Men's Night Out -- Recap

Thanks to Dr. Rod Briggs for his wonderful presentation last night. I cannot begin to reproduce the message that Rod delivered but I can tell you that it was very eye-opening for all of us in attendance. When Rod speaks again, I would encourage everyone to go. He delivers a powerful message based on his daily experience with difficult ethical and moral issues.

The most striking portion of the discussion and one which is rarely discussed in our society, is the tremendous emotional impact an abortion has on the woman and the family. Divorce, depression, psychological scars remain with these woman and families forever.

Many statistics were covered but again the most striking to me was that of all the abortions
0.3% were related to rape, 0.03% related to incest and 0.2% were for medical issues. These percentages are from 4000 abortions that are performed daily in the US. Pretty amazing numbers when you consider the arguement of why abortion needs to remain a federal funded offering to protect "choice." Also, a study of Planned Parenthood, found that their "counseling" for woman resulted in 98% choosing abortion.

For those who couldn't make it, I would encourage you to watch the video link below from youtube. It is an amazing story of a family who carried a child they knew would die shortly after birth to term. They did not chose abortion... and their experience is worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToNWquoXqJI

Rod also provided us with many websites for us to explore to gain more information. Be careful what organizations that you support as well, as many are supporters of Planned Parenthood and abortion agencies... The Komen foundation is one of these agencies and their are many others...
Do your own research and check these sites out... as Catholic men we need to be informed and to be active in this very important threat to our society...
http://www.liveaction.org/
http://www.fightpp.org/
http://www.priestsforlife.org/

I would also encourage you to check out the Planned Parenthood website. Read the information for yourself and draw your own conclusions. http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ and their site targeted to teens.. www.teenwire.com.
The slant on the information I believe you will find quite alarming... like "Ultimately, most women feel relief after an abortion."

Finally, Rod touched on our Pope Benedict's latest encyclical which calls for all us to not only be Catholic but act Catholic when it comes to abortion, social justice, and the deterioration of the global economy. The entire encyclical is on the Vatican website.

Thanks to Dr. Briggs and thanks to all those in attendance. Another great evening of food, fellowship and discussion.... If you want a great experience for you and your family... 40 days for Life starts this Wednesday. This is a peaceful and prayerful protest to end abortion in Knoxville and around the country.