An annual writing contest sponsored by Pasquia Pro-Life and open to the youth of the province (12 to 18 years) was judged by Helen Watson, Anne Glenn and Marcy Millette. The theme was Life, Love and Family where participants could choose from various topics which included Abortion, Euthanasia, Chastity, and The Overpopulation Myth. Invitations to enter were publicized in churches, schools where possible, and in the Choose Life Magazine. Criteria for judging was based on how convincing the presentation was, as well as content, grammar, and factual information.

The first prize of $100.00 went to Lauren Witzaney of Denzil, Saskatchewan for her fine essay entitled, “True Love Waits.” The second prize of $50.00 went to Joshua Caswell of Brabant Lake, for his essay, “Misleading Today’s Teens.” Third prize was shared by Rene Lalonde of Zenon Park and David Caswell of Brabant Lake. Their chosen titles were, “Euthanasia” and “Euthanasia: Murder With a Fancy Name,” respectively.

Well done students!

The following is a summary of some of the other participants of the Life, Love and Family contest sponsored by Pasquia Pro-Life:

Eric Valois from Zenon Park made the following points:
• Abortion in Canada can be performed legally right up until birth.
• One out of four pregnancies are terminated making a total of two million babies who have lost their lives since 1970.
Eric ends by saying, “Abortion is an act of violence that kills an unborn child and hurts the mother who has one. This is why I think that abortion is wrong.”

Alanna Witzaney of Denzil also wrote about abortion. She says, “Abortion is killing one of God’s most wonderful and valuable creations ever made, human life!” She easily refutes the pro-choice arguments as follows:

“Some people say, ‘The unborn cannot feel pain until week 32.’ If that is the point, a person could kill anyone if they are under anaesthesia. However, that information is not true. Studies have shown that the fetus starts to feel pain at week 8, 10 at the least and week 13 at the most. Another protest is, ‘No one knows exactly when life in the womb begins.’ If no one knows when life begins, we may be taking a real human life. What if a demolisher was about to blow up an old building without making sure the building was really and truly empty. Yet the same is true for abortion. A person may not know for sure when the unborn becomes human. They might think they are just killing a ‘blob of tissue,’ but scientific facts show that from the very beginning of life, the unborn are more than just a ‘blob of tissue.’ An unborn baby differs from a newborn baby in only four ways: size, level of development, environment, and degree of dependency.”

Alanna concludes that we need to stop abortion by adopting a law governing it for the unborn babies, for the mothers, and for the good of the world.

Celeste Lalonde of Zenon Park chose the topic of chastity. She discusses why chastity is important. Promiscuity not only breaks God’s Commandment, but also increases chances of diseases and will affect future life. On AIDS and venereal diseases, she ends by asking, “Why would people put their life at stake for a little fun?”

Vanessa Lalonde of Zenon Park, wrote on abortion. Vanessa stressed that all life is important. She made a case for adoption instead of terminating the life of the unborn, and said there are better choices out there.

Celine Favreau, also of Zenon Park, chose to write on euthanasia. “Doctors and families do not have the right to play God and decide whether the patient lives or the patient dies.” She goes on, “There are many treatments out in the world for long-term illnesses. Those treatments can lessen the pain and suffering for many of the people burdened with the illness.” Celine ends emphatically with, “Euthanasia is a coward’s way out of helping a sick person. Euthanasia is not the answer to all the problems of the world.”

Also writing on euthanasia was Josee Chabot of Zenon Park. Josee challenges the reader to question the issue by comparing those areas where euthanasia is legal. “It is already legal to euthanise people in the Netherlands and in Oregon. If people keep going…it is going to be legal all over the world.” Josee invited the reader to answer many piercing questions. “What kind of death is it to have a bag put over your head to suffocate you or to be gassed with carbon monoxide?...Everybody deserves a FULL life…”

Stacy Mae Fawcett, of Zenon Park, gives a very convincing argument for the sanctity of life. “Before we can decide whether abortion should be legal, we should first determine when a human life begins. Is it when we have a heartbeat? Brain activity? Blood circulation? What defines a human? What difference is it to kill a full grown man than it is to kill an unborn child? Every human being was once a fetus. Should an unborn child not have human rights also? The government should take these questions and many others under serious consideration.”

Stacy concludes with a quote from our own Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which reads, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof…”

Pasquia Pro-Life group wishes to thank these and other participants for this year’s writing contest. It is our hope that many more schools will take part in this valuable contest which creates a unique opportunity to research these pressing issues.

Doris Whyte and Marcy Millette are members of Pasquia Pro-Life, a non-profit organization in Saskatchewan formed to promote the sanctity of human life.

Editor’s note: Youth are encouraged to share their views on abortion and euthanasia with LifeCanada News. A selection of letters will be published in future issues