The Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill, in the name of Labour MP, Louisa Wall, (pictured) will make it illegal for pro-life protesters to wait outside clinics.

The Bill will create a 150-metre perimeter outside healthcare services.

Within this area, no one would be allowed to intimidate, interfere with or obstruct a person entering the clinic.

Failure to keep outside the abortion clinic safe zones would make the offender liable for conviction or a fine of up to $1000.

Abortion Rights Aotearoa president Terry Bellamak says the Bill is "huge" as currently people are not protected from harassment outside abortion clinics.

"People shouldn't have to stand up to bullies in order to get healthcare.

"There's no reason why people using reproductive health care should have to do that."

Bellamark says almost everyone she has spoken to who has had an abortion spoke of the dread they felt heading into the service, and the fear of being heckled by pro-life protesters who often set up outside clinics.

"Nobody knows the stories of the people walking in - not that anyone should judge anyone for healthcare decisions but it's especially harmful and hurtful for people losing a wanted pregnancy to have people outside the clinic calling them a murderer."

Bellamak added now that abortion has been removed from the Crimes Act so there is no validity to protesters.

"Until last year, abortion was illegal. It was only lawful under certain conditions and that gave a false veneer of validity to these protests. But trying to infringe on someone's healthcare decisions - There's nothing political about that."

However, Right to Life says the Bill is unnecessary.

There's no need to create legislation to protect people from harassment, the pro-life group says.

The Summary Offences Act provides protection against any person engaging in harassment or intimidation.

They also take issue with the suggestion that people praying outside clinics are considered "bullies".

"The zones around abortion clinics are already safe", they say.

"The people who gather and offer support outside clinics are law-abiding citizens. These are peaceful, compassionate and quiet vigils."

Kate Cormack, the spokesperson for another pro-life group, Voice for Life, says the Bill will set a "dangerous" precedent by restricting the "fundamental rights" of freedom of expression.

"As a woman, (it is) my right to protest, my right to engage in the public sphere - for me to possibly be fined and arrested for doing what I've done for many years - for that to be on the line is really frightening."

Source

• NewsHub
• Supplied Right to Life
• Image: ScoopNZ

It also removes the legal test for the procedure up until 20 weeks.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the abortion law changes.

"This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human lives involved in every pregnancy," said a spokesperson for the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, Ms Cynthia Piper.

Click here to read the full statement.

The abortion law change cut across some of the lines that usually divide the Labour Party and the National Party.

Justice Minister Andrew Little said the issue was "tempered with very deeply held views with great passions" and that the public and members on all sides of the House, some he considered friends, had very entrenched views.

Retiring National MP, Amy Adams said of those who were voting against the Bill: "their views are their own."

Adams noted that throughout the debate on the abortion law change some people in the House, particularly those supporting the Bill, said they respected "the rights, and the views of everyone in this house and their views in the debate are all valid."

"Interestingly enough, I haven't heard that much of those views expressed by the voice of those opposing this legislation," she said.

"And I find it somewhat staggering that those who preach freedom of expression and religious tolerance the most are the least tolerant of those who are supporting this legislation."

"And yet we run the risk of allowing a very vocal minority, largely, in my view, directed by the religious leaders across New Zealand, although I accept that may not be true for all, to derail important legislative reform," she said.

National MPs who voted against the Bill
Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Maggie Barry, Andrew Bayly, Simon Bridges, Simeon Brown, Gerry Brownlee, Jacqui Dean, Sarah Dowie, Paulo Garcia, Paul Goldsmith, Nathan Guy, Joanne Hayes, Harete Hipango, Matt King, Denise Lee, Melissa Lee, Agnes Loheni, Tim Macindoe, Todd McClay, Ian McKelvie, Todd Muller, Alfred Ngaro, Simon O'Connor, Parmjeet Parmar, Christopher Penk, Maureen Pugh, Shane Reti, Alastair Scott, Nick Smith, Louise Upston, Tim van den Molen, Hamish Walker, Michael Woodhouse, Jonathan Young, Lawrence Yule (35)

Labour MPs who voted against the Bill.
Damien O'Connor, Greg O'Connor, Anahila Kanongata'a-Suisuiki, Nanaia Mahuta, Adrian Rurawhe, Jenny Salesa, Jamie Strange, Rino Tirikatene, Meka Whaitiri (9)

NZ First MPs who voted against the Bill
Darroch Ball, Shane Jones, Ron Mark, Clayton Mitchell, Mark Patterson, Winston Peters, Fletcher Tabuteau (7 MPs)

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• nytimes.com
• politik.co.nz
• familyfirst.org.nz
• Image: politik.co.nz

Bellamak is the head of the Abortion Law Reform Association of NZ (ALRANZ).

Bellamak submitted an official complaint calling Voice For Life's (VFL) billboard (pictured above) on Cuba Street in Wellington "offensive" and claiming that it violated rules around ‘social responsibility', ‘decency and offensiveness' and ‘truthful presentation.'

The complaint was rejected by the Chair of the ASA, who stated that: "political commentary within advertising was not only acceptable but encouraged, as it is an essential and desirable part of the functioning of a democratic society."

The Chair went on to say: "in a free and democratic society, differences of political opinion should be openly debated without undue hindrance or interference from authorities"

"It is extremely concerning to see that the head of the country's most vocal abortion lobby group attempting to use official mechanisms like the ASA to silence dissent about Labour's extreme abortion bill" says VFL media spokesperson Kate Cormack.

"The fact that Terry Bellamak is calling it offensive to display an ultrasound image of an unborn child along with the statement ‘Both lives matter, both deserve better than an extreme abortion law' is simply unbelievable."

"What makes this failed attempt to suppress legitimate freedom of expression all the more astounding is that it is coming from an organisation who claims that we should ‘trust women'.

Yet here they are trying to deny Kiwi women access to all the information about this abortion bill" says Cormack.

The New Zealand parliament is currently considering an Abortion Legislation Bill that would decriminalise abortion.

• Source
  voiceforlife.org.nz
• parliament.nz
• asa.co.nz
• Image: voiceforlife.org.nz

Ireland's National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) and their health minister Simon Harris have appeared at loggerheads after the doctors' group said that onward referral of a patient should not be compulsory.

A motion insisting on a conscientious objection provision was passed at a recent meeting of the NAGP.

The legal situation around conscientious objection and referral in New Zealand states that doctors, without necessarily giving a specific name, must inform the patient that the service can be provided from another healthcare provider.

A High Court case in 2010 upheld the right of New Zealand doctors to opt out of giving advice to patients seeking an abortion.

It found guidelines went too far in requiring doctors to provide information about abortions themselves and refer women to another doctor.

Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, President of the NAGP, had argued in an op-ed for TheJournal.ie last week that "being pro-choice is one thing, but providing an abortion service is another".

The New Zealand approach, he said, provided a workable solution which respects the views of all.

Life Site has reported that The Pro-Life Campaign has described as "very revealing and significant" the results of a post-referendum survey published on GPBuddy.ie which shows that a majority of GPs in Ireland have a conscientious objection to providing abortion and do not intend to provide medical abortion services in their practice.

The survey also found that over 75% of responding GPs (936 GPs took part in the survey) do not think abortion up to 12 weeks should be GP-led. 68% said they would not 'opt in' to such a service.

Source

• thejournal.ie
• lifesitenews.com
• Image: americamagazine.org

Students choose the best club annually by voting with a thumbs-up symbol or 'like' on Facebook.

The Campus Feminist Collective said it became suspicious when it saw the anti-abortion club had vastly more votes than others, with many coming from pastors and middle-aged people living in Missouri, Alabama and Australia.

The collective decided to act by alerting their supporters and encouraging them to vote for an alternative club - the Snowsport Club.

But then the Snowsport Club's votes jumped by 1000 and it was accused of buying Brazilian bots to up the numbers - something the feminist group denied any involvement in.

The university was forced to change its voting process, to make sure only students were involved.

On a university Facebook page, the clubs support committee said the fun competition had "devolved into accusations of unfairness and cheating".

It was untenable to continue to run the competition in its current form, the committee said.

The awards were announced on Thursday. The Snowsport Club received the People's Choice Award. Last year it received the Sports Club of the year award.

The overall club of the year was the CompSci Society.

Source

• RNZ
• University of Auckland
• Image: University of Auckland

Over 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life, and how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable.

And the latest March for Life (Jan. 27) was equally inspiring. It's always a moral and spiritual shot-in-the-arm for me.

But good as they are, the Washington "March for Life," the "Walk for Life West Coast," the "Midwest March for Life" (Feb. 4), and dozens of similar events at state capitols throughout the U.S., they simply are not enough.

While significant progress has been made to lessen the number of abortions, nonetheless, according to the National Right to Life Committee over 1 million unborn brothers and sisters are brutally dismembered by abortion each year.

And according to the World Health Organization over 55 million unborn babies worldwide are aborted every year.

Throughout the entire year believers in the God of life need to pray, educate, peacefully protest at abortion facilities, donate and lobby on behalf of the unborn - the unborn can't do it for themselves.

It is important for us to remember what St. Mother Teresa said about abortion: "I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself … We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, of killings, of wars, of hatred. If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other."

How can any person who truly respects life support abortion - the barbaric dismembering of tiny innocent unborn babies (see: http://www.abortionno.org). There simply is no morally acceptable reason to perform an abortion.

The developing human being in utero is nothing short of miraculous!

Watch this fascinating video produced by Alexander Tsiaras, mathematician and former chief of scientific visualization at Yale University's Department of Medicine (see: http://bit.ly/1XezTp2). And after watching it ask yourself, "How is it possible that anyone could destroy such a marvelous work of God."

A civilized nation does not kill babies waiting to be born. And if we dare carry this life-affirming perspective to its logical moral conclusion, we must also declare that a civilized society does not kill anyone, for any reason, period.

That was the life-affirming perspective of the early church. In their theology no blood could be spilled - no abortion, no capital punishment, no war.

It was a Gospel-centered theology based on the unconditional love of God towards every person, as best exemplified by Jesus.

We would do well to walk in the footsteps of the nonviolent Master and his early followers, proclaiming in word and deed that no life is disposable, and that every person is a beloved child of the God of life!

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, "Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century," has been well received by diocesan and parish gatherings from Santa Clara, Calif. to Baltimore, Md. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net

For the last five years, Voice for Life (VFL) has been meeting for an hour on Friday morning outside the Thames Hospital when abortions are being performed.

They pray, and give witness to the right to life of unborn children.

They also want to express concern about the consequence of abortion for the mothers whom they see as second victims.

VFL has a permit for this activity from the Thames Coromandel District Council.

In August a group of Green Party/Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand (ALRANZ) members were issued with a permit to demonstrate at the same time and in the same location.

The permits allow holders to "peacefully demonstrate" at the specified time and place, provided the demonstration is at all times "non-violent and non-intrusive".

On 6 October ALRANZ posted on it's Facebook page that it has written to TCDC, "asking them to do their duty and enforce the conditions of VFL's demonstration permit by withdrawing VFL's permit."

ALRANZ claims it has has honoured the conditions of its permit and accused the voice for Life of breaching them.

The pro abortion group say they will continue meeting until the pro-life group is closed down.

They are yet to receive a reply from the TCDC

Pro life groups believes the Green Party is using this situation as a test case with the intention of seeking to having the law changed.

They say there is a plan to pass a law imposing a no protest zone around every hospital and clinic in New Zealand where abortions are taking place.

Source

• Supplied
• Facebook.com
• Image: Supplied

However, ACT Party leader David Seymour said there was no need for its inclusion in his bill to legalise assisted suicide.

The bill is waiting to be drawn from Parliament's members' ballot.

Palmer said as well as medical standards, legal standards needed to be met too. So by involving a judges would ensure there was a publicly credible system in place

"In its essential elements it's connected to the human rights of the person involved. It's not for doctors to play god on this matter."

As well as removing doctors from the ethical conundrum some may be faced with, Palmer said the family court was user-friendly, non-invasive and a Skype conference could be used if people were too unwell to attend.

Palmer proposed seven key criteria that had to be satisfied first - all of which are included in Seymour's bill.

Seymour said he would not rule out Family Court involvement entirely, but he did not see the point.

He says all decisions on euthanasia with the Family Court may hinder a person who wanted to die, from taking part in their own decision,

He believes his bill is similar to the system of voluntary euthanasia in Oregon in the United States, which worked well without a family court's involvement.

"They haven't brought in an additional layer of bureaucracy or decision-makers and so yes, it's an interesting idea, but there's no reason to think that there's a serious problem to be solved or that the benefits of having additional people involved in this decision would outweigh the costs."

However family law specialist Erin Ebborn said a Family Court procedure would not be cumbersome, especially when there were clear procedures being outlined.

"I don't see safeguards as being bureaucracy and cost.

Palmer, who had once worked with Lecretia Seales, has said the law needed to be changed to "allow her wish to be granted".

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: scoop.co.nz

A few days ago, I held in my arms my first grandbaby - newly born Faith Annmarie.

Thank God she's healthy and perfectly formed. And as I was looking at her, I reflected how wonderfully she is made - arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, eyes, mouth, nose, ears, as well as what I couldn't see but was just as real - hundreds of different tissues, dozens of organs including the remarkable brain, and trillions of cells.

And then I reflected on her divinely infused eternal soul.

I marveled at the goodness and awesomeness of our Creator! And I recalled the psalmist praising God with these beautiful words: "You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!"

Just think of the awesomeness of how human life comes into existence. According to Medline Plus of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (see: http://1.usa.gov/1WRK2rF), when a single male sperm and the mother's egg unite conception occurs. This new single cell known as a zygote contains all of the genetic information (DNA) needed for the new human being to develop throughout life.

Just think about it: Your life started as a single cell zygote. And now look at you!

At around four days, the zygote now consisting of 32 cells becomes known as an embryo. During the next seven and half weeks the human embryo develops all of the body's systems and structures.

According to Alexander Tsiaras, image-maker, mathematician and associate professor of medicine at Yale University, at four weeks in utero the human heart is growing at an astounding rate of 1 million cells per second.

From the eighth week after conception, the baby is known as a fetus. At this point of development, organs like the brain, liver and kidneys start functioning inside the tiny human life. Life support systems continue growing and becoming ever more sophisticated until the baby is able to live outside the mother's protective and nurturing womb.

All of this is truly too miraculous for words. So, take a look at this remarkable video titled "From Conception to Birth" produced by Tsiaras and presented at a TED Talk http://bit.ly/1q0ROQW.

Science is crystal clear that human life begins at conception.

Years ago, while attending a pro-life conference sponsored by Americans United for Life, I asked the late world-renowned French geneticist Dr. Jerome Lejeune when human life begins. He instantly replied, "At conception of course."

And Dr. Lejeune is not alone here. Far from it (see: http://naapc.org/why-life-begins-at-conception/).

The late professor emeritus of medical genetics at Mayo Medical School, Dr. Hymie Gordon said "By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception."

In his medical textbook "Human Embryology," the late Dr. Bradley M. Patten, Ph.D states, "Conception marks the initiation of a life of a new individual."

There is never a good reason for killing an unborn human baby.

Let all believers in the God of life tirelessly pray and work for the day when every marvelously created human life is welcomed into the world as the wonderful gift he or she is.

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, "Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century," has been well received by diocesan and parish gatherings from Santa Clara, Calif. to Baltimore, Md. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net.

The following day, Jan. 23, thousands of people from western states participated in the 12th Annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco.

And throughout the U.S. various other events to protest abortion and defend preborn life were held on, or shortly after, Jan 22 - the infamous anniversary of the Jan. 22, 1973 Supreme Court dual decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton which effectively legalized abortion on demand for all nine months of pregnancy.

As reported by National Right to Life (http://bit.ly/1DqDLKz), "surgical abortions" kill over 1 million unborn babies in the U.S. every year according to the Guttmacher Institute - a former affiliate of the abortion chain Planned Parenthood.

And when the widespread use of birth control pills is considered, the number of estimated abortions increases tremendously. This is because birth control pills not only act to keep sperm and egg from uniting, but when that mechanism fails, they also have an abortive capability which produces a "hostile endometrium, which presumably prevents or disrupts implantation of the developing baby," according Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. William F. Colliton, Jr., M.D. (see http://bit.ly/1ZTRqPA).

The American Life League states, "Using formulas based on the way the birth control pill works, pharmacy experts project that about 14 million chemical abortions occur in the United States each year (http://www.all.org/learn/abortion/abortion-statistics).

And worldwide, approximately 1.4 billion abortions have occurred since 1980 (see http://www.numberofabortions.com).

I am convinced the intentional killing of any human being is not part of God's plan. Killing runs contrary to the Gospel portrayals of the nonviolent Jesus, as well as the nonviolent witness of the early church during the first 300 years of Christianity.

And the intentional killing of innocent human life - which direct abortion does - is especially evil. Brutally dismembering unborn babies during suction abortions, and fatally burning these smallest members of the human family during saline solution abortions, is nothing short of barbaric.

No matter how difficult a pregnancy may indeed be, abortion is never the answer. There are many caring people ready to help both mother and unborn child (e.g. Crisis Pregnancy Centers http://www.care-net.org/find-a-pregnancy-center).

And for those who regret their involvement in abortion, Silent No More (www.silentnomoreawareness.org) and Project Rachel (http://hopeafterabortion.com) can help.

Years ago, while attending a pro-life conference sponsored by Americans United for Life (http://www.aul.org), I asked the late world-renowned French geneticist Dr. Jerome Lejeune when human life begins. He instantly replied, "At conception of course."

I then asked him if any of his colleagues disagreed with him. He said, "No, we all know when life begins. Where we disagree, is at what stage life should be protected."

For Dr. Lejeune conception - when life begins - was logically and morally where full protection should begin (see http://bit.ly/1JGuPUN).

Because for most people the evil of abortion is not something they regularly encounter, it is a classic case of "Out of sight, out of mind." But a very effective organization to help us keep the dignity of the unborn and the horrors of abortion within eyesight is the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (http://www.abortionno.org).

What is the God of life calling you to do?

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.

The film opens with shots of Eva, in sweat pants and a T-shirt, petting her affectionate Labrador as she greets the youthful Dr. Van Hoey at her home. "Let's get on with this," Eva says as she sits on her patio. "I am looking forward to the rest."

Eva gives a good-bye hug to her brother and sister-in-law, who do not want to be present for her death. She lies down on her living room couch and rolls up her sleeve to receive her injections.

Dr. Van Hoey's first injection puts Eva into a deep sleep. The second kills her.

"The bond between a patient and doctor gets so strong by the time euthanasia takes place that it is hard," Van Hoey said, "It is so personal and intimate and beautiful."

But Van Hoey also said that he has administered more than one hundred lethal doses over the past twelve years, and he can talk about them matter-of-factly, "I am quite used to [it]," he said, "It is part of my job."

In order to qualify for euthanasia in Belgium, a person must suffer from acute and "incurable" physical or mental pain. Polls in Belgium show broad support for euthanasia, and the number of cases has grown steadily every year since it was legalized in 2003.

In 2003, there were 235 cases of euthanasia. In 2013, there were 1,816. One out of every twenty deaths in Belgium is now deliberately caused. In 2014, Belgium became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for children.

If you ask to be euthanized in Belgium today, chances are three in four that your request will be granted.

Most of Belgium's euthanized patients have terminal cancer, but people are also being euthanized for autism, anorexia, borderline personality disorders, chronic-fatigue syndrome, and depression. Continue reading

Sources

• Public Discourse, from an article by Robert Carle, a professor of theology at The King's College in Manhattan.
• Image: Independent

They are suggesting that "conservative" bishops have been excluded while more "progressive" ones have found favour.

The archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew, has been identified by these bloggers as being on the "progressive" side.

Two lay people and two Bishops from New Zealand will travel to Rome to participate in the Catholic Church's discussion led by Pope Francis on Marriage and the Family, next month.

This is a significant number to represent a small country like New Zealand, especially a country with a small Catholic population.

"Francis has fished some of the new ones out from among the runners-up of the voting in the episcopal conferences," writes Sandro Magister.

"This is the case, for example, of the New Zealander John Atcherley Dew, whom he made a cardinal, and of Blase J. Cupich of the United States, whom he promoted as archbishop of Chicago, both active members of the progressive wing."

"The runners-up in the various countries also included leading personalities of the conservative wing, like Salvatore J. Cordileone in the United States, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama in Nigeria, Olivier de Germay in France, Héctor Rubén Aguer in Argentina, José Antonio Eguren Anselmi in Argentina, Klaus Küng in Austria, Juan Antonio Reig Plá in Spain," Magister says.

"Francis has not selected any of these among the synod fathers of his appointment."

It reflects Pope Francis' efforts in reaching out to the margins, including geographical ones, ensuring that the Church throughout the world has a voice in this global discussion. Add to that, Cardinal Soane Mafi, Bishop of Tonga, and Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Bishop Eugene Hurley, and Ms Maria Harres from Australia who will also be attending and there will be significant input from the Pacific.

"This cardinal has opposed Church teaching on marriage for years. Why did the pope handpick him for the Synod?" asks a headline on LIFESITE, referring to Cardinal Dew.

The blog is under the byline Voice of the Family,

Voice of the family is a conservative pro life blog.

While here he also gave a talk about New Zealand's Marriage Equality bill.

Source

• chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it
• voiceofthefamily.info
• catholic.org.nz
• Image: nzcatholic thevaticaninsider

Societies such as Oxford Students for Life, which I've been part of for the last couple of years, don't tend to think of themselves as ‘anti-choice', but it's true there are more of us around.

The number of young people who are opposed to abortion, or at least worried about it, is growing — this despite the usual hostility from student unions.

Just look at the results of a ComRes survey conducted in April. Asked whether the abortion limit should be halved to 12 weeks, the most likely age group to agree were, by some distance, the 18- to 24-year-olds: 48 per cent said yes, only 26 per cent no.

Most — not all — of the other surveys I have seen show more unease about abortion among young people.

Gallup found a similar trend in the US. But perhaps this is not the best year to be basing an argument on opinion polls, so here is some anecdotal evidence.

Although pro-life activism brings you up against a fair amount of angry opposition, I've been struck by how many students are sympathetic to our cause, or unsure quite what to think.

This will surprise those who note — reasonably enough — that students are getting more socially liberal, and who — more dubiously — equate pro-life beliefs with social conservatism.

he truth is that people from all political backgrounds are disquieted by Britain's abortion culture.

My own convictions aren't products of a left-wing or right-wing worldview; it's just that I've never been able to shake the idea that each abortion is a death.

Some say that human beings only start having rights at 20 to 24 weeks, or at birth, or at some point in childhood; all these seem to me far less persuasive than assuming that at conception, this new, unique being with its own genetic makeup is one of us. Continue reading

• Daniel Hitchens is in his third year of a DPhil in English at Oxford University, and is President of Oxford Students for Life. The article above is from The Spectator.

Voice of the Family is an initiative of Catholic laity from major pro-life/pro-family organisations around the world.

Family Life International (NZ) is a member of the coalition.

Voice of the Family's concern relates to Dew's interventions at two recent Synods.

At the October 2005 Synod on The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission on the Church Dew argued for the admission of the divorced and remarried to Holy Communion. He said:

"Our Church would be enriched if we were able to invite dedicated Catholics, currently excluded from the Eucharist, to return to the Lord's table. There are those whose first marriages ended in sadness; they have never abandoned the Church, but are currently excluded from the Eucharist."

During the Extraordinary Synod of the Family in October 2014 Dew wrote about the content of his intervention in the synod hall. He said:

"I gave my own Intervention today and it seemed to be well received by most."

"I basically said that we have to change the language which is used in various Church documents so that people do not see and hear the Church judging or condemning, passing out rules and laws, but rather showing concern and compassion and reaching out to help people discover God in their lives."

Source

• Voice of the Family
• Image: pictures.zimbio.com

Co-ordinator Frank Fischer (42), of Dunedin, said the centre, run by the Family Life International John Paul II Centre for Life, was training staff to be ready for its first clients - troubled pregnant women seeking assistance. Continue reading

Now a documentary on a mothers prolife choice has been picked up by Al-Jazeera's English language channel and screened worldwide in up to 80 million homes.

The documentary on Claudia Astorga-Ralph's moving story was made by film maker Anna McKessar, as part of her master's degree, She said that people who watched it "cannot help but be moved by this family's love and heart".

"I felt the weight of responsibility as a storyteller to ... extend the influence of that little life."

Watch documentary online on Aljazeera

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Auckland Now

The New Year is ushered in by Father Time, who derives from the Greek God Chronos, more commonly known as the Grim Reaper. A fitting moment, you might think, for the publication of the findings of Lord Falconer's Commission on Assisted Dying.

Hopelessly biased and distorted the Falconer Commission is stacked full of euthanasia sympathisers and was suggested by Dignity in Dying (formerly The Voluntary Euthanasia Society). Note the change in name, and never concede that, to die with dignity, you need a doctor to kill you.

The Funding for the Commission was provided by Bernard Lewis and Terry Pratchett, the latter a patron of Dignity in Dying. It is entirely wedded to introducing legalisation for assisted suicide for those who are terminally ill.

On 30 November 2010 it was revealed that nine of the twelve commissioners were well-known names in the pro-legalisation lobby. The remaining three are certainly not against euthanasia. The euthanasia lobby decided to take the 'independent' route because when two genuinely independent Parliamentary Select Committees carefully examined the issue they did not recommend a change of law.

When votes were then taken in the House of Lords it resulted in large defeats for their proposals (148-100 and 194-141). The last attempt at legalization in Scotland also resulted in a heavy defeat (85-16) for Margo Macdonald's Bill in 2010.

Over 50 organizations refused to give evidence to the Commission when they saw its composition. Instead, Dignity in Dying contacted its own members asking them to give evidence to the Commission. The British Medical Association (BMA) passed a five point resolution that undermined the Commission credibility by questioning its impartiality and independence. On the BBC's Sunday Programme the BBC commentator, Edward Stourton, laughed derisively at the suggestion that the group could be independent if it was so overwhelmingly full of those wanting change.

Continue reading Lord Alton's article on euthanasia in Independent Catholic News.

Image: ProLife NZ

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