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UNBORN continued from page 21 respect for life, I am the first to say, ‘Lord hear our prayer.’ However, I believe it is more difficult than that. I do not accept when people say, ‘just put the baby up for adoption’ unless they are willing to adopt a child in the foster system and I can tell you from firsthand knowledge, there are thousands and thousands of broken kids in the foster system not being adopted, loved or nurtured, and the cycle perpetuates.” As regards to the 40 Days for Life Campaign, “Lisa” is in full support. “I completely support that,” she said. “God bless them.” It is clear this debate is far from over and while for some it is a black and white issue for others there are many shades in between. “We are taught that human life is sacred and has great dignity because we were created in the image and likeness of God,” said Crombie. “At the moment of conception/fertilization, the miracle of life begins in the womb. There should be no misunderstanding when life begins, as some would like to debate. Life is a gift from God. Abortion destroys that life – destroys that Godly gift. Abortion stops a beating heart – it kills the unborn child because that’s what it was designed to do. Let’s be Ziad Shounia says a prayer. very clear: abortion is always the wrong choice.” “Pray that you or a loved one never has to go through such an ordeal and pray for those who do. Legal or illegal, there will be abortions. Therefore, they need to be safe and rare,” Acho emphasized. “Efforts should be made with providing support and understanding to those affected by it. Unlike many other sins, where the choice to sin may have been made for ‘personal gain,’ the choice of abortion was most likely made in desperation where an individual (for whatever reason) was unable to come to terms with the alternative. This person may have also known that they would struggle with this for the rest of their lives. Do we understand the many situations that people are in when they make such a decision? Unless you are faced with the same situation, you cannot truthfully answer this question.” “As our Holy Pontiff St. Francis recently said about equally complex matters, ‘Who am I to Judge…’, quotes Samona. “I just pray for those persons who are facing such challenges and hope their faith and comfort in a loving, merciful, all-knowing God gets them through it.” “Jesus is merciful and forgiving. At times that is difficult for us to comprehend because we ourselves are not,” said Fr. Andrew. “It is important that people on both sides of the argument have serious conversations, motivated and guided by love, in order to arrive at the truth, to bring people to Jesus. This is what Pope Francis is calling for as of late. He is calling the world to know Jesus personally. If everyone has an intimate relationship with Jesus, everything will fall into place, people will know the truth and the eyes of our hearts will be open; abortion would no longer be an issue.” The Catholic clergy understand that not all people understand how to build a relationship with Christ. “That relationship with Jesus is something we need to foster through prayer, the Eucharist and confession,” said Fr. Andrew. “I greatly encourage anyone who has had an abortion or who has persuaded someone to have an abortion to seek the Lord’s forgiveness through the sacrament of confession. The Lord’s love and mercy has no boundaries and is given for those who desire and seek it.” There are many organizations supported by the Catholic Church that offer post-abortion women and men counseling and referrals for help and support, including Rachel’s Vineyard and Right to Life. 22 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2013
NOVEMBER 2013 CHALDEAN NEWS 23
