Prostitution is an old occupation in which women expose their bodies to men seeking sexual pleasure in return for money. Wars, however, are marked by increased violation of hostage women. In the 20th century, women gained economic value as they started to work along with men in offices and banks. This value strengthened feminism which became more radical as women demanded now their equality with men in all fields of learning and work. But it also meant that women regarded their bodies when pregnant as only their own thus denying the reality of babies in the wombs.
In view of widespread Atheism since the beginning of the 20th century, a strengthened Radical Feminism after two World Wars and "The Sexual Revolution" that started in the 1950s and the 1960s in contemporary times, the Church saw the need to re-emphasize the words of the Gospel.
In his Encyclical published in 1995 and titled "Evangelium Vitae" ("The Gospel of Life"), Pope Saint John Paul II identified the incomparable worth of the human person giving the example of the birth of Jesus Christ that brought joy to the world (see the full text here). He insisted on the Christian tradition of respecting the life of every person from the moment of conception until natural death. In one of his harshest criticisms of abortion during his general weekly address to crowds on October 10, 2018, Pope Francis condemned it saying that "a contradictory approach to life allows the suppression of human life in the mother's womb in order to safeguard other values" (see report here). Another Pope (Paul VI), who will be canonized on October 16, 2018, had issued his Encyclical "Humanae Vitae" in 1968 defending natural procreation and love in marriage and insisting on the beauty of every new life (full text here). In an interview by British TV with Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1974, she also showed the beauty and necessity of carrying the child to full term in pregnancy since this is a gift from God (see it on YouTube here) and showed how she contacted many homes that wished to adopt little children and raise them since those parents were not able to have their own.Today's young adults need to learn from the above lessons. Every life is beautiful. Since the times of the Sexual Revolution, many families have been broken by divorce and legalizing abortion in the West. Individualism and liberalism crept into society. Premarital sex became widespread and the so-called LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans-sexual) relationships gained official recognition especially in Scandinavia and much of the "civilized" world. In Ontario, Canada, as in other parts of the world, sex-education in schools was promoted by the Liberal government of Ontario under Kathleen Wynne (2013-2018) which saw the peer pressure of students and their use of iphones/smartphones as signals of economic changes. Supporting single mothers and divorced ones became a social priority although the break-up of the family contradicted Christian social and moral values. The new government of Ontario is Conservative which may be able to stop sex education in schools. However, there has been some resistance from teachers unions that are generally liberal-oriented. Of particular concern is the adoption of "Assisted Suicide" by the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau in Canada since 2016. The Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins as well as Archbishops of other major cities, appealed to the legislators and distributed their appeal in all parishes in order to reverse "Assisted Suicide" and respect the conscience of Christian physicians and other health-care providers whom the government requires to provide lethal injection to patients or refer them to other health-care providers that will carry out the government "Euthanasia" program (here). However, in its issue published on October 7, 2018, The Catholic Register reported about plans for minors' assisted suicide at Sick Children Hospital in Toronto whereby children are not required to inform their parents if they wish to terminate their own lives due to sickness or distress (here). Christian physicians who are committed to Christ's teachings would not cooperate with such anti-life programs; for they are, in effect, crimes against humanity. I personally admire my family physician Dr. Michael Vecchio who continues his Christian missionary work and sees his patients with much patience. I equally admire my cardiologist Dr. Antonio Rocca for his devotion to Christ and the Church. Those physicians, I must say, are among the committed Christian physicians who refuse to administer assisted-suicide "Euthanasia" which the government imposes on consciences. There is no freedom in Justin Trudeau's pro-abortion Liberal government which refuses to fund pro-life agencies in Canada, and yet accommodates Islamists including terrorists for political reasons.
While we are at it, it is important to note the violent character of radical Islam represented by the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). Canadian members of the IS who spread their radical Islam in much of Europe, are operating in Canada and other major cities in North America. They were found in North Syria but will come back to Canada (see here and here).
May Our Lord, the "Good Shepherd", inspire people to seek Him and reverse their violence and violations against Him.
