Shining the Light of Truth
By Barbara McAdorey

Welcome to the second issue of LifeCanada News ! We are pleased with the positive response generated by our first issue, and we hope this and future issues will continue to provide our readers with stories that are informative and thought-provoking.

Research is extremely important in understanding the abortion problem. What are the societal pressures that contribute to women choosing abortion? What are the trends? What are the consequences of abortion, both short and long term, to the woman herself and the society in which she lives?

In this issue, we look at some of the research and statistics and find that so much about abortion has been distorted or hidden-from false claims by doctors like Henry Morgentaler (whom one would think should better understand the scientific method), to inadequate data gathering and reporting by hospitals and clinics performing abortions. One cannot help but wonder what is going on. A severe lack of competence? A lack of concern about women? Or even a concerted effort to conceal the truth?

So it is heartening to hear about other research which found that the more the public is exposed to the facts about abortion, the less support there is for abortion. We discuss this study which was commissioned by Alliance for Life Ontario in our "Pro-Life in the Provinces" column.

"Pro-life in the Provinces" will focus on a different province in each issue, and we welcome and encourage submissions from all the provincial groups. What has your group been up to? Are there specific issues you are dealing with-things you would like to share with other pro-life groups across the country? Maybe there is something others can learn from your efforts. What are the specific challenges your group is facing? Maybe another group has found a solution to a similar problem. By sharing stories, pro-life groups can learn from and encourage each other.

And if you have photos or graphics to go along with your story, all the better!

We also learn from each other when we share our more personal stories, and we'd like this newsletter to be a vehicle for doing that. Do you have a personal experience you would like to share with others across Canada? Was there something specific that made you become pro-life? Maybe you have an inspirational story to tell about working with the terminally ill. Or healing after abortion. Maybe you were faced with some challenge and were victorious in finding a pro-life solution. If you have a story to tell, we'd love to share it with our readers.

We especially want to hear from our Canadian youth, for it is our young people who will be shaping the future of our country. In this issue, we introduce our readers to National Campus Life Network , a group that helps to promote and encourage the pro-life voice in our Canadian universities. It is our hope that we will be able to share with our readers, on a regular basis, what is happening with our youth and in our academic institutions. And to do this, we need to hear from you. What obstacles to spreading the pro-life message have you faced in your school or university? What successes have you had? What can be done to fuel a young person's passion "to change the world" before it is squelched by the "pro-choice" mentality which is so prevalent on our university campuses?

We must encourage our young people even before they enter university. That is why pro-life education in the schools is so important. Laverne Hudson, our Manitoba Director, takes over from Mike Girard who reported on London Area Right to Life's program in our first issue. In this issue, Laverne tells us about a number of other programs available across the country, and she will continue to do so in future issues. We'll also tell you about Mike's experiences with a curriculum he is using with his own high-school students in Sault Ste. Marie. So stay tuned!

At times we may wonder how successful our educational efforts have been. It is easy to get discouraged, for example, when we realize that, by far, the leading cause of death in Canada is abortion (see table on page 11). But the coming of Spring and the promise of Easter remind us of the hope for renewal and new life. "In Him was life," John says, " and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." When we speak the truth, we also shine a light.

And as long as we continue to do that, the darkness will not overcome us.