file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1991: pln-0111.txt --------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 1, No. 11 September, 1991 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Mission Statement: This newsletter is intended to provide short articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life Issues. It is also intended is to help improve the communication among pro-lifers, and provide a forum in which discussions can take place. It is issued at least monthly, as time and material permits. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve (frezza@ee.pitt.edu). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) National Life Chain, 1991 On the first Sunday in October will be the first National Life Chain - This event will be in many cities across the nation, in the early afternoon. Check your local Church or ProLife group for info - [ Just to encourage folk, here is a report from a Life Chain in Tuscon, Arizona: (Submitted by reader Suzanne Forgach) ] "On a Sunday in April of 1990, we had a Life Chain in Tucson also. It was magnificent. I had the opportunity to drive the length of it while people were setting up, on the way to my own parish's position, and it was _very_ impressive. We even had good press coverage that night! We had 5 miles of people lining both sides of the busiest E/W street in town, crossed with 2 miles people lining both sides of the busiest N/S street, for 7 full miles of people forming the cross of Christ, all holding the signs reading "Abortion Kills Children". We had an occasional bad reaction from people in traffic, but the thumbs up outnumbered the middle fingers by a long shot! "Anyway I am anxious to participate again, and I don't think I'm the only one in Tucson who does!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (2) In The News... AND YOU THOUGHT PORNOGRAPHY WAS RESTRICTED... or TEEN SUES OVER T-shirt BAN The Rutherford Institute, which defends religious and civil rights cases, has sued two Maryland public school officials, charging they violated a high school senior's right to wear an anti-abortion T-shirt. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Gregory Baus, 18 of Catonsville, Md., who graduated this past spring from Woodlawn High. The officials are being charged with infringement on Gregory's constitutional right to free speech. The complaint claims that the dispute began in May, when an assistant principle ordered Baus to remove the shirt. When he refused, Baus was taken home by the principle and told not to return to school until he wore some other shirt. The T-shirt displayed a drawing of an aborted child with these words above it: "Kinda looks like murder, doesn't it?" [ My wife pointed out that it is not uncommon in schools that permit T-shirts to ban pornography in their school dress code. I guess an aborted child is ranks with the pornographic. -ed. ] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (3) WHAT THE OTHER SIDE HAS TO SAY ABOUT RELIGION AND ABORTION: "Some who agree that abortion is a moral/ethical decision on which people of good faith disagree and, as such, is an issue to be decided within individual conscience and/or communities of faith rather than by legislation, have argued that the church need not and should not concern itself with the legislative implications of its position on abortion. They contend that the church's job is only to speak pastorally and ethically. Such a position reveals both a misunderstanding about the theory of our democratic system and a naivete about the reality of legislative process. "Democratic theory calls us to add out voices to the public debate on this [the abortion] issue, as does hard political reality... "In politics, as in much of life, perception becomes reality. Therefore, it would be irresponsible not to note what is happening legislatively as well as pastorally, and to determine if our actions and pronouncements serve to promote justice or oppression." FROM: "The Episcopal Church and abortion," by Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, M.Div., on the national board of directors (1989) of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (RCAR) and was vice-president of the Episcopal Women's Caucus (1989). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (4) PRO-LIFE SPEECH COMPETITION American Collegians for Life (ACL), the national college pro-life organization, is sponsoring a National COllege Pro-Life Speech Competition . Prizes of $500 and $250 scholarships will be awarded to the first- and second-place winners. Speeches can be on any topic dealing with the life issues of abortion, infanticide, and/or euthanasia. Deadline for entry is October 30th, 1991 CONTEST RULES: Winning speeches will deal with some aspect of concern to those who seek to protect human life by opposing abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia. Judges will look for dynamic, yet fact-based speeches. Judges decisions are final. Speeches must be submitted to: Pro-Life Speech Competition, PO Box 10664, State College, PA 16805; postmarked by October 30th, 1991. Two (2) typed, single-sided, double-spaced copies of the speech must be submitted; entrant's name should appear only on a separate cover sheet. Speeches should be short enough to be delivered in ten minutes or less. This competition is open to any college student, undergraduate or graduate, registered at a college or university during the fall, 1991 semester. For more info, write the above address or call (814) 466-7560 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (6) COLLEGE PRO-LIFERS TO MEET AT CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIVERSITY Over the weekend of October 18,19 &20, 1991, more than 100 pro-lifers are expected to travel to Carnegie-Mellon Univ. in Pittsburgh PA for the Fall convention of the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Federation for Life (Pa IFL). College pro-lifers are expected from throughout PA as well as from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Washington, DC.. Registration is $15 and includes meals and lodging. All interested persons should contact Sydney Shrader, 1287 Lisa Dr., Warrington, PA 18976, (215) 343-3229 or Andrew Sicree, Box 10064 State College, PA 16805 (814) 466-7460. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (5) IVY LEAGUE PRO-LIFERS TO MEET On Friday and Saturday, 27-28 September, 1991, pro-life students from all Ivy League schools, in addition to pro-lifers from the "Seven SIsters," will meet for a weekend-long pro-life conference at Yale University in New Haven, CT.. Dr. Bernard Nathanson is among those who will speak at this, the first annual conference of the Ivy League Alliance for Life. For more information contact: Claudine Cloutier, 34 Middlesex St., Fall River, MA 02723, (508) 673-4032. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Quote of the month: "Religious denominations need to take strong, clear, unambiguous stands on this issue, because women look to their religious institutions for guidance in making these decisions." - Faye Wattleton, President of Planned Parenthood. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 2 - From an 8 September (AP) article in the Pittsburgh Press. | | 3 - "The Witness," Volume 72 No. 6, Episcopal Church Publishing Co.,| | June 1989, p. 17. | | 4 - ACL is the national college pro-life organization with student | | members in 50 states. ACL is incorporated in Washington, D.C. | | and has 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt status. ACL runs the | | National Collegiate Leadership Conference each January in DC, | | and publishes the newsletter VITA. | |QOM- "The Witness," Volume 72 No. 6, Episcopal Church Publishing Co.,| | June 1989, p. 7. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor. end v1n11