I do?
A: Ask someone to be your prayer partner and join you at the hospital. If nobody is available, contact us so we can find someone for you. Please note that we logged 243 hours in last years vigil and there were no complaints of harassment by others.

Q: You talk about the 3 pronged approach of prayer, fasting and community outreach. Can you define that for me?
A: Prayer keeps us rooted in the fact that it is our desire to carry out God's will. We can pray formal prayers, spontaneous prayers or meditate on the daily devotionals that will be published on the parent site. If you don't have a computer we can print them out for you.

Fasting is a sacrifice that helps us reach beyond our own limitations with God's help. Fasting is not a Christian diet; it is a form of physical prayer. You can fast from food, TV, alcohol - anything that separates you from God.

Community outreach is accomplished by our constant vigil. It's the most visible component of 40 Days for Life. It's prayerful witness to the hospital's patients and employees, and to the community, that evil is in our midst and that with God's help, it will be defeated. All people of faith and good conscience are given the opportunity to visibly show their support throughout this transforming event!

Q: How do I sign up?
A: There will be sign up sheets available at Sacred Heart Parish the weekends of Feb. 11/12 and Feb. 18/19. You may also sign up by clicking here.
Or email terrace40days@gmail.com

Q: Do I need to bring a sign?
A: There are 11 signs available bearing the 40 Days for Life logo and website address. Please email to make arrangements to pick up as many as you need for your hour. If there are more than 11 people in your group we can find some other pro-life signs for you.
If you are not comfortable displaying a sign please come out anyway - we need your prayers!

Q: Do you really think this campaign is helpful?
A: YES. While you may never witness any women leaving the hospital after cancelling their abortions your presence there is still crucial. For instance a woman experiencing a crisis pregnancy may be considering aborting and happens to drive by the 40 Days for Life vigil. It's unlikely she will stop to talk to you but she'll probably read your sign and hopefully be inspired to visit www.40daysforlife.com . Perhaps the information she reads there will help her choose life for her baby. Last year many people expressed their thanks that we were there - perhaps we are strengthening their own pro-life beliefs, which will in turn help them to help others who are pregnant unexpectedly.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at terrace40days@gmail.com

2012-02-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

"If life is not a continuum, from conception to natural death, then all of us are potential victims if we fall out of favour with a ruling elite."

--Cal Thomas

46,000,000

2012-02-04T11:27:00.001-07:00

According to the 2005 World Health Report

211 million pregnancies occur worldwide each year; 46 million end in induced abortions.

2012-02-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

"Some people argue that changing laws will not eliminate abortions. It is certainly true that a change of heart is more important than a change of law. What is forgotten, however, is that the law is the great teacher. Children grow up believing that if a practice is legal, it must be moral."

-- John Cardinal O’Connor

2012-02-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."

--Edmund Burke

The countdown is on

2012-02-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

Only 3 more weeks until we begin 40 Days for Life Spring 2012. I've been posting a lot of quotes to let people know there is somebody behind this blog. Once the campaign starts I'll be blogging about my experiences at the hospital. I welcome your stories and insight as well. Just email me at terrace40days@gmail.com

The Bitter Price of Choice

2012-02-01T18:16:00.001-07:00

"We have treated the loss of our fetuses as a theoretical loss, a sad-but-necessary loss, as of civilians in wartime. We have not yet realized that the offspring lost are not the enemies, nor our neighbors, but our own. And it is not a loss of inert, amorphous tissue, but of a growing being unique in history."

--Frederica Mathewes-Green, The Bitter Price of Choice

Abortion is sexist

2012-01-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

"Many feminists insist that abortion is necessary for women to participate freely and equally in society. Anyone who disagrees, they argue, has merely adopted patriarchal standards and accepted women's 'place' in society. Yet this argument demonstrates how deeply the roots of sexism run in our culture. Its premise is a sexist one--that women are inferior to men and that in order to be equal, we have to change our biology to become like men--wombless and unpregnant at will. What other oppressed group in history has had to undergo surgery in order to be equal?"

--Marilyn Dickstein Kopp, a Pro-Life feminist

40 Days for Life Peace Pledge

2012-01-29T14:18:00.001-07:00

1. I will only pursue peaceful solutions to the violence of abortion when volunteering with the 40 Days for Life campaign.

2. I will show compassion and reflect Christ’s love to all abortion facility employees, volunteers, and customers.

3. I understand that acting in a violent or harmful manner immediately and completely disassociates me from the 40 Days for Life campaign.

Rescue

2012-01-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?” Proverbs 24:11-12

Evil had so corrupted the thinking of so many people, and evil is still corrupting our thoughts today. Today our nation proclaims the lawful right to kill an unwanted child. Say that out loud: Canada proclaims the lawful right to kill an unwanted child.

Abortion ends the story

2012-01-27T10:19:00.001-07:00

ABORTION ENDS THE STORY. We don’t know what any unborn child will grow up to be. President? Banker? Homeless? Killer? Nothing is guaranteed, not even when a child is born into a loving, two-parent home and raised according to the most noble of moral values.
But if the new standard is we should abort because of what a child might become, it adds a whole new rotten layer to the fetid onion that is the abortion issue. Who is the judge and jury that gets to decide if a child is worthy of life? By what standards will these determinations be made? Race? Income? Education? Political leanings? Religious ideologies?
Hinging the “right to choose” on outcomes (and the factors that may influence those outcomes) no human being is fully capable of analyzing and predicting takes the Culture of Death down yet another dark, putrid path through the morass of moral relativism.

The public does NOT favour unrestricted abortion.

2012-01-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

"We fed the public a line of deceit, dishonesty, a fabrication of statistics and figures. We succeeded because the time was right and the news media cooperated. We sensationalized the effects of illegal abortions, and fabricated polls which indicated that 85 percent of the public favored unrestricted abortion, when we knew it was only 5 percent. We unashamedly lied, and yet our statements were quoted [by the media] as though they had been written in law."
- Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Co-founder of National Assn. for Repeal of Abortion Laws, now called National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action League.

Dr. Nathanson committed 75,000 abortions - including one on his own child. He eventually became a pro-life author and activist and died on Feb. 21, 2011.

Using abortion as a means of mastering past trauma

2012-01-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Given the fact that many early advocates of legalized abortion suffered sexual,

physical, and emotional abuse, it is not surprising that the language of abortion rights

centers on “controlling one’s body.” For many, the battle over abortion, even on a

political level, involves a symbolic reenactment of their struggle to gain mastery over

past trauma and abuse.

Unfortunately, those who use abortion as a means of mastering past trauma are

doomed to suffer both disappointment and a deepening entanglement in the cycle of

self-destructive violence. Mastery over past victimization can never be achieved by

depersonalizing or destroying others.

Abortion only offers women who hunger for some resolution of past abuse the

illusion of power. Victims of abuse have a deep hunger for respect, love, and justice.

Abortion simply cannot fill these needs because it is inherently a destructive, negating

act. Abortion does not create; it can only destroy. It cannot fill holes in one’s spirit; it can

only create new holes. But these truisms are not obvious to those whose needs and

yearnings overpower reason. To an uninformed famine victim, for example, a huge

mound of cotton candy appears to be a prize worth fighting for. If won, it may even

seem sweet for a time. But it will not produce any lasting benefit, because it is not the

nature of cotton candy to nourish. In the same way, it is not the nature of abortion to

heal broken hearts or to empower the powerless.

Nothing was ever created by abortion. It can only destroy. And like so many other

tools of destruction, it can often destroy far more than we intend.

From "Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion" by Dr. Theresa Burke

Prayer for Reverence for Life

2012-01-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

Almighty God, giver of all that is good, we thank You for the precious gift of human life:
    For life in the womb, coming from your creative power,
    For the life of children, making us glad with their freshness and promise,
    For the life of young people, hoping for a better world,
    For the life of people who are disabled, teaching us that every life has value,
    For the life of the elderly, witnessing to the ageless values of patience and wisdom.
Like Blessed Mary, may we always say "YES" to Your gift. May we defend it and promote it from conception to its natural end. And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen

Everyone...

2012-01-22T20:04:00.001-07:00

ProLife...sometimes.

2012-01-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, leading up to the 2008 federal election, I had a brief email correspondence going on with a woman who was running for office. She claimed to be ProLife but then said there are times when it's OK to abort. I thought she meant because of rape or incest but she said no (and just for the record I do NOT think it is OK to abort because of rape or incest.) She said it would be permissible to abort babies who suffer from severe handicaps that will likely result in their death. Well - last time I checked abortion results in death.

So I wanted to educate her gently but I wanted to speak the Truth. I told her that aborting a handicapped child is not done for his good but for the perception of our own. We aren't preventing cruelty to the child, we are trying to prevent difficulty for ourselves.

I emailed the politician and invited her to have coffee with me. Well, you know what happened, don't you? That's right - nothing. No response. No defense. I guess she doesn't want my vote that badly. At the same time - I KNOW I touched a nerve with her and she isn't going to forget our exchange. I pray that someday (hopefully soon) she'll say "I am TRULY 100% ProLife."

Randy Alcorn ProLife book

2012-01-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I've been reading this great book called "Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments" by Randy Alcorn to help me address some of the critics I meet. You can buy the book through Amazon.ca.

The answer

2012-01-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

The answer to a crisis pregnancy is to eliminate the crisis - not the child.

The "180" documentary

2012-01-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Need to brush up on your apologetics regarding abortion? Click HERE to watch "180". It's an award winning documentary. There is some graphic content.

Fr. Pavone quote

2012-01-15T21:03:00.001-07:00

You can't practice vice virtuously.
~ Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life

2012-01-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

I've noticed the blog has received about 80 page views but no comments. If you want to make a comment but are unable to do so - please email it to terrace40days@gmail.com. Thanks!

40 Days for Life trailer

2012-01-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

University of Ottawa - abortion debate Nov 11, 2011

2012-01-15T00:22:00.001-07:00

A friend sent me this link: http://vimeo.com/32063597
Thought you might be interested too!

2012-01-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Terrace, BC is hosting its first official 40 Days for Life prayer campaign this year. The vigil will begin on Wed. Feb. 22, 2012 and conclude on Sun. Apr.1. 2012.

I will post more information soon but in the meantime please visit the main 40 Days for Life website.

Feel free to email terrace40days@gmail.com if you have questions.

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