Pray for Maggie Karner

Brave Maggie Karner had the same type of cancer as Brittany Maynard but Dr Karner handled it differently.  She died last Friday at the Connecticut Hospice in Bran ford. Read her beautiful words to Brittany:

http://www.lifenews.com/2015/09/28/this-woman-had-the-same-brain-cancer-as-brittany-maynard-but-her-response-was-priceless/

 

May she rest in peace, Anne

Live from the Big E!

Saturday I traveled to West Springfield to help volunteer at the Massachusetts Citizens For Life booth at the Big E. This was my first time attending the famous event that attracts over one million people annually, and it was my first time volunteering at a pro-life booth. While heading to the fair, I was wondering how perceptive the crowd would be to seeing us boldly pro-claiming the pro-life message.

After working my 6- 10 PM shift, I can honestly say that I left the fair knowing we are making a difference in this state, and the general public is opening up to the pro-life message, even here in Massachusetts.

I worked with Terry, a resident from the Pioneer Valley, who has volunteered at the MCFL booth for years and is truly a veteran at this yearly event. We had many conversations with individuals, some of which I will never forget.

The first and only encounter I had that would be considered confrontational was with a young woman, roughly twenty-five years old. She said "I know why you are here. So what do you tell women who have been raped and have an abortion. I was raped. I was forced to have an abortion. I didn't have an option!" As I began to talk with her, she started to speak again. I stepped back and did the best thing I could: listen. She never raised her voice, but she was clearly in pain – tears building in her eyes.

After letting her vent, the two of us had an amazing conversation. I explained my reasoning for not supporting abortion, even in the 2% of abortions that are performed as a result of rape or incest. I told her that I did not judge her and that my presence at the booth was not to judge anyone – that is never my job. I could see the tension leaving her body. I told her I was there to show individuals that life should be protected from conception to natural death and that there are many resources available to women and men who find themselves in any situation where they believe abortion is their only option. When our conversation ended, she took a lot of our materials, even the free twelve-week-old fetal model we were giving away. I gave her a brochure for Project Rachel, a post abortion counseling project that has helped countless men and women. Before she left, she said the abortion "was the worst thing in my life. I would never do that ever again." She thanked us, and walked away.

Another conversation that inspired me was with a young couple who two months ago had their first child; it was on their first "date night" since her birth. Our display showing the unborn baby's development in the womb caught the father's eye. He approached me and took one of our free fetal models and showed it to his fiancée, who later said she was a nurse. They asked many questions. They were shocked after asking how later abortions can be performed. "Are you serious?!" is all they could say when I told them abortion is legal on demand until the moment of birth. They asked questions about resources available to pregnant mothers who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. What reassured me that we had done our job effectively is when the couple reached out their hands to thank us for what we were doing. They took some of our literature, signed the sheets to request more information, and said they were happy they stopped to talk with us.

We had many conversations with people of all ages and from all walks of life. The question I was asked the most was "how late can abortions be performed." Everyone guessed wrong and was mortified when they were given the answer of until the point of birth. Other questions were about the Planned Parenthood videos and laws that were in the works. Terry and I saw many pregnant mothers at our fetal model display saying "That's what my baby looks like," or mothers who brought their kids over and said "that's what you looked like in mommy's tummy."

The night was a huge success, and I applaud all of the volunteers who dedicate their time, energy, and gasoline to make the trip each year to staff this amazing booth. They are spreading the pro-life message to the millions of people who attend this event each and every year. As I said, I truly believe we are making a difference in this state, not only with the Big E, but through all of our educational efforts. The public is hearing our message and it is resonating with them.

I cannot stress enough to students and adults who are interested in becoming pro-life activists the importance of educating yourself on the many pro-life issues. My National Right to Life Academy training definitely came in handy on Saturday night. Massachusetts Citizens For Life offers educational programs for students and adults throughout the year and upon request. If you are interested in one of our many educational programs to educate yourself or a group of students or adults, please be sure to contact the MCFL office for more information at 617-242-4199.

For LIFE,

Matt Hanafin

MCFL Director of Outreach

(The picture above was taken after a very successful day at the Big E, after the crowds had left at 10 PM. We had so many conversations with people we almost forgot to show you our booth!) 

Easy, important, time-sensitive call - thank you!

 

As you know, the death lobby has filed H 1991, the doctor-prescribed suicide bill again.  State Sen Ryan Fattman has set up meeting for legislators to educate them about the bill.  We know that the more people know about doctor-prescribed suicide, the more they oppose it.

Please call your state senator or representative or both and get a couple of other people to call.  All of them have been invited to the presentation on H 1991, Doctor-Prescribed Suicide by three eminent doctors

 

Date, Thursday, Oct 1

Time 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Room 428 State House

Speakers: Mark Rollo MD, long-time expert on doctor-prescribed suicide

Giles Whalen, MD U Mass Medical School, Head of Cancer Surgery

William Lawton, MD Prof U Mass Med School, kidney expert who has dealt with dying patients throughout his career

 

All this is just background.  Message is for legislator: please do attend o become educated on this important issue

 

To find phone numbers for your representative and senator: https://malegislature.gov/People/House, https://malegislature.gov/ People/Senate 

 

If you do not know the names of your legislators (!!!!!!), check: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx

 

Please make your call(s) now so your legislator can plan to attend,  Thanks!  Anne

 

Mon, WALPOLE; Tues, DANVERS; Wed, LEOMINSTER - important D-PS meetings

Hearings are Oct. 27th, 1:00 - 5:00 pm, Gardner Auditorium, State House.  come to prepare yourself about Doctor-Prescribed Suicide

     Sept 28, Walpole Public Library, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

     143 School St, Walpole, MA 02081

     Sen Joseph Tim ilty's District

     Sept 29, Danvers Public Library,  7:30 pm 0 8:30 pm

      15 Sylvan St, Danvers, MA 01923

      Sen Joan Lovely's district

     Sept 30, VFW Hall, Leominster,  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

      100 West St, Leominster, MA 01453

      Sen Jennifer Flanagan's district

I hope to see you at one of these very important meetings!  Anne

  

Cancer treatment doesn't harm unborn babies - new study in NEJM

I am so excited about this study!  Think of all the times you have had someone challenge you on the hypothetical case of the pregnant mother who needs cancer treatment.  While not completely definitive it is a huge step!  Go in confidence!  Anne

Cancer treatment DOESN'T harm an unborn baby: Pregnant women advised not to delay treatment after study finds chemo and radiotherapy are not unsafe

• The development of 129 children was tested at 18 months and three years 
• Found to be the same as children whose mother's did not have cancer
• Researchers say cancer treatment is no reason to terminate pregnancy
• Study found being born prematurely had more of an effect on development

Receiving cancer treatment while pregnant does not result in health problems for unborn children, researchers have found.

Neither chemotherapy, radiotherapy nor surgery harmed the patients' babies, according to a study published today.

The researchers said that women who are diagnosed with cancer while pregnant should not delay their treatment.

Professor Frédéric Amant, presenting his results at the European Cancer Congress in Vienna, said: 'Our results show that fear of cancer treatment is no reason to terminate a pregnancy, that maternal treatment should not be delayed and that chemotherapy can be given.

'The study also shows that children suffer more from prematurity than from chemotherapy, so avoiding prematurity is more important than avoiding chemotherapy.'

His team examined 129 children born after exposure to cancer treatment in the womb.

The data, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the babies - aged 18 months and then three years when they were tested - had developed normally when compared to children whose mothers had not had cancer.

Professor Amant, of University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium, said: 'Compared to the control group of children, we found no significant differences in mental development among children exposed to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery alone or no treatment.

'Nor was the number of chemotherapy cycles during pregnancy, which ranged from one to ten, related to the outcome of the children.'

The most common cancers among the mothers were breast and hematological cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Some 69 per cent of the children had been exposed to chemotherapy before birth, 3.1 per cent radiotherapy, 5.4 per cent to both chemo and radiotherapy, 10.1 per cent to surgery alone.

The team also found that premature birth - a major cause of development problems - was more frequent among children born to mothers with cancer, regardless of whether or not they received treatment.

Prof Amant said: 'In most cases, they were born prematurely due to a medical decision to induce preterm so as to continue cancer treatment after the delivery.'

But he warned: 'Our data include many types of chemotherapy, but we cannot guarantee that all types of chemotherapy are safe.

'We need to look at larger numbers of children and larger numbers exposed to each drug in order to be able to document the potential effects of individual drugs.'

Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: 'Although the results of the study seem encouraging, it's important to acknowledge that a range of chemotherapy drugs and other treatments were used on the mothers so it may be hard to draw firm conclusions.

'It's already known that some breast cancer drugs may be safe to give after the first three months of pregnancy but it's unclear from the study which women fitted into this category.'  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3252340/Cancer-treatment-DOESN-T-harm-unborn-baby-Pregnant-women-advised-not-delay-treatment-study-finds-chemotherapy-radiotherapy-not-unsafe.html#ixzz3n4Dwi2ic

 

Westfield Meeting TONIGHT! Big E Success

The Westfield meeting on Doctor-Prescribed Suicide is tonight at the Westfield Athenaeum at 6:30 PM.   Hearings on the bill are scheduled for Oct 27.  You must be prepared!  We have Dr. Paul Carpentier and Matt Valliere, Executive Director of Patients Rights Action Fund speaking.

We have received a lot of compliments on the MCFL Booth at the Big E.  Kudos to the people who designed and set up the booth - which is really a room-size display - and to Peggy Bradford and her 102 volunteers!  That is real pro-life commitment.

Hope to see you tonight, Anne 

Laudato Si and the selling of body parts

The visit of Pope Francis to the US this week has prompted an amazingly good article by Michael Dauphinais in Crisis Magazine which begins,

The recent revelations surrounding the selling of fetal body parts by Planned Parenthood highlight a crisis in contemporary society depicted in Pope Francis' Laudato Si'. With uncanny insight, Pope Francis had written, "the culture of relativism is the same disorder which drives one person to take advantage of another, to treat others as mere objects…. Is it not the same relativistic logic that justifies buying the organs of the poor for resale or use in experimentation, or eliminating children because they are not what their parents wanted?" (LS 123).

Pope Francis' recent encyclical has been referred to as the "climate-change encyclical," or described as an encyclical on the environment, which is surely a narrow understanding that may leave readers to wonder why the Pope speaks so often in defense of universal moral truths and man's unique nature and dignity. I suggest that a clue may be found in the subtitle of Laudato Si': "On Care for Our Common Home." The encyclical's focus may be viewed from the human virtue of caring. If we approach the encyclical through the lens of human caring, we will find help from an at-first unlikely source, the twentieth-century Christian writer C.S. Lewis. We will see that Laudato Si' has much to say about the ethical crises of our age.

The article is long but well worth the read,  http://www.crisismagazine.com/2015/laudato-si-and-the-selling-of-body-parts

Reminder:  Public Meetings on Doctor-Prescribed Suicide bill, H 1991, today in Chicopee. tomorrow in Westfield

Chicopee Library, Wednesday, 9/23, 7:00 – 8:00 pm  Sen Eric Lesser district

Westfield Athenaeum, Thursday, Sept 24, 6:30  Rep John Velis district

Walpole Public Library, Monday, Sept 28, 7:00 – 800 pm  Sen James Timilty district

Danvers Public Library, Tuesday, Sept 29, 7:30 – 8:30 pm  Sen Joan Lovely district

Leominster VFW, Wednesday, Sept 30, 7:00pm  Sen Jennifer Flanagan district

Plan to attend and bring a friend!  Anne

Majority of U S Senators vote to advance Pain-Capable Child Protection Act, BUT...

Needless to say, Sens. Warren and Markey voted against protecting unborn babies from excruciating pain.

Carol Tobias, President of National right to Life, who spoke at this year's Mothers' Day Dinner, puts the vote in perspective, "Today's majority vote is not a defeat, but a stepping stone towards victory. One-fourth of premature infants now survive when born at this stage – and there is strong evidence that they experience great pain, as they are torn limb from limb in late abortions."

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2015/09/majority-of-u-s-senate-votes-to-advance-pain-capable-child-protection-act-but-democrats-block-consideration/#.VgH1eJfQiRI

Weekly 40 Days Update

BOSTON

Candlelight Rosary Vigils in English: Friday nights at 7:00 pm, September 25

Candlelight Rosary Vigils in Spanish: Saturday nights at 6:00 pm, September 26

HAVERHILL

Join the new initiative -- Join the Prayer Partner Hotline and we'll match you with a prayer partner so you can pray with another person at the clinic.  Email us to become a prayer partner and help others feel comfortable praying at a clinic

Saturday, October 17, 6:30pm Bi-lingual Candlelight Service

Attleboro: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/attleboro/
Contact: Ron Larose
Phone: (508) 736-9813
E-mail: 40dflattleboro@comcast.net

Boston: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/boston/
Contact: Rita Russo
Phone: (781) 762-4391
E-mail: rita.a.russo@gmail.com

Haverhill: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/haverhill/
Contact: Debbie Papalia
Phone: (978) 490-5302
E-mail: 40daysforlifehaverhill@gmail.com

Lynn: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/lynn/
Contact: Cori Connor-Morse & Padre Paul McManus
Phone: (781) 334-0029
E-mail: cconnorcpa@aol.com

Springfield: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/springfield-2/
Contact: Tim Biggins
Phone: 413-342-0403
E-mail: N/A

Worcester: https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/worcester/
Contact: Lee Crowley (508) 887-1064
Pauline: (508) 839-7674
E-mail: prolifeworcester@verizon.net

Wed. Weekly 40 Days Update

 

As we have in the past, I'll email you to tell you what is coming up for 40 Days during the coming week.  If you have not already signed up for your time, please do that now! 

Thank you, Anne

ATTLEBORO

https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/attleboro/

BOSTON

Prayer Launch: Sunday, September 20^th at 4 pm

Our Prayer Launch for this campaign will be held on Sunday, September 20th at 4:00 PM at Betania 2 Marian Center, 154 Summer St., Medway, MA. 02053.  Rev. Michael McNamara will celebrate a mass and commissioning service for all who attend.  Following mass, there will be a dynamic talk by pro-life speaker Anthony Gentile.  After a troubled youth, Anthony had a conversion experience.  He eventually co-founded Cry for Life Ministry and has worked full time in the Pro-Life Ministry and Pregnancy Care Centers. 

Kick Off: Wednesday, September 23^rd at 3 pm

The official Kick Off of the campaign is on Wednesday, September 23rd at 3 pm on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood, 1055 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.  One of the Franciscans will speak and lead us in prayer. 

HAVERHILL

http://prolifeeventsfinder.com/event_listing.php?Event_ID=1114

LYNN

Also, the kickoff will be at 6:00 p.m. on September 23 at the clinic...but hours start at 7:00 a.m. that day...Cori took the first two hours if anyone would like to join her.  It is a Wednesday and therefore an abortion day at the mill...

SPRINGFIELD

https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/springfield-2/

WORCESTER

Join us for the 40 Days for Life Worcester Fall Campaign. Come to the Opening Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday, Septmber. 23, from 6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. across from Planned Parenthood, 470 Pleasant St, Worcester.  Bring your own candle.  From 6:30p.m.-7:00 p.m. we will pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. From 7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m., we will sing hymns, read from Scripture, pray, and have a Commissioning Service.

For further information about the Worcester 40 Days for Life campaign, contact Lee Crowley at 508-887-1064 or ed_crowley@verizon.net or Pauline Morris at 608-839-7674 or  pmorris42@verizon.net

https://40daysforlife.com/local-campaigns/worcester/

Please email Gov. Jerry Brown NOW

 

Usually, I suggest that you contact your own elected officials only but this is similar to situations where people from all over the world ask a governor to commute a death sentence.  Please email today.  Ask Gov Brown to veto X2AB00012 - it is bad public policy.

Email Governor Jerry Brown directly by clicking HERE. You will be asked to give your name and email address. Under "Please choose your subject" scroll down near the bottom to "X2AB00012" and make that selection. We also encourage you to check the box asking for a reply. 

This is our last chance!  Thanks, Anne

"PP: The Hidden Harvest" Fox News, 9/4, 10:00 pm, 9/5, 1:00 am

 

 

Fox News Reporting: Planned Parenthood: The Hidden Harvest
Anchored by Shannon Bream
Friday, Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1 a.m. ET

"This summer, a series of secretly recorded videos have exposed a business in fetal tissue. Already a number of politicians have called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, a primary target of the sting, while others support the organization and call this just another salvo in the War on Women. The Fox News Reporting special Planned Parenthood - The Hidden Harvest delves into the controversy, featuring exclusive new details about the making of those videos, and investigating an industry and field of scientific research that many didn't even know existed."