If Texas Values Life
       
       CL Endorser Abby Johnson has written an editorial entitled “If Texas values life, it shouldn't execute mentally ill man” (Dallas News, November 18, 2015). She says: “I have dedicated my life to promoting a culture of life. A fundamental tenet of the pro-life ethic is that all life has value and we are called to protect it, especially in its most vulnerable forms. A culture of life recognizes the value of those who are vulnerable and prioritizes safeguarding them. By setting an execution date for Panetti, Texas is going entirely contrary to what we expect in a society that truly values life. This proposed execution shows a troubling disregard toward the reality of mental illness and protecting those who suffer from it.”

Call to Action conference
 
        As we’ve been doing annually, we’ve again spread the word at the annual Call to Action conference. This is a group of progressive Catholics who need abortion and euthanasia put in the context of violence, to hear the pro-life view from a consistent-life perspective, as the most fruitful way of having it make sense to them. Most will already agree with us on the other issues. 
 

 

 

 
 

 
Huge Conferences Next Year
 
       In addition to the many conferences where we make a presence – places where we’re welcome and places where we’re a tolerated witness – there are three big conferences next year where it would be helpful to have more than one or two people to have the best impact. If you’re intending to go, or might go, let us know so we can coordinate (weekly@consistent-life.org). The first one is in Europe, so we especially would like to hear from our European supporters. 
 
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom – 100^th Anniversary
            April 27-29, 2015, The Hague, Netherlands
 
Parliament of the World’s Religions
            October 15-19, 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
 
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Youth Summit
           November 15-19, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
 
    
Quotation of the Week
Pope Francis, November 15, 2014, speech to doctors
 
        When so many times in my life as a priest I have heard objections: “But tell me, why the Church is opposed to abortion, for example? Is it a religious problem?” No, no. It is not a religious problem. “Is it a philosophical problem?” No, it is not a philosophical problem. It’s a scientific problem, because there is a human life there, and it is not lawful to take out a human life to solve a problem.
        “But no, modern thought -- ”
        But, listen, in ancient thought and modern thought, the word “kill” means the same thing.