P.O. Box 1988 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N7
Telephone: (902) 894-5473 Fax: (902) 892-2424
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P.E.I Right to Life Association P.O. Box 1988 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N7 Telephone: (902) 894-5473 Fax: (902) 892-2424 Email us |
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P.E.I. Right to Life Newsletter April 2003 |
P.O. Box 1988, Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A 7N7
A living will or the durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC) has been going through an evolution since the time of “the death with dignity” advocates, Derek Humphry of the Hemlock Society and presently of Nu Teck and Dr. Jack Kevorkian. (Nu Teck is an organization that develops new methods of committing suicide including the “Exit bag”, the “Debreather” and the use of Helium as a suicide agent). They talked about the “right to die” as the desired option to natural death. To have this “dignified death” one needed a living will. This was the enabling piece of “legalize” required to terminate life upon request.
Living wills are legal documents that anticipate a situation and as a result must be generally vague and all encompassing. Living wills by their nature must be flexible enough to include any and every situation. These agreements can also be restrictive in giving direction and in using inaccurate terminology and be subject to misinterpretation and lack of common sense application. No law requires that patients or their families be notified that a living will is going into effect. Terms like “no longer able to participate in medical treatment decisions”, “incurable or irreversible decisions”, “no reasonable hope for recovery “, are all subject to interpretation. In the present health care environment a bevy of health care specialists, with whom you don’t have the same familiarity as say your family doctor, could determine your outcome.
Some people have had experiences in their life time where they themselves, or a family member, or acquaintance have made a recovery from possibly any one of the following situations; an incurable or irreversible condition, no reasonable hope for recovery, no longer able to participate in medical decision concerning treatment or care, or an imminent death situation.
Mary Senander in her book The Living Will, states that under a heroic means management clause, requests like, “Don’t artificially prolong my life, and “Don’t use life sustaining procedures”, open up vast gaping holes big enough to drive a hearse through!”
Living wills can be deceptively named in that they have little to do with the living. More often they add to legal and ethical confusion rather than diminishing it. What a signer originally thinks when signing a living will is not necessarily how it will be interpreted.
Mary Senander also states that, “Autonomy (the right of each person to make decisions without interference) has become a reigning principle for medical and other profession decision making. But legalized euthanasia does not necessarily translate into individuals having control over their own lives. More likely it grants others the right to control death”.
Are health care directives or advanced directives needed? There is no organization, or law, or medical group, or church or anti-euthanasia organization that requires or insists on the use of any unnecessary or heroic measures to keep a dying person alive. It is necessary to administer conscientiously only those remedies that seem beneficial and useful. The request for ordinary and medically applicable treatment by means of a will is ethically not required. The request for a “do not resuscitate” could be appropriate in certain circumstances.
In the Senate Report on “Quality end of Life Care” June 2000, it states that eight provinces have passed and proclaimed advanced directive legislation. It also states, while advanced directives continue to receive widespread support, some concerns like not updating regularly, may cause the implementation of a request after a patient has changed his or her mind.”
In July 2000 the P.E.I. Government Bill passed an Act to Amend the Consent to Treatment and Health Care Directive Act. Under this act a patient has the right to consent to treatment and no treatment will be given without consent. All consent must relate to a particular treatment. Health Care Directives are available upon request but the use of such forms is not mandatory.
When doing a Directive, it is most beneficial that it be done in consultation with the attending personal physician so that the intent is understood. Any stipulation too restrictive can tie the hands of a caregiver and sometimes cause confusion with other persons and/or family members involved. Good advanced directive should specify and prohibit euthanasia practices. Where possible, a designated proxy, able to interpret the patient’s intentions, is very important for any signed document of this nature.
There are many types of advanced
directives and they all give the patient the right to give consent or refuse
consent to treatment. This gives the power and authority to your attending
physician to withhold or withdraw medical treatment and care under certain conditions.
In legalizing end of life requests you sometimes have to be careful what you
wish for because it may come true.
Thank
You for the precious gift of human life:
- for
life in the womb, coming from Your
creative
power,
- for
the life of children, making us glad with
their
freshness and promise,
- for
the world of young people, hoping for a
better
world,
- for
the life of people who are disabled,
teaching
us that every life has value,
- for
the life of the elderly, witnessing to the
ageless
value of patience and wisdom.
back to Newsletter Index
Induced abortion and breast cancer
“Breast cancer poses a significant threat to the health
and survival of women in the Western world. Excess estrogen exposure has
emerged as a major risk factor, raising concern about the way induced abortion
exposes women to the unprotected cancer-inducing effects of the high estrogen
environment of early pregnancy. Since 1957, the evidence linking
induced-abortion to the later development of breast cancer has been observed in
27 of 33 studies worldwide, including 13 of 14 U.S. studies.” Women’s Health
after Abortion, The Medical and Psychological Evidence by Elizabeth
Ring-Cassidy and Ian Gentles, page 17.
Recent research is beginning to tell us that abortion can be responsible for a number of emotional disturbances that can be long-term. Persons who have an abortion may pay a psychological price. There has been a denial of these complications by abortion advocates, thus leading to an ill-informed public.
On June 17th, 2003, Ms. Angelina Steenstra will be a guest speaker at Saint Pius X Hall in Parkdale (St. Peter’s Road) at 7:30 p.m.
She is the co-founder of Second Chance Ministry with Fr. Vince Heffernan, SFM. This is a post abortion outreach center in Scarborough, Ontario that serves men and women through personal ministry.
In sharing her journey towards reconciliation and healing, She will hopefully bring peace and new hope to people who have experienced in any way the trauma of abortion. There is a need for the community at large to become aware of this crisis and to be confident and helpful when giving support and counsel to those in need. We hope to see you there.
On the
13th of March 2003, the US Senate passed a ban on partial-birth abortions by 64
votes to 33. The legislation defines partial-birth abortion as the killing of a
child of at least 20 weeks' gestation whose entire body other than the head is
outside the mother's body. It includes an exception in cases when the procedure
is considered necessary to save the mother's life. No such ban exists in Canada.
This
vote is the first federal law in North America limiting abortion since the 1973
Roe vs Wade Supreme Decision. According to the Catholic Register (March2003),
President George Bush after the vote released a statement saying, “an important
step to building a culture of life in America”.
National Campus Life Network
The goal of this organization is “to establish and maintain an active pro-life presence in every post-secondary campus in Canada”. This group offers information on starting and maintaining a campus group, resources and support and email info@ncln.ca, and a website www.ncln.ca, for fast access to its services. Because about 69% of all reported abortions performed in Canada are on women 29 and under, an active pro-life presence on campuses is vital. The NLCN held a fall National Symposium in Toronto of more than 50 students from over 16 different Canadian campuses. The national youth director Elaine Barbour expressed an interest in coming to P.E.I. to put on a conference for youth this coming fall.
If you are pregnant and feel that you don’t have much of a
choice, call these people. They don’t want your money; they just
want to help. They’ll stand by you when nobody else will.
Birthright 1-800-550-4900 or locally 902-628-6028.
Abortion, what to say! This is a very emotional and moral issue. In Canada there never has been an open public debate regarding abortion and the effects it has on mother and child and families. This has been referred to as the “deadly silence “!
Let us try to unveil a tiny bit of information on abortion.
1) It is the most common surgery in Canada.
2) It causes more death than heart disease and cancer.
3) One child in four in Canada dies before it is born.
4) It is a surgery like no other as it involves the death of a person.
5) It has affected the health and well being of hundreds of thousands of mothers.
6) It has reduced our birth rate from 2 children per average woman to a point so low (1.5) that, but for immigration Canada would be a dying nation. In the Atlantic Provinces we are not replacing ourselves. The total number of children (age 0-14) will decline 30% between 2001 and 2026.(Atlantic Provinces Economic Council – Report Card)
7) According to recent polls, two-thirds of Canadians oppose payment for abortion through government-funded health care. Yet taxpayers are, strangely, almost forced to fund it; even for private-profit clinics.
8) 40% of Canadians do not approve of abortions. Since 1969 when the Omnibus Bill was brought into Parliament and made abortion legal, 2.5 million babies have died.
Recently the Romanow Commission and the Kirby Senate Report knowing and being aware of this information would not allow any presentation from pro-life groups in Canada regarding healthcare for mothers and their babies lost and sacrificed for abortion rights.
The Romanow Commission recommended that Canadians be forced to pay for all abortions for any reason, at private clinics as well as hospitals, even though only 23% of Canadians agree that health care funding should pay for every abortion. This cost does not include all the complications after abortion, such as long- lasting mental health problems, pelvic infections, bleeding, perforated uterus and problems that develop long term, such as infertility and breast cancer.
Many studies document that breast cancer now affects more than one woman in ten during their lifetime. A woman in her teens who bears a child and has no abortions will reduce her risks to 7%. By contrast, a teenager who aborts her first pregnancy increases her risk to 15%. In plain English, by choosing abortion over childbirth, she at least doubles her chances of having breast cancer. A Scandinavian study has shown that women who undergo an abortion die at a rate four times greater within twelve months of the operation, than women who give birth. Also, there is a remarkable rate of suicide among women who abort their children. This rate is six times higher than women who give birth, and three times higher than the general population.
Another disturbing long-term risk is the strong possibility of having a premature birth in a following pregnancy. The possibility increases with the shorter length of time from the abortion. Premature babies who weigh less than 1500 grams have a higher incidence of cerebral palsy that can be directly attributable to abortion.
Women who experience emotional distress during pregnancy most often continue to experience these difficulties after abortion; instead of experiencing relief, only worthlessness may set in. This also could lead to self- destructive behaviours, such as alcohol abuse, and non-medicinal drug use.
That is a very brief sample of the perilous matter of abortion. I do believe that a woman considering abortion should receive certain basic information including an ultrasound photo of the child from her physician. Women should know the facts and have the right to know the truth and consequence of aborting their baby.
Pro-lifers in United States show some signs of renewal for life through their political system. Here in Canada, the pro-life community is surviving through support from each other and hope in the Lord that the culture of life is there for those who have patience and trust in Him.
Let
nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything
passes / God never changes
Patience
/ Obtains all
God alone is enough. (St. Teresa of Jesus)
I do see a great need in our province for priests and ministers to boldly confront the issue of abortion in their weekly homilies. There are too many young women crying from within who have an abortion and don’t want anyone else to experience such great devastation to their souls. These women are torn from within because this heart wrenching deed is seldom recognized, even from the pulpits of our churches. Churches must confront abortion because the source of the problem lies, not in politics or with our politicians, but in the human heart.
Richard Land, president of Southern Baptist Convention, stated, “Abortion is the most profound moral and spiritual issue of our time ”. He also states: “The culture of death in the human heart is far more dangerous than the culture of abortion in the abortionist’s place of work. The one leads to the other – from the heart to the abortion clinic and not from the abortion clinic to the heart.”
The hearts of the people in our
nation must be reached. This will only happen through prayer and we would
joyfully support a greater push from our clergy. It is past time the deadly
silence is lifted.
“The Daily” of Statistics Canada, Friday, March 28, 2003 published the year 2000 data on induced (therapeutic) abortions.
Canadian women obtained 105,427 abortions in 2000, a slight increase of 0.2% from 105,666 in 1999. The rate of abortions remained steady at 15.4 abortions per 1,000 women in both 1999 and 2000.
The ratio of the number of induced abortions per 100 live births increased from 31.3 in 1999 to 32.2 in 2000.
In Prince Edward Island the numbers of abortions for 1998 were 149, for 1999 were 145, and for 2000 were 158. Of the 158 abortions in the Province in 2000, 18 were approved and paid for from the provincial health care budget and performed on the mainland.
The Association sets aside this week to bring about an awareness of life issues. It will be held from April 19th to April 26th.
The following Branches are planning prayer services and a speaker to elaborate on the theme: The Southern Queens at Montague’s Pentecostal Assembly (at corner of Wood Island Hill and Douses Road) on April 24th at 7 p.m. The Charlottetown Area Branch at the Christian Reformed Church (Mount Edward Road) on Wednesday, April 23rd at 7:30 p.m.
The East Prince Branch and Evangeline Branch at Saint Paul’s Church in Summerside on Thursday, April 24th at 7:00 p.m. (Mass included in the Service).
The week will close with the Annual Meeting of the Prince Edward
Island Right to Life Association being held at St. Francis of Assisi Church
Hall in Cornwall, on the 26th day of April 2003. Registration will
begin at 1:00 p.m. At 1:45 p.m. a workshop on stem cell research will be
conducted by Dr. Larry Hale (U.P.E.I.) The AGM will follow at 3:00 p.m.
This year the Board of Directors and the Executive of the Association will be elected under the new constitution and by-laws as passed at the last AGM. Under the new by-laws the elected board will consist of two members each from West Prince, East Prince, and Queens regions, as well as one member each from Southern Kings and Eastern Kings regions, along with a maximum of four, members- at-large. The Board of Directors upon election will select its own Executive.
The guest speaker for the
occasion will be Dr. Ian Dowbiggin. Recently Dr. Dowbiggin has published an
historical account on euthanasia called, A Merciful End: The Euthanasia
Movement in Modern America. He comes well qualified, both as an historian
and as an author, to give an accurate and sobering account of this pervading
culture of death.
Following the meeting there will be a meal provided. A donation will be accepted at the door to help defray the cost of the meal ($10.00).
At the Office – Aukje Annema
Our first newsletter of the year is about to go to print. It is a busy time again for the Executive, and Newsletter and Celebrate Life Committees.
We had a great response from members and new members after the fall newsletter. We like to thank the many volunteers who responded to us by helping out with folding, stapling, stuffing envelopes and writing out receipts.
Without crunch-time volunteers to help the regular volunteers we couldn’t do what we do, informing you, our members, and all of P.E.I. about life issues.
Again we ask you to consider volunteering a couple of hours a week. Due to our present staffing needs during the office hours we ask you to consider volunteering a couple of hours a week. We have an orientation time for those interested, to familiarize you with the office and the work.
If you need any information or want to visit the office, please call ahead to see if a volunteer is working. If you need any information from your MP about the legislation before the House of Commons, the address is; your MP, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2. (no postage required)
Our Christmas Card Fundraiser was a great success again. Thanks to the many groups who came and picked up the cards at the office. This year we are going to have a different selection of Christmas cards. More information will be available in the fall newsletter.
Report
of the Education Committee -John Broderick
A new project was undertaken this year to promote the Right to Life among students in grades 7, 8, & 9. This was very much a success.
The Association wrote to most of the Catechetics and Sunday School coordinators and Superintendents offering complimentary information, bookmarks, and our special emblem (Precious Feet) for their students. Fourteen Sunday Schools responded and we distributed approximately 500 of each item.
This offer is still open to any teacher reading this; simply call our office and place your order. Also available are information packages containing videos, pamphlets and handouts. These can be sent out as we pre-package them or any person can come into the office and compile their own customized package from the many and varied information we have available.
Chorionic villi sampling (CVS) is used to detect
genetic defects in the unborn child early in pregnancy, at about ten weeks as
opposed to sixteen for amniocentesis. The doctor inserts a long, thin tube into
the uterus and snips off a small piece of the chorionic villi, tissue between
the uterine lining and the fetal membrane, which will become the placenta. The
tissue is then analyzed for genetic abnormalities.
Using sound waves, an ultrasound can also give a physician and eager parents a "window into the womb". The advent of this technology has opened a whole new world into the life and development of the unborn child. Ultrasound can be used to determine the child's gestational age, to scan for abnormalities, and even to determine the baby's gender. Studies have shown that ultrasound is completely safe for the baby.
Prenatal tests can be very helpful to prospective parents. They can also serve a useful function in terms of identifying, and sometimes treating, health problems. However, given all these advances in technology there is a growing concern as to the reasons for prenatal screening. There is reason to speculate as to why babies in the womb are being subject to testing. Is it to provide life-saving information and treatment? Is it to eliminate the affected child through abortion because he or she is handicapped? Is this always the case? No! In fact the patients (babies) with potential problems are in increasing numbers being killed to prevent their birth. Birth defects are not being eliminated because of this increased knowledge - little people are.
West Prince Branch has been active during the past year. For the second year they had a special celebration of Life by hosting a service at the Sacred Heart Church, Alberton on the 25th of March. They hold their meetings on the last Thursday of each month in the Sacred Heart Church at 7:30 p.m. Projects are ongoing and new members are welcome. Contact person Terry Laming.
For years Joe and Zellica Arsenault maintained a pro-life presence in the Evangeline area. Recently they relinquished the direction of the Branch to Urban and Noreen Arsenault. Our thanks to Joe and Zellica for their continued efforts over the years and we wish Urban and Noreen best wishes in their ongoing efforts for the pro-life cause.
East Prince Branch has been active with five meetings this past year where they shared information from “Focus on the Family”, Coalition for Life, Real Women, and “The Interim” as well as reports from the Provincial Board Meetings. Projects are ongoing as well as fund raising to support pro-life organizations. Contact person Clara Lawless – Kinkora.
Southern Kings Branch had a busy year. They
celebrated an Anniversary, participated in Celebrate Life Week, took part in
the Life Chain and the 70 Mile auction. Projects are ongoing with spreading
information on life issues and fund raising for donations to pro-life
organizations. Last fall they erected a Pro-life sign in Orwell. The sign
reads, “Take my Hand, not my Life”. Contact person Fim Visser.
Bill C-13, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act
Amendments to Bill C – 13 voted on in the House of Parliament (March 26):
Liberal MP Paul Szabo's Motion 13, which attempts to ensure that the bill would in fact ban all forms of cloning, passed by a narrow 11- vote margin; Alliance MP Jason Kenney's Motion 17, which would have banned all destructive embryo experimentation, was defeated.
This last amendment by Kenney was a critical motion in that the defeat leaves the bill still allowing the killing of embryonic humans for research purposes.
As of this printing the Bill is up for final vote. Since it is the only Bill that prohibits cloning and put some restrictions on stem cell research it is expected to pass. Yet to come are the regulations that will govern the implementation of the Bill. Our fight might not be over.
The March for Life
The theme for the March this year in Ottawa, Ontario, is “Life is the Only Choice”. On Tuesday, 13th of May 03, activities start at 1 p.m. with a youth conference and conclude with a youth vigil. On 14th of May, the day begins with a Mass or Prayer service and then a march through downtown Ottawa, followed by a pro-life banquet. For information contact our office by phone or phone toll free 1-800-730-5358.
“It is one thing to show a man that he is in error,
And another to put him in possession of the truth.”
“PRO-LIFE NEWS” / PUBLICATION OF
ALLIANCE FOR LIFE CANADA
Vol. 12, No.1 March/ April 1987.
“prophetic observation”