CULTURE OF LIFE UPDATE

 SEPTEMBER, 2011  +  St. Mary Parish Culture of Life Ministry  +  VOLUME 3.8

GOOD NEWS: Forty Days for Life to launch biggest campaign yet this fall

US bishops’ lawyers accuse Obama Administration of ‘an unprecedented attack on religious liberty’

Increased cohabitation rates mean more instability for children

(CNA).- Family instability continues to grow in the U.S. despite falling divorce rates for families with children. Researchers say an increase in cohabitation is part of the problem, adding that society’s “retreat from marriage” harms children and has particularly hurt poor and working-class communities. “In a striking turn of events, the divorce rate for married couples with children has returned almost to the levels we saw before the divorce revolution kicked in during the 1970s,” said Prof. W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia. MORE

GOOD NEWS: A planet united for the culture of life: the untold story of World Youth Day

(LifeSiteNews.com) - Imagine if two million people - not twenty thousand, or even two hundred thousand, but two million - travelled from all corners of the world to unify themselves into one enormous, impassioned mass to support a shared cause - and international media paid only passing attention. Well, that’s exactly what happened at World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid this month, where attendees witnessed a convergence that so broadly transcended nationality, language, and skin color as to be without peer among modern-day events. MORE

FRC Urges Retailers to Resist Pressure to Discriminate Against Customers With Traditional, Biblical View of Marriage

(CCV.org) – In recent weeks, online political activists have engaged in a misinformation campaign that seeks to bully retailers such as Walgreens, Petco, and Netflix into discriminating against customers and charities based on their religious beliefs, specifically the traditional and biblical view of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The online activists are targeting CGBG, a charity support group with a mission and partner network that includes more than 170,000 charities representing a range of religious, non-religious, educational and other groups.

ANALYSIS: The Problem With the UN’s New Fertility Forecasts

NIH Accepts Four New Human Stem Cell Lines

Must listen: family band with 10 children spreading culture of life with powerful pro-life song

What does the Catholic Church teach about married love?

Selective Reduction: A Morality Tale

by Susan E. Wills

A recent cover story in The New York Times Magazine explores the "ethical dilemma" parents and doctors face when fertility treatments produce two or three children and parents desire only one (Ruth Padawer, "The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy," Aug. 14, 2011). The most curious aspect of the 5,000-word article is what the Times did not deem "fit to print." But before we discuss what's missing, readers may be interested to learn some little-known facts about the $3 billion fertility industry.

"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you."

"Have a great compassion for people. To be able to have a heart full of compassion, we need to pray. Especially be kind, be loving to the poor. We think we do so much for the poor, but it is they who make us rich. We are in debt to them. Do you want to do something beautiful for God? There is a person who needs you. This is your chance."

- Mother Teresa

FROM THE USCCB RESPECT LIFE PROGRAM:

Life Matters: Abortion

The reality that abortion kills innocent children, hurts women physically and emotionally, and harms men, families, and society demonstrates that the Church's opposition to abortion—based on the inherent dignity and equal value of every human life—is the only moral choice, even for nonbelievers.

Read the full article here