Respect Life

Respect Life Ministry has received funding for a second year from Fidelis Health Services for the diocesan chastity program, Be Happy, Healthy & Holy. Sharon Flanagan, Diocesan Abstinent Educator is available to talk to teens about the Church's teaching on the sacrament of marriage, God's plan for sex, chastity, at-risk behaviors and goal setting. During 2005 she met with over 1,700 students in confirmation formation and in Catholic high schools. To schedule a presentation contact Mrs. Flanagan at (315) 470-1417 or by email at respect4@a-znet.com. Funding for presentations and resources is paid for entirely by the Fidelis Health Care grant.

240 E. Onondaga St.
P.O. Box 511
Syracuse, NY 13201

315-470-1418

Staff


Lisa Hall
Director


Sharon Flanagan
Abstinence Educator
respect4@twcny.rr.com

Catholic Advocacy Network

The Catholic Advocacy Network is an electronic lobbying system that keeps Catholics up to date on current issues. Catholics have the opportunity to use their voice right from their personal computer via email to lobby legislators in just a matter of minutes. Joining the network is easy. Go to or contact Cindy Falise (315) 470-1418.

Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton

In 1973 abortion became legal in the U.S. for all nine months of pregnancy for virtually any reason as the result of the Supreme Court decisions of Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton. The decision of Roe v Wade was the direct result of the efforts of two women attorneys from Texas, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee. As young attorneys they were interested in making a name for themselves by arguing a landmark case through the court system to the Supreme Court. The issue of abortion was selected based on the personal experience of Sarah Weddington and because of the public climate in the late 1960's.

Abortion was a controversial issue at that time. Publicly people were beginning to hear about the physical deformities caused by Thalidomide, a drug that was being prescribed in the early stages of pregnancy. An American TV celebrity, Sherrie Finkbine had taken the drug and was seeking an abortion in the U.S. Because of her fame, the case got considerable press. At about the same time there was a German measles epidemic and many American women were seeking abortions.

Attorneys Weddington and Coffee made known they were looking for a pregnant woman so they could test the legality of abortion in the courts. Through referrals they found Norma McCorvey who claimed to be pregnant as the result of rape. She was unmarried, unemployed, and pregnant for the second time. Her mother had custody of the first child and her family was not supportive. Norma McCorvey became "Jane Roe." Henry Wade was the District Attorney of Dallas County Texas where Roe lived.

At about the same time in Georgia, twenty three people and a young woman "Mary Doe" presented claims against Arthur K. Bolton, Attorney General of Georgia for an abortion based on mental health. Doe, a mental patient at a state hospital was married, pregnant 22 year old, and the mother of three living children two in foster care and the third having been placed for adoption.

On January 22, 1973 Justice Henry Blackman ruled on both the cases of Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton legalizing the right for women to get an abortion for virtually any reason for all nine months of pregnancy by defining "health" as almost any consideration inclusive of physical, emotional, psychological, or social. While this is a simplified summary of rather complex legislation, the end result is approximately 1.3 million abortions each year since 1973.

Abstinence

Sharon Flanagan has joined the Respect Life Office as the Diocesan Abstinence Educator. Funding for her position comes from a NYS Catholic Health Plan, Fideles Health Care grant. This one-year grant will make Sharon available to speak about abstinence and the sacrament of marriage to youth in religious education programs, catholic schools, and faith centers. (315) 470-1417 respect4@a-znet.com

Abortion & The Slippery Slope Phenomena

The "Slippery Slope Phenomena" is phrasing developed to explain the circumstances that take shape from the roots of something evil. A society is judged by how it treats its' most vulnerable members. The legalization of abortion is the catalyst which we use to judge other threats against human life. With legalized abortion as the determinate for how society treats our most vulnerable human beings -- the unborn, it should not be surprising that other threats to life like euthanasia, partial birth abortion, bio-ethics, and capital punishment are a natural listing toward total disrespect for life.

Late Term Abortion

Late term abortions are often referred to as partial-birth abortion because of the procedure used to abort viable babies. Martin Haskel, the physician who developed partial birth abortions for use between the fifth month and ninth month of pregnancy testified at congressional hearings that an estimated 80% of these abortions are "purely elective," [healthy babies of health mothers] and the remaining 20% because of genetic problems. Hundreds of ob-gyns and specialists in high-risk pregnancies, along with former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop have come forward to state unequivocally that partial-birth abortion is never necessary to preserve a mother's health and her ability to carry future children to term.

Stem Cell Research

There has been marvelous success, using stem cells to treat certain illnesses. Those successes are from the use of stem cells harvested from adult human stem-cells, and from the placenta and umbilical cord blood of newborns. There is a current public trend promoting the use of embryonic stem cells for research material. The process involves harvesting stem cells from embryos created but not used for in vitro fertilization, and kills the embryo in the process. Last July, a private firm, the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia, acknowledged that it had paid men and women to provide sperm and eggs in order to specially create 110 human embryos for the purpose of killing them by extracting their stem cells

There is not one documented clinical cure associated with the use of human embryonic stem-cells. The Church supports research using readily available adult human stem-cells and the placentas and umbilical cords normally disposed of as waste. Critical to the morality of this issue is that human embryos are human people. The Church teaches that sacrificing one life for another is never an option.

Cloning

Human cloning is a way of producing a genetic twin of an organism without sexual reproduction. The nuclear material from a cell of a human body is introduced into a female reproductive cell whose nuclear material has been removed or inactivated to make a new human embryo [NCHLA]. The purpose of cloning is for genetic engineering. Recently there have been several national polls surveying opinion on cloning. Results indicate significant public opposition to cloning, including the somatic cell nuclear transfer method to produce human embryos. There is a twofold interest in cloning, one for animal and human cloning and the other for the creation of embryos to use as research material. While there is a small element in the scientific world that aspires to clone a human, most scientists and ethicists agree that at this time attempts at human cloning with the intention to bring to live birth would be unethical. Human cloning fails to respect human dignity. Human life begins at conception, and scientifically creating duplicates of God's

Capital Punishment

The Church's position on capital punishment has evolved from traditionally supporting the state's right to end the life of a criminal in order to protect greater society, to only using capital punishment if there are no other means to protect society.

Euthanasia & Physician-Assisted Suicide

Direct euthanasia is the putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick or dying persons. Physician-assisted suicide is the action of a physician either directly or by prescribing drugs specifically meant to end life. The Church teaches that while we are not obligated to use all available medical procedures in every set of circumstances, we are responsible as stewards of life to never directly intend to cause one's own death, or the death of an innocent victim, by action or omission. Experiencing one's own suffering or the suffering of a loved one tempts people to see active intervention as an answer. It is important that people make important decisions regarding end of life decisions. The New York State Catholic Conference has designed a Health Care Proxy that conforms with New York State law to name an agent to speak on your behalf should the need arise. When selecting an agent to serve as a Health Care Proxy it is important to select someone who shares similar moral values, religious beliefs and wishes. A Health Care Proxy must be signed, dated, and witnessed. The NYSCC Health Care Proxy form is available through the Syracuse Diocese Respect Life Office.

Natural Family Planning

Natural Family Planning [NFP] is a body of knowledge based .on naturally occurring signs and symptoms, that identifies signs of fertility. NFP is not contraception, rather it is a method of fertility awareness and appreciation. It is highly effective when a mutually motivated couple shares in the responsibility family planning. NFP is effective for achieving or avoiding pregnancy. Many couples say than NFP deepens their spiritual life, strengthens their marriage and enriches respect for one another and the gift of life.

Calendar Rhythm This is the original method commonly associated with NFP. This method from the 1930's is based solely on the calendar: The calendar/rhythm method is based on the scientific theory that ovulation could be predicted by calculating from previous cycles.

Basal Body Temperature [BBT] method uses a woman's waking temperature after at least six hours of sleep. A spike in body temperature signals ovulation.

Ovulation Method [OM] uses cervical mucus to determine fertility and infertility. This method was originated by Drs. John and Evelyn Billings and is often referred to as the Billings Method.

The Sympto-Thermal Method [STM] is a multi-indexed method of NFP This methodology is based on work of various scientists including, Billings, Doering, Keefe, Prem, Roetzer, and Vallman and works by charing the primary signs of fertility (mucus and basal body temperature) as well as secondary signs of fertility.

Ruth Ministry

Domestic violence is the most common, but least recognized form of violence in our society. Ruth Ministry was developed by the Syracuse Catholic Diocese respond to domestic violence using the parish infrastructure. The Church plays a vital role in responding to domestic violence, because survivors of violence often turn to parish staffs for information and guidance. Ruth Ministry is designed to prepare parishes to respond with compassion, knowledge and insight to ensure the physical safety and spiritual well-being of those abused.

Project Rachel

"Rachel mourns her children; she refuses to be consoled because her children are no more, Thus say's the Lord: Cease your cries of mourning. Wipe the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have shown shall have its reward There is hope for your future." Jeremiah 31:15-17

Project Rachel is a program that addresses post-abortion stress (PAS). The Catholic Church recognizes that women experience deep unresolved conflicts with abortion, and for Catholics the pain of abortion is intensified by a sense of alienation from both God and Church. The intent of this program is to respond to that estrangement by fostering reconciliation and spiritual healing.

The majority of women obtaining abortions are young generally under age 25. In upstate NY the average woman seeking an abortion is white, between the ages of 20-24 with 12+ years of education. 93% of all abortions are because of social or "birth control" reasons, [The other 7% are because of rape, incest, health of the baby, and threat to we or health of the mother]. NYS DOH statistics reveal that over half of the women who have an abortion will get another. While this summary is the typical profile of the majority of women getting an abortion, please know that women of any age can experience PAS. Fathers, grandparents, friends, and medical personnel can also experience guilt and grief because of their involvement in an abortion.

For more information call Project Rachel (315) 424-3737. The phone is answered during regular business hours. Upon request, calls will be received outside of regular business hours.

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