We stand at a cultural crossroads, the intersection of the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death. At this critical juncture, the choices we make matter, now and forever. Therefore, the members of Life is Worth Living, a lay apostolate, have chosen to promote the Culture of Life.

Our mission is to strive to affirm -- in thought, word, and deed -- the infinite preciousness of human life; to encourage service to others rather than radical self-interest; and to promote a climate of public opinion that recognizes the right of all human beings to life, respect, compassionate care, appropriate medical treatment, and equality under the law.

 

E-Letter #111, June 11, 2009

posted by Julie Grimstad
Thursday, June 11, 2009


Dear Members and Friends,
 
It has been several months since I sent you an "official" e-letter. I assume you have been inundated lately with a lot of bad news, just as I have been. As an antidote, this e-letter contains uplifting news. But first, I have some personal news.
 
My husband and I have bought a small townhome near Fort Worth, Texas (in the town of Bedford to be precise) and have put our house in Wisconsin on the market. We have many reasons for moving back to Texas after almost 10 years in beautiful Wisconsin. Chief among them are our wish to live near our four young grandchildren and my husband's growing dislike of the cold Wisconsin winters. During this transition, if you need to call me for any reason, my cell phone number is 715-342-4249.
 
Now, the good news:
 
Six years ago, Pro-Life Wisconsin (PLW) came up with the idea to observe the anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut with rallies throughout the state. (In 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Connecticut law that prohibited the sale and distribution of birth control drugs and devices. For more information, see the article below my signature.) That first year, handfuls of people turned out to hold signs and pray together, publicly demonstrating their opposition to contraception and educating the public about the dangers of birth control drugs and devices. The magnitude of what has happened since is awe-inspiring. American Life League took this idea to a national level with PROTEST THE PILL DAY. The observance has now spread to 21 states and four countries.
 
This year, I was honored to be invited to address the group that rallied in Stevens Point, Wisconsin to observe the 44th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut. This group, consisting of families with small children, young adults and grandparents, holds a prayer rally every Wednesday in front of the family planning office near the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Organized by the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a pro-life apostolate in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, these faithfilled and faithful people, in the words of Pope John Paul II, "proclaim the Gospel of life with
honesty and love to the people of our time."
 
I ended my talk to this inspiring group of people with these words: "I have a plaque in my kitchen that says 'Work for the Lord. The pay isn't much, but the benefits are out of this world.' May God richly reward you for your faithfulness. THANK YOU!!"
 
In the Sacred Heart,
Julie Grimstad
Executive Director
 
THE TRUTH ABOUT CONTRACEPTION
 

Sunday, June 7th, marked the 44th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the case of Griswold v. Connecticut which struck down a Connecticut law that prohibited the sale and distribution of birth control drugs and devices. Chief Justice Steven Douglas cited a so-called constitutional "right to privacy" which he claimed to find in the "penumbras, formed by emanations" of the Bill of Rights.

 

This vague notion of privacy would later be cited in Roe v. Wade, as justification for allowing abortion on demand; in "right to die" cases permitting death by starvation and dehydration; and in numerous other court decisions, such as those endorsing homosexual "marriage."

 

Griswold v. CT was the first of many court decisions that led to the culture of death we live in today. One of the talks I frequently give is called "From Birth Control to Death Control," an outline of the step-by-step development of the culture of death in America –beginning with the legalization and widespread acceptance of contraception.

 

Those of us who know that contraception is a moral evil which leads to other evils, often shrink from our duty to tell others the truth. Why? Because birth control is a sacred cow that even many in the pro-life movement refuse to call by its proper name: EVIL. Those of us who do speak out against birth control are often ridiculed as "so radical that they even oppose birth control." In the eyes of the world, we are fools.

 

What hurts, though, is not when Planned Parenthood-types ridicule us. We expect that. What hurts is when those who call themselves pro-life refuse to acknowledge that contraception is the root of the culture of death and who, like our enemies, call us "radical" and "impractical" for wanting to outlaw contraceptive drugs and devices.

 

Some people scoff at us; others think we are naïve. But we must never be afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what we believe—and why we believe it. In order to do that, we must KNOW WHY contraception is wrong and that takes a bit of studying. We must do our homework.

 

Recent polls indicate that we are making headway in convincing the public that abortion is an evil that should be outlawed. Contraception is another matter. If we shrink from linking contraception to abortion and a host of other evils, we are responsible for the fact that most of our fellow citizens are blind to the evil of contraception and, indeed, contracept  without giving it a second thought.

 

Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood's founder, once stated, "The most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its members is to kill it." The evidence seems to convict many Christians of having the same anti-child mentality. Have you ever heard anyone in your church say, "I can't handle more than two children"? Or, when a couple has announced that they are having another child,  "Will this be your last?" Whatever happened to "Congratulations!"?

 

The number one reason a woman aborts her child is that the child is an inconvenience. When we use birth control, we are embracing the same anti-life mentality. In fact, many birth control drugs and devices are abortifacients. How many people know that? It's a work of mercy to instruct the ignorant.

 

We must understand that, through the ages, all Christian churches have consistently opposed birth control. Only in the last 80 years have Protestant churches peddled the notion that birth control is okay, even good. When did God rescind his command to "be fruitful and multiply"? Is it any wonder that so many Protestant churches do not oppose abortion? The mentality that rationalizes disobeying God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" is the same mentality that rationalizes disobeying His command "you shall not kill."

 

The Catholic Church is the only Christian body that continues to teach that contraception is profoundly unlawful and is never, for any reason, justified. To say the contrary is equal to saying that situations may arise in which it is permissible to make up our own rules as we go along, that is, to pretend that we are God. And, that is precisely the Pandora's Box that the Supreme Court opened with its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.

 

Julie Grimstad

6/7/09

 

 

 

 

 

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