The British Columbia Pro-Life group’s booth at the World Council of Churches Assembly was warmly received by delegates from all over the world. The Assembly was held in Vancouver in July.
Despite the fact that abortion and euthanasia were carefully left off the list of social justice issues in the official programme, the presence of the Pro-Life display and volunteers excited much interest and discussion.
Many delegates from the Third-World countries expressed fear that their governments were being sadly influenced by high-financed inter-national pro-abortion movement.
They were delighted to receive the free package of Pro-Life materials prepared for them. Delegates were offered a packet containing the Wilke Handbook on Abortion, in the language of their choice, Rev. Shoemaker’s book, Abortion, the Bible and the Christian, and the pamphlets “Love and Let Live”, “What About the Right to die”, and “Respect for the Disabled”. There is definitely a great need for the Pro-Life movement to create an outreach programme to provide information, literature and advice too our friends in other nations. The pro-abortionists, through International Planned Parenthood, certainly have such a network – one that works far too effectively.
Vancouver’s Right to Life Society had just received a plea from the Catholic Church in Kenya for financial help in launching a Pro-life education campaign. Fortunately, this letter arrived during the World Council, and I was able to contact a delegate/observer from Kenya, Fr. Mutiso, who turned out to be General Secretary of the East Africa Catholic Bishop’s Conference.
I spent a day with Fr. Mutiso showing him pro-life films and materials and was able to give him pamphlets, books and a copy of the Father Powell film to take back to Africa. Fr. Mutiso planned to show the material to all the East Africa Bishops at their next meeting and to work to establish ecumenical Pro-Life groups in all of East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zaire, Ethiopia and Chad.
Fr. Mutiso reported that his region is currently being attacked by the same organized pro-abortion propaganda assault that we have seen here – newspaper articles about unwanted children, teenage pregnancies, sex education, back-street butchers, etc. In fact, they’ve been getting the stereotype pro-abortion campaign which unfortunately has succeeded so well in other countries, including our own.
Definitely, there is a great need for Pro-Life around the world to share their resources, information and experience. We’ve all learned from our mistakes, sometimes at great cost; but if our experience can help some other country avoid repeating our mistakes, we should make every effort to help. New groups in poor countries will also need financial assistance to produce Pro-Life material adapted to their cultures.
In British Columbia, the Pro-Life groups have been asked to plan some special fund-raising activity in response to Kenya’s appeal. They urge all Canadian pro-Life groups to consider adopting a sister-group in the Third World.
Betty Green is president of the Vancouver Right-to-Life Society.
