RESPECT LIFE OFFICE Diocese of Rockville Centre
The affirmation of God brings with it the supreme affirmation and protection of the dignity of each and every man and woman: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple? … God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Here we find joined together the truth and dignity of God and the truth and dignity of man. ~ Pope Benedict XVI
In This Issue
MARCH FOR LIFE REPORT “ACT OF KINDNESS” REPORT DIOCESE OF RVC CONVOCATION PUBLIC POLICY DAY 2011 YOUTH AWARD CELEBRA-
CALENDAR OF EVENTS THE ABORTION CAPITAL OF AMERICA IN THE SPOTLIGHT: THE LAST
TION
WORD
Resources The Vatican: www.vatican.va Pope2you: www.pope2you.net US. Catholic Conference of Bishops: www.usccb.org NY Catholic Conference: www.nyscatholic.org National Catholic Bioethics Ctr.: www.ncbcenter.org Faithful Citizenship: www.faithfulcitizenship.org Archdiocese of NY: www.ny-archdiocese.org Diocese of Brooklyn: www.dioceseofbrooklyn.org Diocese of Rockville Centre: www.drvc.org Catholic Charities: www.catholiccharities.cc Seminary of the Immaculate Conception: www.icseminary.edu
March for Life Despite of the cool weather on the National Mall, the Diocese of Rockville Centre was well represented at the 38th March for Life. Thirty one buses of Long Island Catholics (1489) made this year’s pilgrimage to witness for life. All who attended can testify to the numbers of people - particularly young people - from across the country who were there. (Organizers estimated the crowd at 400,000.) The National Prayer Vigil for Life opening Mass at the
working to promote and support life. Bishop Peter a. Libasci, D.D. and Vicar General Robert Brennan gathered with parish and school groups on the National Mall and later greeted and blessed them at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill. We thank everyone who participated and encourage all to begin planning to attend next year’s March for Life. Our continued, prayerful presence is necessary to turn our nation back toward a culture of life.
“Act of Kindness” 2010 - Report Knights of Columbus Council # 7278;Our Lady of Good Counsel, RCC; Our Lady of Victory RCC; Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, RCC; Sacred Heart RCC; St Agnes Cathedral School; St. Aidan School; St. Anne RCC; St. Christopher RCC; St. Anthony RCC; St. Francis de Sales RCC; St. Gerard Majella RCC; St. Ignatius Loyola School; St. Joseph School Ronkonkoma; St. Jude RCC; St. Martin de Porres School; St. Patrick RCC, Bay Shore; St. Patrick RCC, Smithtown; St. Thomas the Apostle RCC; Chaminade H.S. and all
This year’s participation and support to the Advent Project continued even in this time of economic distress. Numerous caring gifts were donated to Regina Maternity Services, Momma’s House, Mother of Good Counsel Home and Bethany House. Each year this project provides hope and demonstrates compassion for young women in crisis. We would especially like to thank: Holy Family RCC; Immaculate Conception RCC;
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Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, were more than 11,000 present for the Mass, including five cardinals, 41 bishops, 325 priests, 95 deacons, 570 seminarians and 65 servers. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities, spoke of Christ as the “light that illumines the darkness” and of the importance of unity among those
other individual donors for their outstanding efforts in this campaign. Please remember our maternity residences throughout the year. Sacrifices made during Lent, in honor of Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Respect Life Month are all appropriate ways to contribute to this important work giving young women a choice for life.
Diocese Convocation We are inviting everyone to attend the Diocesan Convocation. This year’s topic is: “PEOPLE OF FAITH IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE: TAKLING AN ACTIVE ROLE IN SHAPING PUBLIC
POLICY IN THE 21ST CENTURY It will occur on Saturday, March 5, 2011 at Holy Trinity High School, Hicksville. We are requesting parish Respect Life leaders submit (to the Respect Life Office) one example of their pro-life
activities that they would like to share with their fellow leaders at the convocation. An information exchange table will be set up for this purpose. Please see the enclosed flier for further information and registration.
Public Policy Day Catholic Charities Public Policy Education Network is coordinating the 2011 NYS Catholic Conference Albany Public Policy Day to be held on March 8, 2011. A breakout briefing session on all of the forum issues will be held at the Diocese Convocation on March 5, 2011 at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville. Attendance to these briefings is require-
ment for all those going to Albany. This year the Bishops of New York State are addressing these issues: There Reproductive Health Act; Support Comprehensive Conscience Protection to enable religious organizations to provide services; Preservation of Catholic Schools; Protection of the Poor; Health care coverage for low-and moderate income individuals; Support juvenile Justice reform; Oppose efforts to redefine marriage. Join with Bishop William Mur-
phy, Archbishop Timothy Dolan and other Bishops of New York State for a day of workshops and advocacy on issues of grave importance. Many participants will meet with their legislators and everyone will participate in Mass with the Bishops. Lunch will be provided. A voluntary collection will be taken at Mass to defray expenses. Please note, your registration is not complete until it is confirmed by your diocesan coordinator. For more information call Anthony Mullen (516) 733-1000.
2011 YOUTH AWARDS CEREMONY Judging of the over 1200 entries in this year’s Respect Life contest is in process. Finalists, their principals, teachers, religious education directors and pastors will soon receive an invitation to the award ceremony. The awards will be presented on Thursday, March 24, 2011at 7:00 PM, Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale.
Bishop Peter A. Libasci will preside. Please contact Diana Tellis at (516) 678-5800 x 626 by March 18 to reserve a seat. Many Thanks to all for making this year’s Diocesan Respect Life Contest a huge success.
As a reminder, please submit the names of contestants who entered at the parish /school level. We will be happy to provide each with a Respect Life Certificate of Merit. Remember to include the teacher or Respect Life leader’s name and contact information. Good luck! For more information please call (516) 678-5800 Ext. 626.
Upcoming Events February 5, 2011 Marriage Enrichment 10:00 am Noon at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, West Islip. See inserted flyer February 16, 2011 Helping Students & Their Families with Loss & Grief workshop. At Our Lady of Lourdes, West Islip. See Flier
March 5, 2011 - 9:00 am –1 :30 pm Diocese Convocation/Briefing for Albany Public Policy Day. Holy Trinity H.S. see flier for more information
March 8, 2011 - Public Policy Day. To register go to www.nyscatholic.org/pages/policy/ show_policy.asp and call Mary Robinson, Catholic Charities(516)733-7000. March 24, 2011 Respect Life Youth Awards CelePage 2
bration at Kellenberg Memorial High School Auditorium. Bishop Peter A. Libasci, Vicar for the Easter Vicariate, presiding. April 3-1, 2011 Religious Education Week. Location & times TBD.
August 16 - 21, 2011 World Youth Day -Madrid, to register go to www. drvc.org/wyd2011
Coming Soon - Diocesan Chastity Programs "God's Plan for Growing Up” a MotherDaughter Tea for girls 10 -12 year olds and 13 - 15 years olds. At Cure of Ars Parish Center, Merrick.
RESPECT LIFE OFFICE—DIOCESE OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE
Abortion: Easy Access, Complex Everything Else Congratulations, New York City, did you hear the news? Fireand-brimstone predictions from across the country have been confirmed. This is officially the abortion capital of America. A health department report released last month proves it: about 40 percent of all pregnancies in the city end that way, an average of about 90,000 a year in recent years. No one is exactly celebrating the title. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan and a group of multidenominationally horrified clergy condemned the statistics this month. Even abortion rights advocates expressed some concern about the numbers, trying to change the conversation to a broader one on reproductive health. As for ordinary citizens, many just wondered: Really? That many? Abortion is complicated, even in its capital city. Perhaps especially so: New Yorkers seeking to terminate a pregnancy can choose from more kinds of procedures at more kinds of facilities with fewer obstacles — and more ways to pay — than just about any place else. Women can get abortions in private doctors’ offices, at public hospitals or at clinics, some of which do not require an appointment. “They say, ‘I need help,’ ” said a doctor who works at one community health clinic. “ ‘What should I do? Where can you send me?’ And I say, I don’t need to send you anywhere. We can do that here.” Specifically, doctors can administer the combination of pills that, when taken before the ninth week of pregnancy, produce what is known as a medical (rather than a surgical) abortion. Things can move very quickly. Within an hour of her arrival at that doctor’s office, a patient obtaining that procedure might sign a consent form, make arrangements for the $375 fee — covered by most insurance — and take the first dose of medication. She would leave the office with four more pills to be taken later, a prescription for pain medication and the doctor’s personal cell phone number, in case of questions. “I’m old enough to remember pre-Roe-v-Wade days,” the doctor said. “A little bit of inconvenience for me is nothing compared to what people used to go through.” The name of the doctor so
committed to her patients? She spoke on the condition it not be mentioned. Nor that of the community health center where she works. Though the clinic advertises its services, it is wary of unwelcome publicity. Abortion is complicated, even in its capital city. New York has always been at the forefront of reproductive choice, from a 19th-century industry of sometimes dubious tinctures to an underground abortion network organized by local clergy in 1967. It was the home base of Margaret Sanger, the mother of American family planning. Abortion was permitted in New York State long before the 1973 Supreme Court decision — whose anniversary was Saturday — made it legal nationwide. Unlike many other places, New York has not passed laws limiting access to abortions. Patients do not have to return to the clinic on two separate days. They do not have to be told about what the fetus will experience, or have to look at the fetus on a monitor or have the procedure narrated to them in real time. Teenagers do not need parental consent. In many other parts of the country, doctors who want to perform surgical abortions have to go out of their way to learn how. In New York, such training is a standard part of the curriculum for obstetric and gynecological residents. So instead of quarantining abortion into special clinics, many doctors offer it as part of a menu of services. In New York, unlike in most states, Medicaid covers abortion. (In 2009, counselors at Planned Parenthood’s four clinics across the city helped more than 6,800 patients who were eligible to sign up for that program.) Finally, New York’s public hospitals are unusual for being under the control of the mayor. Just try to get elected mayor of New York without demonstrating clear support for abortion rights. All of these circumstances have combined to make New York something of a magnet — for doctors who wish to practice without restrictions, for women who want to live in an atmosphere of sexual selfdetermination and even for out-oftowners who want to end a pregnancy without stigma, without hassle
or just without bumping into their neighbor on the way into the clinic. In 2009, 8 percent of the abortions performed across the city were for patients who live elsewhere. In addition to everything else, our abortion industry may function as something of a tourist attraction. The vast majority of abortions in New York — 88 percent — take place in the first 12 weeks. All but 2 percent take place in the first 20. After that, women’s options narrow. It’s far too late for pills, and too late for most OB-GYNS. So, many women are referred to specialists like Dr. Robert Berg, who occupy the outer edge of New York’s abortion landscape, terminating pregnancies up to the legal limit of 24 weeks after conception. The procedure costs about $15,000, some of which is typically covered by insurance, and starts in his office, where he dilates the patient’s cervix to approximate the effects of labor. He describes the process as “quite unpleasant.” A day or two later, in an operating room at NYU Langone Medical Center, Dr. Berg removes the fetus, either intact, using his hands, or “destructively,” using medical instruments. Dr. Berg tries to avoid getting emotional about his work. But his patients are in a different position. “An 18-year-old girl who forgets her birth control and comes to you at six or seven weeks of pregnancy is not such an emotional thing,” he said. “The 41-year-old who’s been trying for seven years to get pregnant, then at 21 weeks she finds out she has breast cancer and has to terminate the pregnancy, that’s a much bigger deal.” As a result, Dr. Berg said, some patients seeking late-term abortions are “hostile to me, they’re hostile to my office staff.” “I’m just a punching bag,” he added. “I don’t do well with that. Sometimes they won’t even look at me the day of the procedure; they won’t speak to me. That I despise. I really hate that. “They were referred to me because I do it safely and expeditiously,” the doctor continued. “To be treated like garbage — and my staff — is really very upsetting.” Abortion is complicated, even in New York. CITY CRITIC By ARIEL KAMINER Published: January 21, 2011
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The Last Word The Catholic case for advance directives by Daniel P. Sulmasy | NOVEMBER 29, 2010 The first principle is the dignity of the human person. Each individual, by virtue of being human, has an intrinsic value Catholics call dignity. This is the fundamental principle of all interpersonal morality. Medicine reaches out to the sick first and foremost because each person has an intrinsic dignity. (Read more at www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=12585)
Respect Life Mission Statement The Word of Life/ Bulletin inserts may be accessed online at www.usccb.org/prolife/liturgy/ wolarchive.shtml
The mission of the Respect Life Office is to enunciate and promote the principle that human life, at all stages from conception to natural death, is a gift from God, worthy of respect and protection. This ministry encompasses
prayer, education, advocacy, care and services services.