THE
PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT
THAILAND
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Rationale
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Generally speaking people
are used to give importance to a human being only with regards to
the physical body, but those who understand the real value of life
realize that man is created to the likeness and image of God which
make all human beings equal in the eyes of God.
Hence, promoters of life believe in the supreme value of human life
and will do every thing possible to guarantee the basic rights of
every person to live from conception until the natural death (The
Key Element of Pro-Life Activism, Brian Clowes, Phd. P. 6).
Human life is, therefore, a gift given by God (Evangelium Vitae,
92).
Wherever there is life there must always be there also love and
compassion. There should be no discrimination and distinction, because
every human life is sacred and cannot be trespassed regardless of
whatever situation and time. And this truth is unalienable (Evangelium
Vitae, 87).
Wherever there is life there must always be there also love and
compassion. There should be no discrimination and distinction, because
every human life is sacred and cannot be trespassed regardless of
whatever situation and time. And this truth is unalienable (Evangelium
Vitae, 87).
What we have to do is to change the awareness and morality in order
to mobilize the program to promote life. What we should be doing
together is to build a new culture for life (Evangelium Vitae, 05).
Life promoters are the ones who play the role of propagate and
promote the "Culture of Life".
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Type of Life Promoters
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1. Become member of
the Pro-Life Movement.
2. Be informed of all necessary information about life promotion.
3. Pray for life.
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Work Guidelines
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1. Create awareness
and acknowledgement about the "Culture of Death" and the
various ways in society that threatens life in every form.
2. Provide knowledge about the "Culture of Life" including
the rights and value of every human life.
3. Create networks to make campaign for life promotion.
4. Coordinate with all agencies which promote life.
5. Pray for life.
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Work Plan
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Pastoral plan for life
promotion: through campaign to promote life by mobilizing all the
Church's resources, be it personnel, services, organization/movement/institution,
in order to make a new move in the following 4 directions:
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1. Public information
and education
To promote deep understanding about the sacredness of life and human
Rights, especially of the innocent unborn child. It is against morality
and a grave sin when one intends to kill a person regardless of
whether that person is yet to be born or about to die. It is the
Church's mission to be witness of the love of God the Father and
to provide pastoral care for human race.
In order to make the respect for life more sacred, deepened and
make the campaign against abortion and mercy killing effective,
it is a must that we have to provide technical knowledge to 2 groups
of people, i.e. within the Catholic circle and the general public.
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The Catholic Circle
Education within the Catholic circle is a continuous attempt so
that the Catholic faithful will really understand the wrong act
and the intention to commit a wrong thing. This attempt should make
the best use of medical, social and legal information to support
our teaching campaign. The advance medical technology will demonstrate
the stages of development of a human being since conception. However,
moral and theological principles will show the main problem about
respect for human dignity and rights that erratic ideas are forced
on to the people.
We would like to thank all of you who participate in promoting the
Church's teaching on this matter. We specially invite you to be
co-leaders in this campaign and help build the "Culture of
Life" especially with the following groups:
- Laity and Volunteers
- Priests, Deacons, Religious and Announcers of Good News
- Catholic Organizations or the ones supported by the Church
- School Teachers and Teachers of Ethics
- Curriculum of Teaching/Learning
- Catholic Health and Social Works Institutions
- Catholic Faithful
- Media, books, advertisement and Catholic articles
- Parents and Patrons
- Those who work for the disabled and their family
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2. Pastoral Caring
Pastoral care will be extended to women who have problems with pregnancy
or the ones who are involved with abortion or those disabled and
disadvantaged who are unable to help themselves or the ones approaching
death, to their families and the care-providers themselves, to those
bereaved by their loved ones and to prisoners of a death sentence.
Pastoral care includes all the services within one's capability
which will be carried out with compassion, respect especially spiritual
help and other extra help beyond what is given by the community.
This kind of pastoral care is the first thing that the Church will
extend to the persons in need, because they are the children of
God.
Service to pregnant women
Spiritual renewal and recuperation after abortion
Care for prolonged-sickness patients, the disabled and the ones
near death
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3. Policy for the
common good
To put public pressure on the human rights protection law to be
enforced again, especially with the unborn child and the distressed
individuals who wish to commit a suicide as the alternative. We
will provide the alternative/solution that will coincide with morality
without making recourse to abortion and suicide.
The law with loopholes
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4. Prayer and Liturgy
This is to invite the Catholic faithful to participate in the life
of the Church through prayers and meditation with faith that human
death on this earth will receive the eternal life and true love
in the next world.
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The Thai Pro-Life
Movement
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History:
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1.
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The idea of Pro-Life
Movement in Thailand started with a group of pioneering people getting
together to discuss about this issue with those who have joined
in the meetings and seminars abroad. Finally, they have decided
to organize the movement by electing a president and a vice-president
of the movement and to be affiliated with the Catholic Commission
for Health Pastoral Care.
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2.
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In 2004 the movement
invited a famous Pro-Life speaker from Philippines to share his
knowledge and experience, how to start the movement, etc. Priests,
religious and laity were invited to this meeting. At the end of
the meeting feedback from the floor was in favor of establishing
the Pro-Life Movement in Thailand. Most of them would become members
or support the movement.
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3.
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After meeting with the
Philippine speaker the ad hoc committee collected all the relevant
documents on Pro-Life and had the Pro-Life Statement and Pro-Life
Activities translated into Thai in order to be the guidelines for
our operation
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4.
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The committee then started
to publicize about Pro-Life through article writing in Udomsarn
and make posters and leaflets for distribution.
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5.
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The committee had a
handbook on "Sex Talk with Kids & Teens" translated
into Thai sponsored by Pro-Life of the Philippines.
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6.
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In 2005 Pro-Life organized
a seminar on "The Catholic perspectives on Sex" for the
religious, teachers and organization staff working with children.
Later it was organized once again for administrators and teachers
in the rural areas.
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7.
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Also in 2005 another
seminar was organized on "The Culture of Death" for physicians,
nurses, staff of St. Louis hospital and students of the Lux Mundi
College.
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8.
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Once again in 2005 Pro-Life
staff participated in the international conference of Pro-Life in
Bali, Indonesia with an opportunity to meet with representatives
from Asia and the United States. Our staffs have learned a lot from
this conference and got several useful documents. On this occasion
we have met Rev. Tom Euteneuer of 'Human Life International' of
U.S.A., an expert on Pro-Life. He was invited to come to Thailand
as a speaker to our conference in September 2006.
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9.
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In 2005 we went for
an observational tour to Singapore to see the work of the "Family
Life Society". We have learned a lot and many things can be
adapted for use in our country.
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