Pro-life rage

IT'S a bit of good news, the information I gathered from Sun.Star Cebu on the plan by pro-life groups to campaign among our people in the whole nation to “spread awareness on Church teachings in schools and parishes instead of conducting boycott activities against the recently signed Reproductive Health (RH) law.”

It should make us realize that its futile to continue seeking to reverse the so-called “anti-life provisions” of the recent law.

I think that the Church and concerned pro-life Christians are using a new tact against Re­public Act 10354, otherwise known as the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. Since the law was passed and approved after many long years, it’s meaningless for the Church to oppose it. Fighting it would not only be senseless but quite stupid.

Anti-RH groups had claimed that some of the provisions of the law violate some teachings of the Church, such as the use of contraceptives, implementation of an adolescent reproductive health program, and the imposition of penalties on those who do not abide by its provisions.

But the Human Life International (HLI), Charismatic renewal movements and the Council of the Laity has decided to come up with a positive movement in support of a pro-life program. They called their strategic pro-life advocacy, which is said to be focused on “life itself," as “a manifestation of our faith itself."

They believe that what they are doing is battling the anti-life use of contraceptives and the pursuit of divorce to dissolve a marriage. This view is shared by lawyer Pat Acabodillo, president of the Council of the Laity, in a press conference at the Summit Circle Hotel recently.

The pro-life campaign is called Red Ribbon, probably equating the color “red” as a rage for life, or a genuine passion for life that allows no one to advocate anything to extinguish the rage. The group would distribute red ribbons in parishes and schools as a way of disseminating the Catholic faith, value and dignity of life. The campaign was launched last Sunday after a mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Vidal.

The launching month of the Red Ribbon campaign is February, the pro-life month (is it not the month of love, too?). Archbishop Jose Palma had earlier invited priests, lay leaders and members of religious organizations to join the movement.

The theme of the pro-life month is, “A Pro-life Nation: The Future in Our Hands.”

Those behind it believe that this is an opportunity to express our strong faith and advocacy for life. Indeed, with our faith and Christian values, we should hold a genuine rage for life and love.