Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Being Prolife, Right in Your Own Home

With the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision coming up in less than a week, and the Church dedicating January 23--the day of the March for Life--as a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person, I have been mulling over my own efforts to be prolife and what I am teaching my children by my words and my example.

For almost 14 years my husband and I have participated in the boycott of companies that support the work of Planned Parenthood. This has meant that we choose everything from shampoo to cheese to vacation sites with this boycott in mind. Our Big Kids know that we don't buy certain things, because the companies donate to the nation's largest abortion provider. (At 3, Little Brother is too young to notice.) Boycotts are inconvenient but, we believe, worth the trouble.

Today I read about a website called Counterclick. It's a shopping portal; if you start your internet shopping there, a portion of your purchase price will be donated to prolife organizations such as National Right to Life and CareNet. What an ingenious idea, and what an easy way to support prolife causes! A tip of the hat to Jean at Catholic Fire for leading me to this site.

What are some other things families can do together to support prolife efforts?
1. Say a prayer for the unborn during your family prayer time or Grace at dinner.
2. Contact a local pregnancy-crisis center and ask what supplies they regularly need. Budget a little each week to help purchase these supplies, and make a monthly or bimonthly delivery.
3. Join a Life-Chain event.
4. Show your children that you consider candidates' voting records on life issues when you choose which candidate to elect.
5. Pro-life is not JUST "anti-abortion!" Give your children plenty of contact with the elderly or handicapped. Let them know that people deserve to live regardless of their physical challenges.

No comments: