published: 2006-12-28 |
"Life in your hands"A project against the legalization of abortion in Portugal |
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PORTUGAL. tw. "MY CHILD IS DIFFERENT, I DID NOT HAVE AN ABORTION!", says Bita Almeida in her testimony. "I am 36 years old and I am the mother of three children. One is eleven, another one is six, and the youngest is two. The youngest one was born with Downs Syndrome. We knew about it at the beginning of the pregnancy, which caused us to go through some sorrowful, difficult, and very "rare" situations, she relates. It is a very delicate subject at the time that Portugal is having a strong discussion about the referendum to legalize abortion. It is a debate that people have to take seriously because their voice can decide on the life of millions of babies. The Portuguese will vote on February 11, 2007, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.. "Life is in your hands!""Life is in your hands" is the name of the Project that began on December 3rd in the Shrine of Lisbon. "300 Missionaries committed themselves to take the Pilgrim MTA of Our Lady of Schoenstatt to 15 people or families, who will receive her with the commitment to pray the Prayer for Life everyday", said the organizers. On February 4th the Pilgrim MTA’s will return to the Shrine of Lisbon culminating with the Crowning of the Pilgrim MTA as the Queen of Life. 4,500 people in Portugal are part of a prayer chain for the life of the unborn. The Schoenstatt Movement in Portugal with the help of the Pilgrim MTA wants to be a voice for the children who cannot communicate with the world. A happy childBita Almeida relates about the decision of not aborting her child, who is retarded. "Suddenly, the life of someone was in my hands… regardless of what I decided I was supported by the law and the majority of society…This feeling is disconcerting…to be able to willingly "annul" a life, knowing that all the people would understand and support me (even if they do not agree). All of this because she (my daughter) is not normal… for those reasons I could kill her. Society would approve it and sign "off" on it, Bita testifies. She and her husband are now happy with the decision they made and they would never change it. "Thinking about it, these children are so simple that they are naturally happy. I was radiant when I realized and became aware that of my 3 children, one was already happy…I still have to help the other two very much…And this was a great comfort to me!!! The different one was certainly the happy one!"
Behind?What is the experience of the Portuguese? Blta Almeida relates: "According to some, almost all of Europe already aborts; they kill their children...only Portugal is behind. I am glad that we are behind in some things. We should know that we must be an example for Europe and that we should not copy". In this way, the project, "Life in your hands" shows that not everyone has to follow the same way of thinking or ideas; rather, people can have their own point of view, and society has to confront the present day problems. Help throughout the worldThe Schoenstatt Family of Portugal asks for the prayers of the Schoenstatt Family throughout the world. It will mentally help all those who are striving for this project to maintain the respect for life of the unborn. Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Miami (USA) have already responded and informed us about their prayers and the organizers hope that more people will begin to pray for the project with the prayer of John Paul II so that on February 11, 2007 there will be a small miracle.
Contact, more information, support: Miti Pestana camarapestana@netcabo.pt
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