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Vol. 40, No. 3 Friday, February 21, 2014 Pro-Life advocate issues challenge to crowd to find place in movement LAKE CHARLES – Abby With the ultrasound, ”you miraculously wasn’t a baby.” Johnson, a Louisiana native can actually see what you The abortionist uses a who turned from the direc- are doing. It is safer for the plastic tube called a can- tor of a Planned Parenthood woman. The doctor wanted nula, which is inserted into abortion clinic to a fierce to teach me something, to the woman’s uterus. The tube pro-life advocate and writer, learn a new type technique,” is attached to a suction ma- asked the nearly 600 people Johnson said. “My job was to chine and the child is liter- attending the mid-January hold the ultrasound wand on ally ripped, piece-by-piece, Abby Johnson, left, a former Planned Parenthood director in Houston who has become Respect Life Dinner to com- the woman’s abdomen, so the from the womb. a staunch pro-life advocate spoke to a crowd of about 600 at the Respect Life Dinner, mit to do something, to look doctor could “visualize” his “I was trying to reassure sponsored by the Office of Pro-Life of the Diocese. Seated at right during the talk were, for a place for themselves in target.” myself,” Johnson said. “I from, left David Dawson, director of the office; his wife, Katharine Anne; and Marjorie the pro-life movement. Ultrasound is used in oth- see the cannula go into the Long, site leader for Rachel’s Vineyard/the Gabriel Project. “I know that there is a er abortions but it is merely woman’s body. The suction place for every single one done to determine how far is not on yet and I watch it of you in the pro-life move- the woman is along in her go to the side of the little boy. ment,” Johnson said. “This pregnancy. He jumps, beginning to flail (the banquet) is not your pro- “There I was holding the his arms and legs trying to move away from the abortion New study on abortion life activity for the year. It is probe and I look up at screen a good start but it is not even and she is 13 weeks,” John- instrument, but there is no- close to what we should be son continues. “Everything where for him to go. doing to protect the unborn is there, everything we have, “Then they turned on the and their mothers and our a child in the womb has. You suction and people make rate doesn’t tie drop families. You may say ‘I don’t can tell if it is a boy or a girl.” the assumption that what I saw next was the worst part.” know’ but you have to look In this case, it was a little Johnson said. “Seeing a child and find it.” boy. dismembered and torn apart Johnson spoke for nearly “I figured nothing is going in his mothers’ womb, people to new state restrictions an hour about her eight years to shock me, there is noth- think that would be the worst of experiences with Planned ing I hadn’t seen before,” she WASHINGTON (CNS) -- abortions per 1,000 women that had no effect on the de- part, but I knew that was go- Parenthood and about the said. “But I felt anxious, look- Almost two weeks after the ages 15-44 in 2011, totaling cline in abortion rate, Jones ing to happen. The worst part day in September 2009 that ing at the screen it looked national March for Life rally almost 1.1 million abortions said. was that I just stood there changed her life, setting her like a baby but Planned Par- in Washington, the Guttm- that year. The peak was in Jeanne Monahan, presi- and did nothing. I remember onto the pro-life path. It was enthood said that wasn’t so. acher Institute reported a 1981 with nearly 30 abortions dent of the March for Life wanting to yell out – stop, you 13 percent drop in national per 1,000 women, according the day she was asked to as- When I was pregnant with Education and Defense are hurting him. I remember abortion rates from 2008 to to The Associated Press. Fund, said the authors of the sist in an ultrasound-guided my daughter I knew it was a wanting to do that but I just 2011 -- making for the lowest Guttmacher wrote that study “conceded the fact that abortion, a different type of baby but maybe that was be- stood there. I’m a mom. What rate since 1973 when abor- “more effective contracep- there was no data” to confirm abortion procedure than she cause she was wanted. If the tion on demand was legal- tive methods” may have con- a direct link between legis- had seen done before. child wasn’t wanted, maybe it See Pro-life, Page 6 ized in the U.S. tributed to the decline in un- lation and abortion decline, However, “no evidence intended pregnancies, thus implying there was no way to was found” of a correlation causing a decline in abor- trace such evidence. between the declining rate tions. “They have decent data and new abortion restric- “Contraceptive use im- that’s not 100 percent accu- tions set between 2008 and proved during this period, rate, and they say that in the John Souder instituted 2011, said the study released as more women and couples (study),” Monahan told Cath- Feb. 3. were using highly effective olic News Service. Carol Tobias, president long-acting reversible con- Despite this, March for of the National Right to Life traceptive methods,” Rachel Life and other organizations Committee, stated that the Jones, an author of the study, need data from the Guttm- into Ministry of Lector study “shows the long-term told the AP. acher Institute to track mea- efforts of the right-to-life Jones said the recent re- surement, she said, because ROME – John Souder, a Souder, in his first year B. A. as well as a B. S. degree movement,” even though cession may have also con- there are no official govern- seminarian studying for the of theological formation for in Chemical Engineering and Guttmacher gave no credit to tributed to the decline in ment reports that have the priesthood for the Diocese of the priesthood, was one of 59 is originally from Knoxville, groups against abortion. pregnancy rates, as more same data. Lake Charles, was instituted men to take part in the con- Tenn. He was accepted as a Legislative efforts and women wanted to “avoid or Though pro-life organi- into the Ministry of Lector ferral of the Minsitry of Lec- seminarian of the Diocese pro-life campaigns “should delay pregnancy and child zations see positive signs in on Sunday, Jan. 12, by His tor. He has three additional of Lake Charles for the 2010- not be minimized when dis- bearing” in tough economic Guttmacher’s study, Monah- Excellency Bernard A. Heb- years of theological studies 2011 academic term, study- cussing the decline in abor- times. an said there’s more to do. tion numbers,” Tobias said in The student also showed da, Coadjutor Archbishop of and spiritual formation be- ing at St. Joseph Seminary “Obviously, we’re delight- an NRLC news article. a 4 percent drop in the num- Newark, in the Chapel of the fore being ordained. College in Covington. He is ed,” she said of the decline. Immaculate Conception at Souder graduated from The study reported 16.9 ber of abortion providers, but in his second semester at the “It’s great news for women the Pontifical North Ameri- the University of Notre Dame Pontifical North American and (the) babies ... but the can College. in Indiana in 2009 with both a College. Glad TidinGs pre-eMpTed statistic ‘1.1 million’ is still so sad.” Archbishop Hebda, the The Sunday, Feb. 23, airing of Glad Tidings, the television Though the annual March celebrant of the Mass, is a na- program of the Diocese of Lake Charles, will be pre-empted for Life rally on the National tive of Pittsburgh, Pennsylva- due to NBC network coverage of the 2014 Olympics from Mall has come and gone -- it nia, an alumnus of the North Sochi, Russia. The program, beginning at 6 a.m., will be was Jan. 22 -- Monahan en- streamed on the diocesan website at lcdiocese.org. American College who had couraged pro-life supporters served the College as an ad- on the March for Life orga- junct Spiritual Director, was nization’s blog to “make an named Coadjutor Archbish- impact all year-round in our op of Newark in 2013, hav- communities, be it through ing previously served as the Vocation Drawing starting a group, writing an Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan. op-ed, joining a school board As part of the rite, the or health board, or praying in Bishop placed the Lection- front of an abortion clinic.” ary, from which the readings Contest slated Father Frank Pavone, na- used in the celebration of tional director of Priests for LAKE CHARLES – A Voca- eral at the Chancery, 414 Iris Mass are taken, in the hands Life, issued a statement Feb. tion Drawing Contest will be Street, Lake Charles. Win- of each candidate and said, 4 in response to the study and held in the Diocese of Lake ners will be announced by “Take this book of holy Scrip- NRLC’s article. Charles in preparation for fax on March 21.

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