Education and Health Communique #3

Submitted by: Nancy Simms

Dear Sisters in the League,

Numerous items of information have been brought to my attention recently and I hope I am not giving information overload in this communique, but I feel it is all very important to get out to you. Just try and work on as much as you can. Through prayer and Gods help we will accomplish His work!

Communiques: Just a reminder for all my diocesan counterparts. Each of you should be sharing your communiques with each other and myself. Sharing your communiques creates an atmosphere of communication and the sharing of ideas throughout our province. Unfortunately, I have received very little communication from any of you and would love to know what each of you are working on in your diocese.

Scholarships and Bursaries: The deadline for the provincial Molly Boucher Bursary is March 31, 2007. The application form must be sent to me no later. For almost 9,000 members within BC & Yukon, I have to date not received a very strong response for this bursary. Have you reminded the members of your diocese of the availability of this bursary? The deadline for the national bursary to be sent to the national office is May 31st. Let’s get the word out there!

Update on Provincial letter regarding Correns & BC Ministry of Education: The provincial council of the CWL has yet to receive a response from the office of the Ministry of Education regarding the letter that was sent on November 15, 2006. I have been and will continue to actively pursue a response and will inform you if and when we receive any information.

There is a Ministry of Education survey that BC residents are being invited to complete concerning various curriculum revisions. You can obtain this survey at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/ and then click on the Social Studies program. I strongly suggest that you complete this survey, although I completed it last night and found there are some obviously slanted questions that have to be carefully thought out before answering.

BC Parents and Teachers For Life Annual General Meeting: Will be held on April 21, 2007 @10:30 a.m. at ABC Country Restaurant in South Surrey at 2160 King George Highway. All are invited.

HPV Vaccine: On Jan. 30, 2007 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued a statement recommending use of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Canada. It recommends for greatest efficacy to be given to girls as young as 9 years of age (because at this age most girls are not yet sexually active) and, after sexual activity has begun, up to 26 years. It states that it is the only vaccine uniquely designed to prevent cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer as well as genital warts, and was approved by Health Canada last summer. For more information you can log onto www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2007/30/c2810.html. Although, we must be careful that as Catholics we do not fall into the trappings of the culture of sexual promiscuity by promoting for our children to be vaccinated to protect themselves from many diseases that can be prevented through chastity and monogamous marriages.

Immunizations: Immunizations provide the best possible protection against some very serious diseases. Unfortunately, many viral vaccines commonly used in Canada, and around the world, were developed from cell lines from the tissue of aborted fetuses. A list of some of these ethically tainted vaccines is available here (PDF).

Although, we do have options! Legally approved and effective vaccines are available which have been created from sources other than abortion-derived fetal cell lines. Specifically the infant vaccine Pediacel (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Haemophilus B), which is currently being used in the UK and other nations, does not derive from fetal tissue. Unfortunately, it is not being used in Canada. Rather the government funded vaccine used for these same diseases is Pentacel which is partly derived using a cell line created from aborted fetal tissue. Aside from the ethical reason for making Pediacel available, there is also a very practical one: It is critical for the public good that there should always be two sources for all vaccines in Canada. If one company shuts down, or has a problem with supply, there is an alternative to meet the needs of Canadians. Let our health minister know that the government should provide an alternative to Pentacel. Specifically, that Pediacel, or an equivalent ethical alternative, should be available in the publicly funded regular childhood vaccination programs in our province.

Use of Embryos in Research: Please encourage all members and councils to write, email or call all organizations they support to inquire if the organization uses embryos for its research. As Judy L., national education & health chairperson states, “As Catholics we cannot support embryonic research because it destroys life.” Since many organizations are doing invaluable work, we can specifically ask that our donations do not support the research aspect or find alternatives to assist those suffering from the illness.

MaterCare International: This is an easy and effective way to help women around the globe. To donate your AirMiles to MaterCare contact: Theresa Winchester, R.R. 1, 377 Lake Range Rd., Kincardine, ON N2Z 2X3 or call her at (519) 395-4079 to get more cards. MaterCare can no longer give out the home-made cards – you must use the swipe cards – but that doesn’t prevent a donor from simply giving the League’s AirMiles number (8007 7296378) when asked for the number. This program is working extremely well and is a very real asset for MaterCare in terms of reduced travel costs. Here are some additional ways to maximize AirMiles donations:

• Check out the website (www.airmiles.ca) and see where AirMiles are given in your province.
• You can set up your HBC Rewards points to automatically convert to AirMiles, then give the AirMiles number so you make a donation every time you shop at Zellers, the Bay or Home Outfitters.
• Give friends a MaterCare collector card as a gift, particularly for their grocery purchases – this is where the majority of AirMiles donations comes from.
• Once a day, click on www.matercare.org, than click on Donate, then on Lifesaver to assist women in developing countries for free.

Breast Cancer: An easy way to help provide free mammograms for women who cannot afford the test is to once a day click on www.thebreastcancersite.com.

February is Heart & Stroke Month: The Heart & Stroke Foundation is always looking for help to canvass in this month. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping with a little exercise and to meet your neighbors (I volunteer every year). If you are unable to canvass please remember someone will be knocking at your door this month – please be generous!

Again, I am so sorry that I have given you such an overload of information, but I felt it was all very important to get out to our members. Our work within this standing committee is extensive and I have much more that I would love to share with you but these will wait till the next communique.

May you continue to keep yourselves educated and stay healthy! God Bless you in your work for God and Canada.

Nancy S.
Provincial Education & Health Chairperson