Unto Us... a poem by Spike Milligan

Somewhere at some time

They committed themselves to me

And so, I was!

Small, but I WAS!

Tiny, in shape

Lusting to live

I hung in my pulsing cave.

Soon they knew of me

My mother —my father.

I had no say in my being

I lived on trust

And love

Tho' I couldn't think

Each part of me was saying

A silent 'Wait for me

I will bring you love!'

I was taken

Blind, naked, defenseless

By the hand of one

Whose good name

Was graven on a brass plate

in Wimpole Street,

and dropped on the sterile floor

of a foot operated plastic waste

bucket.

There was no Queens Counsel

To take my brief.

The cot I might have warmed

Stood in Harrod's shop window.

When my passing was told

My father smiled.

No grief filled my empty space.

My death was celebrated

With tickets to see Danny la Rue

Who was pretending to be a woman

Like my mother was

Our Lady, St David and St Andrew Enter Local Election Campaigns

On Thursday 7th of May there will be elections to the Scottish Parliament and to the Welsh Senedd, as well as local council elections across England. We should of course do what we can to find out where all of our local candidates stand on the issue of abortion and then vote accordingly. If you are voting in Scotland you should see details here

However, as candidates are often very busy in the lead up to an election, it can sometimes be very hard to find out where they stand on abortion. I have just been reading the sequel to 'From Christendom to Apostolic Mission' by Mgr James Shea, "The Religion of the Day" where he said, “One act of self-denial for the sake of the Gospel, one single heartfelt prayer or act of charity toward those we are called to love, will have more power in advancing the cause of Christ than months of angry listening to podcasts, or hours of sparring on social media, or years of stirring up those around us with the latest evil reports from news articles. The devil is dismayed by humility, devastated by charity, and terrified by the Cross. But when he sees Christians trying to press the works of the flesh – greed, anger, calumny, and power politics – into the service of the Spirit, he only laughs.”

From this, it is clear that while engaging with candidates in an election is important, prayer is far more important. As we have just over nine days left until the election, we all have time to say one or more of the following prayers each day as a novena for these elections. We can pray that they bring about what God wants and not what man wants. If you are reading this when there are less than nine days left to go to the elections, please still say one or more of these prayers each day. You are, of course, most welcome to continue to say these prayers every day for the rest of your life. You can receive an Our Lady of Walsingham/Prayer for England Prayercard and others, from us here.

Prayer for England

O blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy "Dowry" and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the supreme Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee, in our heavenly home.

Amen.

Prayer for Wales

O Almighty God, Who in Thine infinite goodness has sent Thine only-begotten Son into this world to open once more the gates of heaven, and to teach us how to know, love and serve Thee, have mercy on Thy people Who dwell in Wales. Grant to them the precious gift of faith, and unite them in the one true Church founded by Thy Divine Son; that, acknowledging her authority and obeying her voice, they may serve Thee, love Thee, and worship Thee as Thou desirest in this world, and obtain for themselves everlasting happiness in the world to come. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for Wales.

Saint David, pray for Wales.

Saint Winefride, pray for Wales.

                                Prayer for Scotland

O Blessed St Andrew, Frist-called and Fisher of Men, of old thou didst summon into the presence of the Saviour thy brother St Peter; obtain now we beseech thee, by thy powerful intercession for the people of Scotland that they might recognise in his successor the Vicar of Christ, and so enter into the vision of Him who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, One God for ever and ever, Amen.

Please Donate To Support Our Work And The Pregnant Mothers That we Help

Donate by Bank Transfer to:

The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Sort Code: 40-06-30                      

Account Number: 13994678

By Credit Card over the phone:

Call 0207-723-1740

Monday to Friday, 10.30-6pm

Via PayPal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

Our Lady of Good Counsel and the Abortion Act

The Abortion Act was passed in 1967, but abortion actually became legal on the 27th April 1968. The day before that, 26th April, was the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, meaning that the last day that abortion was illegal in Britain was on that Feast of God’s Mother in 1968.

This coming Sunday is the Feast of Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel; the following day will see the 58th Anniversary of the Abortion Bill becoming law. Since that terrible day almost 11 million babies have been killed by abortion.

A third of pregnancies in this country end in abortion. On this Good Shepherd Sunday in particular, let us remember that for every two Priests that are ordained, another one may have been aborted.

Please take a moment, now, and again on Sunday to say the prayer below to Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel for our work and for the mothers and babies that we seek to help.

Please also think about what you can do to support the women that we serve. Please read this article about Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel and share it with friends and Family.

                           Prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel

O, Holy Virgin, to whose feet we are led by our anxious uncertainty in our search for and attainment of what is true and good, invoking thee by the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel we beseech thee to come to our assistance, when along the road of this life, the darkness of error and of evil conspires towards our ruin by leading our minds and our hearts astray.

Do Thou, O Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, Enlighten the doubtful and the erring, that they be not seduced by the false appearances of good, render them steadfast in the face of the hostile and corrupting influences of passion and of sin.

O Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from Thy Divine Son a great love of Virtue and, in the hour of uncertainty and trial, the strength to embrace the way that leads to our salvation. If Thy hand sustains us, we shall walk unmolested along the path indicated to us by the life and words of Jesus our Redeemer; and having followed freely and securely, even in the midst of this world's strife, the sun of truth and justice under Thy Maternal Star, we shall come to the enjoyment of full and eternal peace with Thee in the Haven of Salvation. Amen.

Donate To Support Our Work

Donate by Bank Transfer to:

The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Sort Code: 40-06-30                      

Account Number: 13994678

By Credit Card over the phone:

Call 0207-723-1740

Monday to Friday, 10.30-6pm

Via PayPal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

The Mystery Of Motherhood

‘Mummy, Mummy, look at this flower!’

‘Darling, I hate to tell you this, but that’s not a flower. That’s a weed’ she replies, laughingly. 

I’m thinking, what does it matter? It’s the most beautiful flower I’ve ever seen. 

On the path leading up to the abortion centre in Ealing, the periwinkle sticks its head out through the gap of the fence of a very beautiful park. The periwinkle is not a flower, it’s a weed. 

I’ve always thought that if I was a flower, I would be one that is technically a weed. I would be a forget-me-not, because regardless of whether they’re weeds or not, they’re my favourite kind of flower. 

And let’s face it, we’re all a bit weedy. We’re sinners. We get in the way, we take up too much space without asking and cause havoc, demanding attention. We’re not always pretty, sometimes we ruin the view and some of us might even sting. 

Nonetheless, there is something very beautiful about a flower that is actually a weed. Where did it come from? No one planted it. What a miracle, what a surprise. 

Somewhere out there, a mother regards the life in her womb as a weed. She didn’t intend for it to be there, and she wants to get rid of it.

It’s not a life. It’s not a flower, it’s a weed. 

In my woundedness, I don’t understand why Our Lord doesn’t raise children Himself. Why does He give them to us when He knows we will hurt them? Why does He keep giving them to us when almost one out of three in them now are aborted? Weeds grow in places where they are likely to be trampled upon. Our Lord imprisons Himself in the womb of the mother in the same way as He imprisons Himself in the Tabernacle. Why did He decide to become a tiny piece of bread, a substance so vulnerable to destruction, placing Himself in our clumsy hands? 

It is the mystery of the Cross. Our Lord became a vulnerable human being, and He let us destroy Him. That’s how He saved us. Our Lady knew what was going to happen, and still, she gave Him to us. It is not the end of the story. 

There is an abortion centre in Ealing, and the sun still shines, the birds still sing. It is right next to a very beautiful park where flowers still grow.

Article & Illustration by Anna Maria, 

Good Counsel's Artist in Residence

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

To sign up for hours at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Ealing, West London contact Sarah on 07776256838, or email her at london40daysforlife@hotmail.com

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here 

“So what’s better than an abortion?”

“So what’s better than an abortion?”. Anyone who has done a few Pro-Life vigils knows that we get some very odd comments and questions, but this was one of my strangest. The man—mid-fifties, donnishly smoking a brown hand-rolled cigarette, a bit scruffy—was reading our sign. “You say that women deserve better than abortion. So what’s better than an abortion?”. It took me a moment to realize that he was serious. ‘Well,’ I answered him silently in my head, ‘I mean, quite a few things actually. Ice-cream. Sunshine. Moonlight on the Danube’. 

By now, though, I had realized what he was driving at. He meant: ‘is a women really better off if she keeps her child in difficult circumstances? What are you going to do to help her once you’ve convinced her to keep her child?’. Of course, the answer is the same: ‘well, quite a few things actually’. The man’s question, one suspects, was premised on two absurd falsehoods: that abortion itself isn’t harmful to women, and that pro-lifers don’t help mothers once they’ve had their children. His and my very curious little interaction left me with two reflections. 

First: perhaps I’m odd in this, but I find that vigil work is much easier if I hold on to my sense of humour. For sure, we must always be mindful of the great evil that is taking place before us. But we also need to remember that the things that the Enemy puts into people’s heads to say and ask are not only misleading, but absurd. He lies, and smuggles lies into the questions he asks, because lies are all he’s got. Though we must always be respectful towards the poor people that he dupes, I think that we can rally our courage if we remember later on to smile at the silliness of what they have said to us. Doing so reminds us that if the abortion lobby sometimes seems like a huge looming edifice, it’s really but a house of cards. I think that it also helps us to retain the inner joy in our witness that draws abortion-vulnerable mothers to us. 

The other, more sombre reflection is about the man’s reasoning. Aside from the fact that it is a really good excuse for not helping people—‘why should I help her to keep her baby? she can just have an abortion...’—it also reveals a sad view of life. Life is difficult, and motherhood is too, even when help is available. If abortion is really better than having a child under difficult circumstances, then none of us should be here. Already, many of us aren’t. The logic of abortion is the logic of death, which is ultimately the logic of universal hatred: hatred of God and all that he has made. 

So I suppose the moral of this story is twofold. On the one hand, we’re in a tough fight: we’re up against the Father of Lies. On the other hand, we can be positive, because at least he hasn’t got anything sensible to say.

                                                                                                           Peter Day-Milne

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

To sign up for hours at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Ealing, West London contact Sarah on 07776256838, or email her at london40daysforlife@hotmail.com

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here 

Pray To St Joseph For Fathers, To Help Save Lives

There is no doubt that most women going for an abortion have been let down by the father of their baby. Some are abandoned, some forced to abort, but most have just heard the terrible line from him, "I'll support you whatever you do." With this he has told her that he does not want this baby, because if he did, he would not support her to abort their child. But he is also putting the full responsibility on her, whatever she does. As today is the Feast of Saint Joseph, the Foster Father of Jesus please say the following prayer that all Fathers protect their children.

Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so prompt, so strong,

before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.

Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,

and obtain for me from your Divine Son

all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,

I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.

Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;

I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.

Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and

ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.

St. Joseph, patron of departing souls - pray for me.

Amen.

PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR WORK 

AND THE MOTHERS AND BABIES IN MOST NEED

Donate by Bank Transfer to:

The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Sort Code: 40-06-30                          

Account Number: 13994678

By Credit Card over the phone:

Call 0207-723-1740

Monday to Friday, 10.30-6pm

Via Paypal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

To sign up for hours at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Ealing, West London contact Sarah on 07776256838, or email her at london40daysforlife@hotmail.com

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here

Is Offering Help and Support Provoking & Judging?

 A young man stopped by the vigil to remonstrate with a priest who was there last week. He kept insisting that "you are just here to provoke", while Father answered gently that we are there offering help and witnessing to the fact that an unborn life is a human life which should be allowed to be born. 

We have two signs currently at the vigil. And a few passers-by have also complained that we are judging or condemning women, or trying to shame them. This is not our intention at all. I will include the posters in this post so you can judge for yourselves how judgemental or shaming the signs are.

The man who stopped to tell the priest off got angrier and angrier, shouting down the answers to his questions. "What help do you give?" -"Well we offer..." "Bull****! you don't help anyone".

"Why are you here?" "Because we believe..." "No. You are here to provoke" etc etc.

The "Women and children deserve better than abortion" sign was the particular subject of his ire, and eventually he tried to remove it, though thankfully he didn't manage to in the end. Finally he explained angrily that he and his partner had an abortion very recently.

As he stormed off, we were left to contemplate how much the pain caused by abortion disfigures everything, so that even an offer of help or a sign calling for better options for expectant Mothers can somehow be seen as an attack.

May God heal the brokenhearted and end the scourge of abortion in our land.

Clare

Why not join us in prayer during Lent? See the options to join our Rosary or Adoration Rotas, or join us at 40 Days for Life – see GoodCounselNetwork.com for details. And follow the daily updates here on our blog, which includes details of the Bishop, Archbishop and Cardinal who have attended 40 Days for Life vigils in London this Lent.

St Patrick Patron Saint Of Ireland

A very happy feast of St Patrick to you all!
St Patrick was kidnapped into slavery in Ireland when he was young. After 6 years as a slave in Ireland he managed to flee the country. After becoming a bishop he returned to Ireland to bring Christianity to the pagan country.
St Patrick's mission was not easy, he faced hostility and hardship yet he continued his work because every person was worth reaching. It's much the same in the pro life movement today, we might face hostility and hardship, as proven at our 40 Days For Life vigil in Brixton, yet each child in the womb is a unique life deserving of protection. Standing quietly, offering help and praying for mothers and fathers may seem small but with the help of God these actions carry great power.

St Patrick's Breastplate

Christ with me, 

Christ before me, 

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton, where we reach out to expectant Mums, will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

To sign up for hours at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Ealing, West London contact Sarah on 07776256838, or email her at london40daysforlife@hotmail.com

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here

Saving Lives This Lent

During Lent we often struggle with Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Yet these Lenten duties aren’t given to us as a punishment but as a means to help us overcome our own spiritual weakness, our greed and selfishness and even our lack of self-control and our lack of vigour in attaining holiness. In other words, Lent is a kind of spiritual workout for the soul. It can be hard sometimes to feel that giving up chocolate and saying an extra prayer or two is making much difference. Sometimes it is even harder to just keep doing the penances or spiritual extras we have taken on, or knowing where best to give alms!

Pro-life work provides an opportunity for all these things. Firstly, in order to try to help women considering abortion, we have to have hope ourselves – abortion is an act of despair, so if we don’t have hope, we have nothing to offer women in need. So we need to keep our own faith alive and active through a deep prayer life. Secondly, some demons can only be cast out through prayer and fasting, as Our Lord told the apostles. And sometimes it is very clear that abortion is one of the issues that requires both prayer and fasting for us to overcome it. Finally, almsgiving. The women we see come to us with every kind of problem: homelessness, trafficking, abuse, illegal immigration, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, imprisonment, prostitution, depression, marriage breakdown, and so many other difficult situations. Money is not the answer to every problem, but money can often buy help, keep food on the table and a roof over someone’s head. With your support, we can reach and help many more Mothers, so they can choose life and we can support them as they do so.

The women who choose abortion come from every walk of life, rich and poor, black and white and every race and colour. We can use Lent to profit our own soul as well as to help save the lives of others by deepening our prayer, fasting and almsgiving for those tempted to abort.

A young Mother, Joanna, who we helped recently, changed her mind as she was going to the Ealing abortion centre. The thing that made her feel able to choose life was our offer to help with part of her rent for the months she would be off work because she did not qualify for maternity pay. That promise has been honoured and she is now the delighted Mother of Jennifer, who is the apple of her eye. It’s amazing that a relatively small amount of financial help can save a life, but it is true! Not just has it saved Jennifer’s life, but it has also brought Joanna to the point where she recognises that abortion would have been wrong, and a terrible mistake. Something she would never want to consider again, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

So, this Lent, please join us and spare some prayer, fasting and almsgiving for the pro-life movement.

Prayer

Why not join us in prayer during Lent? See the options to join our Rosary or Adoration Rotas, or join us at 40 Days for Life – see GoodCounselNetwork.com for details. And follow the daily updates here on our blog, which includes details of the Bishop, Archbishop and Cardinal who have attended 40 Days for Life vigils in London this Lent.

Fasting

Can you offer your fasting and any suffering you have for the end of abortion, the closure of abortion centres and for particular Mothers considering abortion?

Almsgiving

Can you support our work and help the Mothers we are assisting by donating during Lent? Or could you start making a regular (e.g. monthly) donation to our work? See our bank details below.

Clare

DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR WORK

Donate by Bank Transfer to:

The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel

Sort Code: 40-06-30                       

Account Number: 13994678

By Credit Card over the phone:

Call 0207-723-1740

Monday to Friday, 10.30-6pm

Via Paypal: Paypal.me/SaveLivesGCN

The Tower of Babel

                Brixton is a remarkably noisy place to be. The high street in particular is on the routes of surely a dozen buses, and the emergency services plough their way through it so regularly it seems they have a schedule like the buses. Add to their blaring sirens the standard hooting, honking and beeping of all manner of vehicles vying for supremacy on the road, and there is rarely a moment’s silence. There are few places in London, it seems to me, that have so many people from different countries, cultures, and social spheres colliding. In fact, it’s all rather like the Tower of Babel. No-one understands each other, nor do they seem to care because they are all just trying to be the loudest, the one everyone can hear.

                Right in the middle of this there are two or three people praying quietly. Every now and then they burst into a rendition (with varying degrees of success) of some hymn or other. Yes, you guessed it, it’s the 40 Days for Life vigil!

                This little corner of the world, a frantically busy crossroad with a church, a park, a mini supermarket and a bevy of bus stops is a great representation of the world as a whole, especially in connection with the abortion crisis. People of all cultures are hurt by abortion; it slithers through all boundaries; religious differences, political divides, financial standing, and it wreaks havoc. So many people who don’t understand their own views, let alone anyone else’s, and all of them competing in a shouting match to be the dominant mindset. For some it’s all about politics, for others abortion is a woman’s right.

And there are the pro-lifers. We’re not perfect (Some of us can sing, and some of us can’t). Sometimes we say the wrong thing, sometimes we hit the nail on the head, and sometimes we recognise when we need to be silent. But in general, what we’re doing is the right thing. We’re not trying to shout people down, we’re just there as a witness for others whose voices are never heard, and we’re there for all the people who pass us by, either ignoring us, mocking us, or ranting at us for half-an-hour (and we thought the singing was bad). Because one day they might just stop blocking out every one else by their incessant hollering and look at what we actually stand for; an end to the hurt of abortion, an openness to the joy of life, of parenthood, and a promise to stand by any woman who needs help to raise her child.

                Because, one day, the Tower of Babel that is our culture of death will topple. I think I’d rather be part of the relief mission, not one of the people who was on it as it fell.

Nathanael

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton, where we reach out to expectant Mums, will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Ealing, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here

Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark leading the prayers in Brixton.

The Power of Prayer

I don't have a lot of experience in Pro-Life work but since Brixton is on my doorstep, I thought I'd get involved for Lent. I've been struck by various things and feel very blessed to have had this experience.

Firstly, the amount of young, faithful people who want to pray with others and witness to our Lord and Saviour is beautiful and does my faith good!

Secondly, the depth of the wounds both personally and intergenerationally on our streets is palpable; the animosity and aggression I've seen must be signs of deep pain and we must redouble our prayers for the healing that only Christ, our divine physician, can deliver.

 Finally, in an age of social media sparring, I’m struck by how powerful I’ve found it to be silent and remain in prayer when insults are flying. Our Lord did not speak back from The Cross and I’m inspired to keep quiet a bit more (which my friends may approve of!) To close, it’s been a privilege to witness to love and truth; may more folk come to know God and know the true value of human life.

Tori

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton, where we reach out to expectant Mums, will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Ealing, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here

But What About Abortion In The Case Of Rape?

Many of you who have engaged in conversation with the passers-by at the vigil will have been asked the question, ‘but what about abortion in the case of rape?’ Firstly, we must recognise what a terrible thing it is for a woman to be raped and how she needs to be given all the love and support possible. But these women need real help, not abortion. Rather than helping women who are the victims of such a horrendous crime, the abortion industry seeks to make women yet another victim of their own abortion. One victim of rape asked the doctor, ‘will the abortion undo the rape?’ and he of course had to reply ‘no.’ Not only will the abortion not undo the rape, but it will instead only add another layer of guilt and physical and emotional trauma to the already wounded woman.

Abortion only perpetuates the cycle of violence. The argument for abortion in the case of rape, as with disability, is a direct assault on all those who have been conceived in that way. One such example of this is Rebecca Kiessling who was conceived from a knifepoint attack by a serial rapist. Her mother, afraid of an illegal abortion at the time, decided to carry her to term and put her up for adoption. When Rebecca found out about her violent beginning she spoke out against those who justify abortion in the case of rape. She said, “All those people are out there who don’t even know me, but are standing in judgment of my life, so quick to dismiss it just because of how I was conceived. I felt like I was now going to have to justify my own existence, that I would have to prove myself to the world that I shouldn’t have been aborted and that I was worthy of living” (Rebecca Kiessling). These powerful words of Rebecca remind us that whatever the circumstances of his or her birth, every human being is a unique and unrepeatable gift from God, created in his own image and likeness. Let us remember women like Rebecca who have every much right as we do to be here today, and please come and join us in witnessing to this at our prayerful vigil in Brixton.

Jacinta

The 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in Brixton, where we reach out to expectant Mums, will run for 12 hours a day, 8am to 8pm, seven days a week from Ash Wednesday until Palm Sunday. If you could spare an hour or more to come and pray with us, it would be of great help. The vigil takes place at the corner of Brixton Water Lane, London, SW2 5BJ. For more details or to book to attend please contact Gabriella on 07745711064 or 02077231740

For details about 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigils in Reading, Ealing, Southend, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leicester, Bournemouth and Sheffield see here and for the rest of the World see here