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Priests for Life Canada 2006                                                                                          Issue Two  We can rely on our patrons Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph & St. Michael

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God gave us life and made us stewards of that life, as well as of the lives of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. In the “Gospel of Life”, Pope John Paul II affirmed the value of human life and appealed to every person to respect, protect, love, and serve every human life (#29). He pointed out that we are in the midst of a conflict, a clash between good and evil, between life and death. We all have an inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life (#28). The basic principles which guide Catholic life have been given to us in the great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour. To be faithful to our covenant with God requires keeping these commandments. The questions that follow are crucial: How are we to express this love of God and practice this love of neighbour? This means living as adopted sons and daughters of God, made possible by the redemptive activity of Jesus Christ. It means living freely, participating in God’s own life, in ways that God’s grace, His free gift, makes possible. For all who accepted the invitation of Jesus to live a new life this implied a change of heart, a conversion repenting of our sins, doing all that love requires, and accepting our moral obligations.

Pope Benedict XVI, speaking of practical commitment (agape), refers to the Last Supper (Jn 6:31-33) and Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) to understand Jesus’ teaching on love, the dynamic of self-giving that is experienced in Communion becoming “one body”, with love of God, and love of neighbour truly united. “Faith, worship, and ethos are interwoven as a single reality which takes shape in our encounter with God’s agape. Here, the usual contraposition between worship and ethics simply falls apart. “Worship” itself, Eucharistic communion, includes the reality both of being loved and of loving others in turn.... Love becomes the criterion for the definitive decision about a human life’s worth or a lack thereof... in the least of the brethren we find Jesus Himself, and in Jesus we find God” (Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2006, p. 17).
Some of the specific obligations that we have are outlined in a science known as “Moral Philosophy” or ethics. Ethics is a natural science that employs human reason, which guides our judgment concerning the morality of human acts. It also draws upon personal experience as well as on the contemporary and historical experience of others. Ethics defines the just and equitable act in our relations to each other. The material object of ethics consists of human acts and its’ formal object is the moral rectitude of human actions in relation to our natural end. Whereas ethics directs the disposition of goods and duties in justice, justice demands we give each one their due.

“Moral Theology” is a supernatural science, based on faith as well as reason and recognizes a supernatural end. It utilizes human reason, divine revelation, and experience. Ethics can be considered the science of ideals and morals as the application of ethics, human conduct in the light of ethics. A person that has good ethics and bad morals is someone who knows the ethical principles but fails to apply them in concrete situations. Ethical principles, in conformity with truth and good moral conduct, are both essential.

The fundamental truths of ethics are many and varied:

• God exists and He is just; human reason can discover some truths.
• Humans have souls that are immortal with faculties of intellect and will.
• Truth is the object of the intellect and goodness is the object of the will.
• An act is good when it conforms to right reason and evil when it does not conform to right reason.
• Humans have free will and are capable of moral good or moral evil.
• Humans are to do good and avoid evil.
• Humans who live a good life merit God’s reward.
• Humans who live an evil life merit God’s punishment.

from the Catechism of the Catholic Church... The Morality of Human Acts II. GOOD ACTS AND EVIL ACTS 1755 A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together. An evil end corrupts the action, even if the object is good in itself (such as praying and fasting "in order to be seen by men"). The object of the choice can by itself vitiate an act in its entirety. There are some concrete acts - such as fornication - that it is always wrong to choose, because choosing them entails a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil. 1756 It is therefore an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it. IN BRIEF 1757 The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the three "sources" of the morality of human acts. 1758 The object chosen morally specifies the act of willing accordingly as reason recognizes and judges it good or evil. 1759 "An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention" (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). The end does not justify the means. 1760 A morally good act requires the goodness of its object, of its end, and of its circumstances together. 1761 There are concrete acts that it is always wrong to choose, because their choice entails a disorder of the will, i.e., a moral evil. One may not do evil so that good may result from it.

Pope John Paul II, in Veritatis Splendor, helps us to understand about making good moral choices. “The commandments... are meant to safeguard the good of the person, the image of God, by protecting His goods” (#13). There are acts which are always ‘intrinsically evil’ (#80). There are also absolute moral norms that admit of no exceptions (e.g.: prohibiting adultery; abortion, euthanasia, etc.). We must oppose the moral theories of proportionalism and consequentialism, which treats the principle of lesser evil as the single basic moral principle, rejecting the moral absolutes taught by the Magisterium. We must apply the ‘natural law approach’ as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which insists on the truth and centrality of moral absolutes (#1954-1960). We must be persons with informed and well-formed consciences, so that by judgment of reason, we will be able to recognize the moral quality of a concrete act:

• What we must do or not do.
• Love and do good and avoid evil.
• Love God and neighbour.

The well-formed conscience draws its light from Scriptures and Christian tradition as taught by the Magisterium and witnessed by the lives of good Christian people. Our judgments must be in accord with the moral order of which God is Creator. The basic principles in judging the morality of a specific action are outlined in Veritatis Splendor (#71-83) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1749-1761).

We can do our ethical duty if we stand firm on the ground of revelation, right reason, and tradition. For people of faith it is a question of moral truth. The natural law, a law of prudence, can live only in the moral, in relation to how a human lives. The natural law for humans is from God, in their relationship to one another. We must be aware and make others aware about “the natural” as being authentically of life and for life, for anything in nature is there by God’s design for our good. The ethic in ethics must stand for the human being. The value of the life of a human being is an absolute value. We must beware of the relativization of the value of life as found in abortion, euthanasia, and the disposal of new life in the use of embryos for the service and convenience of others. The immoral manipulation of the natural must be named for what it is. False ethics is evident in reproductive technology with genetic engineering of human life for eugenics, cloning, and transgenics. It is evident also in: sexual ethics with sex on demand; with 80%+ of Catholics practicing contraception, frustrating natural ends; with a breakdown of marriages (divorces: 1 in 3 in Canada) resulting in dysfunctional families; and the promotion of unnatural sex practices, as in same-sex unions. It is especially evident in the moral ambiguity of euthanasia, in which Article seven of the Nuremberg Code (informed consent) was discarded in 1999 in Holland when close to 2000 individuals were euthanized without their foreknowledge and consent.

We, as pro-lifers, need to make clear the objective truth of Catholic moral teaching. We must instill a desire for holiness and a love for chastity. The teaching of ‘Natural Family Planning’ must be accessible to engaged as well as married couples. Families must be centered around the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Prayer must be recognized and practiced as indispensable to a healthy Catholic life. Scripture and the Catholic Catechism are available for guidance. Parents must recognize and practise their role as the primary educators of their children. Pope John Paul II has made it clear that Mary is to lead us in this millennium. The Holy Spirit is always present to help us to choose life and in walking and living the way of love, justice, and peace. +

Suggested Reading:

1. Catholicism & Ethics, Rev. Ed Hayes, Rev. Msgr. Paul Hayes, Dorothy Ellen Kelly, RN, James Drummey, CR, Publ. Norwood, MA, 1997, 201 pp.

2. Ethics and Human Life, Joseph M. Mauceri, M.D., Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, 2001, 134 pp.

3. Catholic Sexual Ethics, Rev. Ronald Lawler, O.F.M., Cap., Joseph Boyle, Jr., William May, Our Sunday Visitor Inc., Huntington, Indiana, 1998, 335 pp.

4. Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City, publ. in Canada by CCCB Publications Service, Ottawa, 2006, 45 pp. 

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Contraception:

The Catholic Church teaches that “the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly-willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth. Equally excluded…is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or the woman”.1 This teaching prohibits contraception by means of the condom, intrauterine device, vasectomy, tubal ligation, and chemical contraception by the use of oral contraceptives, morning after pills, or the administration of contraceptives by injection or in a skin patch. The reason for this prohibition is that contraception breaks the inseparable connection, willed by God, between the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning of the conjugal act.

Contraception greatly dishonours marriage, the greatness of which is beautifully described by Dietrich von Hildebrand: “No natural human good has been exalted so high in the New Testament. No other good has been chosen to become one of the Seven Sacraments. No other has been endowed with the honour of participating in the establishment of the Kingdom of God.… The wonderful, divinely appointed relationship between the mysterious procreation of a new human being, and this most intimate communion of love…illuminates the grandeur and solemnity of this union.… Thus it is that in order to preserve the reverent attitude of the spouses toward the mystery of this union, this general connection between procreation and the communion of love must always be maintained”.2

History has clearly demonstrated how prescient Pope Paul VI was when he predicted that the practice of contraception would cause the man to lose respect for the woman, considering her a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment. The gigantic increase in the incidence of abortion and of sexually transmitted infections bears witness to the promiscuity that followed the legalization and wide availability of chemical contraceptives. The Pope also warned of the danger that public authorities, which take no heed of moral exigencies, would try to solve problems of the community by means which are illicit for married couples. Witness the worldwide promotion of contraception and abortion fostered by the United Nations today, and also, the mandatory one child policy of the government of China.

Pope Paul VI, in Humanae Vitae, stated that, “If, then, there are serious motives to space out births, which derive from the physical or psychological conditions of husband and wife, or from external conditions, the Church teaches that it is then licit to take into account the natural rhythms immanent in the generative functions, for the use of marriage in the infertile periods only, and in this way to regulate births without offending the moral principles which have been recalled earlier”.3 Pius XII taught that unless some serious circumstances arise, spouses are obliged to have children. However, he also teaches that it is moral for the spouses to limit their family size or even to refrain from having children altogether, if they have sufficiently serious reasons. He stated that “There are serious motives, such as those often mentioned in the so-called medical, eugenic, economic, and social ‘indications’, that can exempt for a long time, perhaps even during the whole duration of the marriage, from the positive and obligatory carrying out of the act.4

Gaudium et Spes teaches that: “Among the married couples who thus fulfill their God-given mission, special mention should be made of those who, after prudent reflection and common decisions, courageously undertake the proper upbringing of a large number of children”. It also states that it is the duty of the parents, and of them alone, to decide on the number and spacing of children, and that they should take “into consideration their own good and the good of their children already born or yet to come, and the ability to read the signs of the times and of their own situation, on the material and spiritual level, and finally, an estimation of the good of the family, of society, and of the Church”.5

The morally acceptable way for spacing the birth of children is called ‘Natural Family Planning’. One of the best methods is the Hilgers system. The effectiveness rates of this method for avoiding pregnancy have been shown to be 99.5 to 98.8 at the twelfth month of use.6 This compares favourably to the pill of which Planned Parenthood’s website states: “Of one hundred women who use the Pill, only eight will become pregnant during the first year of typical use”.

 

Relevant Medical Facts:

Some chemical ‘contraceptives’ abort all of the time. All of them abort some of the time. They do this by preventing implantation of an embryo in the uterus.7 Elites in the medical profession try to justify their use of the word ‘contraceptive’ by stating that there is no embryo before implantation. This statement is false. The science of human embryology demonstrated over 100 years ago, that a new individual human being comes into existence when the single cell zygote is formed, either by fertilization or by cloning.8 Using the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) before the first child is born causes a 40% increase in the risk of breast cancer. Taken for four or more years before the first child is born increases that risk to 72%. The OCP also increases the risk of cancer of the cervix, of the uterus, and of the liver.9 The condom does not provide complete protection from the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections.10

 

Artificial Reproductive Technologies (ART):

A human being can be brought into existence by the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm. This can be achieved by sexual intercourse, or in the laboratory by Invitro Fertilization (IVF). Reproduction of a human being can also be achieved by cloning. There are many different methods of cloning that include nuclear transfer, embryo splitting, etc.

The Church teaches that IVF and human cloning are morally forbidden. Why? IVF between husband and wife is condemned because it is illicit in itself and in opposition to the dignity of procreation and the conjugal union. IVF in which the sperm or ovum of a third person is used, is also condemned, because, in addition, it violates the reciprocal commitment of spouses and shows a grave lack of regard for that essential property of marriage which is unity. It also deprives the child of her or his filial relationship with parental origins, can hinder the maturing of personal identity, can damage personal relationships within the family, and has repercussions on civil society.11
IVF is neither in fact achieved nor positively willed as an expression and fruit of a specific act of conjugal union. The human embryo is treated as a product of technology and not as a gift of God. In its use and in the use of many other techniques of genetic engineering, a human person is objectively deprived of his or her proper perfection. Such fertilization establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the person. This domination is contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children. Therefore, IVF and cloning are morally unacceptable.12

Relevant Medical Facts:

• Few children conceived by IVF are ever born. In each cycle, six to eight embryos are conceived. At most, two are implanted. The rest are either disposed of immediately, or are frozen, and eventually, most die. Only 25% of those conceived are implanted, and of them, only 20% are born. Therefore, only 5% of IVF embryos are born alive. The Australian bioethicist, Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, calculates that the chance of saving a given frozen human embryo by implantation is less than 2%. 13
  • Birth defects associated with ART: 4.9 - 7.2 fold increase in malignant tumor of the retina; 5% incidence of Beckwith - Wiedemann Syndrome (large tongue, predisposition to cancer); In Brazil, incidence of cancer increased 117 times; cerebral palsy increased 1.4 - 1.7 times; fourfold increase in developmental delay; premature birth increased 5.6 times; low birth rate increased 9.8 times, and heart deformity increased 4 times.14

• To achieve IVF, a woman is given hormones to stimulate the development of many ova at the same time. This may cause Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and breathing difficulty. In rare cases blood clots, kidney, or lung disease may occur and may be life threatening.

• Dr. Thomas Hilgers’ Fertility Care System: Dr. Hilgers’ Natural Procreative Technology is a method of care that involves precise diagnosis of the hormonal cause of infertility, and its appropriate treatment. It is also morally acceptable as a way to help an infertile woman to conceive, and is two to three times more successful than IVF, at a fraction of the cost. One study on women who had previous failed IVF, showed a success rate of 36.2%. The Hilgers’ System has been shown to be up to 80% successful in helping women to have a successful pregnancy after they have suffered repeated miscarriages. It cuts the rate of premature birth in half, thus helping to reduce the incidence of brain damage.15

For more information, about the Hilgers’ System for avoiding or achieving pregnancy, contact:
Marguerite Bourgeoys Family Centre, Fertility Care Program, 688 Coxwell Ave. Toronto, Ontario, M4C 3B7, phone (416) 365-2868,
email: fertilitycare@sympatico.ca n

John B. Shea, MD, FRCP (C)
February 1, 2006


References:

1. Humanae Vitae,Encyclical Letter, Pope Paul VI, 1968, #14.

2. Marriage, the Mystery of Faithful Love, Dietrich von Hildebrand, Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, New Hampshire, paperback, 1997, pp. 3, 27-28.

3. See reference number one.

4. Address to the Italian Catholic Union of Midwives, Pius XII, Oct. 29, 1951, in AAS LLIII (1951).

5. Gaudium et Spes, #50.

6. Creighton Model NaproProTechnology for Avoiding Pregnancy: Use Effectiveness, Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D. and Joseph B. Stanford, M.D., M.S.P.H., Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 1998; 43: 495-502.

7. Birth-Control Methods which Cause Abortion, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, information@spuc.org.uk

8. The Developing Human: Clinically-Oriented Embryology, Keith Moore and T.V.N. Persaud, 6th. edition, Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1998 p.2.

9. Oral Contraceptives and Birth Control, Romieu I., Berlin I., et al. Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancer. 1990; 66. 2253-2263.

10. The Safer Sex Illusion, John B. Shea, M.B., B.Ch., Life Ethics Information Centre, Toronto.

11. Donum Vitae, Instruction on Bioethics, Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, 1987.

12. Ibid. no.5.

13. The Embryo Rescue Debate, Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, 2003, Spring, 3 (1): 111-137.

14. What’s Wrong with Assisted Reproductive Technology? Institute of Science in Society, (ISIS), ISIS press release, 03/11/03, http://www.i-sis.org.uk/wwwART.php

15. The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY, Thomas W. Hilgers, M.D., Pope Paul VI Institute Press, Omaha, Nebraska, 2004.

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The Priests for Life Canada annual financial statement as of June 30, 2006, is now available.

Please contact us for details.

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ANNUAL MEETING AND VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION

Saturday, June 24, 2006
Meeting: 10 a.m.
Light Lunch: 12 p.m.

Priests for Life Canada Centre
3775 St. Joseph Blvd.
Orleans, Ontario K1C 1T1
Tel/Fax: (613) 834-2226
E-mail:
priests@priestsforlifecanada.com

Please notify Priests for Life Canada if you plan to attend.
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Volunteers assist the operations of Priests for Life Canada in mail distribution and in keeping our office in order. The Board and members of Priests for Life Canada would like to thank the many volunteers who assist us in our pro-life efforts.
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Priests for Life Canada is pleased to accept your prayer requests. We thank those participating at the
Cor Jesu Perpetual Adoration Chapel, Cumberland, Ontario for assisting us with our prayer requests.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported the Pro-life efforts of Priests for Life Canada.

Only paid-up clergy members may vote at the annual meeting.
 

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HAPPENINGS

Priests for Life Canada 7th Annual Symposium: Saturday, October 21/06 - Ottawa

Life Chain: First Sunday in October - check with your local community pro-life group.

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