Letters

Life under threat

Brian Harris

Contents - Apr 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Passion of the Christ: 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' - Michael Gilchrist National Church Life Survey: church-going declines further - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Riccardo Piol of Communion and Liberation makes an impact in Victoria - AD2000 Report Books: Archbishop Hart launches new book on Dr Mannix - Daniel Mannix: Wit and Wisdom - Archbishop Dennis Hart Film Review: Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ': a contemporary masterpiece - David Schütz Events: Adore 2004 Youth Eucharistic Congress - Nicole Osmak God 'number one' in East Timor - Paul Russell Events: Chesterton conference to be held in Melbourne - Tony Evans Theology: Fr Aidan Nichols to lecture on von Balthasar in Melbourne - Tracey Rowland Whatever happened to reverence at Mass? - Matthew Greene The Salesians in East Timor: progress report - Br Michael Lynch Letters: Church architecture Letters: Catholic schools Letters: Jehovah's Witnesses Letters: Corrections - Fr Timothy Deeter Letters: The Sign of the Cross - Dr Arnold Jago Letters: Life under threat - Brian Harris Letters: Taking a stand in the culture war - Robert and Carmel Garrett Letters: Easter greetings from India - Fr S. John Joseph Poetry: Two Poems on the Passion - Marion Craig and Brian Mulligan Books: The Catholic Revival in English Literature 1845-1961, by Ian Ker - Francis Phillips (reviewer) Books: An apology for the revival of Christian Architecture, by Augustus Welby Pugin - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Priestly Fraternity of St Peter - Holy Week 2004 Books: AD Books - More new titles for 2004 Reflection: Right is right, even if nobody does it (G.K. Chesterton) - Fr F.E. Burns

I am sure God sees and cares that there is a raging battle between the culture of life and the culture of death in Australia, for the hearts, minds and souls of everyone. For example:

1. The morning after pill can be sold over the counter despite the fact that it is many times the strength of an ordinary contraceptive. A young girl may buy it along with a packet of jellybeans from her own chemist.

2. Euthanasia has made great advances with the courts now allowing the removal of the tube containing nutrition and hydration to the patient. This means death by thirst and starvation. It is a terrible way to die.

3. Infanticide occurs in some hospitals (though not all), before and after birth, with many down syndrome babies killed by abortion, along with others with cleft palate or other disabilities.

4. With the help of millions of dollars from the Federal Government and supporting legislation it has been made possible to extract stem cells from embryonic human beings, causing their destruction, much to the financial benefit of IVF scientists.

For those who look after the disabled, there are good times and there are bad times, and the face of true love then can be a terrible thing.

BRIAN HARRIS
(Father of a disabled child)
Hadfield, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 3 (April 2004), p. 16