R E L I E F

Respect Every Life In Every Family

Will the Real Woman please stand up!

Differing faces of the same woman. Thinking of ‘woman’ a collage of images flash across my mind. On the one hand, we have female foeticide and infanticide, malnourished girls and women, illiteracy or very little education, dowry harassment and dowry deaths, battered women, lower wages for equal work when compared to man etc. These are just a few of the issues that have faced woman down the centuries and are still very much in focus today. And then there are other images and pictures. I can best describe it as the ‘stereotype of woman’ who is considered more body than mind. To her belongs all that is beautiful. Even the word ‘beauty’ belongs to her. She is all set to adorn herself, with clothes, jewellery, perfumes, cosmetics. The stereotype is the eternal feminine. She is the emblem of the spending ability, the chief spender. She is also the most effective seller of the world’s goods, be it car, a refrigerator or men’s underwear.

A few more images flash across my mind. Observe a class of college students and usually the girls are models of attention. All their energy is spent on conforming to disciplinary and other requirements. More often than not, girls do not question or challenge a thought process. Lets look at another picture, women compete with men and get jobs on their own merit and then seem to expect special privileges at work, just because they are women. Yet another, when a young man and woman (both earning or both college students) go to a restaurant or a movie, the woman generally expects the man to foot the bill.

Given these very different pictures, the change in the reality of female foeticide or infanticide or illiteracy or malnourishment can only come about if we seriously go about trying to change the stereotype of woman. Why? Why are we women the way we are - docile, submissive and very often servile?

Firstly, a woman does not stand-alone. Her identity is defined by her relationship with others. The reality of her life can be condensed into 3 stages.

1. She is the daughter of her parents (very often considered a guest.)
2. She is a wife to her husband and daughter-in-law to his parents.
3. Mother to her sons and daughters.

Her late childhood and teenage years mark the beginning of a deliberate training on how to be a good woman, and consequently, the conscious inculcation of culturally designated feminine roles. She learns that the virtues of womanhood which will take her through life are submission and docility, as well as skill and grace in the various household tasks.

Secondly, the system of male domination brought with it, the divisions of labour and social roles were assigned on the basis of gender. Women were given the entire responsibility of household work and child rearing, which included teaching her children socially sanctioned values, attitudes and behaviour. Thus women accepted the practice of male supremacy and inculcate these values in their children. Over the centuries, with no access to different ideas or opportunities to challenge the prevailing order, women became willing, unquestioning participants in their own domination and took on the job of socialising their offspring to accept the ideology of gender inequality.

Because of these reasons, we women many a time, in our efforts to be accepted by men, have gone counter to our own interests . We women often suffer from a sense of insecurity and feel secure only when attached to a male. We have allowed ourselves to become possessions.

What answers do we have - what solutions? Should we put all the blame on the men? Should we consider men to be woman’s greatest enemy? Let us remember that men are as much products of their socialising as women are. I believe that the change has to start from within. Until we women can change our thinking, change our own attitudes about ourselves, change our attitudes towards the men in our lives, to be in a relationship with them on a basis of equality rather than servility, we are not going to achieve much. Only when each of us can think freely and strive to realise our potential, regardless of gender, class, caste or religion - only then - will we move towards a society free of domination. We are all equal - we must believe it and act it if we are to have others believe it.

I would like to conclude with a short extract from the play "The Doll’s House" by Ibsen.

Nora asked Helmer: "What do you consider is my most sacred duty? And when he answered "Your duty to your husband and children", she demurred.

"I have another duty, just as sacred - my duty to myself - I believe that before anything else I’m a human being just as much as you are - or at any rate I shall try to become one. I know quite well that most people would agree with you … and that you have a warrant for it in books; but I can’t be satisfied any longer with what most people say, and with what’s in books. I must think things out for myself and try to understand them."

Phyllis Farias, Educational Consultant and Partner, AHAAN.

A SECOND THOUGHT ? CHILD PROSTITUTION

When you hear a story of a child forced into prostitution we shrug our shoulders saying, "Sad, but that’s what is happening now-a-days". While going through the old illustrated weekly (June 1987) we came across an article that chronicles the haunting tale of ‘HASINA’ a child compelled to sell her body to sustain her drug addiction. It set our minds ticking.

Eleven year old Hasina, knew nothing of lust and brown sugar, prostitution or drug addiction. She was an innocent child exultant in her own insouciant, make-believe world. Then fate intervened. Her father suddenly died and a relative on the pretext of enhancing the household income took her away to Bombay, only to sell her in the city’s flesh market. Hasina had become the increasingly ubiquitous figure : the child prostitute. Brutally gang raped and subjected to horrific sexual experience, day after day. Hasina escaped, only to be held captive by another brothel owner, and this time fate took her a step closer : She was also hooked on brown sugar. Now, she would walk the sordid streets solicit, put her body up for sale, only for the dosage of the drug.

Consigned to a living death, Hasina never really had a chance to savour the elixir of childhood. But for Hasina, unlike the others who languish in the blind alley of despair, she was rescued from that abyss by a kind benefactor leading to the disclosure of her miserable existence.

Twelve years later where is Hasina now ? Is she living, dead, married ? Does anyone care to know ?

Why hasn’t the issue of child prostitution been given the ground it requires ?

What are the measures being taken to prevent girls like Hasina from undergoing torture ?

Does rehabilitation revive the child to normality ?

Does society provide them the dignity that is their due ?

Thousands of questions yet remain unanswered. It is high time that we feel the tragedy of the poor. Their pain is always taken for granted.

In this desolate landscape, where innocence is butchered everyday, hope remains a commodity perpetually in short supply. Hasina has been fortunate. Is there a way out for the others?

ANURADHA JEAN MADHUSUDHAN ABHIJIT VARMA STUDENTS - XIME

A BOLD VENTURE … . . A NEW CREATION

"Now I believe that I belong to the human family and not an outcast"- 78-year old Devassia explained with a deep sigh. "This was the experience of my life time. I never imagined that I would have such joy and peace during my retreat!", remarked Kumaran. "We were at the receiving end of so much tender loving care", said Jyothi with an outburst of feeling. These are some of the statements of the participants of a retreat conducted for a special group. Who is this special group? In the diocese of Mananthavady, every first Saturday, a one-day prayer cum Bible convention is conducted at the pastoral centre, which is attended by about 8000 to 12000 people on an average. At the gate of the convention hall,in the street, at least about 40 beggars would be seen regularly. While we are doing wonderful services to the privileged classes, I felt we are totally neglecting these untidy, uncivilized, abandoned, downtrodden beggars. ‘Why can’t we give them a retreat?’, I thought. I shared this idea with the executive members of the CRSM (Conference of the Religious Sisters of Mananthavady) whose director I was at that time (1994). "Retreat for beggars!", was their first reaction. Gradually they accepted the idea, and the sisters with the help of the ‘Jesus’ Youth’ of the diocese made a survey of the beggars in Wynad district. The volunteers waited at the bus stations, main streets, and village centres to interview and personally invite every beggar to the retreat. To our surprise, invariably the beggar was happy to accept our invitation. Having taken the list of the participants, the next step was raising funds to meet the expense. ‘This should have been conducted much earlier", was the reaction of the people who contributed generously for this cause. The retreat began like this. There were 76 beggars - 41 women and 35 men, in the age bar between 15 to 80,belonging to different religions - Hindus,Muslims and Christians. The beggars were collected at a house where they were given a nice bath and two pairs of new dress, and one pair of night dress,too. Some seminarians and youth volunteers gave the menbeggars a good grooming and shaved their beard. "All may please come for a medical check up" - the announcement came from a sister doctor. The beggars lined up. "Do I have some problem doctor?’, assumed most of them to the doctor during the examination. Later they left by bus to the Pastoral Centre where they were accommodated for five days. The facilities of the Pastoral Centre - its class rooms,dormitory,dining hall etc., which the privileged classes so far enjoyed were put at the disposal of the beggars. "Are we to sleep here?’,some exclaimed with wonder.They felt honoured and dignified. When they came to the retreat hall, nobody could recognise them as beggars. They were new men in their new attire as with new appearance. The preacher remarked: with surprise "these are like people who have come for the Sunday Mass . The preacher was a gifted one and a real lover of the oppressed. "We saw God in the person of the preacher", observe Andhru,a Muslim. The participants prayed together, sang together and took part in the evening games. The solidarity between the participants was so clear and palpable . They were relieved of their tensions and anxieties of life, shook off their inferiority feeling, boosted up their self-esteem and felt the inner freedom of the children of God. One day the Bishop visited the camp and distributed some small gifts to each of them. Some,overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,were seen prostrating at the Bishop’s feet as it was the first and unique occasion in their life to touch and kiss his ring. "So far, we saw you from a distance, we had no chance to kiss your ring; now let me kiss it once more", said a smiling Rakesh to the Bishop . Five days of retreat was an ecstatic experience for them, perhaps for the first time they on the dignity of the individual and the preciousness of life. People were transformed from a feeling of destitution to a sense of belonging. I made it a point to personally interview all the 76 participants during the retreat. Some had started begging as they had to come away from home due to some quarrels or conflicts with others in the family, Their false prestige didn’t permit them to go back. One had 2 acres of coconut farm, another a huge amount of deposit in the bank……Most of them have never been to school,others were primary level drop-outs. After the retreat nine of them who had no relatives, were rehabilitated by the organisers, and most of the rest got reconciled with their families and stopped begging. Out of 76, 7 people continued their old profession as they were physically handicapped and were incapable of doing any other work. After a couple of months I met a few of them who at once enquired "When will we have the next retreat?".

Fr.Sebastian Kandeth.

R . F . L . I PROGRAMMES AT A GLANCE AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1998 Programmes on Self Awareness, Worth & Dignity of a Human Person, Growing in Love and Relationship, Human Sexuality, Respect For Life (RFL), Natural Family Planning, Marriage Preparation course, & AIDS were conducted by Sr. Annunciata, Mrs. Phyllis Farias, & Dr. Barbra Naidu, Sessions on Marriage Preparation, Family Life Education, Natural Family Planning and Human Sexuality were conducted by Mrs. Jayaseelan and Mrs. Kumari Baptist in English, Tamil & Kannada. Fr. Cruice Sanjivi CSsR proclaimed the Pro-Life message through his homilies.

1- 8 - 98 Mary Immaculate High School The Human Person dignity & 130 students destiny, Communication , Peer Pressure Human Sexuality, R.F.L. 1- 8 - 98 Don Bosco Centre Bangalore 84 Child Abuse, Sex Education 38 women & girls 6 - 8 - 98 Muglur N. F. P. , Breastfeeding 56 women

8 - 8 - 98 Devajeevanahalli slum Health & Environment 48 women

8 - 8 - 98 Infant Jesus School Responsible Parenthood 48 parents of CCF pupils

9 - 8 - 98 St. Joseph’s Evening College, Preciousness of Life, The Human Person, 70 students I & II PUC Bangalore -1 Dignity & Destiny, Growing in Love & Relationship, Human Sexuality 12- 8 -98 St. Agnes H. Pry. School Preciousness of Life, Self-awareness 58 students 15- 8 - 98 St. Antony’s Church, Preciousness of Life, Human person - 50 doctors, teachers, & Belgaum Worth & Dignity, Communication, engineers, etc. 16- 8 - 98 Human Sexuality, RFL, HIV /AIDS 22- 8 - 98 Devajeevanahalli slum Family Life Education 48 women 25-8 - 98 St. Michael’s Convent Holistic Health, Preciousness of Life, 150 people RFL, Abortions 26- 8 - 98 Holy Cross Convent Sex Education 15 tailoring students 29- 8 - 98 Stella Maris H School Responsible Parenthood 400 parents by Mrs. Rani Noronha 29- 8 - 98 Don Bosco Centre Health & How God works in our family 10 girls

30- 8 - 98 RFLI Hall Preciousness of Life, Worth & Dignity, 12 youth RFL, Gayism, Contraceptives 5 - 9 - 98 Don Bosco Centre Sex Education, Silent Scream 35 women & girls

6 - 9 -98 RFLI Hall Preciousness of Life, Worth & Dignity 30 Hospital Aides St. Martha’s Hospital of human person, RFL, Chastity, Abortion

12- 9 -98 Jyothi Sadan, Bannarghatta Role of Priest in Counselling on NFP 20 Theology Students 12- 9 -98 Devajeevanahalli slum Status of Women in India 48 women

13- 9 - 98 Family Welfare Centre Family Relationship, Marriage Preparation 22 persons Sex Education NFP, AFP (Side effects), Responsible parenthood 14- 9 -98 St. Martha’s School of Nursing NFP & Maintenance of charts III yr Nursing Students & 15- 9 -98 15- 9 -98 Bishop’s House "Culture of Death" situation in the world, 45 priests, sisters & & Karwar Abortion & Euthanasia, Destroying of Life a few lay people 16- 9 -98 by substance abuse & person abuse by - Dr. John Iype & Sr. Annunciata. 17- 9 - 98 St. Joseph’s Convent Respect For Life 11 girls & 24- 9 - 98 19- 9 - 98 Preethi Nilaya, Anekal Human Sexuality 56 tailoring students 19- 9 - 98 Don Bosco Centre Responsible Parenthood 60 persons 20- 9 - 98 St. Martha’s School of Nursing An Awareness cum Cultural Feste for 800 students College, Nursing, and Teacher Training students.Competitions were held in Skit Extempore, Collage, Sketching, Elocution Flower Arrangement, & Group Singing

23- 9 - 98 Christ College Preciousness of Life, RFL 300 II PUC students 26- 9 - 98 Devajeevanahalli slum Sex Education, Marital Problems, 48 persons NFP, AFP side effects 28- 9 - 98 Holy Ghost Church Marriage Preparation 40 persons UPCOMING - Cultural Feste for Schools on 7th & 8th November ‘98 Venue: State Youth Centre, Nrupathunga Road Bangalore -1

The Greatest Miracle . . the Greatest Mystery . .

Who is this person sitting next to you ? You may know him by name, how tall he is, where he is from, the colour of his eyes and hair. How much more do you know of him ?

1. The person sitting next to you is suffering. He is working away at a problem. He has fears. He wonders how he is doing; and often he doesn’t feel too good about how he is doing; and he finds that he can’t respect or be a good friend of himself. When he feels that way about himself, he has a hard time loving others. When he doesn’t feel good about himself and finds it hard to love others, he suffers ..
2. The person sitting next to you has a right to be a person; that is, he has a right to choose and decide, to have a private life of his own. He also has a right to be understood. And unless he can be understood by other people he is prevented from being a person. To be understood how desperately we all want it!
3. The person sitting next to you is an inexhaustible source of energy. Within him are energies that have only been partially awakened. Nine-tenths of his possibility has not yet been touched off. There are all kinds of good, struggling to be born from way within that person. There are also anxieties and hatreds that are struggling to be expressed. Sometimes if these could be expressed he could be free to love others. Deep within people, there is a great toughness for their own integrity a great tenacity in the face of adversity. Human nature is the most indestructible thing that we know. It has an ultimate ability to take whatever comes to go on surviving in the midst of unbelievable difficulties and persecutions. A person is extremely tough with an overpowering will to survive, to attain completion, and to express something of himself in the world.
4. The person sitting next to you is a unique world of experience. Within him there is a world premiere of unique experience going on - experiences which no other person has ever had, or will ever have. Thus a person sitting next to you is a cluster of memories of the past, and expectations of the future. He is really a whole colony of persons, of inner inhabitants, of people met all during a life. Something of these people has entered into this person forever. So that the person sitting next to you is really a city - a community.
5. The person sitting next to you is the greatest miracle and the greatest mystery you will ever meet. The person sitting next to you is sacred.

Selected from Ross Snyder.

A Report on Cultural Feste Titled "Preciousness of Life" Conducted on 20th September 1998

The Awareness cum Cultural feste titled "Preciousness of Life" for College students, Nursing and Teacher Training students held on September 20th was a resounding success. Hats off to the organisers : Teresa and Priyadarshni Vijaykumar and their youthful band of 15 volunteers. The response of the participants was very good. It was amazing to see how they handled such vital topics as "Love, Life & Family" "In the midst of adversities, a ray of hope" "Is technology helping you sink or swim?" "The Silent Scream of the Underprivileged" "Adoption, not Abortion" …. The Prolife message was strongly conveyed to over 800 people. Mrs. Rani Noronha, our chief, guest in her short, inspiring and witty speech, highlighted the need of respecting life and she appreciated the sincerity and zeal with which the young participants convincingly conveyed the Prolife message. Mount Carmel College won the Rolling Trophy and St. Martha’s School of Nursing was the Runner-up

Our grateful thanks to Mr. V. Krishnan, General Manager, MICO for having generously sponsored this programme. Sr. Anne Marie, the Principal of St. Martha’s School of Nursing for our venue, our chief guest Mrs. Rani Norona, the Judges who happily accepted our invitation, the efficient organisers ,volunteers and all our friends who made this function a memorable one. God bless all of you.

T E N D E R N E S S

O you who love each other so passionately, If one day- the demon of depths The depths of flesh without a soul, Assails you, powers over you And make you co-heirs to creation. Being unwed, your mortal bodies are confused And seeks to detach your heart from love For a sordid and beastly act. (Abortion)

Just drop everything and go out for a stroll, As you are walking along, take a good look At the little faces you meet And for the little souls of each child you pass Say a Hail Mary OR take in your hands his fragile face And look into his tender eyes Feel his life throbbing between your fingers, He-will keep you from all vile deeds.

The impersonal force that was sheeting inside you Suddenly encounters your surge of Tenderness The surge of truly human love, The surge of a potential Father And of to-morrow’s Mother. Your souls awaken and straighten up, While even your hearts are surprised To find yourselves praying.

- Eldon Francis

A Report on the Respect For Life programme conducted on the 30th August 1998

Sr. Annunciata conducted a programme for 12 youth from the youth wing of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Bangalore. Sr. Annunciata shared about her mission. She said that like Christ the Good Shepherd who goes after the lost sheep , she also believes in being there for the lost ones who are lonely and are desperately searching for help. Sr. Annunciata always says "I am there for you, come to me whenever you are troubled and in need". She spoke to us with so much of love and concern . She emphasised the preciousness of life, how beautifully each one of us is made in the image and likeness of God, so unique, so wonderful and so precious. Hence we need to respect our own lives and the lives of every other human being. What Sr. had to say about abortions shocked all of us. We had never realised that the rate of abortions and suicides were so high in Bangalore .( 50,000 abortions, unborn defenceless children killed every day in India. Bangalore is rated second in suicide , while Kerala is first in India.). We were told that life begins in the mother’s womb immediately at fertilisation & the zygote, embryo, foetus is the same person unfolding its potentials right from that moment onwards and it is not a bunch of tissues. This brings to mind what I had read in Psalm 139:13 - 16 The Psalmist says : For you O Lord created my inmost being: You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth , your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before even one of them came to be.

We saw the different slides showing how foetuses had been subjected to cold blooded murder through the various methods of abortion. Sr. shared various real life incidents about how babies were left to die in dustbins, about babies who could have been normal but have become handicapped because of attempts made to abort them, and the negative effects children have when they realise that they were not wanted, their birth were a mistake, an accident. She spoke about Chastity and the need for it, especially in today’s world where values and morals are fast disappearing and about how essential it is to live a life that is holy and acceptable in the sight of God. The only way to true freedom and happiness.

We had learnt so much during the program, that all of us decided to share our experience with the other youth. Some felt that the program opened their eyes to a new reality about life. So often we do not love and cherish life, we take life for granted. We now believe that life is precious, it is God’s gift to us and is worth living. We felt that the program was highly informative and it gave us so many facts about life . We found Sister very successful in driving home the message that we are beautiful people ,we are God’s precious gift to ourselves to our parents and to everyone we meet, our lives matter and God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. We have the power to make a difference.

We would like to organise such awareness programs for youth in campuses and working youth as well, so that the message of respecting life in all its forms may reach every one. The members from our youth group have organised a program on the 1st November 1998 for about 50 youth at St. Martha’s Hospital , Respect For Life Centre, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Swami Vivekananda said, "Give me 10 young people and I will change the world" he had in mind us, the youth, vigorously bubbling with enthusiasm. I believe that together we can create a cleaner, healthier society, and make the world a better place. Contributed by Teresa Vijayakumar.

The story of a ‘Baby’

The couple was delighted. It was her first pregnancy and her husband was anxious about her health. He wanted me to check her over and suggested a ‘good’ tonic; I examined her. She had mitral stenosis, a severe narrowing of the mitral valve of the heart, a potentially life-threatening situation in a pregnant woman. I explained to the distraught husband that given good care, she should be able to deliver normally. With the help of my obstetric colleague, we tided her over the delivery, and heaved sighs of relief as the baby boy cried lustily !

At the time we discharged her, I explained in no uncertain terms that the next pregnancy would be fraught with grave risk, unless she underwent mitral surgery. She went home and never saw me again. Three years later, she came back with a sheepish expression. Yes, she was pregnant again; as it was still early days yet, I advised medical termination of pregnancy, so that we could tackle her mitral valve. She vehemently refused and beseeched me to help her through this pregnancy too. Unsuccessfully, I tried to hide my anger. My obstetric friend came to our rescue once again, and all was well. The husband promised to get her cardiac surgery performed and they disappeared. Two years later, I was sitting in my clinic one bright morning, when a pretty girl, a toddler, came walking in. Smiling at her, I asked her, "What is your name?" "Baby !" came the reply. After that, in serial order, she tried to pull away my stethoscope, toppled the pen-stand, almost caused the ECG machine to fall over, and gave me the sweetest smile ! Her mother walked in and restored order amidst the chaos. Yes, it was the same woman; she had come to thank me for my help. Indeed, she had got her valve repair done and was in fine health. The couple thanked me and prepared to leave. In the doorway, she turned and with a smile laced with mischief, said, "This is the child that you wanted me NOT to have, doctor !"

Dr. Om Prakash St. Martha’s Hospital.

Pro-life News

RELIGIOUS SISTERS IN JHABUA DISTRICT OF INDORE - GANG RAPED

The inhuman atrocities experienced by the Religious Sisters in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh has spread a terrible fear in the minority communities especially the Christian community . Although the state government has taken action and is hoping to arrest all those who indulged in the violence and rape of our Religious sisters, it is important that the government, politicians and society realize that such incidents must never occur in future. Protest meetings and rallies have been taken out in various parts of the country. Jhabua is not the only incident of violence An anti-Christian element has swept across our Bharat Mata through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orrisa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. In several places schools have been damaged, churches desecrated and statues of Jesus and Mary shattered. Let us who love our Motherland join hands to see that human rights and justice are restored.

Fewer teen moms

A report out on Thursday says in USA teen pregnancy rate is at a 20-year low. New data shows there were 101 pregnancies per 1000 girls at the age of 15-19 in 1995, the lowest rate since 1975 and a 14 percent drop from the peak 1990 rate of 117 per 1000, the Alan Guttmacher Institute said. Experts say factors for the decline includes education campaigns urging abstinence, a shift in sexual attitudes, and fear of AIDS. The Sunday Times of India October, 18, 1998

Comment : Challenging Teenagers and young people to Chastity, to treasure their sexual goodness, is the only way to bring about a difference in today’s society. Free distribution of condoms as is sometimes done in certain schools and colleges in India will only bring down the moral values and encourage promiscuity, free sex and the spread of HIV / AIDS.

Japan : It’s illegal to use donor eggs to create test tube babies in Japan. Many Japanese refer to the practice as "extramarital fertilization". (Source : Communique, July 1998)

Austria: Abortion Rate The country’s 7 million people kill 100,000 babies a year through surgical abortions. This data does not include those killed through chemical abortions. (Source HLI Reports, May - June 1998)

DON’T THROW YOUR BABY AWAY, SAY POSTERS ON GARBAGE BINS

- by Abigail Levene in Rome Right to Life Association

A children’s welfare organisation is pasting on rubbish bins across Italy urging reluctant mothers not to throw their newborn babies away. The fliers depict a wide-eyed, winsome baby with its head sticking out of a garbage bin. Plastered across the drawing in big capital letters is the appeal: "I’m a baby ! Take me to a hospital or a safe place." Around 123 babies, most of them dead, had been found abandoned in Italy so far this year, said Maria Granzia Passeri of the Committee for a Live Newborn in the Year 2000. As well as those found in bins, the grim roll call includes one newborn discovered dead in a wardrobe, others buried among garbage in Milan and Rome and another stashed still alive in a cardboard box. "Even one dumped baby is a terrible thing," Ms Passeri said yesterday." "If we manage to save just ONE our campaign will have been worthwhile." "Someone who sees our sticker on a bin won’t dump their baby there." Thousands of posters have been stuck on bins around the country, and the committee hopes to extend its campaign across Europe. "Some of these mothers are very young or ill-treated, some are abused at home or have babies which are not their husband’s," she said. "Those are the ones we are trying to help." An autopsy was carried out yesterday on a baby boy found dead in a dustbin soon after his birth on Wednesday in Turin. It established the child was alive when he was dumped. His mother, a 28-year-old Filipina maid, and her aunt are under investigation by homicide police.

Such cases are prevalent even in our country. In Rajajinagar a dog was seen running with a baby in its mouth, which it had snatched from a dust-bin. Two foetuses were found thrown over the compound wall of a school wrapped in a polythene bag. A man heard a baby crying in the early hours of the morning. To his great shock when he reached near the garbage-bin he saw a rat was gnawing at the little baby’s toes. He salvaged the little mite and took it to St. Martha’s. Many such cases occur frequently in our country. What measures have we taken to prevent such unnatural and cruel death of the innocent, helpless babies in bins and bags?.

I’d just like to say …….

"Couples for Christ" Vasco da Gama Goa - 403802.

Dear Sr. Annunciata we in "Couples for Christ" are happy to inform you that we have started a Pro-Life cell. The Training cum Awareness Programme the 10 of us attended in Bangalore in April ’98 was very much appreciated by each one of us and I am sure contributed in motivating us in starting this Pro-Life cell. We already have had two meetings. Initially we propose to work with couples and youth. Your newsletter is received by us regularly, we find it informative. Sr. we pray for your good health so that the important work can flourish under your able leadership & guidance. God bless you and your team of committed workers. - Mr. Vivian M D’Souza

PRO - LIFE MOVEMENT, BISHOP’S HOUSE KOTHAMANGALAM - 686691. KERALA.

Pro-Life News The family Apostolate in the Diocese has taken up the Pro-Life ministry actively and as Executive Committee of eleven was set up with Fr. George Vallom Kunnel as the Director. A three day Resource Persons Camp was organised under the supervision of this committee. In this training programme, thirty persons participated from all organisations namely as "Jesus Youth", "Mathrudeepthi", "Yuvadeepthi".

- Fr. George Vallom Kunnel Pro-Lifer Calicut - 673 580.

A friend of mine gave me a copy of Relief which I find is power-packed. Please continue with this noble purpose. I am a pro-lifer. We conduct one-day programmes. The schedule is like this: 1-1/2 hrs. on socio-economic issues, 1-1/2 hrs/ on the methods and side effects of abortion with the help of slides and videos; 1 hr. on the drawbacks of and side effects of contraceptives and the advisibility of NFP; 1 hr. on repentance and reconcillation; 1/2 hr. adoration before the Holy Eucharist. We are a team of about 15, including PG doctors and medicos. - Josekutty TJ

I Slept And dreamt that life was all joy I awoke And saw that life was but service I served And understood that service was joy

- Rabindranath Tagore

When you've finished reading this newsletter, you are encouraged to take a print out and please pass it on to a friend or relative!

Published by Sr. Annuntiata, NARFL, C/o. St. Martha's Hospital, Bangalore GPO 560 001, Karnataka, INDIA

We are glad to inform you that Respect For Life India has secured Exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act 1961, vide TRUST/718/10G/402/97-98/CIT-II valid up to 31 March 1999.

Pro-Life : Relief News Letter May-June 97 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter July-August 97 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter March-April 98 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter May-June 98 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter July-August 98 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter September - October 98 Issue, Bangalore

Pro-Life : RELIEF News Letter November - December 98 Issue, Bangalore

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