Editorial

On Jan. 22 we mark the 32nd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in our country. We remember this decision with sadness, recalling the lives of millions of unborn babies killed by abortion. We realize, too, the tragic effects on their mothers, fathers, and others who continue to suffer long after the abortion is performed.

People in the pro-life movement will observe this anniversary with marches, speeches, and gatherings. They continue to work for laws to lessen the availability and necessity for abortions and to support programs to help women and men choose life for their unborn children.

Prayer to End Abortion Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, And never to stop defending life Until all my brothers and sisters are protected, And our nation once again becomes A nation with liberty and justice Not just for some, but for all, Through Christ our Lord. Amen! From Priests for Life, www.priestsforlife.org

Progress has been made. The tide seems to be turning towards a culture of life in this country. But more must be done to bring an end to abortion and the culture of death.

Prayer campaign. As many of you know, Priests for Life led an intense campaign of prayer prior to Election Day in November. Now Priests for Life is encouraging concerned people to continue this prayer movement with a "Daily Prayer to End Abortion" (printed at right).

Priests for Life is asking all Christians to make a commitment to say this prayer each day. Those who have joined this effort may go to www.PrayerCampaign.org and register. Those who do not have Internet access may call 888-735-3448, ext. 237, or write to Priests for Life, P.O. Box 141172, Staten Island, NY 10314.

Copies of the prayer in card format may be ordered. They can be used in classrooms or at the beginning and ends of meetings; inserted in hymnals at parishes, encouraging parishioners to pray the prayer before or after Mass; and distributed to family members or friends.

Whether you use this prayer or another one, I encourage you to pray for an end to abortion each day. Let's ask God to help us, too, in our efforts to reach out to pregnant women and prospective fathers to help them choose life.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

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Proposes feast for aborted babies

To the editor:

The Feast of Holy Innocents celebrated during the octave of the Feast of the Nativity should be matched with a new feast - the Feast of the Aborted Unborn Babies.

In the Feast of the Holy Innocents we commemorate "the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under ordered by Herod. Satan so hated the Infant Jesus that he influenced Herod to order the massacre of the boys. The boys were not aware of why they were murdered even though their lives were sacrificed for Jesus. Herod and the soldiers were the instruments of the massacre.

In the suggested Feast of Aborted Unborn Babies, we would be commemorating the daily massacre of thousands of aborted unborn babies. Satan so hates the daily creations of human lives that he daily influences the actions of abortion doctors and nurses, pro-abortion and pro-choice legislators, and pro-abortion and pro-choice voters. The aborted unborn babies are not aware of why they are murdered.

Let us have the Feast of Aborted Unborn Babies for another category of Holy Innocents.

Charles Sippel, Waterloo

ACLU attacks are wake-up call

To the editor:

The recent attempts by the ACLU to suppress the Christian aspect of Christmas should serve as a wake-up call to Catholics - and all Americans - that our way of life is being challenged.

The ACLU is running roughshod over the rights of the American people. They have and are challenging the American way of life by defending those who would seek to take away our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They choose to represent a small faction of godless people against the wishes of the majority of Americans. If the ACLU has its way, the U.S. will soon look as secular as Canada and Europe.

Our founding fathers clearly intended for people be free to practice their faith, both publicly and privately. When Thomas Jefferson was president in 1803, he asked Congress to ratify a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians. Not only did this treaty allocate $300 for building a church, but it also gave $100 a year for seven years to support a Catholic priest to "perform for said tribe the duties of his office, and also instruct as many of their children as possible, in the rudiments of literature."

The ACLU repeatedly files lawsuits against churches, schools, and public facilities, knowing that they either don't have the money to defend themselves or that they are publicly funded. The result is that American taxpayers end up footing the bill to protect ourselves against the attacks brought by the ACLU.

We need to defend our faith from attack. It is time for all concerned citizens - and for our elected officials - to stand up for our rights.

William J. Coady, Springfield, Ill.

Environment is key moral issue

To the editor:

Your editorial of Nov. 11 on moral values failed to make any mention of the environment. I hope that was just an oversight.

The protection of the environment is very important and should certainly be considered a moral issue. How could global warming, pollution of our air and water, and the extinction of thousands of species every year not be considered a moral issue?

Clarence Trinkner, Janesville