As faithful advocates of the culture of life, now more than ever we are needing your support. We know that the push for the liberalisation of abortion will not disappear and we need to be unfailing in our efforts to show our solidarity in defending the unborn.
As you can see by the enclosed flyer, the annual “Rally For Life” is being held at 2:00pm on Saturday 13 March at our usual venue, Queen’s Park in Brisbane city. This park is easily located behind the Treasury Casino in Elizabeth Street (bounded by William & George Streets). We are urging you to come along and bring as many people as possible with you. Our aim is 2,010 supporters there for 2010. We grew from 450 in the first year of the event to 1000+ last year — let’s double this and aim for 2,010.
There are many events planned for this year — the International Federation of Right to Life Associations’ Conference being held in Sydney in May, our own Cherish Life 40th Anniversary Conference in June, the “Pregnancy Babies Children Expo” stall also in June, as well as our annual dinner, to name a few.
We are calling for those of you with a little spare time to register your contact details on our Cherish Life Volunteer’s Register by calling the office on phone 3871 2445. You will enjoy being part of the team to organise school packs, man stands at the Expo etc. Any help you are able to offer is always deeply appreciated.
Finally, we strongly encourage you to continue to contact your state and federal representatives about the issues of abortion, surrogacy and euthanasia. A comment made by one politician upon our visit to him, was that he hears more from people about fluoride than he does about life issues. This is a sad reflection upon all of us. Even if pro-life issues are not currently being pounded on all sides by the media, this doesn’t mean we should slow down our efforts. Letters to your local members are good, phone calls are better but personal visits are great! We can help prepare you for your visit and can also come along to your meeting with your local member should you require this.
We look forward to seeing you all at the united “Rally For Life” — help us turn heartache into hope!
Kind regards,
Teresa Martin
State President
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Speakers: Bernie Finn MLA (Victorian politician), Teresa Martin (Cherish Life Queensland Inc State President), Dr David van Gend (Toowoomba GP, Queensland Secretary of the World Federation of Doctors who Respect Human Life)
Venue: Queen’s Park, Cnrs William, Elizabeth & George Streets, Brisbane City
Date: Saturday 13 March 2010
Time: 1:30pm for a 2:00pm start
Bring: Chair/rug, water, umbrella and generous donation.
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Women and the Culture of Life |
(Excerpt from a speech by Janet Morana at World Congress of Families V taken from the WCF Dec 09 – Jan 10 newsletter)
Feminism, at its best, listens to the voices of women. It listens with new ears, not pre-judging what it will hear, nor trying to make it fit into any mold. True feminism is attuned to what women are saying about what helps them and what hurts them. It is ready to hear them, even when their message presents new challenges to the rest of us. It listens courageously. It’s time for a new feminism, ready to hear the message that women around the globe are raising with greater frequency and intensity than ever. That message is, ‘I regret my abortion.’
 Whether in private or in public, women are expressing the shared experience that abortion represents a dead end, an empty promise, a failed experiment, a false hope. For countless women, not only did abortion not solve their problems, but it only created new ones, of a physical, emotional, and spiritual nature.
Perhaps most fundamental, however, among the kinds of damage that abortion does to women is the powerful statement it makes about their very nature and role in society. The abortion mentality looks on pregnancy as a disease. It does not take women seriously in their unique privilege and power of bearing new life! As Rosemary Bottcher, a Feminist for Life, has written, “Abortion reduces women to the status of sex machines which can be ‘repaired’ if necessary. Abortion helps ease his (the man’s) anxiety about sex and relieves him of the last vestige of responsibility. At last sex is really free!”
Women, therefore, are at the forefront both of bearing the damage of the culture of death and forging the way to a new Culture of Life. It is abortion which stands at the centre of the conflict between these two cultures. No human relationship is more basic than that between a mother and her own child. Women will lead the way more effectively the more they can be healed from the negative impact abortion has had upon them. This involves both a psychological and spiritual healing, facilitated by the support of others in their communities and the expert help of those who understand their wounds. This is at the basis of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a joint project of Priests for Life and Anglicans for Life, by which the large numbers of women who are saying “I regret my abortion” are organizing themselves to speak that message more loudly and effectively. The campaign’s goal is first of all to extend the opportunity for healing to all who have lost a child to abortion. The campaign likewise aims to raise awareness of the harm abortion does to women, and to provide, to those who are ready to do so, the opportunity to share publicly their testimony of pain and of healing.
These testimonies are shared in churches, on television and radio programs, on the internet, and at public gatherings all around the world. At the annual March for Life in Washington DC, women and men who have lost children to abortion lead the way at the front of that march, holding signs that say ‘I Regret My Abortion’ and ‘I Regret Lost Fatherhood’. At the conclusion of the march, they stand outside the Supreme Court and share their testimonies one by one in the presence of the marchers and the media.”
To be pro-life is to be pro-woman. We do not say, ‘Love the baby and forget about the mother.’ Rather, we say, ‘Why can’t we love them both?’ We can and we must. To harm one is to harm the other; to love and serve one is to love and serve the other. The destinies of mother and child are inextricably bound to one another.
“Pro-woman” is not simply a project, strategy, or package for the pro-life message. Rather, it is that message. Whenever someone speaks up for the equal dignity of the unborn child, that person is advancing the status of women. Whenever someone reveals the horror of abortion, that person is counteracting the exploitation of women, so many of whom are deceived into thinking that abortion is no horror at all. Whenever the pro-life message is advanced, women are ennobled.
Janet Morana is the Executive Director of Priests for Life (PriestsForLife.org) and the Co-Founder of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign (SilentNoMoreAwareness.org)
Comment: Do you regret your abortion? Do you regret lost fatherhood? Will you help stop more women and men falling into the abortion trap? Will you start a Silent No More Awareness chapter here in Queensland? Contact CLQ Inc for more information — Ph 3871 2445.
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NEWSFLASH - Abortion Centre in Youngstown, Ohio Closes After 34 Years in Business |
(Excerpt from LifeNews.com — 20 January 2010)
Youngstown, Ohio, USA — Pro-life advocates from Ohio heading to this year’s March for Life held 22 January 2010 have reason to celebrate — an abortion business that has operated in Youngstown for over 34 years permanently closed its doors in the second week of January. The Mahoning Women’s Centre in Youngstown announced that its last day of doing abortions was Tuesday 12 January.
Operation Rescue officials stated the closure indicated the owner of the abortion centre had retired and the building will be sold. As a result, there is no longer an abortion facility in the large eastern Ohio city.
“This is such great news for the people of Ohio and all Americans. It means that lives will be saved,” OR president Troy Newman said this morning. “We know from experience that when abortion clinics close, many women who would otherwise have opted for abortion will instead happily keep their babies or release them for adoption.”
Newman says the closure follows a well-documented national trend of abortion centres closing up shop despite abortion remaining legal without many limits nationwide. In 1991, there were nearly 2,200 abortion centres in America, but OR indicates that currently there are 712 operating.
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Pro-Life News and Updates |
Adult Stem Cell Treatment Restores Sight to Partially Blind Man, Seven Others
(Excerpt from LifeNews.com — 10 January 2010)
London, England — A man who was partially blinded when ammonia was squirted in his eye during an attack 15 years ago has regained his sight after receiving a pioneering stem cell treatment. Russell Turnbull, 38, suffered massive damage to his right eye when he was caught in a scuffle after a night out in Newcastle in 1994.
On the bus home, Turnbull had tried to intervene in a fight between two men but was injured when one of them began squirting passengers with ammonia, according to the London Guardian. The chemical severely scarred Turnbull’s cornea, the clear membrane that covers the front of the eye, and destroyed stem cells that usually help keep the cornea healthy.
“I was in unbearable pain. It burned my eye shut,” Turnbull told the Guardian. “I was in hospital for two weeks and eventually I was able to open the eye again. It was like looking through scratched perspex.”
Turnbull was left with “limbal stem cell deficiency” (LSCD), a condition that seriously impairs sight, and was in pain every time he blinked or saw bright lights. In an experimental treatment devised by doctors at the North East England Stem Cell Institute in Newcastle, stem cells were taken from Turnbull’s healthy eye and grown on a layer of amniotic tissue, which is routinely used as a burn dressing.
The NHS banks amniotic sacs donated by women who have had a Caesarean section. When the cells had covered the membrane, a piece the size of a postage stamp was transplanted onto Turnbull’s damaged eye. Two months later the membrane had broken down, leaving his damaged eye with a fresh supply of healthy stem cells, which repaired the cornea. Eye tests six months after surgery showed that Turnbull’s vision was nearly as good as it had been before the attack.
South Korea Abortion Practitioners Stop Doing Abortions, Become Pro-Life
(Excerpt from LifeNews.com — 10 January 2010)
Seoul, South Korea — A group of abortion practitioners in South Korea have stopped doing abortions and they have banded together to form a new pro-life group for physicians. According to the New York Times, Dr. Choi Anna and Dr. Shim Sang-duk did 30 abortions per month at the Ion Women’s Clinic.
“We sold our soul for money,” Dr. Choi said. “Abortion was an easy way to make money.”
In a country where abortion is widepsread, the two doctors are hoping to force South Korea’s first serious public discussion of the ethics of abortion. In November, they and dozens of other obstetricians held a news conference to ask for “forgiveness” for having performed illegal abortions.
The group they formed, Gynob, has called on other doctors to declare whether they have done abortions. In December, they set up another organization, Pro-Life Doctors, which tries to discourage women from having abortions and runs a hot line to report clinics that do them.
Gynob’s morality-based campaign is unusual for South Korea, where abortion carries little of the emotional or religious significance that it does in many Western countries.
But it is gaining attention here in no small part because it is coinciding with a very public reassessment of abortion by the government, which is looking for ways to reverse a decline in South Korea’s birth rate. “Until now, abortion had never really become a hot issue here,” said Hahm In-hee, a professor of family sociology at Ewha Women's University in Seoul. “The society considers it a family issue, and there is a strong taboo against discussing a family matter in public,” she said.
Russia Health Minister Suggests Cutting Abortions to Combat Underpopulation
(Excerpt from LifeNews.com — 18 January 2010)
Moscow, Russia — A top health minister in Russia suggests the nation should consider cutting abortions to combat its problems of underpopulation. The Russian nation is desperately in need of people as the prevalence of abortions has caused such severe problems that it has ravaged the nation’s workforce.
 Underpopulation is rampant in Russia, which is seeing worker shortages that are hampering the economy and companies across the country. The nation’s population shrank by 12 million people in the last 16 years alone.
While some government-sponsored efforts have helped, the troubled economy and continued abortions are crippling the country.
Health Minister Tatyana Golikova said the Russian government is meeting to determine how to reduce abortions.
“The topic of reducing abortions is definitely on today’s agenda. This won’t solve the birthrate problem 100 percent, but around 20 to 30 percent,” Russian news agencies indicated Golikova saying.
Golikova said there were 1.714 million births in Russia in 2008 but 1.234 million abortions, as the country continued having one of the highest abortion rates in the world along with other eastern European nations.
The federal and local governments have sponsored everything from educational campaigns to contests to direct cash payments for parents of newborn children to spark a birth rate increase.
Posters carry nationalistic slogans, such as a picture of a woman with three children and the words “Love for your nation starts with the family.”
Planned Parenthood Raising Funds to Push Birth Control, Contraception in Haiti
(Excerpt from LifeNews.com — 15 January 2010)
Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Following the earthquake in Haiti, millions of people are dealing with death, a lack of food and water, shelter, and basic medical care. Planned Parenthood, sensing a good time for a fundraising opportunity, is asking for donations for its local affiliate to promote birth control and condoms.
In a new note sent to its supporters on Facebook, Planned Parenthood talked about the giving opportunity.
“The international Planned Parenthood arm is accepting donations for PROFAMIL, a locally based Haitian organization,” the abortion business says. “Fully 100% of donations will go directly to PROFAMIL’s operations.”
In other words, Planned Parenthood is asking for money to help it pass out condoms and birth control to children who are looking for their next meal and medical care for injuries they and their family sustained in the earthquake.
Concerned Women for America president Wendy Wright talked with LifeNews.com about the fundraising appeal.
“Haitians need food, water, shelter, safety, comfort. They are wandering in a daze and in pain,” she said. “Yet all Planned Parenthood thinks about is how to benefit from their suffering. Instead of offering a cup of water, they offer a condom.”
“As corpses fill the streets and the world wonders how few Haitians will survive this crisis of mass proportions, Planned Parenthood’s goal is to reduce their numbers even more,” Wright said. |
“40 Days for Life” Campaign — 17 Feb - 28 Mar 2010
Please sign up ASAP and join in this Campaign — contact Brendan on email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or Ph 3305 0106. You can also register direct on the
website www.40daysforlife.com/brisbane. Enter your details in the top right box.
RALLY FOR LIFE — Saturday 13 March
1:30pm for 2:00pm start — Queen’s Park (behind the Treasury Casino), cnrs William, Elizabeth & George Sts, Brisbane city. Bring chair/rug, water, umbrella and generous donation.
RACHELS VINEYARD RETREATS 2010 — BRISBANE
16 - 18 April, 15 - 17 October
For further details call Lisa on Ph 3376 7078 (confidential voicemail),
write to PO Box 235 Sumner Park 4074 or email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
MARCH FOR LITTLE FEET — SATURDAY 8 MAY
For further details contact Graham & Liz Preston of Right to Life Australia — Ph 3892 5349
INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RIGHT TO LIFE ASSOCIATIONS CONFERENCE — SATURDAY 29 MAY
This Conference is being held in Sydney — details closer to the event.
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From Ash Wednesday 17 February 2010 to Palm Sunday 28 March 2010, Brisbane will be uniting with an expected 130 cities around the world for a massive coordinated pro-life mobilisation — the 40 Days for Life campaign.
“40 Days for Life” is centred around a 40-day, 24 hour a day prayer and fasting vigil outside an abortion mill. In 2009, Brisbane was the first Australian city to take part in this international event.
2009 was a huge success with a continuous vigil for the 40 days outside the abortion mill at Campbell St, Bowen Hills, with over 250 people involved — and we want 2010 to be even bigger!
To find out more information or to sign up to be on our e-mail list, please contact Brendan at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, leave a message at 07 3305 0106 or enter your details in the top right box at www.40daysforlife.com/brisbane
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Hear the heartbeat of the unborn |
 Here’s a great web site you don’t want to miss.
www.priestsforlife.org/ultrasound.html
Scroll down to the heading “Click below to listen to the heartbeat of an unborn child” and click on the word ‘Listen’.
These heart tones were recorded through a doppler speaker by Dr David M Ramsey, III. Make sure and forward the link to all on your contacts list — this website is a great educational tool.
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