Read it, here:

Assisted suicide should not be legal in Canada. Vote no at the Globe and Mail’s online poll here.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said last week that,

“Women who are victims of criminal sexual violence in those countries have a right to get care and help, including a safe abortion,” Mulcair said.

“We find it simply unacceptable that Stephen Harper is sending out his ministers to stake out that type of ideological position instead of helping victims who need and deserve our help.”

Now, obviously Tom Mulcair can’t possibly be thinking that abortion is any kind of solution during times (years and decades) of continuous grotesque violence against women. To think that he would have to believe that women being held captive and brutalized have the kind of so-called “free will” that Canadian women enjoy on a daily basis. He would have to believe that a woman can be a prisoner of war in her own home and yet still have the luxury of an idea we call choice.

To think that he would have to believe that advocating an abortion-access policy in Africa is less “ideological” than trying to implement programs that aid women in coming up with their own solutions to crisis pregnancies, solutions that are in keeping with their beliefs and their values.  Tom Mulcair can’t possibly be thinking that the colonialism of telling African women, of which the majority are Christian (40%) and Muslim (45%), that they are wrong and that Canadian women are right is the best option, can he?

Tom Mulcair must be aware of the failures of the Canadian Indian residential school system, failures that resulted in children being deprived of their native cultural heritage and are best not reenacted in our policies abroad. I can’t believe that Tom Mulcair actually meant what he said, because to believe that would be to think he believes prisoners have choices and that Canadians (namely himself, and a handful of very aggressive abortion advocates) know better than everyone else.

Horrifying. Andrea posted about this story this morning.

Arellano said she held up her sign to protect herself, at which point the man threw the bottle and threw her to the ground.

“One of his punches landed on my head, giving me a concussion,” she said.

While still on the ground, Arellano reached for the man’s jacket as he was turning to leave the scene, screaming for someone to call the police. At that point, the man pulled out a knife, with what looked to Arellano to have a 6 inch blade, “like a kitchen knife, but wider.”

“I yelled and yelled to the people to call the cops. That’s really what irked him, and that’s when I saw him pull the knife on me, ready to just finish me off,” she said.

Thankfully, such violence directed at pro-lifers is fairly rare in Canada. But hold on – is it? We regularly hear about pro-life displays being ripped up, stolen or destroyed; signs being defaced; students having liters of milk dumped on them; demonstrators being spat on or having condoms whipped at them.

So is violence against pro-lifers rare? I recently re-read this post that Andrea published last year. In the comments section, pro-lifers and pro-choicers argue about violence over the abortion issue.

And it’s not like we have stats to analyze.

Thoughts?

Yup.

This conversation shouldn’t be necessary. I shouldn’t need to explain why it’s insane for anyone — particularly other women — to have such contempt and hostility for “stay at home” mothers. Are we really so shallow? Are we really so confused? Are we really the first culture in the history of mankind to fail to grasp the glory and seriousness of motherhood? The pagans deified Maternity and turned it into a goddess. We’ve gone the other direction; we treat it like a disease or an obstacle…

Yes, my wife is JUST a mother. JUST. She JUST brings forth life into the universe, and she JUST shapes and molds and raises those lives. She JUST manages, directs and maintains the workings of the household, while caring for children who JUST rely on her for everything. She JUST teaches our twins how to be human beings, and, as they grow, she will JUST train them in all things, from morals, to manners, to the ABC’s, to hygiene, etc. She is JUST my spiritual foundation and the rock on which our family is built. She is JUST everything to everyone. And society would JUST fall apart at the seams if she, and her fellow moms, failed in any of the tasks I outlined.

Yes, she is just a mother. Which is sort of like looking at the sky and saying, “hey, it’s just the sun.”

photo credit: ~PhotograTree~ via photopin cc

A pro-life protestor was attacked while doing a prayer vigil at Bathurst and Eglinton in Toronto.

Arellano, in her late 40s, was attending a silent and prayerful Life Chain pro-life event on Sunday afternoon when she was suddenly assaulted by the man, who at first doused her with water from a bottle, then hurled the empty bottle at her face, grabbed her by the hair, slammed her to the ground, and began punching and kicking her repeatedly before drawing his knife.

I’m not sure what part of a knife attack in broad daylight for protesting abortion isn’t newsworthy.

I know what you are thinking. Here comes Miss Pro-Life, with some moralistic message. That subject heading is likely from a priest, right? Wrong.

It’s from Pitch Perfect, one of my new fave movies about college clubs going head to head, toe to toe in the ultra competitive world of…acapella singing. Yes.

When you think about the pro-life file…isn’t that all we’re asking? Know what the choice is, and make a good one. Now go rent the movie.

______________________

Andrea adds: I have a confession to make. I posted this having seen only three quarters of the movie. In the last quarter, there’s a scene where one might say the director failed to make good choices. In any event, I thought I should add this, lest you all run out and get the movie, and then wonder what is wrong with me.

Today we wrap up our interview with Marie-Claire Reer, President of 1Flesh. You can check out part 1 here and part 2 here.

Faye: Marie-Claire, thanks for coming back. Today we’re going to talk about a few things that are a bit controversial but I think are definitely worth discussing.

I’ve heard some pro-lifers says that some birth control pills are abortifacients. Others have said that the science isn’t definitive yet. Does 1Flesh take a position on that debate? What do you believe the science demonstrates?

Marie-Claire: 1Flesh has made a huge effort in the last year to make sure what we present to the public are solid facts. We try not to get into debates. That being said, birth control pills can be (not absolutely or always) abortive.  Without going into the science of it all, I’ll give a very simplistic explanation: Birth control is effective at preventing conception, in part, by creating a hostile environment for sperm. However, sperm can beat the odds and reach a woman’s eggs (conception). This hostile environment for sperm also, consequently, creates a hostile environment for a fertilized egg to implant in. If the fertilized egg (baby) cannot implant in a woman’s uterus, it dies. What is most troubling about this, especial for pro-life woman and couples, is that this can all take place without a woman’s knowledge. A woman or couple on birth control could have (again not absolutely or always) at one point in time (or many points in time) been carrying a child and would not have know that their birth control was killing their baby.

Faye: How can NFP help couples struggling with infertility? It sometimes seems that IVF is the only option.

Marie-Claire: Natural family planning effectively identifies fertile and infertile periods of a woman’s cycle. Many couples use this information to avoid becoming pregnant. The same information, however, can help couples achieve pregnancy, especially those struggling with infertility. Natural Procreative Technology, also known as Naprotechnology, provides a specific example. This practice of medicine uses a woman’s fertility charts used in natural family planning to diagnosis and treat health problems that may cause infertility. When couples struggle getting pregnant, it can be just as or more frustrating than trying to avoid pregnancy. In these instances, a women’s fertility or lack of fertility appears as the enemy. Just as fighting the body, however, in order to avoid pregnancy can be harmful, fighting the body in order to become pregnant can create more damage.

Many doctors and the infertility industry in general place woman on many [expensive] “treatments” in order to achieve pregnancy but ignore the reason behind the infertility. It would be healthier for doctors to identify the root cause of a couple’s infertility and treat their condition[s].  This is how natural family planning to achieve pregnancy works. It allows couples to achieve pregnancy naturally while also improving their overall health and fertility. This also keeps the health problem[s] causing infertility from developing to a potentially life threatening problem or permanent infertility. Additionally, natural family planning, when used to treat infertility, results in lower birth defects and fewer miscarriages than other “treatments.” It is also significantly more affordable.

Faye:When I first learned of Naprotechnology, I thought it was revolutionary. I actually know some people for whom it has worked wonders. They’re either expecting or have already had their “Napro” babies. It’s so exciting.

So “Bring Sexy Back” is a tagline 1Flesh uses in its promotional materials. Why was it chosen?

Marie-Claire: We chose “bring sexy back” because we believe embracing a women’s natural fertility cycle is sexy. Sex doesn’t need all these add-ons and pressures. Natural sex is sexy. Additionally, natural family planning has no consequences on a person’s sex drive, hormonal levels, or sexual pleasure. 1Flesh believes that a person’s sexuality should not be hindered in order to meet a man or woman’s needs. If a couple is not in the position to have children, they should not have to compromise their bodies, and therefore the fullness of sex, in order to postpone pregnancy.

By promoting effective, natural methods of family planning, 1Flesh wishes to empower women to understand and work with their own fertility in way that includes their natural, healthy sexuality — and that’s bringing sexy back.

[Read more…]

Yesterday, cities across Canada held Defund Abortion rallies. Of course, you might not hear too much about them in the news, but each Campaign Life Coalition office will be publishing their own coverage of the event. You can check out the audio of our speeches here in Halifax at this link.