In an advance copy of the message for the May 13 National March for Life, the pro-life arm of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops quotes Pope John Paul II saying that abortion poses “an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself.” The message of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) is titled “Threats to Civilization” and notes that the former pope’s “strong warning rings true today.”
The message speaks of the “devastating aftermath of abortion” and notes that “millions of unborn babies have been eliminated by abortion since 1969.” Abortion has “destroyed countless innocent lives and deeply scarred women, men, and children from all walks of life, leaving our society deeply wounded,” says COLF.
COLF warns further that, “Just as abortion intensified its assault on the most innocent members of our society over 40 years ago, the potential legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide now threatens the lives of countless vulnerable persons across the country.”
The message refers to assisted suicide and euthanasia as “inhuman practices.”
The message addresses Catholics and all Canadians, saying, “On the occasion of the March for Life, let us commit ourselves to renewing our civilization through acts of love.”
“It is important,” says the message, “to show our love not only for the unborn child, but also for the frightened mother who considers abortion as a last resort, the silenced partner who can do nothing but watch as his child is taken from him, and the misguided doctor who perverts his or her gift of healing by destroying life.”
The bishops’ message urges political action to “continue to fight for the rights of the unborn.”
The March for Life message concludes by discrediting the notion that abortion and assisted suicide are all about “individual choice.” In reality, it says, “the decision to participate in any one of these life-destroying acts affects not only the individual, but also his or her family and friends, and their entire community … the entire social network that upholds our society.”