Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • October 18, 2019 7 “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’. Anything more is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37 “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Revelations 3:15-16 October is Respect Life Month designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This month also marks the one-year anniversary since I began writing this column for the Gulf Pine Catholic . Reflecting upon this past year, I can think of many high-profile life issues in the news and entertainment industry. Immigration continues to be a focus of political controversy in our country and families continue to suffer during the struggle. Both sides of the issue seem to be exploiting one another. Abortion has been simmering as a hot button issue for decades and this past year it has become a consistent focus of political animosity. Self- proclaimed Catholic elected officials have been boldly supporting abortion in our country. There has been greater exposure of the realities of the abortion industry this year with the release of Unplanned in movie theaters and publicized legal battles in many states over abortion access before and after viability. Gender fluidity has become common place in our society. Confusion abounds concerning how to address an individual that does not “feel” like the gender that God assigned that individual at birth. What rights do they have under the law? Euthanasia is now legal in eight states and the District of Columbia. Many now accept that if a person receives a terminal diagnosis they will plan and celebrate their suicide. These patients also expect a medical doctor to prescribe the necessary medications to execute their plans. This assisted suicide is performed to avoid “unnecessary suffering” and to help the patient avoid becoming a “burden” to their friends and family. WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!?!?!?! It seems to me that one thing people are afraid to do now is speak clearly and boldly. Many of these problems need to be discussed frankly in the public square to eliminate the rhetorical “elephant in the room” that is hard to ignore. An example…It seems that the Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) feels that the term fetal heartbeat is inaccurate and preferring the term “embryonic cardiac activity”. Hmmmm. Why? I guess it doesn’t sound as human as fetal heartbeat. Let’s just be clear. Abortion stops the heartbeat of the developing child. Stopping a heartbeat aka cardiac activity stops a life. I think it also seems easy to address the gender confusion from an objective standpoint. There is no debate about human chromosomes. There are 3 types -- autosomal, X, and Y. Females have 2 XXs and males have an X and a Y. So why quibble over how you feel? If, as a person develops, said person doesn’t claim to identify with the assigned gender from birth, there is a valid issue that needs to be addressed. Apersonwithgenderconfusionispsychologically troubled. That person should not be taken advantage of by anyone or by a medical professional. Children with these issues need love from a consistent adult with a willingness to advocate on their behalf with common sense grounded in reality. Feelings change. Chromosomes do not. I really think that we would all benefit if people would stop hedging when asked about their intentions and beliefs. It’s ok to speak your mind as long as it is done in a kind way. Drop the insults and the sarcasm and innuendo and just say what you need to say to the person that you believe needs to hear it. Admit your mistakes and apologize when necessary. Listen. We are supposed to lead one another to Christ and that road is not sugar coated. Our neighbors need us to help them stay on the moral highroad. Just because you can do something does not mean that you should do it, regardless of the legality. And, there are moral truths that are not subject to personal opinion. One of these truths is that all life is sacred and should be treated as such. Another is that all thoughts don’t need to be shared. Be prudent. But please, don’t be lukewarm. LIVE MAS! Michele Pisciotta is a retired obstetrician and gynecologist who heads up the Diocese of Biloxi’s Pro-Life Ministry and Natural Family Planning education initiative. She can be contacted at gulfpinecatholic@biloxidiocese. org. Living Large Pisciotta Living large and speaking clearly