Dear Readers,
The pro-life cause is very personal for me, as I am sure it is for many of you who follow our LifeSiteNews reports. Of course, we are always driven to protect the most defenceless little ones. But at the same time, there are certain life stages when the urgency of our cause finds its way right into the heart of our homes.
My wife, Jenna, and I just found out Wednesday that we are expecting our second baby. We’ve been praying for this child for many months, and we are overjoyed to make this little three-week-old child known to any and all.
Of course, despite the fact that he (or she) is smaller than an apple seed, he’s already made his presence quite known. As all mothers can attest (and fathers … vicariously), this little microscopic person bursts onto the scene loudly and quickly – notably through nausea, fatigue, and cravings – declaring, “Mommy, I’m here. Love me! Nurture me!”
Already at three weeks, our child’s brain is developing and he has the beginnings of eyes, ears, arms, and legs. His lungs and stomach are growing and he has a heart that beats, pumping blood throughout his body. Amazingly, he has multiplied in size 10,000 times since he was conceived at fertilization.
At a time like this, the importance of LifeSiteNews’ mission to transform our culture takes on a special significance for me and my family. It’s really personal.
Our culture has traditionally seen a new baby as the most precious of gifts, but that sense of gratitude is rapidly being lost.
The unborn child is coming to be seen as a commodity, to be manipulated and disposed of for any reason, or the child is considered a burden or intruder to be destroyed.
LifeSiteNews, at the heart of the new media, is a vital vehicle to enlighten our culture about the beauty and dignity of human life, for example by sharing stories about the love of families for their uterine children or about the heroism of pro-life advocates in the fight for unborn rights.
For instance, just on Thursday we showcased the inspiring story of Canadian Brian Wood, who gave his life for his wife and unborn child in a car accident by swerving himself into the direction of the oncoming car.
We’ve been the leading news source on the Notre Dame 88, who face jail time over their protest of President Obama’s Notre Dame address, and on Linda Gibbons, the Toronto sidewalk counsellor whose spent eight out of the last 16 years in jail for violating a “temporary” court injunction by attempting to counsel women going for an abortion.
We’re constantly highlighting the work of dynamic and influential pro-life groups and leaders like Live Action, Operation Rescue, Campaign Life Coalition, and the numerous campus pro-life clubs. Were it not for LifeSiteNews, many of the amazing stories of groups like these would not get out to a wide audience.
In the eyes of society, our embryonic child has no intrinsic value – he is given no rights, and is seen as completely dispensable. LifeSiteNews exists to give a voice to people like my newly-conceived child, whose dignity and very humanity are ignored and often maligned in other media outlets.
Our culture is in danger of losing what little respect it may still have for the gift of new life, so now more than ever we must step up our efforts at showcasing the awesome humanity of the unborn.
LifeSiteNews exists to help you and and all the organizations and leaders standing up for life to be more effective in restoring a culture that loves and protects precious human life.
To continue meeting that objective, and to do even more than we are now – because the times call for this – we need your financial contributions.
LifeSiteNews is YOUR news service. You can make that a more personal relationship by joining with our work through a donation.
We need to reach our campaign goal in the next 10 days, the end of our three week campaign. At the time of this writing, we still need $66,700 to reach that goal. That’s quite a stretch to make up in so little time.
All we can do is tell you our situation and hope enough readers will respond. It is up to you. If you have not donated yet, will you please help now?
My work for LifeSiteNews as a journalist is a personal mission for me, for my family, for our future. It is very meaningful work and absolutely necessary.
My fellow LifeSiteNews journalists and I could really use your help so that we can continue this crucial work.
Please donate $10, $25, $100, $500, $1,000 or any amount.
Recurring monthly donations are an especially big help. That way you donate a manageable amount per month which provides us with a guaranteed cushion of income to get us through all the lean times during the year.
I pray for the success of LifeSiteNews because our service is needed now more than ever. Please help us succeed and defend the Culture of Life. We would also appreciate your prayers for the success of this campaign.
Thank you for donating to LifeSiteNews.
For life and family,
Patrick Craine
Canadian Bureau Chief
LifeSiteNews.com