SILENT
NO MORE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN |
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Angelina Steenstra Explains More About Silent No More
Greetings,
Inspired, a number of years ago, with the desire to see men and women
gather on Parliament Hill to openly testify to the aftermath of abortion,
I was heartened when the Silent No More Awareness Campaign held its
first event in January 2003 in Washington, D.C. This campaign is sponsored
by NOEL (a life-affirming organization in the worldwide Anglican Communion)
led by Georgette Forney, President, and by Priests for Life, led by
Janet Morana, Associate Director.
The
Silent No More Awareness Campaign, originating in the United States,
is an initiative to change hearts by:
a) Informing the public that abortion is harmful emotionally, physically,
psychologically and spiritually to women and others involved in abortion.
b) Reaching out to the people who are hurting from an abortion, offering
help, hope and healing.
c) Inviting those who regret their abortion to join the Campaign in
speaking the truth about abortion’s negative consequences.
After attending the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. and participating in the Silent No More Awareness Campaign rally in January of this year, I am moved to respond to an invitation to host and co-ordinate such a gathering in Canada. This event will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2004 immediately following the National March for Life on Parliament Hill.
The mobilization of women and others is essential to making abortion “unthinkable” and to persuading society that Women Deserve Better than abortion. While our main focus will be women who have had abortions and are hurting, we are also reaching out to others who regret their involvement, such as fathers of the babies, grandparents, clinic workers and abortionists.
Prayer coverage for this event is absolutely necessary, some of which is already in place, and participants and promoters of this rally are encouraged to gather prayer support.
The gathering will begin with an opening prayer and remarks by the spokesperson, after which the men and women, who have registered and are ready to share their testimony, will be called to come forward. All participants, whether or not they share their testimony, are invited to hold a sign which reads, “I Regret My Abortion” or “I Regret Lost Fatherhood”. The media will be invited to cover this event. Guidelines for preparing a three-minute testimony are available. A pre-arranged meeting place will be established for the participants and a counsellor will be on site.
Those
interested in participating may register by:
a) Logging onto the National Silent No More Awareness website, www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org
, or
b) Telephoning NOEL at 412-749-0455, or
c) Telephoning Priests for Life at 1-888-735-3448
I join
with Georgette Forney to say that I regret having had an abortion and
know that there are thousands of Canadians that feel the same as I do.
I would like to invite you to help get the word out about this rally,
especially to those who have gone through abortion recovery programs,
so that they may participate. Therefore, I am attaching a letter that
may be helpful in this regard. Please also consider including an article
or notice on your website or in your newsletter to reach out to people
who have suffered the devastating effects of abortion and may be ready
to be silent no more.
Our hope is that many will join in this rally and become involved, making
events happen in every community across this country. Let us make the
Silent No More Awareness Campaign an international movement of men and
women who are no longer silent about their regret.
Life is the only choice.
Mrs.
Angelina M. Steenstra
Second Chance Ministry
Email: angelina@secondchanceministry.ca
Telephone: 905-430-7990