“The child by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth” UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Romania: "March for Life"
Romania: "March for Life" - for the first time in 3 cities, at the same time
The Provita movement in Romania has organised three separate marches this year for Saturday, 26th of March.
They hope to turn the 2011 "March for Life" into a large scale event by holding the marches simultaneously in the capital city Bucharest and two other big Romanian cities, Timisoara and Satu Mare.
The slogan of this year's "March for life" is "Say YES to life!". The main message will be focused on making people aware of the need to protect the unborn life, in a country with a sad history on the matter. Romania has the highest abortion rate in the EU and the second highes in Europe.
Over 20 pro-vita and pro-family NGOs have joined their forces in organizing the march. The main organizers are: "Gift of Life" Association (RC Church - a Human Life International branch) and "Pro-vita Federation" (Christian-Orthodox Church).
For the first time, the march will be an interfaith one.
The organisers say that following several isolated events organized in the past years, mostly on the 1st of June, they decided to move the date of the march closer to the holy day of Annunciation hoping that this would prove beneficial, not only for joining the countries with a rich tradition in pro-life activity, but also for eliminating the confusion regarding the date of June, 1st, used as a means of propaganda and thus deprived of its original meaning, during communist governance.
the organisers also say that on this occasion they will publish a manifesto addressed to the Romanian society, political parties, and to members of parliament .
I was born in Galway, Ireland where I attended first Scoil Fhursa and then St Ignatius (Jesuit) College. My family moved to Cork in 1960 and I spent my last year at the Christian Brothers College in Mc Curtain street Cork (CBC).
I came to Dublin in 1963 where I met and married my wife Philomena. We have lived in Dublin since then and have been blessed with seven children and 17 grandchildren (so far). When I finished school I studied architecture through the professional institutions and I am a retired Member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (MRIAI). I also hold a BSc. in psychology and political philosophy.
I currently lobby pro-life and pro-family issues at the United Nations in New York and Geneva and occasionally at the European Parliament and Council of Europe. I am a member of the pro-life, pro-family coalition operating within the international institutions and I am a consultant to the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children SPUC on UN and related matters.
Between 1978-85, as a married couple Philomena and I were involved in the presentation of Marriage Encounter Weekends and pre-marriage courses. We also represented Worldwide Marriage Encounter on a committee for the family in the Dublin Archdiocese. Between 1985-1988. I was appointed National Secretary and then President of the Catholic Secondary Schools Parents Association (CSPA). I have been lobbying pro-life issue at the UN for upwards of 12 years.
I am a past President of the National Association of Catholic Families (NACF)
Publications:
1997: Anthology of pro-life verse
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