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For the past thirty years, Pro-Life Philippines has been serving mothers and babies from abortion.
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Everyday, our counselors receive many phone calls from boys and girls, young men and women inquiring about love relationships, unwanted pregnancies, marital problems, victims of sexual abuse, parent-child communication gap and run-away teens. They get to know our services not only through my radio program or through the posters and leaflets we distribute, but mostly through the FM Mellow Touch Station. Many of you might have heard it too- “Pregnant? Confused? Depressed? There are people who care. Call Pro-Life at 422-8877”. We have assisted teens who were about to have an abortion but the tiny call to one of our caring and alert counselors help them face their problem and they went on their pregnancy without the tragic effects of abortion. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to her parents so they will accept her situation. Maybe she just needed enough strength to get away from her boyfriend who was forcing her to have an abortion or he will leave her. (The tragedy is in many cases, girls who follow their boyfriends demand to abort, alter separate. So she is left with two losses- a dead baby and a good-bye boyfriend. Whatever is the problem, our counselors know where to refer our caller for further assistance. And everything is confidential!
What I enjoy most doing is going to high schools and colleges to speak on Love and Sexuality. What? A nun speaking to us on love and sex?? Well, I wasn’t born a nun, you know? I finished my BS Nursing before I entered the convent—and I did go through the pains and joys of teen life too! Then, because we Good Shepherd Sisters maintain crisis shelters for girls and women in distress, maternity homes for unwed mothers, rehabilitation centers for girls who want to get out of prostitution, and street children shelters, I have enough experiences from listening to all their woes about their love life. Thank God I have dozens of married friends and relatives who have healthy relationships and live happily. Otherwise I will think that God made a mistake is giving humanity reproductive organs!
Going back to our pro-life speaking engagements to youth groups-we do have a great time presenting video tapes, group discussions and open forums on questions that teens have been wanting to ask but had no one to ask from. The topic on sexually transmitted disease (STD’s) has lately been requested by parish and school youth groups. We have expert doctors, parents, psychologists and lawyers who volunteer to speak on various topics.
But in case the youth complain the root of their problem is with their family and other grown-ups in society, know that we also give seminars to the parents on Responsible Parenthood and Parenting Skills. So when your class adviser gives you an invitation for your parents to come to school for a forum, do give that slip of paper to your folks. The additional information your mom and dad gets that day might be the end of the communication gap between you. Plus we offer trainings to your teachers and guidance counselors too to update them on how best to deal with teens.
Research assignments, Term papers, try opening our website at www.prolife.org.ph. You will find a goldmine of materials on topics from the womb to the tomb (I mean from abortion to euthanasia). And lots of other topics in between, of course – fetal development, psychosexual development, love, courtship and marriage, human sexuality, homosexuality, modern natural family planning and the negative effects of contraceptives, test tube babies, human cloning and stem cell research, etc. etc.). If you connect to our email services, you will receive the Pro-Life weekly news from around the world which is more interesting than street tabloids.
By the way, we have a pro-life tabloid – again, with the same banner – “Love Life”. It is an eight-page bi-monthly publication in Taglish – published for all sectors of society and we distribute these too to our brothers and sisters in the depressed communities: Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Payatas and Balara in Quezon City, Dasmarinas relocation area in Cavite – these and other urban poor sites we have been serving for several years now. Anyone interested in doing outreach programs can join us. Our community organizers conduct value formation sessions, income generating activities, responsible parenthood seminars and bible reflections. They are invited to join our pro-life rallies as well as lobby our senator and congressmen to protest pro-abortion bills.
Our pro-life rallies and marches are not only anti-abortion. We also promote care for the elderly, the disabled, women and children.
So you see – we are here to help you- really, truly, honestly, sincerely in whatever way we can. Scared, desperate or depressed – call our hotline telephone counseling services (422-8877). Need research, borrow or buy video tapes, books, or posters, call our Resource Center (421-9641) or go to our website www.prolife.org.ph
But we need your help as well. We cannot do this monumental job alone. We need you to organize pro-life seminars, Masses and Rosary for Life activities in your schools, parishes and baranggays. Post our brochures and posters in your bulletin boards and other websites. Check out your libraries if they have enough pro-life books and video tapes available to the students. Set up pro-life reading centers and film-showing around the campus.
Above all, PRAY that the culture of death will soon end and civilization of life and love in our country and the whole world.
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