Sep 2009
Newsletter September 200930th ANNUAL WALK FOR LIFE
SATURDAY, SEPT.26
WHERE: St. Louis Adult Learning Centre, 82 Beverly St. (enter from Kerr St.)
TIME: begins at 10 A.M.
Please arrive at 9:30 or so, to register.
This is our major fundraiser for the year, so please join in the walk or sponsor a walker. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Pledge sheets are enclosed with this newsletter; remember to bring your pledge sheet on the day of the walk.
To boost this walkathon effort, Jack Konings has volunteered to cut his long hair, and proposed the following:
-If he receives $1000.00 in Walkathon pledges, he will cut his hair back to around his ears;
-$1500.00 in Walkathon pledges will result in a brush-cut;
- $2000.00 in Walkathon pledges will result in a "Chrome Dome".
-Any single pledge of $100.00 or more would entitle the person to help with the cut, which will be done at the Annual General Meeting in November. The total amount raised in pledges for Jack, will also be announced that evening.
From the President’s desk:
“ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
We can certainly see signs of this well-known phrase applying to society in our own day; a society that, while having attained advancements in so many fields, stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the true dignity of the human person, born and pre-born, made in the image of God. Nevertheless, we in the pro-life movement continue to use every means to proclaim and defend life. I especially encourage our members to join in the prayerful campaign of 40 DAYS FOR LIFE, (see pg.2) aiming to end abortion in our area, specifically at Freeport Hospital. And, at the other end of life’s spectrum, I would like to alert you to the article on page 4, regarding the euthanasia bill, again before Parliament.
Please read it and pass this information on to others. Then, fill out the enclosed response card and mail it to your MP.
Friends, human life is God’s gift to us; how we live it is our gift back to God.
Isabel Smith
UPCOMING EVENTS
LIFE CHAIN – Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009. 2 to 3 p.m.
Hespeler Rd. (from Bishop St. northwards) on both sides of the road. Gather and pick up your sign in the parking lot by Sleep Country Canada. Join in this nation-wide public witness for unborn human life.
ROCKTON WORLD’S FAIR – Oct. 9-12 – Rockton, ON
If you are available to staff our booth there, please give us a call.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of Cambridge Right to Life
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: St. Patrick Church hall, 53 Wellington St., Cambridge
Election of officers, refreshments; Jack Konings will have his hair cut according to the amount of pledges received (see pg. 1)
This is a prayer initiative from Sept. 23 to Nov. 1 in Kitchener, in front of Freeport Hospital, where abortions are taking place. If you feel called to witness there, in peaceful solidarity and in prayer and fasting, please call Jack Fonseca 519-729-6541 or go to www.40daysforlife.com to sign up online. If you are unable to physically participate, please pray for the success of this campaign.
PLEDGE FORM – WALK FOR LIFE 2009
I am happy to support the 30th Annual Right to Life Walkathon and enclose my pledge of _____________
Name:________________________________________________________
Address:_____________________________________________________ City:___________________P.Code:____________
Phone number:____ -_________-______________ Member: Yes________No:____________
Yes_______ I would like to become a member of Cambridge Right to Life Cost: $20 per year
March For Life, May 14, 2009 - CAMPAIGN LIFE COALITION REPORT
~ 12,000 people present at March for Life in Ottawa, with the average age being under 25 ~ (members of Cambridge Right to Life were also there)
The March for Life has changed favourably over the last 10 years with the number of participants quadrupling, and the average medial age shrinking. These two important factors help to feed the hope that the battle for life will be won. It is also important to note that these young vibrant participants are on fire for life, and that they remain very active during the year; promoting the sanctity of life at their schools, with their friends, and at conferences across Canada. The organizers of the 2009 March for Life in Ottawa give a special thanks to chaperones, teachers, parents, and pro-life youth groups who organized bringing the young people to Ottawa.
• To see and hear a speech given at the March by 10 year old Lia Mills, go to: www.campaignlifecoalition.com
• Lia is a shining example of a courageous and informed pro-life young person, who is speaking up for the unborn in Canada!
REPORT ON DESSERT AND COFFEE EVENING, held May 21st, 2009
We had a wonderful turnout of about 85 good, pro-life folks at St. Ambrose Church. From the proceeds of the silent auction held that evening, Cambridge Right to Life was able to present the amount of $520.00 to Jakki Jeffs, Executive Director of Alliance For Life Ontario. This donation will go toward placing pro-life ads on TV. A big ‘THANK-YOU’ to all who helped make this a successful evening!
Analysis of Bill C-384 - An act to amend the Criminal Code to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada
SUMMARY OF THE BILL by Alex Schadenberg, Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
• Bill C-384 would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.
(For the purpose of this analysis, euthanasia and assisted suicide will be referred to as “intended death”.)
• Bill C-384 does not restrict intended death to Canadian citizens. (The bill could make Canada a destination for Suicide Tourists and Suicide Clinics).
• The individual would need to be at least 18 years old.
• Bill C-384 does not limit intended death to the terminally ill and it does not define terminal illness.
• The individual may refuse appropriate treatments and still die by an intended death.
• Bill C-384 allows intended death for people who experience depression or other chronic mental conditions.
• Bill C-384 measures competency based on “appearing to be lucid”. The term “appearing to be lucid” does not assure that the individual is actually lucid.
• Bill C-384 would allow intended death for incompetent people who stated their intentions while still competent.
• The language of the bill is not clear whether medical practitioners are the only individuals who can intend the death of an incompetent individual.
• Bill C-384 would require at least two medical practitioners to confirm the diagnosis in writing.
• Bill C-384 would require that all requests for intended death be made free of duress.
( However, no assurances are built into the bill)
• Bill C-384 would require the medical practitioner to inform the individual of all alternatives. (There is no requirement to try effective treatments).
• Bill C-384 would require the medical practitioner to provide confirmation of the diagnosis to the coroner; this is a form of after-the-fact reporting. The medical practitioner is only required to file a report after the individual has died; this is to protect the medical practitioner and not the individual who is dead.
• The definition of medical practitioner is not limited to a physician.
In conclusion:
Society cannot legislate autonomy and choice in relation to acts that intentionally and directly cause death. No statutes that allow for intended death can protect vulnerable people from the subtle pressure to “choose” death. Legalizing euthanasia and/or assisted suicide is always wrong because:
It directly and intentionally threatens the lives of the most vulnerable members of society. The lives of people with disabilities and chronic conditions, people who live with depression and mental illness, and others are directly threatened by intended death.
It establishes intended death as a treatment option for problems that are properly solved by effective and compassionate medical care.
It changes the trust relationship between the medical practitioner and the patient.
SEND YOUR CARD IN NOW TO OUR MP, asking them to vote against Bill C-384
(If the bill passes second reading in the Fall and goes to Committee, with a few adjustments it could win over enough votes to pass and become law. It is imperative that this bill does not pass second reading.)