DEACON FOR LIFE

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Too many women die during childbirth

News Fides Service
ASIA/CAMBODIA -Too many women die during childbirth

Saint Louise de Marillac, whose mother died at her birth.

Kraing Kaok (Agenzia Fides) - The women of the village of Kraing Kaok, Cambodia, fear of dying during childbirth. The Asian country records the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. According to UN estimates, five of them die every day. Public health experts attribute the phenomenon to the lack of midwives, the precariousness of health centers, the high cost of services offered and the inexperience of staff in rural areas, where the rate is three times higher than in urban areas. Since 1997, every 100,000 live births there are 461 maternal deaths. The small number of midwives and skilled health personnel in hospitals and health centers contributes to worsening the situation in rural areas, where about 85% of the population live. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 40% of births in Cambodia are not assisted by competent staff that, in cases of emergency, could save many lives. The Government is committed in the opening of 1,600 health centers across the country, with two midwives in each of these. Currently there are only a thousand. What makes the situation of many women even worse is the high cost of health services in the country, where one third of the population lives on the poverty line. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 05/05/2011)

ASIA/INDIA -On 6 May hunger strike against anti-Christian persecution in Orissa

Bubaneshwar (Agenzia Fides) - Non-violent protest for the discrimination and persecution of Christians in Orissa; demand for a thorough investigation on the involvement of the military vertex in anti-Christian massacres in Kandhamal, the district of Orissa scene of violence in 2008, to put on trial the guilty; denounce the social, economic and religious boycott that today we see in Orissa, imposed on Christians by Hindu militants of the extremist movements like the "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)”; to ask for the withdrawal of the controversial " anti-conversion law " in the name of which arrests and violence against Christians are preformed: with these reasons the ecumenical movement in India "Global Council of Indian Christians (GCICC) have announced tomorrow, May 6, a day`s hunger strike which will be held in Bubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa.
The Council, as its national President, Sajan K. George explains to Fides, intends to attract the attention of institutions on the current state of Orissa, where the phenomenon of violence, overt or latent, on citizens of Christian faith "continues in a creeping way, ready to explode again , with the support of the civil authorities. "
Sajan K. George will lead the public Day protest and fasting in Bubaneshwar, in which all the faithful and all people of good will can join in every part of India. A lot of faithful are expected, while in other cities like Delhi and Bangalore, simultaneously, similar initiatives will be held. The faithful of Orissa, GCICC tells Fides, "are marginalized and deprived of their basic rights because of their faith. Everything is done even to prevent them from simply professing the Christian religion. The situation is very serious and requires full awareness of the federal government. "
In 2008, violence against Christians in Orissa affected 13 districts and provoked over 100 dead; in the Kandhamal district alone 6,600 houses were destroyed and 56,000 were internally displaced. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 05/05/2011)