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Calling Scotland's 841,000 Catholics to unite as one voice
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Peaceful and prayerful: 40 Days for Life returns to Scotland this Lent
| Posted on February 7, 2017 at 6:40 AM |
 During the season of Lent, a number of people will gather
outside four hospitals in Scotland in quiet, prayerful vigil to stand up for the inherent
dignity and value of human life. The 40 Days for Life vigils
will be held outside the grounds of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in
Glasgow, the Royal Infirmaries in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and Ninewells in
Dundee. It is peaceful, it is calm, and there is certainly no aggression or
scare tactics adopted, despite what the mainstream media try to portray. For those who claim that the 40 Days for Life event is
anything but peaceful and prayerful, I urge them to attend the event and to see
for themselves precisely the manner in which this so called ‘protest’ is
undertaken by those involved. There is no desire to harass anyone, and there is
certainly no desire to be abusive. It is better to witness first hand the
reality of the situation, rather than buy the lies of those who would prefer
that this vigil was something that it clearly isn’t. There will, of course, be times when someone has recently
undergone an abortion or suffered a miscarriage and, in coming across the vigil,
they experience distress and upset. I don’t think anyone attending the event
would feel anything but sympathy and compassion for those in such a situation.
The pro-life movement would not be in keeping with its belief that all human
life is precious if it did not feel for those who suffer and did not offer them support and consolation. The question is then whether
or not, given these instances of distress, the vigil is appropriate. We can put
forward a number of arguments for and against, and this will tend to be guided
by which side of the abortion debate we sit on. But the reality is this…science
is almost entirely settled on the fact that a distinct new human being with
their own DNA comes into existence from the moment of conception. This human
being is alive and is growing. The baby's
brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin to form a mere 2/3 weeks
following conception. This is why people participate in the 40 Days for
Life vigils. They genuinely do not think that it is acceptable for the state to
allow for the untimely death of an innocent, defenceless human being at its
most vulnerable stage in life. These vigils are peaceful and the only desire of participants
is to see that all human life is given a chance. A chance to be someone: to see
their very first sun rise; to feel the first snowflake on their hand; to
experience the nervous excitement of that first day in school; to get behind
the wheel of their first car; to find the love of their life; to perhaps even
have children of their own. They may even be lucky enough to grow old and enjoy
the perfect smiles of their grandchildren at Christmas time. This is life and
this is what we seek to protect.  Because the state supports the killing of unwanted children
in the womb, 8.7 million human beings in the UK never got the chance to
experience these simple, yet poignant moments in life. No matter how much we
try to deny or distance ourselves from that reality, we can never hide from the
truth that abortion extinguishes the life of a beautiful, precious little human
being who simply wants to be loved. The 40 Days for Life is a worldwide movement and it will take
place at the four Scottish hospitals throughout Lent from 1 March
until 9 April. There will also be official opening and closing events,
including one in George Square, Glasgow on 25 February. Click here
for full details. |
Categories: Abortion, Events, Journalism, Law, Lent, Life, Love, Media, News, Peace, Prayer, Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, Scotland