A
Vision Statement
Respect for Life India (RFLI)
( formerly NARFL ) was founded in August 1986 in
response to the mushrooming of anti-life practices worldwide,
particular by in our country.
“To uphold the Culture of
Life and courageously oppose the Culture of Death" – this has been the Clarion Call of
RFLI from its inception .
RFLI's mode of operation to
actualize this Vision has been multi-dimensional.
- We reach out to
all persons, cutting across all barriers. Through this reaching out,
we seek to establish networks of well-meaning persons which are
non-hierarchical and non-denominational.
- All are
welcomed into the RFLI fold.
- We train
leaders at regular intervals through our seminars, workshops and
conferences. These leaders, in turn, work to promote and enhance the
Culture of Life in their own local contexts.
- RFLI
acts as a moral agency-reminding people, in a world driven by
conflicting belief systems, that only a principled approach to the
sacredness of all life can save us from disaster, and bring us lasting
happiness, rooted in the Goodness of God, the Creator.
- Our newsletter
RELIEF functions as a pro-life catalyst in India and other
countries.
- Our plan for
the future is to establish a Programme Centre on a permanent basis,
which will enhance our effectiveness as one of the foremost pro-life
agencies in India.
We acknowledge and thank Human Life
International (HLI)
(Central and Asia )
and local benefactors for their support in preserving human life and
promoting human dignity through RFLI.
A Profile
- Japan, which
has the largest population of people aged 65 and over, is now acutely
aware of what it means to say no to birth and new life. With youngsters
in a minority, this is a nation that has to depend increasingly on
technology – even when it comes to tending the old and infirm…
- By 2020, there
could be 40 million bachelors in China and no women ... it's the birth
of a new problem thanks to the country's one-child policy, abortions
and female infanticide…
- Statistics from
2000 showed that, on an average, a woman is raped every hour in India…
- There are
approximately 46 million abortions conducted in the world each year.
And about 126,000 abortions each day…
- Bangalore, the
world's leading technology hub, tops the nation in the number of
suicides. A NIMHANS study found that the city's suicide rate is 35 per
1,00,000 compared to the national average of 11 per 1,00,000.
Look
around and you see an all pervasive Culture of Death. The attack on the
human person is subtle and sustained. Even before conception, before
birth, during childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. Life
becomes a battle. With modern-day advances, society has shrunk to such
an extent that even nuclear families are now looked upon as unduly
large entities. The family as we knew it – mother, father and children
– has shrunk to DINKS (Double Income, No Kids), live-in relationships,
single-parents… where are we headed?
It is to arrest this Culture
of Death and to spread the Culture of Life, that Respect for Life,
India, came into being on 6th August, 1986, followed by a
National Pro-life Conference in Bangalore. First the society was
called "National Association for Respect For Life". Subsequently in
1997, when the organization was registered under Karnataka Societies
Registration Act of 1960, the name was changed to "Respect For Life
India". RFLI is
a non-profit, secular organization of people from all walks of life. It
consists of a governing body, volunteers and resource persons united in
a common goal – to promote life in all its stages from conception to
natural death, and to act against all that would lessen human dignity.
The
Association is concerned with issues like abortion, child labour, drug
addiction, alcoholism, suicide, battered wives, dowry deaths, the
plight of the disabled, euthanasia and HIV/AIDS.
Aim
& Objectives
Aim
To promote and foster Human Life at all stages and to act against all
that would reduce human dignity.
Objectives
- To promote
respect for the worth and dignity of all human life from conception
till natural death irrespective of religion, caste, sex and colour.
- To create an
awareness of the needs of the weak, the disabled and the aged.
- To provide
education, counselling and support to girls/women in pregnancy distress
and instruction in natural family planning (NFP).
- To organize or
work with representatives, persons or action groups for the
preservation of life, and the prevention of unethical manipulation,
which destroys and devalues human life.
- To create an
awareness of and to act towards redressing the injustice caused from
exploitative systems e.g. dowry, female foeticide, etc.
- To popularize
the value-based approach to sex education, that affirms the selfhood of
young people and builds their self-esteem.
- To respond to
the threats to human sexuality as a result of increased promiscuity and
permissive behaviour being legitimized by the media.
- To promote a
deeper respect for and understanding of marriage and family life.
- To create an
awareness of the engulfing gay agenda in our country and motivate
groups to tackle this issue effectively in a humane and compassionate
way.
- To tackle
burning issues like HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, suicides, child abuse,
dowry deaths, homosexuality.
A Bird’s Eye View of our
Activities
RFLI
Organization & Activities - Chart
Resource Center
RFLI encourages people, especially the youth, to walk in and make use
of its extensive library. It offers valuable books, exhibits, audio and
over a 100 video cassettes on sensitive issues like homosexuality,
abortion, genetics, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, child abuse, violence, child
prostitution, natural family planning, etc. The idea is to spread not
just the message but the right message.
Awareness Programmes
RFLI regularly conducts awareness programmes for
schools, college,
NGO's, vocational and religious institutions to spread
the pro-life message. In the year 2004 alone, RFLI reached out to
55,685 people.
|
A GLANCE AT OUR PROGRAMMES
|
Year
|
School
Students
|
College Students
|
Doctors Nurses
|
Seminarians Novices
|
Formators &
NGO's
|
Teachers
|
Parents
|
Youth &
Parishioners
|
Technical Students
/ Working Girls
|
Total
|
|
1998
|
4513
|
2037
|
450
|
458
|
251
|
418
|
1475
|
16865
|
1105
|
27572
|
|
1999
|
4502
|
3102
|
452
|
1183
|
444
|
435
|
1739
|
7522
|
994
|
20373
|
|
2000
|
8218
|
4102
|
3577
|
1452
|
591
|
532
|
2143
|
13674
|
1123
|
35412
|
|
2001
|
4492
|
4485
|
546
|
776
|
476
|
868
|
2052
|
6923
|
1494
|
22085
|
|
2002
|
5265
|
4139
|
762
|
1217
|
510
|
585
|
2137
|
21807
|
811
|
37233
|
|
2003
|
6424
|
17139
|
1885
|
2727
|
1562
|
589
|
3559
|
16387
|
313
|
50585
|
2004
|
7746 |
24687 |
3050 |
2258 |
3295 |
1530 |
5125 |
7570 |
424 |
55685 |
Counselling
RFLI opens its doors to any person seeking help. Because sex-related
issues are still taboo in many sections of our society, RFLI has helped
a number of sexually-confused youth. It counsels them and puts them in
touch with crisis intervention centers, individual doctors or
organizations. RFLI HELPLINES.
Publications
The organisation also uses the print medium to take its message to the
young.
RELIEF (Respect Every Life in Every Family) is a bi-monthly
newsletter which highlights one burning subject (cloning, euthanasia,
old age, etc.) in every issue. RFLI prints 1800 copies of RELIEF, each
copy of which is read, re-read and passed on. Other publications
include information folders, books and pamphlets on pro-life issues.
RFLI has also re-printed a book published in the Philippines – Sex Talk for Kids and Teens , A Manual on
Training Parents as Educators on the Truth and Meaning of Human
Sexuality – which has been greatly appreciated.
Special Initiatives
These include conferences at the local, national and international
levels. Local conferences on topical issues are an annual affair. Two
of the most recent national conferences were a great success. The
National Conference on Human Sexuality and Sexual Values in 2001 saw as
many as 400 pro-lifers taking part and the
National Training Workshop for Pro-life Resource Persons in 2003,
attracted 115 people. An International "11th Asia-Pacific Congress" was
held in November 2004 at Bangalore, which was attended by over 600
Delegates from the Asia-Pacific Countries (Philippines, Malaysia,
Singapore, Japan, Nepal, Australia), and the United States, with a
large contingent from all over India. RFLI has also
initiated and trained individuals
to start pro-life units in different parts of the country including
Karwar, Shillong, Goa, Agra, Erode and Chennai.
The inauguration of Mahila Mandal (Empowerment of
Women) was held on 12th February, 2004, at our RFLI Centre. Nearly
forty women took part. As these women are from the slums, sessions
are held during the year on Preciousness of Life, mother craft, child
care, hygiene, NFP, abortion and gender discrimination issues,
preparation of nutritious food at a low cost and skills for generating
income .
Some Snippets
Do you know of any mother who has aborted a child
to lessen the population? It is a myth. Abortions occur not to
lessen the population but as a cover-up for promiscuous and permissive
behaviour. Articles that have appeared in the Newspapers and
Magazines
reflecting the views of RFLI, through
Sr. Annunciata rgs .
"A person is of more
value than the whole world" - Sr.
Mary Euphrasia rgs
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