PathToHoliness

It’s time again for the March for Life. This will be the 39th time this event has been held in the nation’s Capitol. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t need to do it again?

Unfortunately, I don’t have that expectation. The culture of life is not alive and well enough in this country, but we should never give up hope. I really believe we need to continue to change hearts and minds. Then maybe the laws will change. Maybe people will give up the ridiculous idea that having an abortion or using contraception is just a “health choice.”

Last week our so very mis-guided Washington administration basically re-affirmed a rule that would require health insurers to “provide preventive health services.” Convenient way of saying abortion and contraception. I really think they use these words to cover their shame as much as try to hide the truth from people.

So, let’s keep praying for the unborn and those who never even have a chance to be conceived. And those who support the atrocity of taking innocent human life.

I’m a member of the Bishop Michael F. McAuliffe Knights of Columbus Council 12992. Each year we hold a benefit barbeque to raise money to support pro life causes. Except for a little bit of wind we had a beautiful day for it today.

I manage our council website and have an online photo album for council activities which I’ve added a number of photos to from today’s event. We have a great time and meet a lot of wonderful and hungry people. You might just guess what’s for supper in our house tonight!

This morning after Mass we had a table set up with brochures and signup sheets for the 40 Days For Life campaign. The next campaign is coming up soon.

From February 17 through March 28, teams in 156 cities from coast to coast in the United States – plus four Canadian provinces and three Australian states – will take part in this mission.

The 40-day campaign tracks Biblical history, where God used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities … and the entire world. From Noah in the flood to Moses on the mountain to the disciples after Christ’s resurrection, it is clear that God sees the transformative value of His people accepting and meeting a 40-day challenge.

I couldn’t end today without doing a post about today’s March For Life in Washington, DC. I’ve seen just snippets of the tv coverage.

For people who couldn’t be there an alternative to the EWTN coverage was the Virtual March for Life. Interesting way to use the web.

I did see a story on Fox News tonight but would describe the mainstream media coverage of this big event as slim to none for the most part.

Know who is credited with starting the March? How about Nellie Gray?

You can see tweets on Twitter about the event today using Twitter Search.

How many times have you spoken with someone who is not pro life and had them challenge when life begins? For me, it has been frequent. Somehow they don’t understand that the beginning of a human life is very easy to prove scientifically. The real question then becomes when do they think a human life is valuable?

To answer the scientific question, Dr. Maureen L. Condic, The Westchester Intstitute for Ethics and The Human Person, wrote a white paper titled, “When Does Human Life Begin? A Scientific Perspective.”

Resolving the question of when human life begins is critical for advancing a reasoned public policy debate over abortion and human embryo research. This article considers the current scientific evidence in human embryology and addresses two central questions concerning the beginning of life: 1) in the course of sperm-egg interaction, when is a new cell formed that is distinct from either sperm or egg? and 2) is this new cell a new human organism—i.e., a new human being? Based on universally accepted scientific criteria, a new cell, the human zygote, comes into existence at the moment of sperm-egg fusion, an event that occurs in less than a second. Upon formation, the zygote immediately initiates a complex sequence of events that establish the molecular conditions required for continued embryonic development. The behavior of the zygote is radically unlike that of either sperm or egg separately and is characteristic of a human organism. Thus, the scientific evidence supports the conclusion that a zygote is a human organism and that the life of a new human being commences at a scientifically well defined “moment of conception.” This conclusion is objective, consistent with the factual evidence, and independent of any specific ethical, moral, political, or religious view of human life or of human embryos.

I found an article on this in the January issue of the Knights of Columbus Columbia Magazine.