Abortion's 'legal void' a symptom of moral decline

By Laureen McMahon

Archbishop Michael Miller thanked those who had invited him to the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Fraser Valley Pregnancy Centre in Abbotsford on Feb. 23, for giving him a chance to thank those "who strive in concrete ways to help women who find themselves in difficult situations."

The centre is a non-denominational, non-profit charitable and confidential non-medical service operated by the Fraser Valley Crisis Pregnancy Society, staffed by a team of trained volunteers under the supervision of a director.

There are direct services, including counselling, and referrals for medical and legal care, and a wide range of assistance with practical help such as housing. The volunteers provide emotional and spiritual support in a non-judgemental way to those needing help, regardless of race, nationality, religious belief, or marital status.

As the centre is run by Catholic and Christian volunteers from different churches, it is not only a humanitarian effort, the archbishop noted, but an ecumenical outreach which "vividly expresses the baptismal bond which already unites us."

The centre, he said, brings together people from different religious backgrounds to develop a network aimed at supporting the right to life, to forming "a great chain of solidarity which links everyone from the heart of Christ.

"The better world we seek," Archbishop Miller told the staff and volunteers, "requires Christians to speak with a united voice to foster respect for the rights and needs of women and their children, indeed all of the poor or marginalized.

"Tonight we thank God that so many people in the Fraser Valley consider it a privilege to support pregnant mothers in crisis. You truly contribute to giving Canadian society a humane and Christian face."

Readiness to be of service of others, said Archbishop Miller, "shatters the rules of our competitive market economy": the belief that one must get something in return for an outlay of effort.

"Without volunteers, society would not be fully human. British Columbia and Canada's well-being depends on people who do far more than what their duty strictly requires." The fact that people volunteer, he added, awakens enthusiasm and hope in the broader community.

"In the gaze of the pregnant mother who needs help, even if she is not fully aware of it, you experience the concrete demands of Christian love. For those who sustain this centre, the term `neighbour' includes all those who are loved by God."

Furthermore, acknowledged the archbishop, the service, when linked with other endeavours, preserves the culture of life, in spite of appearances which lead us to think that "the forces of death have the upper hand."

Archbishop Miller reminded centre volunteers that this year is the 20th anniversary of the Canadian Supreme Court's infamous Morgentaler decision which removed abortion from the legal code.

"While some non-legal obstacles do exist, Canada is one of only a handful of nations in the world with no legal restrictions on taking the life of an unborn child in his or her mother's womb. This legal void does not embody Canada's traditional sense of justice and fair play, but is a disturbing symptom of a grave moral decline."

The freedoms Canadians enjoy, Archbishop Miller added, should not include the right to make arbitrary decisions, often governed by the "shifting sands of complete relativism," when they become a factor leading to the destruction of others.

"Genuine freedom, on the other hand," he explained, "accepts that God has entrusted us to one another. We are free in order to serve and love others, to be our `brother's keeper' (Gen. 4:10). Moreover, `there is no true freedom where life is not welcomed and loved; and there is no fullness of life except in freedom'" (Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 96).

"May the good Lord continue to bless abundantly the work of the Fraser Valley Pregnancy Centre and all its volunteers and supporters," the archbishop said in conclusion.