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 President Obama’s health care plan consists of regulations that would “help” to euthanize the old and “brain dead.” However, we must stop and think to ourselves, “What is brain death and is it really death enough for the miserable victim to not count as a precious life in God’s eyes?”
Brain death is defined as “the irreversible end of brain activity.” However, over the years, many people have witnessed that this so- called “death” of the brain is not always irreversible as doctors may make it seem. Most often brain dead patients are brought into operating rooms and his or her organs are distributed to those in need. No one knows, nor can imagine, if the victim feels torturous pain during these rough and brutal operations. After all, the patient’s heart remains beating and the doctor may be inflicting much agony upon these poor souls.
Many miraculous stories further point out the fact that time and again this damage done to a person’s brain is not always so irreparable. For instance, the story of Rom Houben illuminates this point beautifully in a way that has touched and encouraged many Pro-Lifers.
Rom Houben was born in Belgium. He lived relatively normally and probably enjoyed what every average person appreciates in life. However, at the age of 23, this ordinary man’s life was brought to a sudden halt in the year of 1983 when Rom became a victim in a horrendous car accident.
Rom was paralyzed and non-responsive to anything or anyone. After a slew of tests, his doctors deemed his consciousness non-existent. They declared him to be in a vegetative state and that he was “brain dead.” Rom says, “I screamed but there was nothing to hear.” He remained in this so-called vegetative state for 23 years and was repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated. Yet, through all this time, his family never pulled the cord, donated his organs, and never gave up hope that maybe…just maybe their beloved family member would return to them as they once remembered him to be.
This fact especially strengthened Rom’s spirits. He said that he felt, “alone, lonely, frustrated, but also blessed with his family. All that poor Rom could do was hope and pray that one day he would be discovered to be actually alive and well.
 Then, one day, Dr. Stephen Laureys realized that this coma patient might very well be more than just a non-responsive body taking up space in the hospital. He ordered a PET scan for the long-ignored 46-year-old man. This test showed evidence of near normal brain activity. This perfectly strengthened his theory and now, with therapy, Rom Houben, who was believed to be brain dead for 23 years, can tap out messages on a screen and can once again communicate with the ones he loves that never gave up on him through all the long and excruciating years.
After the seemingly miraculous case of Mr. Rom Houben, Dr. Laureys is convinced that there are many cases like Rom’s. There may be many people out there who are mistakenly being treated as victims of brain death. This heroic physician and any true Pro-Lifer knows that these misfortunate souls are most certainly not “burdens to society,” as they are frequently accused of being in today’s world. Rather, they are rather a life, given by God to be offered up to Him and, eventually, to join Him in paradise.
We, as God’s children must recognize that and support people like Rom Houben and Dr. Laureys no matter how high the obstacles or how impossible it seems because we as Pro-Lifers must never say die and teach the world to do the same.
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It’s all about YOU …
 There are many arguments against abortion. Let’s take a look at one that is "All About YOU" … and your own personal judgment before God.
If you are considering an abortion, or helping someone get an abortion, answer this; “What do you believe about life after death?”
Most people do believe in some sort of life after death. Even those who outwardly deny it, still have some interior reservation. Although some may say there is no life after death, very few really, really believe it. Deep down, in their “heart of hearts,” there is a “still small voice” warning them of the inevitable reality.
Most people actually do believe in life after death … and they believe in some sort reward and punishment, as well. The good receive some sort of reward, and those who were bad receive some sort of punishment. When people seriously think about “life after death,” this is about as far as it goes.
Many people think, “I am OK. I really don’t have to worry about reward or punishment; I never killed anybody or anything!” Well, if you are considering an abortion or or helping someone obtain an abortion, this may not be the case.
Are you willing to commit the “legal” but immoral action of abortion and gamble on the “life after death” consequences? Are you willing to gamble on the fate of your own soul when you stand before God? Are you willing to commit actions that you know you will not be rewarded for? Who will reward you for committing an abortion? You pay your money, you take your risks and you “terminate” the life of your son or daughter. How rewarding is THAT!?!
 At the end of the day, everyone will stand before Christ and face their personal judgment. Deep down, we know this. The press of worldly occupations, pleasures and distractions may quell our “still small voice” … but they can’t change the reality of the situation. All of the reasons, excuses and lies will be stripped away. Nothing but the truth will stand with you as the fate of your own immortal soul is decided.
If there is any doubt in your mind, why not play it safe? Learn about the Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation. Learn about the life giving Sacraments that Our Lord gave us for our protection and holiness. Most of all, learn about the unbounded Mercy and forgiveness Christ offers us in the Sacrament of Confession.
Choose Life. Start living with the hope and expectation of God’s infinite Mercy. Look forward to your personal judgment and to God’s promised reward for those who love him.
Ultimately, It’s All About YOU!
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REFLECTIONS ON THE HOLY INNOCENTS
The Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, is doubtless the occasion for many priests to mention the crime of abortion in the course of their sermons. There are many similarities between Herod's slaughter of the Holy Innocents, and the ongoing killing of babies in the wombs of their mothers. But there is one tremendous difference. The Holy Innocents were all circumcised little Jewish boys who went to the Limbo of the Just, and on Ascension Thursday, Our Lord brought them with Him to Heaven, where they now enjoy the Beatific Vision. The babies that are being killed in today's slaughter of the holy innocents will never see the Face of God. They do not go to Heaven, but rather, a place of natural happiness, free from the torments due to willful sin.
Abortion is a crime against the natural law, but more importantly, it is also a crime against the supernatural law. By depriving these children of the sacrament of Baptism, they are being deprived of their only chance for the Beatific Vision. This probably explains the failure of the "Right to Life" Movement. They are making it just a natural movement. It should be the "Right to Supernatural Life." The reason the Magisterium has not raised the movement from the natural to the supernatural level, is because they would have to say that the sacrament of Baptism is necessary for salvation, and this they have been unwilling to do.
When this aspect of the abortion issue is mentioned, we usually hear: "But the Catechism says we can "hope" for the salvation of these unbaptized children" (CCC 1261). This is just speculation, and poor speculation at that. The Catechism itself says: " The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude." (CCC 1257). So everything that follows, on "baptism of desire," etc. is just speculation, and has no authority.
The necessity of Baptism for salvation is crystal clear in Holy Scripture from Our Lord's own words: "And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall • be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15,16). And again: "Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into thekingdom of God" (John 3:5).
It is also the clear teaching of the Solemn Magisterium of the Church that the sacrament of Baptism is necessary for salvation: "All the faithful must confess only one Baptism, which regenerates in Christ all the baptized, just as there is one God and one faith. We believe that this sacrament celebrated in water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is necessary for children and grownup people alike for the perfect remedy of salvation." Council of Vienne (Denzinger 482). And again: "If anyone says that Baptism is optional, that is not necessary for salvation: let him be anathema." Council of Trent (Denzinger691).
Until the hierarchy preach against the supernatural crime of abortion, the depriving the unborn child of the sacrament of Baptism, thus depriving him of his chance for the Beatific Vision, the massacre of the innocents will continue.
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St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, Pray for Us!
Here is the account of the glorious martyrdom of St. Agnes, taken from Butler's Lives of the Saints, in honor of her feast day, January 21. In St. Agnes we see the true Christian abhorrence of impurity.
A great danger facing Catholics young and old is a lack of focus on the virtues that are absolutely necessary for salvation. We must strive for the “higher ground” in our thoughts and deeds, and nowhere more so than in purity. The young suffer from lack of catechesis, or worse, false catechesis. Adults may suffer from a lack of knowledge, or from desensitization due to immersion in the world.
St. Agnes provides a glorious example of setting one’s heart on the love of God alone. Even though we are not all called to the chastity of religious life, we can strive to imitate St. Agnes in her ardent love of God and her uncompromising zeal for purity. Undoubtedly, this would bring an end to abortion and all the associated sins against life, marriage and chastity.
The Romans sought to defile St. Agnes. Tertullian reproached their evil designs in these words "By condemning the Christian maid to the lewd youth rather than to the lion, you have acknowledged that a stain against purity is more dreaded by us than any torments or death. Yet your crafty cruelty avails you not; it rather serves to gain men over to our holy religion." St. Agnes' confidence in the Lord Jesus is an example for youth today, to strengthen them in attacks on their chastity, especially the horrendous classroom sex-education programs run by the American bishops (see Mothers' Watch for more information).
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Brown Bagging it at Planned Parenthood
 Crimes against the unborn are not the only human wreckage accomplished at Planned Parenthood Abortuaries. No. Human and societal damage blossoms out of the doors of Planned Parenthood locations everywhere.
We usually protest abortion at a nearby Planned Parenthood on Saturday mornings. So often, we withness young women stopping by Planned Parenthood for a short visit. They stop in quickly, walk out with a small brown paper bag and check off one more item on their list of Saturday moring errands. What is in these little brown bags?
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Does The Soul of an Aborted Baby Go to Heaven?
The short answer is no. Here is why:
At the moment of conception cells start to divide. Science confirms this. A new life begins; a baby starts to grow in the womb of its mother.
More importantly, at the moment of conception, an immortal soul is infused into that new being. The soul is immortal. It is made to share God's Beatific Vision in Heaven. The purpose of that soul is to know, love, and serve God in this world and to be eternally happy with Him in heaven.
However, due to the sin of our first parents, the soul inherits the stain of original sin. This stain must be removed from the soul and replaced by the unremovable seal or character of Christ.
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No Salvation Outside of the Catholic Church and The Abortion Issue
The dogma of “No Salvation Outside The Catholic Church” is sealed with the highest teaching authority of the Church. It is defined infallibly or “Ex Cathedra.” It cannot be “overturned.”
No one, not even the Pope, can change or water down this dogma as it comes from God Himself through the Extraordinary Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Here are three infallible pronouncements that ALL CATHOLICS are bound to believe:
"There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all is saved." -- Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215 A.D.
“We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff." -- Pope Boniface VIII, the Papal Bull "Unam Sanctum," 1302 A.D.
"The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her, and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgiving, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian solder. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, not even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." -- Pope Eugene IV, the Papal Bull "Cantate Domino", 1441 A.D.
These dogmas are not teachings of hate. Quite the contrary. They are teachings of true Charity. Eternal life hangs in the balance.
So what does this have to do with abortion?
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The horrific catastrophe of our day known as "Population Control" was started in 1798 by an Anglican clergyman named Thomas Malthus. After listening to Benjamin Franklin proudly declare that the American colonies were growing at a rate of 3% a year, Malthus, considering himself somewhat of a mathematician, concluded that by 1890, there would not be enough room on the earth for any more people, for he reasoned that food supplies were growing arithmetically, and the population was growing geometrically. Also, because of the Industrial Revolution, sanitation was becoming more widespread, much to the regret of Malthus, who said:
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Saint John The Baptist - ProLifeLeague Mission Statement
Our mission is to save the unborn, un-baptized soul from the tragedy of abortion.
Who are we?
We are a group of Catholics committed to spiritual warfare against abortion.
What do we do?
We prayerfully appeal to those considering or seeking an abortion to Choose Life.
We ask those considering abortion to think; think about their baby, think about God and His plan for Salvation and think about themselves.
We wage spiritual warfare against abortion, and encourage others to do so, through prayer, almsgiving and sacrifice.
We promote an awareness of the eternal consequences of abortion, based on infallible teaching of the Catholic Church.
Why do we do it?
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