Letters

Relearning needed

Anne Lastman

Contents - Aug 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: New challenges for Catholic education - Peter Westmore Pope's representative reminds Australian religious leaders on liturgy abuses - Archbishop Francesco Canalini News: The Church Around the World Getting serious about orthodoxy: an American bishop shows how - Michael Gilchrist Catholic politicians and informed conscience - Bishop Michael Sheridan Bioethics: Embryo stem-cell research: time for a moral benchmark - Christopher Pyne MP The morning after pill - Bishop Anthony Fisher History: Catholic education: triumph over adversity - Cardinal George Pell Carnivale Christi: Whatever happened to beauty in art? - Paul Fitzgerald The Catholic Church and the Greens: why? - Tony Kearney Letters: Missal translation - Pastor David Buck Letters: Hymn parody - Peter Hannigan Letters: Casual trend - Gina Voskulen Letters: Parish revitalised - Br Con Moloney CFC Letters: Threats to family - Gordon Southern Letters: Abortion - Anne Boyce Letters: Relearning needed - Anne Lastman Letters: Gospel dates - Jack R. Nyman Books: DANIEL MANNIX: Wit and Wisdom, by Michael Gilchrist - Hermann Kelly (reviewer) Books: A Guide To The Passion Of The Christ : 100 Questions - Fr Scot Armstrong STL (reviewer) Books: Interview with the author of 'The Da Vinci Hoax' - Carl E. Olsen Books: More new titles for 2004 from AD Books Reflection: Why teaching in a Catholic school is far more than a profession - Fr Dennis Byrnes

Referring to Tom King's letter (July AD2000), I admire his enthusiasm for "doing something" for the pro-life arena. However, I think he will be disappointed with the results if an initiative were started to show the TV documentary My Foetus.

There would be some immediate reaction to the viewing, but without any on-going changing of hearts, attitudes and lifestyles, very little would radically change. Abortion on demand would still be on the cards and on the statutes.

The problem is not lack of knowledge: generally people know that a conception between human persons results in a new human being. It is a lack of desire by the pro-abortion and pro-feminist lobbies, the medical and mental health professions, society in general, and above all, media outlets, to accept that abortion is first and foremost a killing.

That it is a killing with violence attached to it, and then that it is a killing which leaves in its wake a deep lifelong complicated type of grief and a trauma which at times is irreversible.

The problem is not finding funds for the documentary which will be viewed and then put aside. What is needed is an overhaul of the moral fabric of society, a relearning of what it means to be male and female and a mother and father.

What it means is a relearning of what being a human being really means. Can it be done? Of course it can, but without bandaids. It needs to be done with the goodwill of other humans and it needs to begin at home, at school, in our churches and in our parliaments.

ANNE LASTMAN
Post Abortion Grief Counsellor
Victims of Abortion Trauma Counsel & Info Services,
0408 175 033

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 7 (August 2004), p. 16