CEC for Life News

Note: Cassandra Donatelli is a 19 Year Old student from Portland, Maine attending the University of Rochester. She has chosen to spend a part of her summer assisting in the Pro-life movement with CEC For Life in Ireland and Alabama. She is currently preparing for the Pro-life Freedom Rides being launched in Birmingham July 23. She is a priceless gift to our communion and to the culture of life.

This year’s annual pro-life trip to Ireland had a little of everything. I had the opportunity to join with Fr. Terry Gensemer, Jessica Kessler and Margaret House from Californiato participate with Youth Defense Ireland and Precious Life Northern Ireland at the All ireland Rally for Life in Belfast and the Annual Road Show across Ireland. We were also joined by Bishop Douglas and Karen Kessler and Bishop Gregory and Cathy Ortiz for the Rally. Overall the trip was wonderful as usual.

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by Wendy Wright and Kristan Hawkins July 13, 2010

The abortion debate is shifting. Americans are uncomfortable with abortion. They definitely do not want tax dollars paying for abortions. Most doctors aren’t willing to participate.

So abortion advocates have a new plan: mislead and mislabel. They are steering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to mislead women by mislabeling the new drug Ella to avoid mentioning that it can cause an abortion. Women and health providers will be enticed by the claim that it can prevent a pregnancy, unaware that it also can abort a pregnancy. And by not being labeled an “abortion drug,” it may skirt federal laws against funding abortions – and the government will pay for it.

The question is: Will the FDA go along with this scheme?

This new drug is close to being introduced in the market. It can be taken up to five days after sexual intercourse. The drug sponsor touts Ella’s ability to delay ovulation, but Dr. Jeffrey Bay, an FDA pharmacologist, admitted that Ella also may prohibit embryos from implanting in the uterus.

This is significant. Ella impacts embryos both before and after implantation by interfering with the hormone needed to line the uterus to support an embryo.

An FDA advisory panel recently approved Ella as an “emergency contraceptive.” However, the drug contains virtually the same chemicals as the abortion drug RU-486 and acts the same way. By blocking progesterone receptors, it starves the baby to death.

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Loved Ones

It has been one month exactly since we found out that Anastasha has anencephaly. This has been a hard month, probably only second in difficulty to the month that Ariana was diagnosed with leukemia back in 2001. We’ve walked through the initial shock and terror where things felt more like a dream than reality. Now we’re moving into a place of acceptance and greater peace, despite the continued pain.

We are exactly halfway to Tonya’s due date (20 weeks). Anastasha is about 6 inches long and weighs 6 ounces. She is already developing fingerprints and toeprints. She can blink and has a complete circulatory system. With the exception of her brain, all of her parts are fully formed and appear perfect.

Even though we are halfway through the pregnancy, there is no guarantee on how long we will have Anastasha. She could die in the womb at any time. She could be born very preterm. She could survive until term but die during the delivery. Or she could survive the birth process and live for some (way too short) period of time. We don’t know. We so deeply desire that Tonya will carry her until term and that we will get to hold her alive in our arms. But that is not promised to us. We just have today. And we do trust that her loving Father, Who created her, knows when her last heartbeat will be, whether in the womb or in our arms. And we know that He is good and will give us grace to endure the pain of her loss whenever and however it comes.

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For you created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

Before you were born, I set you apart.

Jeremiah 1:5

Loved ones,

We are proud to introduce to you the newest member of the DeLisi family, our daughter, Anastasha (an-na-STAH-shuh). It is a Greek name that means “resurrection”.

Many of you didn’t even know we were pregnant. Anastasha hasn’t been born yet. She is nearly 5 months (19 weeks) gestation in Tonya’s womb. The reason that we are introducing her to you all so soon is because the day she is born is also likely the day she will go home to be with Jesus.

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