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In Focus
Who will go down in history as the villains and heroes of our age?
Dear Friend for Life
In generations to come, will our age be one that is remembered for the great disregard for human life and our Creator?
Who will be the villains and heroes? As the great battle plays out before us - a battle that we are all necessarily a part of - I firmly believe the heroes of this age, remembered for all time, will be the ordinary people, living extraordinary lives, trusting in God as they move against the great tide of evil that threatens to engulf us.
Certainly, the people decidedly rejected the liberal agenda of Labour and the Greens in the General Election last weekend. Maybe the hard-core social engineering in the end turned many off voting for a far left government.
One victory for life was the failure of Maryan Street to re-enter Parliament. Sponsor of the End of Life Choice Bill, fiercely pro-abortion and a supporter of the gay agenda, Street is definitely an MP that pro-life, pro-family New Zealander's will not miss! That being said, we cannot rest on our laurels as Maryan likely has a suitable friend waiting right now to re-submit the End of Life Choice Bill into the ballot as soon as Labour's leadership disaster is sorted out.
Family Planning and ALRANZ have once again joined forces to push their agenda to liberalise New Zealand's abortion law. The International Day of Action for the Decriminalisation of Abortion is held on September 28th each year and abortion activists use the opportunity to make gains in their campaigns. Both organisations want to see greater access and use of Early Medical Abortions (EMA) by women as these currently amount to "just 6.4 per cent of abortions nationally."
ALRANZ used the opportunity to push their "My Decision" website where they aim to shame health professionals and Pregnancy Centres which do not refer for abortion. The stories submitted are anonymous and are not vetted for accuracy. ALRANZ wants the ability of medical professionals to follow their own conscience in the matters of abortion and contraception to be eradicated.
In just a few days, the Catholic Bishops will be meeting in Rome for the Synod of the Family. This Synod has been much anticipated by many - both liberal and those unreservedly in communion with the Church's teaching on marriage and the family.
Pope Francis has asked the faithful to pray for the Synod and has composed a Prayer to the Holy Family. The Synod will be held from October 5th (this coming Sunday) until October 19th. Some say that the current mood is very similar to the lead up to the promulgation of the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae. We will all be praying, listening and waiting to see what eventuates.
So where does our hope lie? With the youth. As such, at Family Life International NZ we are always looking for ways that we can reach the young people through our Next Generation programme. Just last week Clare finished the Theology of the Body programme with two separate groups of young people in Petone and Porirua. Colleen and myself were invited to give a talk on chastity to the youth in Pakuranga on Friday night. All of these young people have soaked up God's plan for love and life, and they have been a real joy to work with. We have also been distributing our prayer book "Seeking God: Prayers for Youth for Every Day". This is a real hit! More prayers for youth can be found here.
Please take the time to read our latest issue of Family Life (hard copies are also available on request). This magazine is jam packed with articles on the issues and thought-provoking real life stories.
Finally, thank you to all of you, whom I know strive to live your lives in the service of life and the family. Please know that every one of your efforts are slowly, but surely bringing about a culture that will one day fully embrace LIFE.
Yours in the service of Life
on behalf of all the team at Family Life International NZ
Michelle Kaufman
Communications Director
Family Life International NZ
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