There is so much bad news these days, especially about young people, that it is quite a thrill to experience some good news, and I had such an experience recently. A few weeks ago I was doing some Sunday ministry at St. Mary of the People Parish in Oshawa, Ontario. The pastor, Father Paul Casullo, mentioned to me that there was to be a public speaking competition in the hall in the afternoon for grade eight girls. He suggested that I might like to attend it. I would have preferred to take a rest but I did not want to appear uninterested so I agreed to attend. I am very glad that I did.
I think it was the final and there were about eight girls left in the competition. They were all about 14 years of age and there were quite a number of parents and relations in the audience. In general the speeches were well delivered and on a variety of subjects. The one that interested me most was a talk on abortion by Christy Ironside. Christy is an attractive young lady with a good speaking voice and she had no difficulty in holding the attention of her audience. It was also obvious that she was convinced of the truth of everything she said. So, herewith the speech. Thank you, Christy, for allowing me to reprint it.
Everyday we are faced with difficult decisions. One of those decisions may be the right to life. Good morning honourable judges, teachers and fellow students. I am here today to talk to you about a very important topic, abortion.
Abortion is a very controversial issue, however, in the Catholic faith to which we belong, there should be no controversy at all.
God tells us in the fifth commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” This does not only mean life outside the womb, or one’s spirit or dignity, but also includes those little ones in the womb.
Human life begins at conception. Humans are defined as beings that have 46 chromosomes in each cell, and this is true from the moment of conception. Life is defined as something growing, developing, maturing and replacing its own dying cells – again, all this is true of the fetus. A fetus is therefore a human and alive.
The term fetus is a medical term used for the growing embryo within the mother, and one which you will hear from pro-abortionists. I maintain that you will never hear a mother say, “My fetus is doing fine,” but rather, “My baby is doing fine.”
We Catholics and the rest of the world need to understand that only God can take life, for He is the one that gives life. A baby is a gift from God, and our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and should be cared for and nurtured as such.
Did you know that most abortions take place when babies already have developed limbs, facial features, can feel pain, suck their thumbs and when you can hear a heartbeat with the use of an ultra-sound stethoscope? Knowing all of these things, governments continue to fund abortions with our tax dollars. In fact, abortion is on the rise.
The latest statistics indicate that over 110,000 preborn Canadians are killed by abortion every year, and that since 1969, almost two and a half million unborn babies have been killed.
Many women have abortions because they think there is no other choice. No one at abortion clinics discusses that what is growing within the womb is alive, and that it is a new life. In fact, the so-called blob of tissue is taken out and the mother leaves. Many women feel guilt at having had an abortion but they are told to forget about it. “It’s over and done with … you had no choice.” But there was a choice, a totally unselfish, life-giving choice.
Each and every one of us should pray. We should pray for the parents of aborted children, for their repentance and healing. We should pray for the babies lost by abortion and we should pray for ourselves that God will help us to remain faithful to His teachings, including that of chastity.
In closing, I would like to say that there are many more facts on this topic, however, times does not allow me to go into depth on this issue. I would like to thank you for your time and ask that you will give what I have said, for the good of mankind, your utmost consideration.
