PRO- LIFE APOSTOLATE NEWS
Be a part of the solution. Sign up to receive legislative alerts from the Virginia Catholic Conference by using the QR code below.
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EDUCATE YOURSELF!
To view the current abortion laws in the state of Virginia:
State-of-Abortion-Laws-in-VA.pdf
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An excellent source for pro-life information is found at the Priests For Life website https://www.priestsforlife.org. Here you can find a challenge to politicians and voters asking them "Is This What You Mean", when they speak of their support of abortion. Perhaps the information may be too graphic for our Church bulletin. That in and of itself is very telling. An abortion "procedure" is barbaric and should never be tolerated anywhere, at any time, for any reason. Please visit this website for additional information.
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ROE V. WADE FACTS
In the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion in this country, never in the Justices' decision was abortion declared a "constitutional right". Rather, the Justices' based their decision on a previously undefined "right to privacy" which is not written in the Constitution but is a "right" in the penumbrae of the Constitution. The penumbrae are used to describe implied powers of the federal government derived from a specific rule. In this case, the "right to privacy" is implied from the First Amendment to the Constitution.
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ARM YOURSELF WITH THE TRUTH
THE TRUTH WILL OUT - William Shakespeare
Pro-Choice Argument: If the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, handed down in 1973 is overturned by the court next month, abortion will be illegal in the United States.
THE TRUTH: The abortion issue will be returned to the states. Currently under Virginia law, an abortion may be performed in the first and second trimester. In the third trimester, an abortion may be performed if the life or health of the mother is at serious risk, as attested to by three doctors. Abortion will remain legal in Virginia.
We continue to pray for a conversion of hearts and minds to end the evil that is abortion. In addition, the election of pro-life candidates to state office will enable pro-life legislation to move forward.
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THE SCIENTIFIC ANSWER TO WHEN LIFE BEGINS:
Science teaches without reservation that life begins at fertilization (conception). It is a scientific fact that an organism exists after fertilization that did not exist before. This new organism has its own DNA distinct from the mother and father, meaning that it is a unique person. As the embryo grows, it develops a heartbeat (22 days after fertilization), its own circulatory system, and its own organs. From fertilization, it is a new organism that is alive and will continue to grow and develop as long as nutrition is provided and its life is not ended through violence or illness.
It is indisputably human, as it has human DNA. (www.liveaction.org)
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Did You Know....
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution , which was sponsored by Senator Jacob Howard and passed in 1868, states, in part: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Preborn children are constitutionally entitled to due process and the equal protection of the law. At the time this amendment was written the definition of a person was a human being. No dictionary of the era referenced birth or the status of being born in its definition of person, man , or human being. (Josh Craddock, LiveAction.org). To learn more about this and other pro-life replies to the pro-abortion arguments, visit https://prolifereplies.liveaction.org/
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The document below details the true account of a woman's journey for forgiveness and mercy after multiple abortions.
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RESOURCES
Help After Abortion - Project Rachel
https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/find-support/help-after-abortion/
Pregnancy Assistance - Gabriel Project
https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/find-support/pregnancy-assistance/pregnancy-assistance-(gabriel-project)/
Birthright of Loudoun County
Teen Pregnancy & Pregnancy Crisis Services in Leesburg, VA
In the event of an unplanned pregnancy, something as small as a free pregnancy test or pregnancy counseling can help. Let Birthright of Loudoun help you today. Birthright of Loudoun provides caring, non-judgmental support to girls and women who are distressed by an unplanned pregnancy. Using its own resources and those of the community, Birthright offers positive alternatives to abortion as well as pregnancy counseling services. We present many services and offer referrals for many more. We provide friendship and emotional support, free pregnancy testing, advice on alternatives to abortion, maternity and baby clothes, and help in making a workable plan for the future. We also give information and referrals to help clients meet medical, legal, educational, employment, financial, and housing needs. Birthright treats each woman as an individual who deserves kindness and respect, as well as personal attention to her unique situation. We are here to listen and help you because we care; you are not alone. All Birthright of Loudoun services are free, absolutely confidential, and available to any woman regardless of age, race, creed, and economic or marital status.
Birthright of Loudoun County is located at 16 Royal St. SE Leesburg, VA. 20175. Their phone number is (703) 539-2575. If you wish to donate, or are interested in more information please visit their website at www.birthrightofloudoun.com
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WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
***Learn about and sign up for the Respect Life Conference 2024 here. ***
"Some people argue that changing laws will not eliminate abortions. It is certainly true that a change of heart is more important than a change of law. What is forgotten, however, is that the law is the great teacher. Children grow up believing that if a practice is legal, it must be moral." Cardinal John O’Connor
What is the Hyde Amendment and why is it important?
Originally passed in 1976, three years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade, the Hyde Amendment is named after one of its biggest advocates, the late congressman Henry Hyde. The amendment prohibits federal funding of abortions, and as a rider to the HHS appropriations bill, must be passed each year. There have been various iterations of the amendment’s language over the past 40 years, but the current version includes exceptions that allow Medicaid funds to be used for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother – but all other federal taxpayer funding of abortion is banned. Although the Hyde Amendment was first passed in 1976, it did not take effect until 1980 when the Supreme Court ruled it to be constitutional. During the years between Roe and the implementation of the Hyde Amendment, federal tax dollars funded roughly 300,000 abortions annually – which amounts to roughly 25% of all abortions during that same period. Before the Hyde Amendment went into effect, America’s taxpayers were paying for nearly a quarter of all abortions in the U.S. (ACLJ.org)
President Biden has proposed a budget which does not include the Hyde Amendment for the first time since this amendment was implemented in 1980. It is imperative that we make our voices heard in the halls of Congress now! Please email, write or call your elected representatives and let them know your tax dollars are not to be used to pay for abortions. Save the Hyde Amendment!
10th Congressional District is represented by Representative Jennifer Wexton (D):
To Email: https://wexton.house.gov/contact/
To mail a letter or call:
1217 Longworth HOBWashington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 225-5136Fax: 202-225-0437
U. S. Senators representing the state of Virginia and their contact information:
Sen. Mark Warner (D)To Email: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactpage
To write or call:
231 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510202-224-2323
Sen. Tim Kaine (D)To Email: https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
To write or call:
231 Russell Senate Office Buidling
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-4024
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There are several local pregnancy help centers here in NOVA. We highlight one of them below. If you wish to donate, we include information on how to do that as well as a list of some currently needed items. If you are a mother in need, please contact Mosaic Virginia. Their services are free and confidential.*****
MOSAIC VIRGINIA: 19415 Deerfield Ave. Ste 109, Lansdowne, VA 20176
mosaic-virginia.org (703) 729-1123
Some of the services Mosaic Virginia offer include no cost pregnancy testing, childbirth preparation classes, Ultrasound services, options counseling, men's program , a client boutique where clients may shop for themselves and their babies. The boutique is stocked entirely with donations from the community. Some items the boutique can use include:
Gift cards (Walmart, Target, Costco), pacifiers, diapers for premies, newborns and size 5, diaper rash ointment, diaper bags and baby girl and baby boy clothing sizes 0-12 months. If you wish to make a donation, this organization requests you call them at (703) 729-1124 to set up a drop off time.
Mosaic Virginia also has a wish list on Amazon. Items may be ordered and delivered directly to their Lansdowne facility. Just use this link: https://www.amazon.com/baby-reg/mosaic-virginia-january-2023-lansdowne/2UVG3WQNTGAMT
Support Gabriel Project
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LEGISLATIVE NEWS
H.R.3755 - Womens Health Protection Act 2021 has passed the U.S.House of Representatives. The 10th Congressional District Representative, Jennifer Wexton (D), voted in support of this bill. This bill does not protect womens rights. Rather, according to Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, "Calling it the 'Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act" would be more in line with what this legislation actually is. It is a gift to the pro-abortion groups and their allies, a wish list of proposals not supported by the public". This bill would expand abortion on demand and remove or nullify protective pro-life laws at both the federal and state level (https://www.nrlc.org). The bill is now headed to the U.S. Senate for a vote.
Make your voice heard- state your belief in the right to life for the unborn to your elected representatives. These elected officials work for us. Let them know abortion is immoral. Let them know abortion is murder. Let them know abortion must end.
Contact information for our elected officials in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate may be found on the parish website under the Pro-Life link.
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“Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right even if nobody is right”. - Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
To stay informed on legislation affecting the right to life please sign up for updates with the Virginia Catholic Conference at https://www.vacatholic.org/ .
- A bold initiative in the form of a bill titled, S.99 Life at Conception Act 2021 has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Rand Paul, Republican senator from Kentucky. Senator Paul has said “The Life at Conception Act legislatively declares what most Americans believe and what science has long known - that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore, is entitled to legal protection from that point forward. Only when America chooses, remembers, and restores her respect for life will we rediscover our moral bearings and truly find our way." https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/sen-rand-paul-introduces-life-conception-act
Please contact your Senators and urge them to support this bill. Their contact information is listed on the Parish website. Click on "Quick Links" and then "Pro-Life News and Events". The U.S. Senators for the state of Virginia are:
Tim Kaine (D)
Mark Warner (D)
- H.R.5-The Equality Act (117th Congress 2021-2022)
The Equality Act purports to protect people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance from unjust discrimination. Although this is a worthy purpose, the Equality Act does not serve it. And instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act discriminates against people of faith precisely because of those beliefs. In the process, the Equality Act codifies the new ideology of “gender” in federal law, dismissing sexual difference and falsely presenting “gender” as only a social construct. (USCCB.org)
The Equality Act discriminates against people of faith and threatens unborn life. Tell your elected officials to oppose it! (USCCB.org)
Most parishioners reside in the 10th Congressional District. Currently Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton is the elected representative. The U.S. Senators for Virginia are Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner. Although as of this writing, this bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, please voice your opinion to Rep. Wexton. Please contact both Senators as well.
All these elected officials can be contacted via email directly from their websites. Those websites are listed below for your convenience.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton: https://wexton.house.gov/contact/
Sen. Tim Kaine: https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Mark Warner: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPage
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YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
U.S. Senators for state of Virginia:
Senator Mark Warner (D) www.warner.senate.gov
Senator Tim Kaine (D) www.kaine.senate.gov
U.S. Representative for 10th Congressional District:
Representative Jennifer Wexton (D) www.wexton.house.gov