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Deacon Mark Westrick
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Respect Life Ministry
The Respect Life Ministry of St. Stephen works to uphold and promote the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death. Whether helping the mother of an unborn child, holding sessions on human trafficking, or learning how to assist someone in their final days, our ministry works to promote the dignity of all human life.
Our ministry serves the parish through prayer, education programs, and by organizing activities such as attending the Right to Life March in Washington DC. Everyone is welcome (and encouraged) to be part of our ministry. For more information contact Deacon Mark at deaconmaw@gmail.com.
Below you will find two articles found our the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) website. (USCCB.ORG) Please read these and take a few moments to thank God for the gift of life he has given you. Also, explore the USCCB Website as you will learn much more about your faith, about the Church, and about people who make it all work together.
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected an opportunity to vote on the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (H.R.18) by a vote of 209 to 218. H.R.18 would apply the Hyde Amendment government-wide and permanently prohibit taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. Kat Talalas with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“It is gravely wrong to force all Americans to pay for the killing of innocent babies with their tax dollars. The Hyde Amendment has saved at least 2.4 million lives by preventing taxpayer-funded abortion. Now, this 45-year-old bipartisan policy is under unprecedented threat with both the Administration and key members of Congress committed to eliminating it. “Most Americans oppose using their tax dollars to pay for elective abortions, and the failure of the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 18 is unjustifiable. Congress must act to protect millions of babies and their mothers from the tragedy of abortion and protect American taxpayers from paying for the destruction of innocent human life.”
On July 1, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it was imposing a moratorium on federal executions and reviewing its policies and procedures regarding the use of the death penalty. In response, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement:
“The Catholic Church has consistently taught that every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and for this reason we consistently uphold the sacred dignity of all human life. The U.S. bishops have also long called for an end to the death penalty, and we do so in unity with Pope Francis who has also advocated for an end to capital punishment globally.
“The news of the Department of Justice’s moratorium on federal executions is a welcome step, and we must also tirelessly continue to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty from both our state and federal laws as we build a culture of life.
“As we bishops have stated many times, God created and loves every person, and we should respond to this love with reverence for the dignity of every human life, no matter how broken, unformed, disabled, or challenged that life may seem.”
Previous statements by the bishops, as well as letters to lawmakers and information on capital punishment may be found at:
Blessings in a Bottle
January 9, 2021
This weekend, members of the St. Stephen Respect Life Ministry handed out over 130 bottles to help raise funds for Lee County's "Reach Out Crisis Pregnancy Center". Reach Out exists to empower women and men facing unplanned pregnancies with accurate information about all their pregnancy options, practical help, connection to community resources and community referrals. They offer classes designed to equip moms and dads for the task of raising happy, healthy children. They also provide much-needed baby items and help new parents get a healthy start on their new family.
Rosary for Life
October 10, 2020
On Saturday October 10th, 30 of our parishioners from both the English and the Spanish communities joined together in prayer to promote Respect Life Month. Specifically, they prayed a Rosary for Life to petition God to put an end to abortion. Joining their voices together with parishes around the country, our St. Stephen community spoke out loud about the need to protect lives from conception to natural death. If anyone would want to learn more about our Respect Life ministry, please contact Deacon Mark at deaconmaw@gmail.com or by calling 919-499-3772.
Law Is Not Out
November 23, 2020
Planned Parenthood doesn't just believe you should be able to target certain babies for abortion. They're willing to go to court to guarantee it. Fortunately for the "imperfect" children they want to discard, judges for the 6th Circuit aren't quite so eager to end babies' lives just because they aren't "up to society's standards." That's not health care -- that's eugenics.
When the ruling came down that Tennessee's law could take effect, Governor Bill Lee (R) celebrated. "Every life is precious and every child has inherent human dignity," he tweeted Friday night. "Protecting our most vulnerable Tennesseans is worth the fight." The law, which he signed into law last June, is one of the strongest in the country. It also puts a stop to people using Down syndrome diagnoses as an excuse to abort a child. The idea that parents can't destroy a baby for any reason is "deeply upsetting," Planned Parenthood tweeted. The group's president, Alexis McGill Johnson, took it a step farther, calling it a "disgrace" that anyone would "waste their time" protecting these babies.
Planned Parenthood never met a form of abortion it didn't want to expand (or force you to pay for), including sex-selection abortion, race-based abortion, birth day abortion, pain-capable abortion, late-term abortion, underage abortion, unsanitary abortion, chemical abortion, and now, disability-based abortion. Anything that rakes in more money is okay by them. And, as they know, Down syndrome tests have been particularly good for business, especially in places like Britain, where 90 percent of all diagnoses lead to abortion.
Of course, as most rational people know, this is about more than Down syndrome. It's about what makes a life valuable and worthy of protection. Moving down this utilitarian road, where people are only as valuable as they are useful, there are no stop signs -- and no limits. Today, it's children with Down syndrome -- tomorrow, it's seniors with dementia. Once you lose the moral foundation that says people have meaning because they're created in the image of God, anything's possible. Look at Iceland. Close to 100 percent of the country's women are choosing to end these pregnancies, because of pressure from the government and doctors to "eradicate" Down syndrome births.
"Is it okay to abort a pregnancy," Fox News's Tucker Carlson wondered, "if you thought your child was going to grow up to be short? Or prematurely bald? Is there any abortion under any circumstances that's ever bad? Or even a little bad? Are they all morally neutral -- no matter what the cause or stage of pregnancy?"
Some people have been led to believe that Down syndrome children and their parents have a poor quality of life. But actually, if you talk to families who've been through it, it's one of the most unexpected blessings of their life. A lot of these moms and dads say their outlook on life was more positive because of their child with Down Syndrome.
During Down Syndrome Awareness month in October, Bernie Bradley posted a picture of her daughter, Jinny, on Twitter. "Very frequently when she was born, on the day and afterwards, we heard lots of 'I'm sorry' and not 'Congratulations!' At the time it didn't really [hit me] because there was so much else going on -- but since then, it's just become something I've discovered has happened to a lot of parents." Her message to everyone is that these are beautiful, healthy children, so congratulate these families, "Don't say sorry!" Because as far as she's concerned, there are no special needs -- only special gifts.