Archbishop Dolan: Abortion is a Civil Rights Issue

In the January 20 issue of the Westchester Guardian

The attendance at the ceremony for Yonkers Respect Life Week continues to grow each year and more politicians attended on January 9, 2011. This event organized by Richard and Mare Brand attracted hundreds of people who listened to a program of many speeches by Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and other leaders in this pursuit. This is the fourth year Yonkers had a Respect Life Week which was initiated by Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone. Master of Ceremonies, Anthony Felicissimo, a co-founder of the event, affirmed the need for this celebration for life to the hundreds of people who had come that day.
The opening prayer and talk by Rabbi Rigoberto Emmanuel Vinas set the tone for the the program. His Lincoln Park Jewish Center is the largest orthodox congregation in Yonkers and he expressed support for the vital work of this group. He read Psalm I in Hebrew, English and Spanish, then said he was “happy to be in the company of righteous people.” Continuing, he compared the meeting to a “pep rally” because people need to know they are not alone and that “God cares about you.” Citing the “moment of conception” as the time when God knew each of us, he urged the audience to “transform this country that is filled with God’s blessings.” Calling Yonkers the only city in the East that has a pro-life week he credited Mayor Amicone for initiating the week in Yonkers four years ago.
Archbisohp Timothy Dolan lamented that New York State, unfortunately, is less than receptive to the pro-life message.
He gave an example of an X-Ray sign which read, “dangerous to an unborn baby,” and added on a sonogram you know it is a baby. Then he quoted a teen-age mother who knew it when she said, “Don’t tell me that thing is just an it.” Acknowledging that the Polish Center “is not a church,” he continued, “This is a civil rights issue.” He felt the civil rights of a struggling mom is needed to protect the unborn baby. The most threatened person now in his view is the “baby in the womb.”
Commenting on how far the group in Yonkers has come, County Executive Rob Astorino cited “extraordinary statistics” that caught people by surprise: 41% of New York City pregnancies were aborted, 48% in the Bronx and 60% of Afro-Americans. He felt the decade’s 925,000 abortions in New York City must be cited and that we must rethink who we are as a nation. The Rev.Thomas Berg, Ph.D., who teaches medical ethics spoke of the efforts to build a culture of life. The first place is in the confessional where he said it was a “humbling privilege to be an instrument of healing.” He emphasized reaching out to women who have had abortions and asked for prayers.
After the choirs of Saint Casmir School and the Kingdom Christian Cultural Center inspired the audience with songs and hymns, the Rev. James Hassell from the latter Center complimented the vision of the Mayor. Hassell had opened the first place for pregnancy care in the area and has pregnant women staying there who are not terminating their pregnancies. He is giving “a voice to the voiceless,” and then admitted a bad decisions when as a teen he had an abortion. Citing biblical references such as Herod who committed genocide, he thanked God for “every parent who preserved the life of their child” because they have made a difference today. Rebecca Hodges, Director of the Life Options Center, reinforced, “Every life is a gift” and in the six months since the Options center was opened, there have been over a dozen women who came there and two births have resulted.
Another, newer threat to the Right to Life Movement. according to Rev. Mother Genevieve Regina, Director of the Jeanne Jugan Residence, is the threat to the elderly. She suggested older people should write “a formal directive” of their end of life wishes, and have a heath care proxy signed by two people so that “you can tell the doctor what you want.” Further cautioning the audience, she stated, “We don’t want a Roe v. Wade for the elderly.”
The last speaker was Dr. Nanci Coppola, Director of Healthy Respect. Obama has given the organization grant money. Again citing statistics, she said there have been over 52 million abortions in the United States since Roe v. Wade. Yonkers is no better than New York City which has 41% of all pregnancies ending in abortion. In Yonkers 43 out of l,000 girls under 20 get pregnant, twice the rate in
Westchester, and a significantly higher rate than the five boroughs of New York City. Her program of abstinence education reduces risky behaviors in youth and it is one of only two programs in existence to help teens. In her view, “Self esteem must be instilled in youth.”
Among the numerous exhibitors was the Advocates for Life. According to Carol Gutierrez, this organization promotes pro-life and pro-family attitudes in the community. They are going against the trend to address the high abortion rate in the Bronx. The Right to Life Party also was there and is “against the culture of death” according to John Mark. The group has joined forces with the Conservative Party. The Westchester Chairperson of the Conservative Party, Liz Costanzo, said, “We’ve turned the Conservative Party back to a pro-life position. We asked our people to register Conservative and we were successful at the Conservative Convention and there is new leadership. Hugh Fox, Jr. is the Westchester County Conservative Party Chairman and Vincenza A. Restiano is the 1st Vice Chair.