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January 31, 2008 Edition • Volume 138, No. 4 • Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. |
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Catholic Conference opposes assisted suicide billMADISON -- Arguing that physician assisted suicide involves the taking of human life and weakens rather than strengthens the bonds of human solidarity, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) testified in opposition to a proposal to permit physician assisted suicide in Wisconsin.
Senate Bill 151 would require that an attending physician satisfy a patient's request for medication to end his or her life so long as that patient meets certain statutory requirements and submits a written request for the medication. Associate Director for Respect Life and Social Concerns, Barbara Sella, presented the WCC's testimony at a January 23 hearing before the Senate Committee on Public Health, Senior Issues, Long Term Care, and Privacy. "Assisted suicide raises questions that are profoundly personal and heart wrenching. Yet, it is in these very moments that we are most in need of principles to guide our choices and to define the limits of our actions," Sella testified. Full story ... Respect Life Events
Madison vigil-goers brave bitter coldBy Amy HyingFor the Catholic Herald MADISON -- It was the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade at 5:30 p.m. Outside the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Madison, the temperature read five degrees and the windchill was 15 below. Yet 45 prayer warriors, both young and old - from five to 80 years old - met to pray for an end to abortion. With the prayerful leadership of Fr. Eric Nielsen, pastor of St. Paul's University Catholic Center in Madison, and Fr. Eric Sternberg, parochial vicar of St. John the Baptist Parish, Waunakee, the group also prayed for greater unity of pro-life efforts here in the Diocese of Madison. Vigil-goer Curtis Jacobsen, Madison, shared an observation he had made: "Something I found interesting while praying there on Tuesday was that while most of the candles could not remain lit in the wind; there was one group near me that was able to keep their candle going. The glow on their faces from the gleaming candle light seemed to give the false appearance of warmth and comfort to them. Full story ... Pro-life movement strong for youthBy Ben EmmelFor the Catholic Herald WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The March for Life has long been the most visible event within the pro-life movement, with a wide range of people from around the nation traveling each year to register their vocal support of the defenseless and unborn. But for a group of young men studying for the priesthood, the Vigil Mass held the night before in D.C.'s Basilica of the Immaculate Conception left the greatest impression. "Attending the Vigil Mass showed me that the pro-life movement is deeply rooted in our Catholic belief," said seminarian Chris Barkhausen, studying at St. Andrew College Seminary for the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. "It made our work in Washington into a religious experience." The Vigil Mass for Life, held each year on the night preceding the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States, has become the largest Mass in the United States. Six cardinals, with more than 30 bishops and over 800 priests and seminarians, participated in the Mass. Over 8,000 people, mainly youth, filled every available pew, aisle, and side chapel, with many more finding space in the crypt church and in the halls. Full story ...
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