file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1991: pln-0112.txt --------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 1, No. 12 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 A Reader's Report Leading a Life Chain has been very time consuming but rewarding. A lot of wonderful people step up to help and pitch in. Coordinating and focusing everyone's efforts is a JOB. But..... its all for the Lord and His glory. Let me give you a national and local perspective. I've been in regular contact with the National Life Chain office, Royce Dunn. There are over 350 chains participating across the U.S. on October 6th (Respect Life Sunday for us Catholics) and 63 chains in California so far. Its not a wild guess to expect between 500,000 to over a million Christians out there at the same time October 6th. -Submitted by reader Phil Sevilla ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (2) Greater New York Life Chain People in the greater New York area will be able to attend the National Life Chain - Those who cannot attend, because of distance (Hi, Ian), previous commitments, etc. can pray for the success of the action and of the right to life movement in general: We are His hands, we are His voice. Metropolitan New York Life Chain Sunday, September 29, 1991 2:00 to 3:30 P.M. Join thousands of proLife people of all faiths and their clergy lining the sidewalks of Manhattan, north to south along Fifth Avenue and east to west along 34th Street. All will silently hold uniform, proLife signs which state: ABORTION KILLS CHILDREN Over 10,000 children are killed yearly in our Metropolitan area abortion clinics. (NYS Department of Health 1986) Let's send a strong message to our representatives, that we are united in our support of the sanctity of human life. With miles of sidewalks covered in Manhattan by proLife people, no one can possibly miss our message. The organizers hope to stretch the line along Fifth Avenue at least from Washington Square to 70th Street. Over the summer we've seen a lot of media coverage of Operation Rescue in Wichita. Will this silent demonstration get the same coverage? (Silly question, right?) COME HELP US MAKE THIS MANHATTAN'S LARGEST PROLIFE EVENT!! NOTE: I have a list of telephone numbers for various counties, but I think they are primarily for leaders of organizations that are coming as groups so I won't bother listing them. If anyone wants a number, ask directly[MNHCC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU], not to the list [it will just get forwarded]. -Submitted by reader Marty Helgesen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (2) Bay Area Life Chains In the Bay Area we have 8 Chains with outlying areas contributing another 5 or 6 between Santa Rosa and Monterey. Church outreach for us has been OK. Right now about 60 churches and schools have endorsed and will participate out of a list of 200 churches. We hope to get 3,000 people out in WALNUT CREEK. I think the other major : chains - SAN FRANCISCO, SAN JOSE, FREMONT, OAKLAND, LIVERMORE, MARIN, NAPA- would like to see the same numbers if not more. We'll see. We've done our jobs, I feel, now its up to the Lord. Some of our young coordinators have been able to show the "HARD TRUTH" video in their schools which has converted some young hearts to our cause. Eight kids who saw the film yesterday are not only participating in the chain but have signed up for the youth rescue (as first timers) planned this coming weekend. Our chain will also be collecting signatures for a petition to the County Health Department demanding that all abortion mills be inspected regularly for health and safety standards. This hopefully will spark a statewide effort to put pressure on abortion facilities. We're hoping to call up the chain participants after the Life Chain Sunday for a campaign to leaflet neighborhoods door-to-door with abortion information and to increase involvement regularly in prayer,picketing, educational activities as new Pro_lifers. I see the Chain as only the beginning of our work to sensitive and activate Christians in our community. -Submitted by reader Phil Sevilla - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (3) Pittsburgh Life Chain Pittsburgh Life Chain - October 6, hundreds of churches will stand along 5th avenue from 2-3 PM to form a life chain. This prayerful, quiet, peaceful event will be a living witness that every single abortion destroys a child. Families, adults, students, Sr. Citizens, all people of all faiths are encouraged to join. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (4) Durham Life Chain The Durham (NC) Life Chain will take place on Sunday, October 6, from 2:30 to 4:00 PM. Participants will line Roxboro Rd. At the Palm Sunday Life Chain, organizer Adam McManus claims that 3200 people took part. This time, 800 churches have been contacted, as opposed to 310 last spring. -Submitted by reader Ed Gehringer - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (5) BORKED AGAIN? When David Souter appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a nominee to the Supreme Court he quite properly declined to rule in advance on cases that were likely to come before the Court. He therefore declined to give his views on controversial issues such as abortion. The Committee accepted his position, although no doubt reluctantly in some cases. Last week's New York` Times reports that at the hearing on Judge Thomas, Senator Metzenbaum of Ohio, and to a lesser extent Senator Leahy of Vermont repeatedly tried to force him [Judge Thomas] to answer questions on abortion even though, like Justice Souter, he had explained why he would not answer such questions. Some people, especially in Ohio and Vermont, might want to call attention to this double standard in letters to the editors of newspapers and in calls to radio call in shows. Complaints to the Senators themselves might also be helpful. -Submitted by reader Marty Helgesen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (6) READERS' QUESTIONS: Question 1a: Hippocrates came out against both abortion and euthanasia in his oath. I have heard it claimed that euthanasia was common at the time ... in fact, that it was very lucrative for physicians. (5th Century B.C.) Any data on this? Question 1b: I also read that Hippocrates was a descendant of a Jewish refugee to Greece. Do you know anything about that? If so, was Hippocrates a practicing monotheist? If so, how can we explain away his reference to "Apollo ... and all the gods and goddesses ..." in the [Hippocratic] Oath? Question 2: Does anyone know where I can get copies of PP pamphlets which are or have been handed out to high school students, and which advocate teen-age sex? I have seen a book in (get this) the Childrens' (!) section of the UCR campus library, printed in large type, advocating the new sexual morality, including acceptance of abortion. Question 3: Are more and more doctors deciding not to do abortions? If so, at what rate? Would it eventually be enough to make abortion inaccessible to women even if it remains legal? In other words, the "back-alley abortionist"-types:will they be only doctors left after a while even if the laws do not change? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Quote of the month: "Tell The Truth" Chanted by somewhere between 250,000 [Media Estimates] to 800,000 [organizer estimates] people to the news media at the Rally for Life in April 1990. The film was never aired. +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 2 - | 3 - Quoted from an article by Mona Charen [Atlanta Constitution | | Sunday Sept 22] | | 6 - Questions 1 & 2 were posed by reader Larry Larmore. Question | | 3 came from reader Rose Recchia. Private responses will be | | forwarded, public ones posted. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor. end v1n12