Opinion

Re: Celia Wolf-Devine articles and defending personhood

In response to comments on my essays which you posted in December, I want to refer readers to our full dress treatment of the issue in the Oxford book.  One comment asked about how we defend the personhood of the unborn against people like Peter Singer.  We do that in the book, as well as providing all sorts of other helpful facts and arguments and resources that would be of use to pro-lifers.  The book is titled Abortion: Three Perspectives (Oxford, 2009), listed with Michael Tooley, et. al. as author.  It is a three way debate including the feminist perspective represented by Alison Jaggar.  A link to it can be found on my web page:  The rest of the eight part series of op ed pieces is also posted there (four of them have appeared on LifeSiteNews).  I’d love to see those used for pro-life education (RI RIght to Life uses them for this), or in Diocesan papers.

Celia Wolf-Devine
Easton, Massachusetts

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Re: Catholic school board votes to abandon Catholic teaching on homosexuality

As a Catholic rate-payer, I attended the open committee meeting at the Halton Catholic District School Board last Tuesday evening to find out what was going on with the new equity and inclusive education policy that they have decided to revisit.  First of all, I was confused as to why they are considering changes to a policy which the former group of elected trustees spent months finalizing.  They had voted 8 – 1 in favour of the policy, with two abstaining.  Since the vast majority of trustees voted in favour, why are they now opening it up again for debate?

I was also surprised to read conflicting statements in recent newspapers by newly elected trustee, Paul Marai, who on December 30, 2010 was quoted in the Burlington Post as saying that the Equity and Inclusive Education policy has already been decided – passed by the previous board on Nov. 2 – and is no longer an issue.  “I’ll have to stand by the policy of the board that was already made.”  In the same article he announced, only a month or so after being installed as a Catholic school trustee, that he is gay, but assured the public that “Gay activism is not an issue for [him as a] Halton Catholic trustee”.  That was actually the title of the Post article.  Only 12 days later, I read in yesterday’s Post, another quote by Marai, who said, “I’m very strongly against this ban (opposing gay-straight alliances in Catholic schools – adopted by the original policy) and I want to bring it up (at the board) at the earliest opportunity to reverse it.”  First he reports that this is not an issue, and within days decides that it is – why the about face?

At the meeting Marai demanded that the board’s policy be “rescinded immediately”.  Upon reading the document, it seems to truly reflect and protect our Catholic teaching on equity and inclusivity, stating that all human beings are to be treated with dignity, equity and respect and ensuring that many other safeguards are in place for anyone feeling ostracized.  Isn’t that the job of the Catholic school trustee – to preserve and protect our Catholic faith within the policies of the school board?  If he truly respected the democratic process and Catholic teaching, he would recognize all the hard work that was done on this issue (taking almost a year to complete) and not try to throw out the baby with the bath water at the earliest opportunity.

M. Muller
Burlington, Ontario

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Re: We must embrace conflict

Dear pro-lifers,

I, as a front-line laborer for Life want to again tell you fantastic it is to have LifesSiteNews. Many years ago when I was starting out in this work as a sidewalk counselor, we had almost no way to get information except to study Newspapers and haunt the public records in the courts to find lawsuits against abortionist. 

I am working in Bosnia to establish it’s first and only Crisis Pregnancy center and the pro-life movement. I have given small amounts but, we are really working to raise funds to translate and print materials in the Serbo-Croatian language. Up until recently there has not been any at all! So, my way of helping LifeSiteNews is to write this affirming email to people out there to let you know how valuable this work is to people like me. We can get up to date information from all over the world on any topic concerning abortion and it’s terrible consequences. Please send something, anything. I often tell girls and women I counsel that “Something is not better than nothing when it comes to a man.” But, something is better than nothing when it comes to money.

Eileen Pressler
[email protected]
Director, Lighthouse of Sarajevo

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