Decriminalisation of abortion what does it mean and how to oppose it?

Our recent youth conference in Rome, which coincided with the youth synod, was wonderful proof of the zeal and fidelity among young Catholics today and a source of great encouragement and hope. After a pilgrimage to the city’s holy sites and a conference addressing vocation, mission and holiness of life, we headed to all night Adoration to pray for the Church and her bishops gathered at the youth synod. A rota was drawn up to cover the night hours from 10pm to 8.30am, when His Eminence Cardinal Burke would celebrate Benediction. When my turn came at 4am, I realised that about ten young men had remained there following Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, standing firm as soldiers at the back of the church, rosary beads running through their fingers in ceaseless rounds. I wondered whether they would stay like this all night. They did. I wondered whether they would make it through Mass – their 12th hour of watching in this act of fidelity, commitment and love. Little did I expect to see two of them emerge from the sacristy at 9am as acolytes, straight as candlesticks themselves, leading the procession to the sanctuary to serve Mass for His Eminence, as attentive as if they’d had a good night’s sleep!

What was moving was not that they went without rest, but their spirit of perseverance, fidelity and love. Many must have thought: if such young men step up to serve the Church, all shall be well after all. Also, in a very beautiful way, everything discussed over the weekend came together in the night watch and service of these young men. The spirit we have in our service of God through our daily activities should be no different from the spirit shown in the work of these acolytes – it must stem from prayer and contemplation, and shed light for everyone around while honouring the Lord.

We are all called to serve God but must discern how best to do that. Our battle on earth is the same, but we have different roles in that battle. Some are generals, some their advisors, some soldiers on the frontline, some guard the camp, and some care for the wounded. However, no-one is meant to be an observer. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification,” says the Apostle. And Our Lord Himself told us to be perfect, as also our heavenly Father is perfect.

How we respond to this call is the most important question we have to work on. And the answer? Our Blessed Mother teaches us the answer: Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum – Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

This issue, which focuses on young people, vocation and holiness of life comes at Advent – a time of fresh beginning, filled with expectation and hope for the birth of our Saviour. His Mother, and ours, guides us in the special vocation of our time, that is the defence of the Truth. This vocation is twofold as is her relationship to Christ. Like her we must defend the Truth as a mother defends her child, and like her, submit to the Truth as she submits to Him, who is Truth Himself.

We may never do anything truly extraordinary. But our perseverance in vigilance, keeping watch with Our Lord can be a witness of extraordinary fidelity and love. It is He Who ‘has done great things to me!’ The great thing for us to do is to remain in Adoration before the manger, the cross, the tabernacle, securely tied to Him with the Holy Rosary, a leash that would never allow us to wander far, and always offering our Fiat!

2018 VOICE OF THE FAMILY © ISSN:2517-6455 EDITORIAL BOARD Liam Gibson Matthew McCusker John Smeaton John-Henry Westen

EDITORIAL OFFICE VOICE OF THE FAMILY Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street, SE11 4AB, London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7820 3148 Email: editor@voiceofthefamily.com www.voiceofthefamily.com/calxmariae

DESIGN: Selina Fang

PRINTERS: Buxton Press

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DISCLAIMER: Great care is taken to credit photos and seek permission before publishing. If you have a query regarding copyright, please contact the Editor. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission. Donations for the continuation of this magazine in print will be gratefully received by Voice of the Family at the address above or online via: www.voiceofthefamily.com/donate

Calx Mariae seeks to contribute to the rebuilding of Christian civilisation by providing essential coverage and analysis in the areas of life, family and culture. Our aim in producing this magazine is to strengthen our readers in the faith and in their witness to the truth about human life and the family. Calx Mariae is published by Voice of the Family, an international coalition of 26 pro-life and pro-family organisations formed in support of Catholic teaching on the family. The following truths are particularly at the heart of Voice of the Family’s work: 9 Marriage, the exclusive, life-long union of one man and one woman, is the foundation of a stable and flourishing society and is the greatest protector of children, born and unborn. 9 The procreative and unitive ends of the conjugal act cannot licitly be separated; the rejection of this truth lies at the root of modern attacks on life and the family. 9 Parents are the primary educators of their children and the protection of this right is essential for building a new “culture of life”. CALX MARIAE

DECRIMINALISATION OF ABORTION

What does it mean and how to oppose it?

BY LIAM GIBSON

On 23 October 2018 Members of Parliament decided by 208 votes to 123 to decriminalise abortion in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although the bill that was proposed has little chance of becoming law, this vote was hugely significant because it was the second time the House of Commons supported decriminalisation. Abortion advocates are now powerful enough to implement their plans and are only waiting for a suitable opportunity to do so. The government’s Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill, expected in early 2019, will provide just such an opportunity. If in the coming months, the pro-life lobby fails to mobilise sufficient opposition, it seems certain that the UK will enact one of the most barbaric abortion laws in Europe.

WHAT DOES DECRIMINALISATION MEAN?

To answer this question, it is necessary to explain the current legal situation regarding abortion. Even though there are more than 500 abortions every day in Britain, the Abortion Act 1967 does not authorise abortion on demand. Instead, it creates exceptions to the prohibition set out in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Any abortion performed beyond the terms of the 1967 Act remains a criminal offence. The vast majority of abortions in Britain are supposedly carried out on mental health grounds, even though medical evidence demonstrates that it can have a detrimental effect on mental health. Such abortions are almost certainly unlawful and the abortionists could be held criminally liable for them under the 1861 Act.

The legislation introduced in the House of Commons on 20 November makes clear the extreme nature of what they propose.

• It would be lawful to perform an abortion for any reason up to 24 weeks. • It would be virtually impossible to prosecute an unscrupulous doctor who aborts a baby after this time. • It would be lawful for a woman to procure her own abortion at

VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE (C.1700). INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART, INDIANA.

any stage of pregnancy, up to 24 weeks.1 • Concealing the body of a baby who dies before, during or after birth would no longer be a criminal offence. (This provision is currently used to guard against the cover-up of infanticide and could, therefore, make it extremely difficult to prosecute someone who killed a baby born alive.)

Abortion advocates argue that the current law criminalises women. It does not. It criminalises acts of lethal violence directed at unborn children. Its purpose is also to protect women from the terrible physical and emotional suffering associated with abortion.

The Catechism of the Church maintains that for the followers of Christ the “duty of making oneself a neighbour to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged: ‘As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ (Mt 5:43-44).”2 Unborn children targeted for abortion are amongst the most disadvantaged members of the human family. Each Catholic, therefore, has a responsibility to do everything possible to prevent the decriminalisation of abortion.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THIS HAPPENING?

It is essential that the hundreds of MPs who didn’t vote during October’s debate hear from their constituents on the importance of opposing decriminalisation. Anyone who can should make an appointment to see their MP. If that is not possible, write a letter. Letters are taken more seriously by politicians than emails or telephone calls. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) can help provide information about decriminalisation and how to talk to others about it and encourage them to lobby their MPs. And finally, please pray and ask others to pray. Speak to your parish priest. Ask if he will offer a Mass that we are spared this terrible evil.

On 12 December 1531, the Blessed Mother appeared to St Juan Diego. In the miraculous image she left him, she wears a black ribbon to signify that she is with child. Bearing within her the unborn Son of God, she freed the people of Mexico from human sacrifice and led them to the light of Christ.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!

1. A draft Bill published by supporters of decriminalisation shortly before the vote on 23 October proposed to make it lawful for a woman to procure her own abortion at any stage of pregnancy, even during birth. Although this provision was removed from the text presented in Parliament 20 November it could re-emerge as an amendment at a later date. 2. CCC 1932

SYNODALITY:

perpetual revolution

BY LIAM GIBSON

“In order not to shock the ears of Catholics, the innovators sought to hide the subtleties of their tortuous manoeuvres by the use of seemingly innocuous words such as would allow them to insinuate error into souls in the most gentle manner. Once the truth had been compromised, they could, by means of slight changes or additions in phraseology, distort the confession of the faith that is necessary for our salvation, and lead the faithful by subtle errors to their eternal damnation. This manner of dissimulating and lying is vicious, regardless of the circumstances under which it is used. For very good reasons it can never be tolerated in a synod of which the principal glory consists above all in teaching the truth with clarity and excluding all danger of error.” – Pius VI, Auctorem fidei 17941

Events in the Church are moving at such a pace that it may seem barely possible to take on board the repercussions of one innovation when we are confronted with the next. The haste with which Catholic discipline is being modified may give an impression of chaos and confusion but in fact what we are witnessing is the implementation of a well-planned and ruthless revolution inside the Church. The aim of this revolution is not to make the Church more liberal but to re-make the Church entirely. Each innovation attempts to shift the focus of the Catholic Faith away from God and onto man. Its aim is to elevate man, making him the master of his own destiny and temporal happiness. The Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment is merely the latest stage in this revolutionary process. In time, however, it may prove to have been instrumental in furthering the idea of the perpetual revolution.

Shortly before the Youth Synod opened on 3 October, Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Constitution Episcopalis Communio. This legislation paved the way for the Final Document produced by the Synod of Bishops to become part of “the ordinary Magisterium of the Successor of Peter once