Letters

Ultrasound

Anne Lastman

Contents - Sep 2009 - Buy a copy now Editorial: 2009 Fighting Fund launched - Peter Westmore USA: Anglicans fragmenting over homosexuality - Babette Francis News: The Church Around the World Christian Life: Courage and EnCourage: a chaste lifestyle for the same-sex attracted - Marie Mason Liturgical Books: The case for a new Missal translation - Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli Campus Life: Brisbane hosts 2009 Australian Catholic Student Association Conference - Br Barry Coldrey Priesthood: Reflections of a newly ordained Sydney priest - Fr James Mccarthy FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH: Sola Fide (by Faith Alone): is this sufficient for salvation? - Frank Mobbs The Reformation and England's changing Coronation Oath - Tom Johnstone Letters: Galileo - David Walker Letters: Ambiguities in Vatican II? - George Simpson Letters: Women priests - Name and Address Supplied Letters: Abortion evil - Diana E. Fox Letters: Ultrasound - Anne Lastman Letters: Religious freedom at risk - Tim Rebbechi Books: JOHN GERARD: Autobiography of an Elizabethan, trans. By Philip Caraman SJ - Michael E. Daniel (reviewer) Letters: Latin Course for Fluency Books: DOVE DESCENDING: A Journey into T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets, by Thomas Howard - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: THE BOOK OF ALL SAINTS, by Adrienne von Speyr - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Poetry: 11 September, 2001: The Towers - Will Elsin Books: DEIFICATION AND GRACE, by Daniel Keating - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: This month's selection from AD Books Reflection: The centrality of the tabernacle - Bishop John M. D'Arcy

The short news report (July AD2000, page 4) titled "Ultrasound technology helps pro-life Shift" is of a little concern to me. Whilst I agree that ultrasound and all possible technology be used to protect life, and indeed all efforts must be made to that end, the report concerns me on many levels.

For example, ultrasound is being used to gender select children, so my suspicion is that ultrasound will contribute to an escalation of abortion rather than a lessening. As we know it has done so where the gender of a child is thought important.

Ultrasound, magnificent technology as it is, I believe, constitutes another threat to life in the womb and it was a great sadness to Ian Donald, the founder of ultrasound technology, that his invention which was designed to save life was being used against life.

During over 14 years as a post abortion grief counsellor I have seen five ultrasound images of infants in the womb who were aborted after the images were made. Not because there was anything wrong with them but because of other issues which the mother (father) thought were more important: fitting into a wedding dress being one of the reasons; and being too old to be seen to "have sex" being another.

Abortion has nothing to do with not knowing what is in the womb. It never has had to do with this. A conception has always meant "baby."

Abortion has more to do with the development of a "me-istic" mentality and with abused sexuality, a sexuality which has changed from something holy and sacred and declared "good", and from which act was formed a whole new creation, so responsibility for this act was demanded, into something instinctual, just like the animal.

The animal seeks out a partner on "heat", performs the act, and then leaves. The instinct has been satisfied nothing more is demanded.

The human being has slowly become animalistic while our society's mores have changed. There has been change in and sabotage of language (from baby to foetus) and, importantly, the woman's rejection of her intimate knowledge of herself as "mother" and thus permitting "her" baby to be killed.

This has made abortion acceptable and it's therefore a reversal of all of these which must happen before we see much change on the horizon.

As I said above, all efforts should be employed to stop abortion, including ultrasound technology, but at the heart of the abortion mentality is an absence of hope. It's a hopelessness. It's the ultimate disrespect for life, and the Lord and Giver of Life. It's the ultimate abandonment.

ANNE LASTMAN
Victims of Abortion (Aust)
Vermont South, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 22 No 8 (September 2009), p. 15