Thursday, 17 January 2013 09:50

By Bonnie Toombs
In 1973, seven of nine Supreme Court justices ruled that the children in the womb are not persons under the U.S. Constitution. They thereby excluded a whole segment of the human family from the protection of the law, and from the recognition that all are created equal.
On Jan. 22, pro-lifers from the Diocese of Wichita will stand for life on the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Several hundred persons from the diocese will be heading to Topeka to be a witness for the unborn to our governor and state legislators.
On Wednesday, Jan. 23, more than 600 youth and their chaperones will leave for Washington, D.C., to be a witness in front of the supreme court and our national political leaders.
Each group will pray for the women who have experienced abortion, for their children and for those women and children who may become victims of abortion in the future. It is our hope that by this faithful witness many more of the faithful have their eyes opened to the pain abortion causes to its multiple victims. Attending these events as a public witness for Life gives voice to the children.
Abortion may continue but we must not be silent, we must unite our voices with those whose hearts have been transformed. We must continue to let those in Congress who support a right to life hear from us. If you are unable to attend either March please pray for a transformation of heart for those who would seek to silence God’s children who are yet to be born.
Middle school students abound with talent
In October, middle school youth were challenged to create a poster that reflected this year’s theme “Faith opens our eyes to human life in all its grandeur and beauty.” The youth responded in great numbers and the finalists for the top prizes were hard to pick. We can be proud of all who entered; it is uplifting to see that our middle school youth understand the importance of respecting all human life.
Rose Poster Contest a tough choice
This year’s Rose Poster was decided by those who voted by email or on Facebook. Faced with two excellent choices for this year’s poster, the Respect Life Social Justice Advisory Council asked that the people of the diocese to have a voice in the choice. Both posters were created by communications graphic artist Kellee Kruse.
Poster 1 received 179 vote and poster 2 won with 397 votes. The winning poster reflects the USCCB’s theme for Respect Life 2013. The poster also reflects the need to see every human person through eyes of faith, may this poster inspire each of us in throughout the year.
Toombs is director of the diocesan Respect Life and Social Justice Office.