I'd like to begin by giving you a very brief overview and my comments where it concerns some of the things that I see happening in the U.S. I will also give you a few brief facts on Latin America and finally I will share with you some suggestions.

I don't want to sound pessimistic, but if we are to be effective in fighting the culture of death, we need to be aware of exactly what we're up against. By the way, notice I said "fighting the culture of death", not those who promote it. We have to keep in mind that as St. Paul the Apostle said in the Bible, we are not fighting individuals but "principalities and powers." We are also fighting deadly philosophies which powerful organizations are seeking to implement.

If we are to succeed in stopping abortions, we have to start by being realistic and admitting that right now most abortions take place privately, not at an abortion clinic. According to the statistics I've seen there are many more tiny unborn babies dying because of the pill, Norplant, Depo Provera, etc.; than from surgical abortion. So-called contraceptive methods constitute the main weapons in the arsenal of the culture of death movement. The number of surgical abortions has been going down while the number of chemical abortions (caused by the pill, the IUD, so called emergency contraception etc.), is climbing steadily. The pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute (investigative arm of Planned Parenthood) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, both report lower figures since 1991 for surgical abortions, even though their numbers are totally different. According to Jon Valentine, president of Protestants Against Birth Control (in his booklet "Why We Must Correct our Statistics"), there are a minimum of about 7 million unborn babies killed every year in the U.S. Out of these, approximately one and a half million are killed by surgical abortions and 50,000 by prostaglandin and saline abortions. The rest are killed by so-called contraceptives. There could be according to Protestants Against Birth Control, as many as 22 million total abortions every year in the U.S.

Dr. Peter Doherty in his chapter of the booklet "Is the Contraceptive Experiment Over?"(published by Faith Pamphlets) , points out:

"The contraceptive experiment is over. We have firmly entered the abortifacient era. Menstrual extraction is widely practiced as the antidote to pill failure. Pharmacological research is concentrating on the disruption of pregnancy rather than its avoidance....one thing shades into another, contraception to abortion, abortion to infanticide, from infanticide to euthanasia..."

In my opinion, the day is not too far a way when almost all abortions are caused by these drugs and devices. Abortion would then really be a totally private act; which is what pro-abortionists want and are working towards. During the many years I've been in the pro-life movement, I have been able to see this progression.

There are those in the abortion industry, who profit from abortion in a different way. As you probably know, there is a widespread commerce of aborted baby parts. On March 9, 2000, the Congressional Subcommittee on Health & Environment heard testimonies on the issue of "Fetal Tissue: Is It Being Bought and Sold in Violation of Federal Law?" Of the seven witnesses who were listed to testify, two ended up not testifying (for reasons unknown to us). One of these, Dr. Miles Jones, is a pathologist and the founder/owner of "Opening Lines." Dr. Miles and his company deal in fetal body parts - acting as an intermediary between abortion mill and the researchers who place orders for specific body parts. Dr. Jones appeared on ABC's 20/20 program in video obtained through hidden camera, in which he clearly boasts of the vast amounts of money he can get by selling various aborted baby body parts. He boasted that he pays some $50 for each aborted baby and can make upwards of $2,500 by selling various body parts from that one body. For example, on his price list, a fetal brain sells for $999. The other witness who failed to testify is Mr. James Bardsley, who represents the "Anatomic Gift Foundation", which has a "non-profit" status (like many abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood's), and which is a "body parts dealer" - dealing in both adult and fetal body parts.

Of the remaining five witnesses who did testify to the Congressional Subcommittee, four of these represented research organizations and their main message was of concern that their research not be affected negatively. None of these witnesses addressed the question at hand which was: "Is Fetal Tissue Being Bought and Sold in Violation of Federal Law?" It would seem this was of no concern to them.

One researcher commented: "I am concerned that in attempting to enforce the laws governing fetal tissue research and the distribution of such tissue, Congress may unnecessarily over-restrict fetal tissue research." Another stated that: "As you delve into the issue of how fetal tissue is supplied, I urge you to proceed in such a way that you do not harm the vital biomedical research that is enabled by this precious tissue." Yet another witness stated: "I am concerned that today's hearing will have a chilling effect that will slow. . . vital medical research." A fourth witness stated: I am here today to plead with you to be cautious about the use of inflammatory rhetoric that may confuse or distort the issues involved. The consequences could be devastating to the million of Americans who suffer with Parkinson's. Please do not deprive us of our hope for a healthy future."

The complete transcripts of these four witnesses is part of the public record and appears on the congressional website in standard web text format. All of their testimonies were easy to read and access. Quite a contrast to the only testimony which remained - that of Mr. Dean Alberty, who recounted the gruesome and illegal activities he witnessed. For some reason, Mr. Alberty's testimony was only offered in an edited, barely legible Adobe pdf file, which made it difficult if not impossible for many to access. Mr. Alberty's testimony seems to have been inaccurately transcribed (containing spelling errors, which may make the reader question Mr. Alberty's professional competence). Moreover, in this key testimony, significant facts were edited out. This testimony included information about the probable felonious killing by other abortion clinic staff of two "kicking and cuddling" twins whose abortion had apparently failed. Mr. Alberty had been expected to harvest their organs, but this was too much for him to bear seeing, so he left the abortuary.

I am transcribing here, parts of Mr. Alberty's testimony in the congressional record, that appear in their website. I have left the spelling errors it contains:

"Upon taking the job as a fetal tissue procurement tech., I was under the impression that what I was doing would make life better for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and cancer patients. What changed my mind was watching late term abortions. Seeing there eyes looking at you as you cut through there skull to extract there brains. . . or cutting open there chest cavity only to see a beating heart, moving ever so slowly until it stopped. . . ."

Alberty said in his statement to congress that the last straw for him came when he witnessed two twins in a metal pan covered with blood, moving and breathing. He was expected to harvest their body parts. Instead he couldn't take any more and immediately left the place. He tried to report the incident to the FBI, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

In reading all of this, I was shocked when I realized that the real concern those members of our medical establishment expressed, is not what's happening to unborn babies and the laws that are being broken, but the fact that they might not be able to have access any more to those unfortunate children. Scary isn't it? And of course, nobody's talking about using animals that are going to be killed anyway instead, that's a no, no, because there's PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and many other groups and organizations (some of them very radical, they destroy labs and "rescue" animals), who are defending those lives which in many cases are considered more valuable than human beings. Besides, it's politically correct now to defend animals but politically incorrect to defend unborn human beings, right? Isn't it unbelievable that while man is being dehumanized, animals are being humanized, even in pictures?

In my opinion, we are living in a society where man has become dehumanized, not just because of the little value that is placed on so many human lives, but also due to the pro-death choices that are being made because of that dehumanization. It is a deadly vicious circle. Well over a million and a half unborn babies not considered human are dying because of surgical abortion every year, in ways that it is illegal and "inhumane" (according to animal rights activists) to kill animals!

It is also unbelievable that in countries where abortion has been legalized, like the U.S., laws have to be approved in order to stop the parents from abandoning their newborn babies to die in a garbage can or in a field. Mrs. Debi Faris, a mother of three in California, has a cemetery for unborn babies abandoned by their parents. She is pushing for state legislation to offer legal protection to parents who abandon their babies in safe places. ("The New York Times National", March 6, 2000.) Germany (where abortion is also legal), has just opened "Baby banks for "unwanted kids". They have installed "drop-slots" outside clinics where a mother can deposit her "unwanted child".( "ABC News World, March 7, 2000, Internet edition.) Those babies can be adopted, there are plenty of parents waiting here in the U.S. and in other "developed" countries.

The purpose behind these laws is good : to enable the parents to escape prosecution for giving up their babies if they take them to the right place. However, it is a tragedy that more and more newborn babies are dying, while the pro-abortion movement told us that this would not happen because with legalized abortion there would be "no unwanted babies". Everything that is happening - the consequences of abortion legalization - proves that where abortion is legalized and human life is devalued at its beginning, as Albert Scheitzer said, it is also devalued at all the other stages of its development.

Because of this dehumanization that is taking place daily we have a great challenge before us in the 21st century. We can choose to continue to do what we've been doing for the past 30 years, or we can consider changing some of our strategies and/or adding new ones, especially where it concerns communication.

It is obvious that the main concern in this present society revolves around the pregnant woman's needs, not those of the unborn. Thus the term "pro-choice" is very useful to pro-abortionists. Dr. Wilke quoted from a study that was done, in which the results are astounding. Most of the people who participated (and who were not pro-life), acknowledged that abortion kills and that it is wrong. Yet they did not see any other option so they were in favor of keeping it legal. We need to make people aware of the fact that there is help which can enable women to make the right decision. It never ceases to amaze me and gladden my heart, that there are more crisis pregnancy centers than abortion clinics in the U.S. (Over 3,000 I'm told.) Do people really know this?

My first suggestion here is what Dr. John J. Wilke and Dr. David Reardon have recommended: that we put more emphasis on helping the pregnant woman and on explaining to her what she herself is facing when she decides to abort. Before we even start our presentation on abortion, we need to tell those present what the pro-life movement is offering to women in these circumstances. Second, we need to make it clear that we do not in any way judge these women who seek to abort or who have aborted. We not only do not condemn them, we also offer them help through Project Rachel for Catholics and through other similar ones, for those who belong to Protestant denominations.

I cringe when I hear about pro-lifers picketing (or even praying) at abortion clinics, yet they are calling these women "murderers" or telling them they're about to "murder" their child. Who would listen to that? Who could possibly be open to a change of heart and mind under those circumstances?

Furthermore, pro-life education must include promoting the beauty and dignity of motherhood, which has become "an undesired burden" because of the pro-abortion and population control movements.

I'd like to end by giving you some suggestions for your pro-life work in this new millennium.

1. If yours is not "the love approach", change it. We will never win over others to the pro-life view unless we love them first. For me personally this is perhaps one of the most difficult things that I've had to learn. It's very easy to get angry over the killing of innocent unborn children, and it certainly is a justified anger. However, very simply put, as the saying goes, " you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". Also, most of us in the pro-life movement claim to be God-fearing Christians or Jews. For those of us who believe in Jesus, His commandment is very clear: "Love one another as I have loved you". Try to put yourself in the other person's shoes (especially the woman who is desperate and sees no other solution than abortion), so you can communicate your pro-life views and offer your help. Follow St. Theresa of Lisieux's wise advice : "Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God" and "Do all that you do with love". Also, teach with your example!

2. Always have a positive attitude! You can choose how to react when you are debating, educating or simply sharing, as well as when you get discouraged. I'm going to share something with you which helped me a lot in changing my own attitude:

"Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say: When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, ‘if I were any better, I would be twins!'

"He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

"Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, ‘I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'

"Michael replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life'.

"‘Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.

"‘Yes, it is,' Michael said. ‘Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life.'

"I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Town Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

"After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. ‘If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?'

"I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. ‘The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter, ‘Michael replied. ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.'

"‘Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked. Michael continued, ‘...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read: he's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action.'

"What did you do?, I asked.

"‘Well there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said Michael.'She asked if I was allergic to anything. Yes, I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, Gravity.Over their laughter, I told them: I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'.

"Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

That is what I a call a truly pro-life, positive attitude!

2. Please do get involved in educating Hispanics in your area, you'll find it's really worth it! We at Vida Humana Internacional want to help you do just that though our excellent educational materials, including our Spanish language website www.vidahumana.org.

3. Educate the public not just on surgical abortion but also on chemical abortions caused by the pill, the IUD, etc. Those are valuable, unique human lives too, and they're being silently and massively exterminated!

Nelly Gray, founder and president of the March for Life, wisely chose for the January 24, 2000 March for Life this theme: "My neighbor is each human being in existence at fertilization". She pointed out that : "The fact that people can visualize the horror of partial-birth abortion and the abortion of ‘big babies', draws attention away from the one-cell baby who is also being killed with drugs and devices and so forth". ("The Florida Catholic", December 23, 1999.)

4. Promote chastity and the knowledge of natural family planning as alternatives, in addition to adoption and the crisis pregnancy centers' services. As the saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

5. Denounce and oppose hedonistic sex education programs in the schools, they are the breeding grounds for contraception and abortion.

6. Be active in politics, no matter how much we educate if you don't elect pro-life legislators, you don't stand a chance of exerting any real influence in the government.

7. Get involved in at least denouncing other anti-life evils such as domestic violence.

8. Never get discouraged because your efforts don't seem to succeed as much as you want them to. Everything happens in God's own time, not ours. Remember, when we get to Heaven we won't be asked if we succeeded, but only if we tried. And Jesus said : " Not even a glass of water given in my name will go without a reward". He also said that whatsoever we do to or for the least of our brothers (and sisters of course), we do for him. (Matthew 25:40)

9. Do not be afraid to profess your beliefs and act on them publicly. You don't have to apologize to anyone because you love God and obey His commandments. But be sure you don't have a self-righteous attitude by believing that you are better and more valuable than others. Whoever thinks that is not really pro-life, for pro-lifers believe that all human beings created by God have the same value.

10. Prayer and sacrifices are indispensable. Don't leave home without them, especially if you are going take the pro-life message to others! It is through prayer that we receive not only the knowledge of what God wants for us to do and how, but also the strength to carry it out. When I got involved in the pro-life movement I found that I had to at least double my prayer time. But in all sincerity, I feel this work has helped me to grow and mature spiritually, more than anything else I've ever done for God.

And remember, you are working for humanity and making history! However, only when you get to Heaven will you know how many lives, how many souls were saved because of your humble efforts.

Don't ever give up!

God bless you!