By Vivian Onyebukwa
Knights and Ladies of St. Mulumba, Lagos Metropolitan Council, Region Four have urged youths to shun abortion and drug abuse as they negatively affect the dignity of life.
This call was made at the yearly Catholic pro-life seminar organised by the KLSM held at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Ikotun, Lagos to sensitise the public on the dangers of abortion.
Addressing the secondary school students on the theme,”Let All Say Yes To Life”, the parish priest of St Joachim and Ann, Ikotun, Rev Fr Andrew Abhulime, said that abortion and drugs are prevalent issues that bother the mind of any critical minded person due to their harmful effect in the society.
He said: “Abortion and contraceptive are anti-life. They are the trends that say no to life. Abortion is to take life, while contraception is to prevent life. So, anything that takes or prevents life are all anti life.”
He further cautioned that as an ambassador of life, no one should engage in contraception, because life is the highest value of existence. He said though there are many values in the world, but the highest of it all is life. Therefore, one can’t because of inconveniences, shame, or circumstance, take life or prevent it.
“Abortion and contraceptives are anti life and they are not to be welcome in any given community,” Abhulime said.
He stressed the importance of life, saying: “Life is a precious gift, not from us, but from God, and we are to promote, protect and grow it to its natural end, that any act or inaction that impedes life for natural are for evil”.
He urged participants to help to carry the message to the entire society so that life will not just be tolerated, but to encourage it to grow.
He condemned contraceptives in totality, stating the terrible effect it has on both married and unmarried people because it negates life. “It is equally a catalyst to other diseases. It can alter your genetic makeup. It can cause other unintended consequences.
“But above all, because it is against life so, who is taking or giving, or who is selling it, are all called to desist from it. We are not to support contraceptives, rather we are to support things that will protect life, not things that will prevent life.
“When life has been given as a gift, you are to work to protect it, not to prevent it to its natural end, which is death. Not induced, but will of God,” he said.
He warned religious persons of the consequences of taking life, which is hell fire. “If you are not religious, it dehumanises the human person. It reduces our worth. It negates our dignity. You strip man of his manness, and woman of her womanness.”
He further said that every life matters, whether it is life of the rich or the poor. Those intelligent, or those not too intelligent. “Life is the principal thing we are to reflect on. Life connotes a sense of living. In this contest, we are restricting it to human being, not plant. Even animals all have value but different from human value. The highest value in human existence is life value.”
He also warned that every act of human, every action or inaction that threatens human value is termed evil. “People that work against life are called evil”.
He described the organisers of the programme as pro-life. “ Life transcends biological formation. Life is a gift from God, and are all call to receive this gift, protect it, preserve and nurture it, grow it to its logical end. Every life matters. At no point is man expected to take a life.”
Condemning contraceptives further, he noted that it is no way better that abortion, saying that both are all against life. “Anything that takes or prevent life is evil. Each person has the responsibility to conserve life.
“We are to alleviate suffering to prevent death, promote health, maximise physical well being.Every act that can take life must be avoided. Avoid sex because it is a sacred act between married man and married woman primarily directed to procreation. Through sex, life come into existence. So any act to put an end to that life is evil”.
The reverend father expressed dismay over the rate of abortion these days, saying that abortion is now the order of the. He therefore warned: “Keep yourself until you are married. You cannot take that life because life is a gift from God. Pills and drugs are evil. Cancer is growing because of our life style, as result of all the chemicals we are taking. All those drugs are cancerous.
“Anything that takes life is retrogressive. Life from the womb is to be preserved. You are guilty of an offence even by your action. No life directly or indirectly should be killed. Thought, words, action, and inaction are the four ways one can work against God. We cannot defend anything that take life. Adopt self control. Cut away from all those things that would lead you to commit abortion.
“Some have lost their lives, contracted diseases, and or came in contact with evil spirit. The evil act has caused lot of hardship to people. Avoid pre-marital sex that would lead to unwanted pregnancy. You must bear the consequence. They would laugh at you.”
He admonished the youths on what to do when trying to be abused. “You should report any person that wants to involve you in any act that could destroy your life to your parents or teacher. “When you destroy a pregnancy, you may not have the opportunity to have a child again. Prayer does not revert it, no matter how you pray. Contraceptives and abortion may appear to be good, but in the end it is terrible. They may not have the opportunity of becoming parents, or having both psychic and psychological trauma.”
He urged parents, government and all to collaborate to work for protection and promotion of life. “As parents, we should inculcate this into our children to preserve and protect lives. They should be agents of formation. Parents are to educate their ward and children to be moral on a balance sex education. Give it according to their age.”
He advised couples to be responsible. “Some married people through their ill action, kill. It is a shame. The doctor, pharmacist, medical professional, any of them involved in taking life in any way, is doing against their oaths. Married couples should have self control. Without it, that is why there are so many infidelity. If you practice sanity and self control, it helps.”
Explaining the rational behind the seminar, Coordinating Grand Knight of Region Four, Mr Fabian Ewendu, stated that the essence of the seminar was to underscore the evil of abortion, drug abuse and rape among other ills. He said: “It is a worldwide Catholic programme this March. Even in US, this month of March, they are marching for life. We organise a lecture to sensitise the young ones because they are really the ones that need this message. They are the ones that would reach out to their mates and advise them to desist from abortion.”
He noted that the issue of abortion is more prevalent among married couples than even the youths talked about. “Somehow, they call it accident and the next thing is that they go for abortion. Most married men and women go for abortion more than these younger ones. Every life matters because the child you want to abort might be the Donald Trump of tomorrow.”
The event was capped with a Holy Mass presided over by the Parish Priest of St Joachim and Ann, Rev Fr Andrew Abhulime.
About five schools from the environs attended the seminar. They included, T Squqre High School, St Vincent Shasha, Dominican College and St Monica, among others.