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CFCFFLUSA BULLETIN
Volume3Issue7FirstinTime,FirstinRightJuly2011

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on Us

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AcompellingexpositionofCardinalJoseph Ratzingersinspiredunderstandingofoneofthe mostpowerfuldevotionsavailabletoCatholics

Profound Theologian of the Sacred Heart

In July of 1985, 1 was standing in the bookstore of the Abbey of Sainte-Ccile of Solesmes in France when, by a wonderful providence of God, I met the Benedictine scholar, Mother Elisabeth de Solms. The encounter remains unforgettable. I had long studied and used her admirable translation of the Life and Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as her Christian Bible (1), series of volumes setting the commentaries of the Church Fathers line by line alongside the Scriptures. The simplicity of so great a woman was a marvel. She engaged me in conversation, asking if I had read the works of Cardinal Ratzinger. I admitted that I was familiar with certain writings of his, surely not with everything published. "Read him", she said. "You will see. God will make of him a great gift to his Church". That was 20 years ago. I began reading Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. I devoured, in particular, his writings on the sacred liturgy in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. I discovered, among other things in the writings of Cardinal Ratzinger, elements of a theology of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: "In the pierced heart of the Crucified, God's own heart is opened up; here we see who God is and what he is like. Heaven is no longer locked up. God has stepped out of his hiddenness. That is why St John sums up both the meaning of the Cross and the nature of the new worship of God in the mysterious promise made through the prophet Zechariah (cf. 12:10). 'They shall look on him whom they have pierced' (Jn 19.37)". (2)
In Pope Benedict XVI God has given the Church a shepherd who has contemplated the pierced Heart of the Crucified and already written of it, notably in Behold The Pierced One (3)and, more recently, in The Spirit of the Liturgy. Cardinal Ratzinger's writings on the Sacred Heart are warm and luminous. Fire and light are characteristic of a theology forged in experience. Theologians who do not persevere in a humble prayer of amazement and adoration fall inevitably into one of two syndromes. Either they generate heat without shedding any light, or they shine a cold light, one that fails to warm the heart. The true theologian at once warms the heart and illumines the mind. Recall the words of Jesus concerning John the Baptist: "He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light" (Jn 5:35). In our new Holy Father, God has given the Church "a burning and shining lamp" (Jn 5:35). Those already familiar with his writings and liturgical preaching know

ByFatherMarkD.Kirby,O.Cist., writesforLOsservatoreRomano, May25,2005

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what I mean. Theology itself is a difficult word. Theology of the Sacred Heart thrusts us into deep waters. The Song of Songs assures us that "many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it" (8:7). Theology is more than a mere flood of words. All words oblige us, in some way, to wrestle with meaning. Words are the vehicle of meaning. Words wait to be unlocked. The words we use in talking about God, or in talking to God, can be unlocked only in prayer. Before we can reflect on a theology of the Sacred Heart, we have to ask ourselves this question: "What do we mean by theology?". The Greek etymology of the word discloses both God (thes) and word (lgos). Lgos, in turn, has a huge richness: it can mean word, but it also signifies meaning, message, poem and even hymn. When we speak of theology we mean not one thing but at least three: word from God; word to God; and word about God. All theology, and therefore a theology of the Sacred Heart, is more adequately understood in terms of: God's self-revealing word addressed to us; the doxological word of Christ and of the Church addressed to God; and the healing word of the Church addressed to the world.

July2011Page3 SacredHeart:God'sWordaddressedtous
Theology is, first of all, God's word addressed to us. Apply this immediately to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The pierced Heart of the Crucified is God speaking a word to us, a word carved out in the flesh of Jesus' side by the soldier's lance. It is the love of God laid bare for all to see: "God stepping out of his hiddenness". (4) When we speak of a theology of the Sacred Heart, we mean this first of all: not our discourse about love, but the love of God revealed first to us, the poem of love that issues forth from the Heart of God. This is exactly what St John, whom the Eastern tradition calls, "The Theologian", says in his First Letter: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (I Jn 4:10). The difficulty here is that, in order to receive this word inscribed in the flesh of the Word (cf. Jn 1:14), we have first to stop in front of it, to linger there and to look long at the wound made by love. "They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37). To contemplate is to look, not with a passing glance, but with the gaze of one utterly conquered by love. Jeremiah says, "You have seduced me, O Lord, and I was seduced; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed" (20:7). The call to be an adorer and an apostle of the Sa-

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The mystics of the Sacred Heart, in particular St Gertrude and St Mechthilde, speak of offering the Sacred cred Heart is addressed to every Christian. The apos- Heart of Jesus to the Father. This means allowing the Satle is, in essence, the bearer of a word, one sent forth cred Heart to speak for us, to pray in us, to pray through us, taking comfort in what Scripture says, "that we have and entrusted with a message. The message that the not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our apostle carries into the world is the one he has learned by looking long with the eyes of adoration at weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb 4:15). the pierced Heart of the Crucified. This suggests a simple way of praying, one accessible to The word of Crucified Love is hard to pronounce all: "Lord Jesus, I come to be silent in your presence, trust not with our lips but with our lives. Adoration is ing that your Heart will speak for me, knowing that all I the school wherein one learns how to say the Sacred could ever want to say, that all I would ever need to say, is Heart. It is in adoration that the apostle receives the spoken eternally to the Father by your Sacred Heart". word of the pierced Heart that, in turn, becomes his In this way, everything that prayer can or should exlife's message. press adoration, praise, thanksgiving, supplication and Adoration and apostleship together model a spirireparation finds its most perfect expression. tuality accessible to all Christians: the word received Devotion to the Sacred Heart, thus understood, is a in adoration is communicated in the dynamism of manifestation in the Church of the Holy Spirit, "helping us one sent forth with something to say. in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we SacredHeart:OurwordaddressedtoGod ought" (Rom 8:26). (5) The Sacred Heart is, in the life of Theology is, in the second place, our word adthe Church, the organ by which "the Spirit intercedes for dressed to God. Applying this also to the Sacred the saints according to the will of God" (Rom 8:27). Heart of Jesus, we see that all we could possibly want Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: "We see who Jesus is if we to say to God has already been uttered and is being see him at prayer. The Christian confession of faith comes said eternally through the "mouth" of Christ's glorifrom participating in the prayer of Jesus, from being ous pierced Heart in heaven. It is through the Sacred drawn into his prayer and being privileged to behold it; it Heart that the Blood of Christ speaks "more grainterprets the experience of Jesus' prayer, and its interpreciously than the blood of Abel" (Heb 12:24). tation of Jesus is correct because it springs from a sharing The Letter to the Hebrews puts it this way: "Christ in what is most personal and intimate to him". (6) is able for all time to save those who draw near to This is the prayer of the Sacred Heart, the prayer that God through him, since he lives for ever to make in- filled the days and nights of Jesus' earthly life, the prayer tercession for them" (7:25). Christ exercises his that suffused his sufferings and ascended from the Cross priesthood of intercession in "the inner sanctuary be- at the hour of his death, the prayer that with him dehind the veil" (Heb 6:19) by presenting to the Father scended into the depths of the earth, the prayer that conthe glorious wounds in his hands, his feet and his tinues uninterrupted in the glory of his risen and ascended side. The wound in the side of Christ, "great high life, the prayer that is ceaseless in the Sacrament of the priest over the house of God" (Heb 10:21), speaks to Altar. the Father on our behalf. It is our word addressed to Cardinal Ratzinger wrote that "by entering into Jesus' God. solitude", and "only by participating in what is most perAt the core of devotion to the Sacred Heart is a sonal to him, his communication with the Father, can one passing-over into the prayer of Christ to the Father, a see what this most personal reality is; only thus can one long apprenticeship to silence by which we begin to penetrate to his identity". (7) let the Heart of Christ speak in us and for us to the The SacredHeart represents and invites us into what is Father.

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FR.BINGARELLANOSACREDHEARTDEVOTION PartOne:www.youtube.com/watch?v=zikB2ykHsF4 MUSTWATCH PartTwo:www.youtube.com/watch SACREDHEART v=wsFX1d7SU4c&feature=related SACREDHEARTNOVENAPRAYERShttp://www.youtube.com/ VIDEOS watchv=LML_Rlb3E4w&feature=related

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to the Hebrews resonates throughout the Fourth Gospel. Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: "We could say that the Fourth Gospel draws us into that intimacy which Jesus reserved for those who were his friends" (ibid., 22). The Gospel of the Beloved Disciple belongs, in a special sense, to the friends of the Heart of Jesus. The liturgy gives us the Gospel of St John on every Sunday and weekday during Paschaltide. Holy Thursday's Gospel of Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 13:1-5) becomes Good Friday's Gospel of the Heart from which flowed blood and water: "They shall look on him whore they have pierced" (cf. Jn 19:34-37). By continuing to read the Fourth Gospel on Easter Sunday (Jn 20:1-9) and for the 50 days following, the liturgy guides us into the prayer of the Heart of Christ. The Second Sunday of Easter, that of Divine Mercy, invites us in a particular way to the contemplation of the Sacred Heart. In the Gospel (Jn 20:19-31), the Risen Christ stands before Thomas, inviting him to touch his wounded side. Cardinal Ratzinger wrote: "All of us are Thomas, unbelieving; but like him, all of us can touch the exposed Heart of Jesus and... behold the Logos himself. So, with our hands and eyes fixed upon this Heart, we can attain to the confession of faith: 'My Lord and my God!'". (10) The liturgical lectionary's repartition of the Fourth Gospel is integral to the mystical pedagogy of the Church. When the liturgical Solemnity of the Sacred most personal to Jesus: his communication with the Fa- Heart of Jesus arrives on the Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost, it finds us already prether. In words that today sound almost prophetic, Cardinal pared, ready and full of desire to pass fully into the prayer of the Sacred Heart. Ratzinger concluded that "the person who has beheld For Cardinal Ratzinger, "the entire Gospel testiJesus' intimacy with his Father and has come to undermony is unanimous that Jesus' words and deeds flowed stand him from within is called to be a 'rock' of the from his most intimate communion with the Father; Church. The Church arises out of participation in the that he continually went 'into the hills' to pray in soliprayer of Jesus (cf. Lk 9:18-20; Mt 16:13-20)".(8) PrayeroftheSacredHeartintheNewTestament tude after the burden of the day (cf., Mk 1:35; 6:46; 14:35, 39)". (11) He notes that "Luke, of all the EvanThe Letter to the Hebrews tells us exactly what was the prayer of the Heart of Christ at the moment he took gelists, lays stress on this feature. He shows that the flesh in the Virgin's womb: "When Christ came into the essential events of Jesus' activity proceeded from the core of his personality and that this core was his diaworld, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not logue with the Father". (12) desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure'. PrayeroftheSacredHeartinthePsalms Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O The psalms also express and communicate the God', as it is written of me in the scroll of the prayer of the Heart of Christ. The Psalter is for the book'" (Heb 10:5-7). This is the first prayer of the Heart Church a "sacrament" of the prayer of the Heart of of Jesus, "substantially united to the Word of God". (9) Christ to the Father, revealing that prayer and making The prayer of the Heart of Christ revealed in the Letter it present in her.

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Jesus intoned two psalms from the Cross, leaving it to his Church to continue them: Psalm 21 in Matthew 21:46, and Psalm 30 in Luke 23:46. "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"' (Mt 27:46). The Church, imaged in the Mother of Jesus, the beloved disciple and the other holy women at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25), prays the psalm through to the end to discover in its triumphant final verses (cf. Ps 21:22-31) the promise of a banquet for the afflicted and the hope of the resurrection: "The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; and those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live for ever" (Ps 21:26). Psalm 30 gives the verse, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (Ps 30:5). Praying it from the Cross at the hour of his death, Jesus adds a single word, a word that rises out of the depths of his Heart and utterly transforms the psalmist's prayer into one by which the Son entrusts everything to the Father. "Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!'. And having said this he breathed his last" (Lk 23:46). "Jesus died praying.... Although the Evangelists' accounts of the last words of Jesus differ in details, they agree on the fundamental fact that Jesus died praying. He fashioned his death into an act of prayer, an act of worship.... The last words of Jesus were an expression of his devotion to the Father.... His cry was not uttered to anyone, anywhere, but to Him, since it was of his innermost essence to be in a dialogue relationship with the Father". (13) PrayeroftheSacredHeartintheLiturgy The prayer of the Heart of Christ at the hour of his sacrifice passes entirely into the heart of the Church, where it is prolonged and actualized "from the rising of the sun to its setting" (Mal 1:11) in the Liturgy of the Hours and in the mystery of the Eucharist. Cardinal Ratzinger asks if, after the once-for-all Pasch of Jesus, anything more is needed. "After the tearing of the Temple curtain and the opening up of the heart of God in the pierced heart of the Crucified, do we still need sacred space, sacred time, mediating symbols? Yes, we do need them, precisely so that,

through the 'image', through the sign, we learn to see the openness of heaven. We need them to give us the capacity to know the mystery of God in the pierced heart of the Crucified". (14) It is through liturgy, first and above all, that we pass over into the prayer of the Sacred Heart, the word to the Father forever inscribed in his pierced side.

SacredHeart:Church'sWordtotheWorld
Theology is, finally, a word about God addressed to the world, a word about God addressed to anyone who will listen. The Sacred Heart, pierced in death, becomes a word of life for the world. "Death, which by its very nature is the end, the destruction of every communication, is changed by Jesus into an act of self-communication; and this is man's redemption, for it signifies the triumph of love over death. We can put the same thing another way: death, which puts an end to words and to meaning, itself becomes a word, becomes the place where meaning communicates itself".1 (15) This means that after the mouth of Jesus fell silent in death, there remained the open side and the pierced Heart that speaks of nothing but love, the ultimate and everlasting word about God. In the final analysis, one "impelled by the charity of Christ" (cf. II Cor 5:14) will have but one message, that of the pierced Heart revealing the love of the Father and "drawing all to himself" (cf. Jn 12:32). One who has contemplated the message carved in the flesh of Jesus' side by the soldier's lance and learned to read it in adoration has but one language in which to speak to the world: the language of the heart. It is learned not in conferences or classrooms or books, but in silence and in the contemplation of the Pierced One. It is learned especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The language of the heart encompasses a thousand local dialects, a million accents. Devotion to the Sacred Heart impels the Christian to an inventive charity, a charity ready to explore every dark and treacherous place in search of the lost sheep. "Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame" (Lk 14:21). "The great gesture of embrace emanating from the Crucified has not yet reached its goal; it has only just begun."(16)

WordfromGod,WordtoGod, WordfortheWorld
Word of God addressed to us, word addressed to God,

The coming of the month of July bursts with two significant Solemnities. On first Friday July 1, we commemorate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the next day, first Saturday July 2, the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We are also dedicating this issue for the intention of the children, especially the unborn and newly-born, diagnosed with disabilities. Among the notes Fr. Peter West (see page 24) shared with me, is an anecdote about the sharing of one Nat Hentoff who accepted a pro-life position even though he admitted he was a Jewish atheist, after the Baby Jane Doe case in Indiana where a baby with Downs Syndrome was denied a simple operation in order to help her to simply swallow. Baby Jane Doe was starved to death in a hospital in Bloomington IN. While covering the story, Nat came across physicians, medical writers and staffers in Congress and some Congressmen and Senators who were convinced that making it possible for a spina bifida or starving a Downs Syndrome infant to death was the equivalent of late abortion, and surely they felt, there was nothing wrong with that. 1MreElisabethdeSolms,LavieetlargledesaintBenot Nat revolted as he began to see the slippery (Paris:Tqui,1984);BibleChrtienne(Qubec:Editions slope argument used by pro-lifers was more than AnneSigieretDescle,1988). 2JosephCardinalRatzinger,TheSpiritoftheLiturgy,trans. just a metaphor. He saw how after legal abortion, can come infanticide for the nnewly born, euthanaJohnSaward(SanFrancisco:IgnatiusPress,2000),p.48. sia for the infirmed, expensive senior citizens. 3JosephCardinalRatzinger,BeholdThePiercedOne, See also A Beautiful Story on pages 21-23. trans.GrahamHarrison(SanFrancisco:IgnatiusPress, 1986). Let us invoke in our devotional prayers to the 4Card.Ratzinger,TheSpiritoftheLiturgy,p.48. Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of 5Cf.LitanyoftheSacredHeart. Mary, protection of children with disabilities. 6Card.Ratzinger,BeholdThePiercedOne,p.19. ACKNOWLEDGMENT 7Ibid.,p.19. The spectacular manifestation of the simple 8Ibid. but obedient faith of Manny Pacquiao in the 9Cf.LitanyoftheSacredHeart. last issue (June) written by Teresa Tunay, was 10Card.Ratzinger,BeholdThePiercedOne,p.54. first published by CBCP News five years ago. 11Ibid.,p.17. The accompanying story about Pacquiaos 12Ibid. debate with peer Edcel Lagman, that was con13Ibid.,pp.2224. 14Card.Ratzinger,TheSpiritoftheLiturgy,p.61. tributed by a blogger also had most of his arti15Card.Ratzinger,BeholdThePiercedOne,p.25. cle sourced from CBCP News under the pen of 16Card.Ratzinger,TheSpiritoftheLiturgy,p.50. Diana Uichanco.

word of the Church addressed to the world: herein lies one approach to a theology of the Sacred Heart. The liturgy remains its primary articulation. Together with the Liturgy of the Hours for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, the 12 biblical texts provided for the Mass a First Reading; Psalm, Second Reading and Gospel for each of the three years A, B and C become a fundamental resource, an inexhaustible treasure waiting to be mined for every one called to hear, to pray and to offer the healing word that is the pierced Heart. The Sacred Heart is the Heart of God laid bare for man: word from God. It is a human Heart lifted high on the Cross: word to God. It is the Heart of the Church open to all who seek, to all who thirst, to every lost sheep waiting to be found and carried home: word for the world. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the full and irrevocable message of the Father to us. It is everything we ever could or should need to say to the Father. It is all we have to say to one another and to the world. Pope Benedict XVI, writing in 1981 as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, challenges us to nothing less: "In the Heart of Jesus, the center of Christianity is set before us. It expresses everything, all that is genuinely new and revolutionary in the New Covenant. This Heart calls to our heart. It invites us to step forth out of the futile attempt of self-preservation and, by joining in the task of love, by handing ourselves over to him and with him, to discover the fullness of love which alone is eternity and which alone sustains the world". (17) REFERENCES

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THISISSUE:Thetwoheartsand childrenwithdisabilities

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STORIESPHARMASKEEPFROMTHEPUBLIC

The pill kills

This year, as the birth control pill turns 51, there's little doubt it has changed American culture, but there is now a growing multitude that says such change may not be for the better. "I wonder whether birth control is just one step in a staircase of choices that leaves us with the illusion that humans are products to be consumed or discarded rather than gifts given, created, by God," Amy Julia Becker wrote in a recent Christianity Today blog. Although the most widely used method of contraception, many now believe the pill is dangerous women's bodies, to the lives of babies, to the stability of marriages and the integrity of the environment.

HOWTHEPILLKILLS WOMEN
Jennifer Gray was 25 years old and had just started her dream job as a meteorologist in Miami, Florida. Less than two months after moving to Miami, she began to experience fever and body aches. Her doctors told her it was a urinary tract infection; however, she was experiencing shortness of breath and pain in her lungs. It turned out that Jennifer had pulmonary emboli in both lungs, and her doctor told her she could have died if she had not persisted in getting medical help. After several tests, it was discovered that Jennifer carried whats called Factor V Leiden. This makes her more likely to experience blood clotting by "50-fold." It was discovered that the birth control pills that she had been

taking triggered the clot. Praise God that Jennifer survived. How many other women will not be so fortunate?To read her full story, go to http:// www.stoptheclot.org/News/ article112.htm.
Back in 1956, large-scale human clinical trials of the pill began, in order to gain approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Gregory Pincus, a biologist who worked closely with Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthoods founder, chose Puerto Rico as the location for the human trials because it provided a large pool of poor, uneducated women who could be easily monitored. The local doctor in charge of the study

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told Pincus that the pill causes "too many side reactions to be generally acceptable." However, Pincus and Dr. John Rock, a Catholic ob-gyn who violated Church teachings by advocating contraception, dismissed her findings and did not investigate what caused the side effects, nor did they investigate the causes of the deaths that took place during the trials. Johnson and Johnson, a pharmaceutical company, made headlines in 2008 when it spent at least $68.7 million to settle hundreds of lawsuits "filed by women who suffered blood clots, heart attacks or strokes after using the companys Ortho Evra birth-control patch." Johnson and Johnson was forced to recall its product. Women taking the birth control pill or other birth control products may be exposed to any of the following complications:

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from a study that was published in 1999 in a British medical journal. "The 25 year follow-up study with 46,000 British women also notes that the enhanced risk of death lasts for 10 years after women have stopped taking the pill." ("The Pill is Deadly to Babies and Women," LifeSiteNews, Jan. 12, 1999) http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/ jan/99011203.html.

Increasedriskofplaquebuildupinarteries
A study on 1,300 women aged 35 to 55 found that the women who take oral contraceptives may have more plaque buildup in their arteries. The study was done in Belgium by researchers at the University of Ghent. It was discovered that every 10 years of oral contraceptive use was connected with a 2030 percent increase in plaque buildup. (Thaddeus M. Baklinski, "Birth Control Pill Linked to Hardening of the Arteries," LifeSiteNews, Apr. 8, 2008) http:// www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08040807.html.

Increasedriskofheartdisease
The Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies at the University of Udine, in Italy, conducted a study in 2008 that showed the pill increases the risk of heart disease. Women on the pill were over four times more likely to have high levels of CRP (C-reactive protein) and 3.9 times more likely to have levels of CRP high enough to cause an "intermediate risk" for heart disease. (Matthew Hoffman, "New Study Shows Contraceptive Pill Increases Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke," LifeSiteNews, May 7, 2008) http:// www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/ may/08050713.html.

Increasedriskofraisingyourbloodpressure
Studies done on 60,000 women, 35,000 of whom were taking birth control pills, showed that a rise in blood pressure occurs in virtually all women who use OCs [oral contraceptives] for [six] months or longer. The studies also showed an increase in heart attacks and strokes. (M. H. Weinberger, "Estrogens and hypertension," Compr Ther. 1982 Jun;8(6):71-5, PMID: 7105645 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7105645.

Increasedriskofliverproblems
Several cases of liver tumors were found in young women who had been taking oral contraceptives. These case studies took place in the U.S., Great Britain, Italy, South Africa and several developing countries, and they show a connection between tumors of the liver and the use of oral contraceptives. (L. Rosenberg, "The risk of liver neoplasia in relation to combined oral contraceptive use," Contraception, 1991 Jun;43 (6):643-52, Slone Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, PMID: 1651205 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1651205.

Increasedriskofbreastcancer
In her talk on "A New Beginning" at the 2006 Humanae Vitae Conference, endocrinologist Dr. Maria Kraw discussed the pills serious side effects. "Looking at 54 studies of the pill, she observed that researchers found that it caused a 24 percent increased risk of breast cancer." (Elizabeth OBrien, "Online Video: Noted Endocrinologist Dispels the Myths of Health Benefits of the Pill Part 2," LifeSiteNews, Aug. 9, 2007) http:// www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/ aug/07080903.html.

HOWTHEPILLKILLS BABIES
The contraceptive pill approved by the FDA in 1960 is very much different from the pills that are in the market today. View http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCU46_lWeE
The birth control pill works in three ways: 1. It can prevent the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). However, while using the pill, women can

Increasedriskofcerbrovasculardisease andcervicalcancer
A woman taking the pill is 1.9 times more likely to die from cerebrovascular disease and 2.5 times more likely to die from cervical cancer. This came

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and do experience breakthrough ovulation - meaning that an egg is released from the ovary and is available to be fertilized by the sperm. 2. It also causes the cervical mucus to thicken, making it difficult for the sperm to reach the egg. It is possible, though, for the sperm to break through the mucus and to fertilize the egg. 3. It also changes the lining of the uterus. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the five- to seven-day-old baby to attach to the lining, where he/ she would receive the nourishment needed to grow. If the baby does not successfully attach to the lining, he/she dies and is expelled from the body during menstruation. This process is known as a chemical abortion. The fact that it can occur as a result of taking birth control pills is why the pill is referred to as an abortifacient.

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HOWTHEPILLKILLS MARRIAGES
Marriage and conjugal love are ordered by nature and by God toward two ends: First, Procreation and the nurturing and education of children. Second, Strengthening the loving bond between the spouses, creating societys most important community, the family, in which to raise children. The pill has as its goal rendering intercourse sterile or, alternatively, making it impossible for the newly created child to live. Its chemical composition has a profound negative impact on the bonding and relationship of the couple as well. Thus, the use of the pill strips marriage of its meaning and purpose.
Lets revisit first how the pill negatively impacts procreation. Oral contraceptives work by three modes of operation: They suppress ovulation. They thicken cervical mucous, making it difficult for the sperm to travel through it. They may cause early abortions since the pill prevents the lining of the uterus from being sufficiently prepared for a newly created child to implant, should ovulation occur. The pill is intended to divorce the possibility of procreation from intercourse, thus rendering the natural operation of a healthy reproductive system

and the marriage itself dysfunctional. While many people are aware of the actions of the pill in attempting to render intercourse sterile and acting as a possible abortifacient if ovulation and fertilization do occur, most are not so familiar with the profound negative impact the chemical composition of the pill has on bonding of the spouses. A recent study shows that the hormones contained in the pill may cause a woman to choose a mate with whom she is incompatible. A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B in August of 2008, suggests that women on the pill undergo a shift in preference toward men who share similar MHC genes, while women who are not under the influence of hormonal birth control choose men with dissimilar genes, thus setting them up for relationship catastrophes when they stop taking the pill. Immune genes may have a powerful effect in terms of how well relationships are cemented, says University of Liverpool psychologist Craig Roberts, who coauthored an August research paper that arrived at the same conclusion. Similarly, women who begin taking the pill after they are married may find that they become disinterested in the spouse they have chosen, preferring a man, instead, with similar MHC genes. Lossoflibido.One of the very common reasons women become disinterested in their husbands and vice versa is that the pill can cause a loss of libido. One of the mechanisms responsible for loss of libido in

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women on the pill is a rise in the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). It combines with the womans naturally occurring testosterone, reducing her interest in sex. LossofRespect.Sterile intercourse created by the pill leads to women becoming mere objects of sexual gratification for men.7 A host of health-related side effects from the pill can negatively impact the relationship between spouses. Among those are: Migraine, Headache, Dizziness, Loss of scalp hair, Acne, Hypertension (high blood pressure), Mental depression, Nervousness, Edema (increased fluid and subsequent pressure within an organ), Change in weight (increase or decrease), Rash (allergic reaction), Pre-menstrual syndrome, Hirsutism (excessive hair growth in places where hair normally is minimal or absent), Erythema multiforme (allergic reaction), Erythema nodosum (skin inflammation), Porphyria (disease that can manifest itself as anything from acute mania, including hallucinations, to constipation and skin rashes), Bone loss, Cancer (breast, uterine and vaginal), Gallbladder disease (bile duct stones), Hepatic adenomas or benign liver tumors, Nausea, Vomiting, Gastrointestinal symptoms (such as abdominal cramps and bloating), Cholestatic jaundice (jaundice caused by thickened bile), Impaired renal function (impaired kidney function), Colitis (digestive disease characterized by inflammation of the colon), Hemolytic uremic syndrome (kidney failure and low platelet count in the blood), Cystitis-like syndrome (frequent urination, sometimes with a painful bladder), Vaginitis (inflammation of the vaginal area, often associated with irritation, itching or infection), Increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, Cancer (breast, uterine and vaginal), Endometriosis. (Kuhar, Bogomir M., PharmD, FASCP, Infant Homicides through Contraceptives, 5th ed. (Bardstown, KY: Eternal Life, 2003; Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., patient package insert: "Ortho Tri-Cyclen/Ortho-Cyclen Tablets (norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol)," (Manati, Puerto Rico:

July2011Page1 1
Janssen Ortho, LLC, June 2010), (accessed March 21, 2011); Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., patient package insert: "Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo Tablets," (Raritan, New Jersey: Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., August 2008), (accessed March 21, 2011). Thus, even if one ignores the spiritual consequences that arise when oral contraceptives are introduced into marriage, the chemical repercussions of the pill can have a devastating, even lethal impact on marriage.

HOWTHEPILLSKILLS THEENVIRONMENT
According to Conrad Volz, co-director of exposure assessment at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute's Center for Environmental Oncology, We need to pay attention to chemicals that are estrogenic in nature, because they find their way back into the water we all use.
In fact, according to the study conducted in Pennsylvania in 2007, Volz and his team discovered that the fish caught inside the water they were testing may be carrying enough chemicals that mimic the female hormone estrogen to cause breast cancer cells to grow. (David Biello, "Bringing Cancer to the Dinner Table: Breast Cancer Cells Grow Under Influence of Fish Flesh," Scientific American, April 17) 2007 http:// www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bringingcancer-to-dinner-table-breast-cancer-cells-grow-under -influence-fish-flesh Why should we be concerned? Think about the water you drink. Think about the fish you eat. Could your own drinking water be infested with high levels of estrogen? Studies have shown that the male fish swimming in estrogen-rich waters are becoming feminized. What kind of effects would take place if we drink water containing high levels of estrogen and eat these contaminated fish? A five-year study done by the Environment Agency in the United Kingdom suggests that half of the male fish in lowland English rivers are "developing female characteristics because of pollution." As the BBC reported, "Scientists blame the pollution on a 'potent' form of estrogen found in urine from women using the contraceptive pill, which may be flushed through sewage works and into rivers." In 2002, the United Kingdom declared hormo-

Thisarticleandaccompanyingrefer encesarecourtesyoftheAmericanLife LeaguebasedinStaffordVAandare availableatitsprojectwebsite www.thepillkills.com

nal birth control a type of pollution. ("River pollution sparks fertility fears," BBC News, March 17, 2002) http:// news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ uk_news/1877162.stm ("Pollution: An Introduction," Directgov.com.uk) http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/ Environmentandgreenerliving/ Thewiderenvironment/Pollution/ DG_064397 In 2007, Karen Kidd, a biologist with the Canadian Rivers Institute at the University of New Brunswick, reported that estrogen from birth control pills can cause wild fish populations to collapse: "[W] omen on birth control pills also secrete the synthetic estrogen in those pills ... And those estrogens, depending on the level of wastewater treatment, may not be completely broken down during sewage treatment, so they get discharged into rivers and streams." (John Roach, "Sex-Changing Chemicals Can Wipe Out Fish, Study Shows," National Geographic) http:// news.nationalgeographic.com/ news/2007/05/070521-sexfish.html Dr. Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Catholic Medical Association, reported in January 2009 that the birth control pill has devastating effects not only on a preborn person, but also on the environment. As he pointed out: "We have sufficient data to state that one of the causes of masculine infertility in the West is the environmental contamination caused by the products of the 'pill.'" "Medical Association points out prophetic nature of Humanae Vitae," Catholic News Agency, January 6, 2009 http:// www.catholicnewsagency.com/ news medical_association_points_out_prophe tic_nature_of_humanae_vitae

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HeadsUp

AmericanLifeLeague LinksBirthControl toAbortion

Thirty-seven-year-old Erik Martin says he got involved in the American Life League shortly after his eight and 10-year-old children came home from their Blacksburg, Virginia, public school several years ago with an illustrated comic book entitled, Its Perfectly Normal. Martin, a big, affable guy with a big smile, blasts the bookon The American Library Associations list of frequently challenged booksas Planned Parenthood pornography and gets increasingly agitated as he talks. The comic had cartoons of people masturbating, he says, and others saying that its perfectly normal to have sex as a minor. This angered me because I wanted to be the one to teach my kids about sex and reproduction and they handed this out without my permission. You send your kids to school to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, not masturbation. Incensed, Martin says, When I found out what Planned Parenthood really is, a group that poisons the minds of the young, I got involved in the prolife movement. That involvement brought Martin to a Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D. C. on June 7th, the 43rd anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut. The 1965 case involved Estelle Griswold, head of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, and Dr. Lee Buxton, a professor of medicine at Yale, who were arrested in 1961 for dispensing contraceptives. Their conviction was upheld by several Connecticut courts and eventually wound up before the Supreme Court of the United States; four years later, the Court found that Connecticuts law violated the right to privacy. In short order, state laws that prohibited the distribution of birth control to married couples were overturned. This right to privacy was extended to single adults in 1972 and to those seeking abortions in 1973. Since its founding by Roman Catholic activists in 1979, the American Life League has sought to link opposition to birth control including condoms, barrier methods, the Pill, and Emergency Contraception (EC), the so-called Morning After Pill to opposition to abortion. Judie Brown, a disgruntled former staffer of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), created the group with her husband, Paul Brown, because she felt that organizations like NRLC were insufficiently hard-line on family planning. An extremely conservative Roman Catholic, Judie Brown told the New York Times in May 2006 that

HOWPILLWORKSASABORTIFACIENT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCU46_lWeE MARIEHAHNENBERGPROTESTTHEPILLDAY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybjH_mIGm9Q

HeadsUp

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Whats more, the Browns say this is exactly what God wants for heterosexual couples. According to their website, Married couples should be open to Gods amazing gift of life. By contracepting you are saying No to Gods plan and selfishly taking part in sexual relations without fulfilling the entire act or purpose of the act. The reason God designed sex was for a married man and woman to become one and procreate. Equally disturbing, the website claims that contraception makes infidelity easier. As for abortion, well, you get the picture. The American Life League links opposition to birth control including condoms to opposition to abortion. Jodi Wagner, a speaker from Pharmacists for Life International, is a Life League heroine because she has refused to fill prescriptions for contraceptives in her home state of Washington. In addition to labeling the Pill as abortioninducing, she told the press that she is furious at the profit margin on oral contraceptives. Other speakers at the press conference included Jim Sedlak, an American Life League Vice President and longtime staffer at Stop Planned Parenthood, the League- sponsored group that initially drew Erik Martin into activism, and Dr. Marie Anderson, an ob-gyn at the nonprofit, Christian, Tepeyac Family Center in Fairfax, Virginia. Together, they laid out an anticontraceptive agenda that zeroed in on the Pill as the most menacing birth control product. Planned Parenthood tells women that they wont get pregnant if they take the Pill, Sedlak began. They dont tell them that a human being is being created that will die five to seven days later when it cant implant. They dont tell them that the Pill is a deadly poison. What happens a chemical abortion. The pill thins the uterine lining and depletes it of essential nutrients so that it cannot nourish a new baby, Anderson adds. This hurts mothers and babies alike. It breaks hearts. The only fertility control that Anderson endorses, she said, is the type supported by the Roman Catholic Church: natural family plan-

Eleanor J. Bader is a teacher and writer whose reporting frequently appears in The Brooklyn Rail, Library Journal and The New York Law Journal.
we see a direct connection between the practice of contraception and the practice of abortion. The mindset that invites a couple to use contraception is an anti-child mindset. At the heart of Browns claim and at the heart of League doctrineis the belief that life begins at fertilization, not implantation. For League activists, this means that the fertilized egg is a personthey describe it as already having eye color, hair color, and a personality. If the egg fails to implant, they argue, a life has been terminated. They promote a faulty understanding of the science of the pill that suggests it works in part by transforming the lining of the uterus to prevent the egg from implanting after it is fertilized. Even pro- life ob/gyns have said this claim has no scientific basis. Synthetic hormones in birth control pills are so effective because they prevent ovulation and thicken cervical mucus creating a barrier for sperm. With no egg there can be no pregnancy, says Sex Etc., a reputable sexuality information website directed at youth. Life League activists target emergency contraception, which can disrupt the egg dropping, sperm movement, fertilization, or implantation, for similar reasons. But in their wholehearted embrace of conservative Roman Catholic doctrine that links sex to procreation, not pleasure, Life League members reject interventions that prevent fertilization not just implantation.

ning. This requires the continuous monitoring of cervical mucus and body temperature and charting other cyclical physical changes to predict ovulation; it is a notoriously unreliable as a means of preventing unplanned pregnancies. Neither Anderson nor Sedlak mind that this position puts them up against such foes as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The American Medical Association, and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, (NFPRHA), all of which support the notion that pregnancy begins when the egg implants, not when it is fertilized. Nor are they bothered about being marginal within the larger pro-life movement: a 2005 NFPRHA report found that 80 percent of those who consider themselves prolife want to control their fertility. Almost all of the 11 million women who use the Pill in the U.S. are unaware of its mechanism of action, Anderson says. If they knew what it did and how it worked they would stop using it. We have to educate them. American Life League activists pull the broader prolife movement to the right, and make contraception -friendly parts of the movement seem downright moderate. For Erik Martin and his American Life League colleagues, Planned Parenthood, the nations largest purveyor of birth control, is public enemy number one. While Martin, who says he is not religious, stood in front of the clinic with a Pill Kills sign, many of his comrades were on their knees, with eyes closed, praying the rosary. For them, the truth is that contraception undermines Gods plan for our lives. An oftrepeated Psalm underscores their position: Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Happy is the man [sic] that hath his quiver full of them. Given the virtual universality of their birth control use, it seems womens happiness rests in a more mindful procreation.

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HeadsUp

Philippine Updates
Congressfails topassRHbill

Gabrielasquawks

lated illnesses and that children are born healthy to mothers who are also healthy enough to care for them. We also believe that profitchoice. driven delivery of reproductive The womens organization added health medication, supplies and serthat population control is a sham vices is an alarming deviation from of an anti-poverty measure. It is ensuring that the government, as never the culprit for our nations For lack of material time, primary duty bearer in guaranteeing poverty and as such controlling it is the peoples welfare, takes to task its Congress recently suspended plenary sessions and adjourned, never a solution. It pointed out that responsibility to promote womens institutional and long-festering health. failing to put the controversial land ownership monopoly, bureauGABRIELA has already called RH bill to a vote. crat capitalism and foreign domina- the attention of other legislators, Following Congressman tion the real culprits could especially the authors of House Bill Manny Pacquiaos interpellation and would get a free pass if we swal- 4244, on these concerns. We have low the population control ruse, of his senior peer Edcel Lagurged them to take the population hook, line and sinker. control agenda out of the RH Bill, man, where the latter erred in The rest of the statement reads: specifically the framework and proclaiming that amendments have A population control agenda visions of HB 4244 that buffer a already been incorporated in that pins the burden of our nations population control agenda, includthe bill, some solons dragged development on womens bodies ing the following: Section 3, Letter their feet wanting to have more poses a grave threat to the health, (L) of the Guiding Principles; Secrights and welfare of Filipino time to study the bill further tion 12, Integration of Responsible women. Masquerading as a poverty Parenthood and Family Planning and reexamine their positions. alleviation measure, this agenda toes Component in Anti-Poverty Proa misguided proposition that a way grams; and Section 25, Letter (I) of to end poverty is to control family the Implementing Mechanisms. Even GABRIELA, the Philipsize. We fear that this myopic and pines leading and largest national guilt-flogging view will give undue womens alliance, whose representapressure on women to control their tives in Congress, Reps. Luz Ilagan reproductive functions and may lead and Emmi de Jesus, are among the to further violation and sacrifice of bills principal authors, now seeks the PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino womens health, rights and welfare. removal of population control proviIII should use his second State of Because we have a stunted sions in the RH Bill. the Nation Address (Sona) on July pharmaceutical industry, a reproIn a statement, GABRIELA said ductive health policy anchored on a 25 to curry lawmakers support for We would like to express our conthe controversial Reproductive population control agenda will lecern at how the ongoing debates inHealth bill, an advocacy group said gitimize the exploits of huge pharside and outside of Congress on the maceuticals and multinationals rar- Tuesday. Reproductive Health Bill appear to If the President does this, the ing to make super profits without highlight the crafting of a national Democratic Socialist Women of the regard to the quality of contraceppolicy with a population control Philippines (DSWP) said that the tives, reproductive health medicaagenda. bill will sail through Congress betion and services that will be made We are concerned that such available, or worse, imposed to Fili- fore the end of budget deliberations framing of the debate overshadows sometime in December. pino women. the bills positive provisions, specifiAt the end of the first regular This runs contrary to our vision cally its commitment to ensure as a session of 15th Congress last week, that no Filipino dies of complicamatter of state policy and responsithe proposed measured is on its way tions of pregnancy and childbirth bility womens access to healthcare to second reading in the Senate and and other reproductive system reand womens right to informed the House of Representatives.

AquinosSONA topushRHbill?

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DWSP national chairperson Elizabeth Angsioco said that there is no reason why the bill will not be enacted this year on the back of huge public support and the Presidents bias for the measure. She also cited the support of House leadership and the 20 senators who signed Senator Pia Cayetanos committee report on the RH bill last week. The Senate and House of Representatives versions of the RH bill are very similar. Thus, even if the bicameral (conference) committee is convened to harmonize the two bills, it will not take long for the committee to achieve this, Angsioco said.

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he added. He also considers it a serious wrongdoing. To drive his point home, PacAfter the controversial Reproquiao stressed, Kapag ipinasa natin ductive Health Bill, Saranggani Rep- 'yan[g Divorce Bill] is parang tinuturuan resentative and pound-for-pound natin 'yung mga tao na maghiwalay na king Manny Pacquiao once again kayo, ganyan. Samantalang pwede pa voiced out his disapproval, this time namang pag-usapan 'yun na ibalik sa of the proposed Divorce Bill. dati, gano'n. Ay, 'di ako agree diyan sa divorce. He said couples would virtually Hindi maganda 'yan, Pacquiao told in encouraged to escape marital diffia taped StarTalk interview aired on culties, instead of sacrificing for one June 11. another, communicasting and findPacman does not approve of the ing common solutions. Divorce Bill The eight division world boxing Like he did in defending his anti- champion also reminded couples, RH stand, Pacquiao used the Bible Kayo ay ikinasal. Hindi tayo sumumpa to support his anti-divorce stance, sa harap ng tao, sa harapan ng pari lang, Nasa Bibliya na bawal iluwa 'yung kundi sumumpa ka sa harapan ng Panginasubo mo na. noon. The champion said what God Pacquiao said when people has put together, let no man set it marry, they do not just swear in asunder. front of a priest and other people Napakalaking kasalanan din 'yan, but before God.

MannyPacquiao slamsDivorce

Acostadisagrees
Asked for comment, Dr. Ligaya Acosta, executive director for AsiaOceania of non-government group Human International, said the bill should be thrown trashed. She said, Corruption of human lives is the worst corruption of all. Why not spend the billions of dollars used to purchase killer contraceptives for genuine livelihood opportunities for the poor? The Filipino HLI regional head said the Catholic Church continues to stick to its position of promoting only natural family planning methods and sees the use of contraceptives such as condoms and pills as a sharp departure from pro-life teachings. The measure imposes limitations on religious freedom and masquerades behind womens privacy rights but what does the government do? It is the one that trespasses and takes advantage of those rights. Worse, government goes into business and competes with private enterprise. Besides, a contraceptive mentality will open the door wide for the liberal ideologues to seek for divorce and samesex marriage, she added.

Thesocialroleoffamiliesiscalledtofind expressioninpoliticalinterventionFamilies shouldbethefirsttotakestepsthatthelaws andinstitutionoftheStatenotonlydonot offendbutsupportandpositivelydefendthe rightsanddutiesofthefamily. Alongtheselines,familiesshouldbeaware ofbeingprotagonistsofwhatisknownas familypoliticsandassume responsibilityoftransforming society. BlessedJohnPaulII
ApostolicExhortationontheFamily

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HeadsUp

BishopGabrielReyesD.D.,BishopofAntipolo defendstheCatholicBishopsConference ofthePhilippines,rebutsJoaquinBernasS.J.

RH bill violates natural law

One of the main reasons, if not the main reason, why the Catholic Church is against the House Bill 4244 (Reproductive Health Bill or Responsible Parenthood Bill) is that the bill directs the government to promote contraception and to give free contraceptives to people.
According to Father Bernas, SJ (Sounding Board, Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 23, 2011), this opposition of the Church is against religious freedom. He says that, because of religious freedom, the state should not prevent people from practicing responsible parenthood according to their beliefs nor may churchmen compel President Aquino, by whatever means, to prevent people from acting according to their religious belief. First of all, by opposing the RH Bill, the Catholic Church is not moving for the ban of contraceptives (the non-abortifacient ones), although she would be happy if these contraceptives were banned. At present, in the Philippines, anyone can buy contraceptives from drugstores and even from some convenience stores. What the Church is against, I repeat, is that government should promote contraception and provide free contraceptives to people. Therefore it is wrong to say that the Church wants the government to prevent people from practicing responsible parenthood according to their religious belief and that the Catholic churchmen are compelling President Aquino, by whatever means, to prevent people from acting according to their religious beliefs. What the church does is to try to convince President Aquino and our senators and congressmen not to enact a law that directs the government to promote contraception and provide free contraceptives to people. It is also good to point out that the church teaching regarding contraceptives is not based on Faith or revelation, although it is confirmed by our Faith. This church teaching is based on natural law, which we know through natural reason. By studying through correct reasoning the nature of the human person, we arrive at this teaching regarding contraception. All human beings, Catholic or not, are obliged to act according to right reason. By the efforts of the Church to go against the RH Bill, the Church

HeadsUp

July2011Page1 7 according to the guidelines of the majority but also according to the effective good of all the members of the community, including the minority. The Church, by opposing the HB 4244, is interpreting the common good of the country not only according to the guidelines of the majority but also according to the effective good of all the members of the community, including the minority. In opposing the bill the Church is interpreting the common good according to the guidelines of natural law, which is valid for all, the minority as well as the majority. Benedict XVI says that natural law must be the foundation of democracy, so that those in power are not given the chance to determine what is good or evil [Zenit.org. Vatican City, Oct. 5, 2007]. Regarding freedom, Benedict XVI said in his Address to the International Congress on Natural Law: yet taking into account that human freedom is always a freedom shared with others, it is clear that the harmony of freedom can be found only in what is common to all: the truth of the human being, the fundamental message of being itself, exactly the lex naturalis. ONEOFTHEBLESSINGSTHATHASCOME OUTOFTHERHBILLDEBATEFOROURPEO PLEISSEEINGTHATTHECATHOLICCHURCHIS NOTMERELYAMORALAUTHORITYBYFAITH ALONE,BUTBYITSCONSISTENCYTONATU RALLAW.INCONTRAST,THERHPROPO NENTSAREDELIBERATELYMUDDLINGTHE ISSUES.TOMYMEMORY,THISISTHEFIRST TIMEACATHOLICBISHOPHASCORRECTED ONETHECOUNTRYSTOPCONSTITUTIONAL ISTSWHOBYTHEWAYISAJESUITPRIEST. HASTHECLOSENESSOFFR.BERNASTOTHE AQUINOFAMILYMISTEDHISGOGGLES?ED

is not imposing her religious beliefs on others. She is trying to stop a bill which is against natural law, a law which all human beings, Catholic or not, should follow. The RH Bill, judged from the principles of natural law, is against the good of the human person and the common good. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in its Doctrinal Note regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life tells us that all citizens, including Catholics, have the right to base their contribution to society and political life through the legitimate means available to everyone in a democracy on their particular understanding of the human person and the common good. In a democracy, any group of citizens has the right to campaign and lobby so that what they consider to be good for the country are enacted into law and what they deem to be harmful for the country are not enacted into law. Father Bernas says further in his column that we live in a pluralist society. This is true and, therefore, we should respect the beliefs and opinions of others. But there is a limit to this pluralism. We cannot accept an ethical pluralism which ignores the principles of natural ethics and yield to ephemeral cultural and moral trends, as if every outlook on life were of equal value. (Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life) Father Bernas also quotes the Compendum on the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church: Because of its historical and cultural ties to a nation, a religious community might be given special recognition on the part of the State. Such recognition must in no way create discrimination within the civil or social order for other religious groups and Those responsible for government are required to interpret the common good of their country not only

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HeadsUp

FormerSenatorKitTatadwarnsoftotalitarianism

The Big RH Swindle

We can all probably agree that respect for the Constitution, the moral convictions, religious beliefs, human dignity and solidarity of our people is indispensable to the health and wellbeing of the nation. And that no democratic government ever enacts a law that is certain to divide its people. Yet never before have we seen so many Filipino politicians trying to savage that view, and further divide an already divided nation. All in the name of a foreign-dictated Reproductive Health (RH) bill.
rectly understood its whys and wherefores. They say its purpose is to protect the right of women (and men) to decide whether or not to practice birth control and what method/s to use. But that is not true at all. It is patently false, a gross deception. No law prohibits contraception or sterilization. Everyone is free to contracept or get sterilized on their own. No law distinguishes abortifacients from mere contraceptives either. A woman could commit abortion while ostensibly practicing contraception only. This has been so for the last 35 years. Since the 1970s, the government has been funding what it now calls RH every year. At least P2 billion this year. Additionally, some LGUs are now implementing some foreign-funded RH programs. The constitutionality of these things has yet to be ruled on. But the nations contraceptive prevalence rate now stands at 51 percent and counting. So what womens right to contracept are they talking about? What need is there for this RH bill? We have the global population controllers and contraceptives and abortion providers to thank for. At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, there was a proposal that poor countries should assume at least two-thirds of the cost of their RH programs, which until then had been borne by the rich governments. This means two-thirds of $20.5 billion in 2010, and $21.7 billion in 2015, which were the cost estimates at the time. But even the ICPD document did not contemplate the totalitarian approach of the present RH bill. The bill seeks to require all married couples to practice birth control as an integral part of marriage, regardless of their religious beliefs and moral convictions. This will revise the very nature and organic laws of marriage, an institution that precedes the State. Indeed, the bill will allow individuals to choose

Many of the debates, arranged or sponsored by the RH patrons and funders, have been one big swindle. Often moderated by the uninstructed and uninformed, they have tried to discuss every tangential issue, while evading the central issue that will ultimately decide whether the bill, if enacted into law, could bind anyone in conscience. They have tried to scare us with all sorts of doomsday scenario about our birth rate of 1.9 percent, and the countrys population density of 313 per square km, which are quite healthy, without ever mentioning the plunging birth rates and the rapid ageing and dying in the developed countries, which should terrify anyone living in this century. They have tried to make us feel guilty that ten or so childbearing women are dying everyday for lack of proper obstetrics and maternal care, even though several times more women are dying everyday from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, tuberculosis, and other diseases, without any medical or burial assistance from government. Not every congressman or senator has read the RH bill. And not everyone who has read it has cor-

HeadsUp

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them in that role. It cannot, therefore, impose a what method/s of birth control to use, but it wants compulsory sex education program on schoolchilall married couples and even unmarried individuals dren, without parental consent. to be part of a state-run program of population conNow, Article XV recognizes the Filipino family trol. It also wants to impose a mandatory sex educaas the foundation of the nation, and marriage as tion program on schoolchildren from Grade V until an inviolable social institution, the foundation of fourth year High School, without parental consent. the family, which shall be protected by the State. However, these points have been muted in the Sec. 3 provides: The State shall defend: (1) The debates. The proponents have tried to dance around right of spouses to found a family in accordance the real issues, and many of those against have been with their religious convictions and the demands of lured into joining the dance too. Thus we have disresponsible parenthood. cussed the side issues, but left untouched the central This is where the Catholics and other religious beissue, which is, Does the State have the right or duty lievers come in. They have to defend their basic huto organize the intimate private lives of its citizens? man right to their own respective religious beliefs. I Can Congress enact the RH bill into law without ream a Roman Catholic. I believe, with the Church, that gard to the moral law and the Constitution? contraception and sterilization are intrinsically evil, and The mandate of Sec. 12, Article II of the ConstiI try to practice what I believe. My friend and neighbor tution is clear and cannot be obscured. It needs no is of a different faith; he believes that contraception interpretation. The State recognizes the sanctity of and sterilization are good for his health. The absence family life and shall protect and strengthen the family of an RH law has not impaired, and will not impair, his as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall right to practice contraception and sterilization. It equally protect the life of the mother and the life of will not hurt the practice of his faith. But the passage the unborn from conception. The natural and priof an RH law will certainly hurt mine. mary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the I do not want the State to act as the enforcer of my youth for civic efficiency and the development of Catholic faith, and compel my friend and neighbor to moral character shall receive the support of the Govbelieve what I believe. But I cannot allow the State to ernment. tell me to abandon my belief either and support with Some people, including some supposed theologimy tax payment a government program that attacks ans and constitutional experts, have tried to muddle my religious belief. I would feel religiously persecuted, this issue by asking, when does life begin? Is it and I will have to respond accordingly. upon fertilization of the egg, or upon I may or may not march against the government. I implantation of the fertilized ovum? That would may or may not call or join any call for civil disobedibe quite relevant if we were discussing abortion, ence. But the so-called RH law would have no moral which we are not. or constitutional basis and could not bind me or anyone else in conscience. It would simply further divide The only relevant issue here is this: If the duty of the nation. The law would have turned this country the State is to equally protect the life of the mother into a totalitarian state, and the government would, in and the life of the unborn from conception, does it the language of the February1986 CBCP statement, also have the right or the duty to run a program of lose the moral authority to govern. contraception and sterilization whose purpose is to For these reasons, the House of Representatives prevent the birth of children? Can the State be the would be well advised to simply protector and preventer of archive the RH bill now, revoke childbearing at the same time? Thelawwouldhave the present RH program and Clearly, the State can be one or turnedthiscountryintoa appropriation, retool the Dethe other, but not both at the partment of Health and the same time. totalitarianstate,andthe Population Commission, and Likewise, it parents are the governmentwouldlosethe begin to mind our more authennatural and primary educators tic and pressing national conof their children, the State can moralauthoritytogovern cerns. only support, but not replace

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Just as when the Philippine Congress adjourns without voting on the RH bill, the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart (and of the Immaculate Hearts of Mary) starts the month of July. If this is not an assurance to all of us that the mercy of our Lord is in control of everything, then I dont know what more powerful sign this can point to. God gave us this reproductive bill in the Philippines to get preoccupied with, just as he gave the Americans a liberal ideologue of a President in Barack Obama to stir the curdling fat in our faiths, otherwise known as comfort zones.

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AllroadsleadtoChicagoandDallas
states in the US, in order to drain the juice out of government funding for the enemy forces. These measures afforded better protection for women, as wells as for the unborn and newlyborn. Politicizing the issue has also led to the unseating of pro-abortion members from both houses of the US Congress, taking advantage of the unpopularity of the Obama administration and the American peoples desire to reverse the economic recession by balancing its budget through the reduction of fiscal deficit and its debts that has exceeded $14 trillion. Drawing wisdom from the US scenarios, I also suggested areas of improvement on the way we confront the genesis of the culture of death politics in the Philippines, with the RH bill as its opening ram. I had always believed that when it Arriving in Manila for the CFCFFL comes to fiscalizing government, the 30th anniversary is a big burden espeMagisterium that is our most valuable cially when the personal problems I left in Virginia are really a big yoke, but gem, must be protected from the evil forces by a thick phalanx of lay moveseeing our brothers and sisters in this ments. Our clergy who are exposed on country that God had designed to be the ground, risk being maligned by dehis light in Asia is like a full shot of mons in their localities, during periods adrenalin. Foreign delegation who arrived ear- of interregnums in our war against the culture of death in our society. lier had an opportunity to refresh on The weapons of choice must also the Theology of the Body. But I came in time for the retreat launching Priests include engaging recalcitrant politicians in venues exposing their foolishness to for Family and Life. their own constituencies, to endanger I submitted a paper to Brother their future electability. Frank on Law and Politics for Life, There can be no better stick than drawing US and Philippine scenarios. the specter of these rotten apples from The gist was simply that the tide has turned in favor of pro-life in the US by losing their jobs. Meanwhile, Chicago and Dallas are as much as a 9% difference in the calling for those who have not yet regGallup Poll survey, stabilizing since istered. May 2009. It seems Fr. Pavone will finally join The underlying cause of this is of us in Chicago, and so with Marjorie course has been the gradual but faithful filing of legislations on a state level Dannenfelser of SBA-List and of since the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that course Joe Scheidler, the local guru. legalized abortions in demand in all 50

m Message fro the Editor

is In necessari in unitas, opinabilibus libertas, in omnibus caritas.

LINAWAN ADO PAG

In Dallas, our young ministries will have a fresh opportunity to launch our Live Pure movement. I am personally convinced that Live Pure will create our elusive niche in American publics. The confirmation is in the recent banning by Obama of government funding for abstinence-based contraception. What can be more prophetic than that! Our membership in the Coalition to Expose Planned Parenthood, assures us of inroads to Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America as well as Lila Rose of Live Action. That blows open the campuses for Live Pure. And of course our presence in about 30 states, can link us with youths in the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes in the parishes. Therefore we foresee a blast of presence of our young ministries on two fronts - in schools and universities and in parishes and dioceses. In the adult ministries, meaning couples, servants and handmaids, we are for a more deliberate consolidation for transnational expansion. Afterall, we are called to evangelize the Gentile nations.

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July2011Page2 1

A Beautiful Story

SarahPalinchooseslifeforTrig
Two issues ago, we featured the life of Italian pediatrician St. Gianna Beretta Molla, one of those canonized by Pope John Paul II. She sacrificed her life in order to ensure the bay she was carrying will see the break of dawn. Today, as prenatal genetic testing has become more widespread, disabilities rights activists have grown concerned that children like Trig Palin will become an increasing rarity. Trig is the son of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and he has Down syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality that affects about one in 800 babies born alive in the United States each year. A 1999 study found that 90% of women who learn their baby has the genetic abnormality chose to end the pregnancy. But parents of children with Down syndrome have grown increasingly vocal about their choice to give birth to their babies, and to share the challenges and rewards of raising a child with a disability. With one in every 33 children born in the United States having some birth defect causing lifelong disability, a community also has sprung up to share information on the wide range of federally mandated educational programs and social services available to families. Pediatric practitioners see it as particularly important that parents like Sarah and Todd Palin seek out and secure services quickly for their children with disabilities, since early intervention can be crucial to improving the function of those with Down syndrome. One study probing the effectiveness of early intervention found that a two-month delay in treatment was associated with lower gross motor, fine motor, language and social outcomes by the time the baby reached 18 months. Another study showed that newborns with Down syndrome who received immediate language intervention had better language development than those who didn't get it until 3 months or 6 months of age. Palin's decision to give birth to her son Trig already has made her a popular choice among antiabortion activists. She now becomes a highly visible parent of a disabled child.

NewbornTrig,sonofformerAlaskaGov.SarahPalinwithhusbandTodd.(PhotobyAlGrillo,AssociatedPress)

(June13,2011)The mainstreammediassup poseddirtdiggingisback firingasreporterspour overthe24,000pagesof emailsreleasedbythe stateofAlaska. SarahPalinisemerging asawellroundedand thoughtfulperson,and deeplycaringmother,not theridiculouscaricaturethe mediahastrieddesperately tomorphherinto. SarahimaginedGodtalk ingtoherinadeeplytouch ingemailshewrotetwo weeksbeforeherfifthchild, Trig,wasbornwithDowns Syndrome,itwasrevealed today. Thepoignantmessageto familyandfriends,included in25,000pagesofherpri vateemailsmadepublicon Friday,mayaltertheway theformerGovernorof Alaskaisviewedbythe Americanpublic. InApril2008,Mrs.Palin senttheemailtoherfriends andfamilyfromherofficial governmentaccount. Inthetouchingmessage, Sarahwritesfromthevoice ofGod,asTrigscreator, yourheavenlyfather. Thelettersexistencehad previouslyknown,butonly verybriefexcerptshadbeen madepublic.

2 2 Vo l u m e 3 I s s u e 7

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SARAHPALINSand dad find out before he was born that this little boy will truly be a COMPLETEEMAILTOHER GIFT. They were told in early tests that Trig may provide more chalFAMILYABOUTTRIG
To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!): I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. Ive heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and Ive answered them because Ionly want the best for you! I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up. Though another girl would be so nice, you didnt think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you! Then, I put the idea in your hearts that his name should be Trig, because its so fitting, with two Norse meanings: True and Brave Victory. You also have a Bristol Bay relative with that name, so I knew it would be best for you! Then, I let Trigs mom have an exceptionally comfortable pregnancy so she could enjoy every minute of it, and I even seemed to rush it along so she could wait until near the end to surprise you with the news that way Piper wouldnt have so long to wait and count down so many days just like Christmastime when you have to wait, impatiently, for that special day to finally open your gift? (Or the way the Palins look forward to birthday celebrations that go on for three, four days you all really like cake .) I know you, I knew youd be better off with just a short time to wait! Then, finally, I let Trigs mom

lenges, and more joy, than what they ever may have imagined or ever asked for. At first the news seemed unreal and sad and confusing. But I gave Trig s mom and dad lots of time to think about it because they needed lots of time to understand that everything will be OK, in fact, everything will be great, because I only want the best for you! Ive given Trigs mom and dad peace and joy as they wait to meet their new son. I gave them a happy anticipation because they asked me for that. Ill give all of you the same happy anticipation and strength to deal with Trigs challenges, but I wont impose on you I just need to know you want to receive my offer to be with all of you and help you everyday to make Trigs life a great one. This new person in your life can help everyone put things in perspective and bind us together and get everyone focused on what really matters. The baby will expand your world and let you see and feel things you havent experienced yet. Hell show you what true, brave victory really means as those who love him will think less about self and focus less on what the world tells you is normal or perfect. You will grow and be blessed with greater understanding that will be born along with Trig. Trig will be his dads little buddy and hell wear Carhartts while he learns to tinker in the garage. Hell love to be read to, hell want to play goalie, and hell steal his moms heart just like Track, Bristol, Willow and Piper did. And Trig will be the cuddly, innocent, mischievous, dependent little brother that his siblings

HeadsUp
have been waiting for in fact Trig will in some diagnostic ways always be a mischievous, dependent little brother, because I created him a bit different than a lot of babies born into this world today. Every child is created special, with awesome purpose and amazing potential. Children are the most precious and promising ingredient in this mixed up world you live in down there on earth. Trig is no different, except he has one extra chromosome. Doctors call it Downs Syndrome, and Downs kids have challenges, but can bring you much delight and more love than you can ever imagine! Just wait and see, let me prove this, because I only want the best for you! Some of the rest of the world may not want him, but take comfort in that because the world will not compete for him. Take care of him and he will always be yours! Trigs mom and dad dont want people to focus on the babys extra chromosome. Theyre human, so they havent known how to explain this to people who are so caring and are interested in this new little Alaskan. Sarah and Todd want people to share in the joy of this gift Im giving to the Palin family, and the greater Alaska family. Many people wont understand and I understand that. Some will think Trig should not be allowed to be born because they fear a Downs

July2011Page2 3

THEPALINSAREDEEFINITELYFORLIFE.Sarah(center)chose tobirthTrigdespitedownssyndrome.HerdaughterBristol (rightmost)choselifetoodespiteherteenagepregnancy.

child wont be considered perfect in your world. (But tell me, what do you earthlings consider perfect or even normal anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store isle, or school hallway, or into your office lunchroom lately? Or considered the odd celebrities you celebrate as perfect on t.v.? Have you noticed I make `em all shapes and sizes? Believe me ,, there is no perfect!) Many people will express sympathy, but you dont want or need that, because Trig will be a joy. You will have to trust me on this. I know it will take time to grasp this and come to accept that I only want the best for you, and I only give my best. Remember though: My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts for as the heavens are higher than the earth, my ways are higher than yours! I wrote that all down for you in the Good Book ! Look it up! You claim that you believe me now its time to live out that belief! Please look to me as this new challenge and chapter of life unfolds in front of you. I promise to equip you. I wont give you anything you cant handle. I am answering your prayers. Trig cant wait to meet you. Im giving you ONLY THE BEST! Love, Trigs Creator , Your Heavenly Father

MUSTWATCH MOMREJECTSABORTIONhttp:// www.wnd.com/?pageId=64876#ixzz1QNtx7pJy VIDEOSABOUT INTERVIEWSbyKATIECOURIC,BARBARAWALTERS SARAHSCHOICE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4y0k7zRGQw FORLIFEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX5O0RAYe_Y

FEATUREDGUEST

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J u LY 2 0 1 1 P a g e 2 4

PriestsforFamilyandLifelaunchedinthePhilippines

Peter West meets the East

Reverend Peter West, a priest released by his Archbishop so that he can serve as associate director of Priests for Life in the United States, gave 30 local priests a retreat from June 22 to 24 at the Oblates of the Mary Immaculate facility in Quezon City. Fr. West and CFCFFL Servant General Frank Padilla, met in New Jersey last year during our national conference there. This is Fr. Wests visit to the East (!) The retreat was also graced with the participation of Archbishop-Emeritus Oscar Cruz who gave the retreatants a glimpse of where philosophy, theology and politics intersect. During the plenary session, the participants agreed to birth and organize Priests for Family and Life (PFL) in the Philippines, on the dasy of the Solemnity of St. John the Baptist who himself defended marriage and for it he was beheaded. Brother Frank pledged the full support and collaboration of CFCFFL to the new movement. Fr. West was quick to promise assistance from Priests for Life. A decision to hold a larger conference next year was also passed. Rev. Peter West also presided over the Eucharistic Celebration for the CFCFFL Leaders Conference held at the Tanghalang Pilipino in Pasig City last June 25. Some of the rich exhortations from his moving homily are quoted below: In the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul said that while our life on earth is a penultimate reality, meaning next to the best gift from God. Nevertheless, this gift is a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters. We are familiar with the gospel of Matthew on the subject of the Final Judgment, when the Son of Man will sit in his glorious throne and after separating the goats from the sheep, say Come you are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcome me, naked and you clothe me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. This list could be lengthened from the perspective of marriage and family life, like I was an unborn child and you allowed me to be born, I was an abandoned child and you became my family. I was an orphan and you adopted and raise me as of your own children Or I was a mother filled with uncertainty and exposed wrongful pressure, and yhou welcomed my unborn child and allowed it to be born. Or again, You helped large families in difficulty to look after and educate the children God gasve them. This is the great harvest which the Redeemer of the world to whom the Father has entrusted judgment, will come to reap. It is the harvest of grace and of good works, ripened by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Who is ever at work in the world and in the Church. For all this, let us give thanks to the Giver of every good gift!

FATHERPETERWEST