September 2014 Newsletter

Healing Words For The Wounded

By Mary McClusky

EN ESPAÑOL

A recent article on communicating the pro-life message left me nodding in agreement – but sometimes shaking my head in disagreement. While it rightly states that words are powerful and can shape opinions, it also says to always use words like “kill” and “sin” in reference to abortion. The article should have mentioned the importance of being aware of our audience when we choose what words to speak-and when we choose whether to speak at all or to simply listen. While never avoiding the fact that abortion ends a life, as pro-life people we should be aware that our audience will almost always include women who have had an abortion or people who have been involved in one. We should take special care to use words of love and mercy, rather than judgment and condemnation, in order to better help those in need of Christ’s healing touch and to help prevent greater loss of lives and souls. Read more

The Church offers help for those suffering from abortion’s aftermath through a diocesan-based ministry usually called Project Rachel. 

If you or someone you know needs help, please visit www.hopeafterabortion.com (www.esperanzaposaborto.org for assistance in Spanish) or call 1-888-456-HOPE.

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Are We Not Dying Fast Enough?

 By Tom Grenchik

EN ESPAÑOL

When the hospice movement began to get traction in the United States in the 1970s, it brought a healthy attitude toward the treatment of patients who were nearing death.  Rather than focusing on curing what could not be cured, hospice care centered on making the dying patient as comfortable as possible.  Naturally, this included medications that kept the patient stable and comfortable, while providing food and fluids.  If the patient was dying from cancer, the family allowed the patient to die from the cancer, and not from starvation, dehydration or a treatable infection.  Throughout the dying process, good hospice care witnesses to the dignity of the human person.   Countless are the patient and compassionate hospice workers who teach us the sacredness of this holy time period when one transitions from this life to the next.

Yet recent articles in the Washington Post are raising concerns about a possible growing trend in some hospice care.  The Post suggests that as hospice programs enroll more patients who are not actually near death, a pattern of life-endangering doses of pain killers is emerging.  Without delving into the accuracy of this charge, it does tend to coincide with other concerns over a perceived growing practice of “stealth euthanasia” in some hospitals, nursing homes and even hospice programs. Read More