Letters

Debate needed

Fr Bernard McGrath

Contents - Apr 2010 - Buy a copy now Homily: Easter - from death to eternal life - Pope Benedict XVI More Australian Anglicans respond to Benedict XVI's invitation - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World Irish child abuse scandal and cover-ups: bishops meet with Pope - Michael Gilchrist Formation: Young Australian Catholics commit to promoting Judeo-Christian values - Richard Lyons Bishop Kevin Rhoades: Tribute to an outstanding American Church leader - Fr John Trigilio Religious freedom: UK Catholic schools forced to teach homosexuality in the classrooms - Babette Francis Foundations of Faith: How do Catholics relate to non-Christians? - Fr Dudley Perera OMI Jerusalem: Catholic soldiers' World War I military pilgrimage in the Holy Land - Tom Johnstone Real Presence: Eucharistic Adoration: ultimate weapon of spiritual warfare - Fr Martin Durham Letters: Debate needed - Fr Bernard McGrath Letters: Rosary - John R. Barich Letters: Family - Arnold Jago Letters: No citadels - Arthur N. Ballingall Letters: Why not adoption? - Tom King Books: CREED OR CHAOS: Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster, Sayers - Terri Kelleher (reviewer) Books: FROM HERMES TO BENEDICT XVI: Faith and Reason in Modern Catholic Thought - Tracey Rowland (reviewer) Books: WEDNESDAY WARRIORS: Doing it for the Jumper, by James Gilchrist - David Perrin (reviewer) Poetry: Jerusalem, Town of Contrasts - John O'Brien Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: The Resurrection: cornerstone of the Christian faith - Fr Dennis Byrnes

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has raised the important issue of our population growth.

By 2060 we could have a population of 35 million, but with far fewer people of working age to support the retired and needy, from a ratio of 5:1 retired today to 2.7:1 retired then.

Migration alone, with its difficulties, can never solve this problem, which is mainly due to our birth rate - much lower than needed for natural growth and replacement.

We badly need a national debate on this matter, but politicians and media evidently will not face it.

Is it because they fear the screams of the feminists and libertarians claiming a woman's 'right' to kill her unborn child?

No one has the 'right' to do an evil contrary to natural law - to lie, to steal, to kill, etc. This is self- evident to all decent people.

The unborn child has all the genes at conception it will ever need for full development, and its right to life is prior to any other claims of 'rights' to choice or convenience.

The pressures of politically active feminists (Emily's List) and other secular humanists to legalise the killing of the unborn (even to near-birth as in Victoria) leads to bad law.

Instead of a culture of life based on the rights and duties of all in a civilisation of justice and love, the secularists want a 'society' based on greed, lust, free choice, and the power of the dominant social group.

Feminists want a new type of totalitarianism.

Eighty-seven percent of all Australians believe we should reduce the number of abortions, and 98 percent think women should, at least, be advised of the health risks (physical, emotional and mental) involved with abortions.

This is all well documented and we badly need to debate the matter in our collapsing civilisation.

FR BERNARD McGRATH
Bendigo, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 23 No 3 (April 2010), p. 15