“Ella”....a deception...attacking conception.....

The name of God in Hebrew is “El,” coming from a root word meaning “might, strength, power.” The FDA has recently approved a new drug by the name of “Ella.” The claim for its use is to “prevent pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected sex.” I can’t help but wonder why the name Ella was chosen. Is "preventing pregnancy" the only possible effect? Does this drug suggest and make it possible for a mother, the very carrier of God’s gift of life, to choose to “be god” and to decide to end the life of her child who might be living within her? Might this be yet another enabling of the age old deception of “you will be like god” (Gen 3:5) in choosing against the will of God? Does this contribute to the culture of death? Such a soft, lovely, feminine name......Ella.....one which reflects a feminine version of the Hebrew “El.” Some descriptions of the name “Ella” say “other.” Perhaps this name will prove prophetic.....one acting as an “other god” in deciding whether a new life should be allowed. There is much to pay attention to about what is being presented under the delicate and inviting name “Ella.”

There is a lot of information buzzing about concerning this newly approved drug. An article on Fox News quotes Jeanne Monahan saying “‘The FDA opted against including the critical fact that ella can cause an abortion on a baby already implanted in its mother's womb in the drug labeling information,’ Jeanne Monahan, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, said in a statement.” (to read full article, click here)

Another article by Matthew Perrone (AP) has this to say “....the drug has drawn criticism from anti-abortion groups who say it is closer to an abortion pill than an emergency contraception pill.

Groups including the Family Research Council argue the drug is chemically similar to the abortion drug mifeprestone, which can be taken to end a pregnancy up to 50 days into the gestation period. That drug has been associated with severe infections and bleeding after abortion. However, FDA reviewers reported no life-threatening medical side effects with ella.

The most common side effects with the drug included headache, nausea and abdominal pain, according to an FDA release.” (to read full article, click here.)

It is time to “keep our eyes peeled,” as my Dad used to say, for horrid deceptions which attack God’s gift of life....and attack it “in sheep’s clothing.” Let us all pray in thanksgiving for the very gift of life and work to defend it! Come Holy Spirit! Open the eyes of our hearts.

Precious gift of HUMAN LIFE...our duty to protect, to cherish and to treasure......

Have you ever slowed down to consider how much you value life? I will never forget an observation which made me aware of how different cultures and families within them value life. Years ago our son went on a soccer trip to Costa Rica and he came home with a very interesting observation. He was so moved by the behavior of the family who hosted him. He told us how they respected the life of each bug in their home. When they saw a bug in their home, they captured it gently and took it outside to live. He contrasted their behavior to our more callous behavior of killing spiders and bugs in our home. We had lost sensitivity for the lives of bugs. We justified killing them as they were merely “pests.” That observation has stuck with me and has raised my sensitivity to every life, especially for each human life. What must we do to promote an increased awareness of the preciousness of human life in our homes and in our culture?

As babies are being aborted, many hearts are being deeply harmed and becoming more callous towards the dignity of life. The very real effects of this on women are sometimes called “post-abortion syndrome.” A recent article in CNA (Catholic News Agency) tells that the Vatican is preparing a new document on the effects of abortion on women. This growing problem “was made manifest in all of its gravity when 20 years ago, after the devastating earthquake in Armenia (1989), a team of doctors from the Sacred Heart Catholic University traveled to the region to provide medical assistance and discovered that many women had undergone as many as 20 abortions or more. For them, having an abortion had become something like having a cup of coffee. Thus they talked about the dramatic phenomenon of completely erasing any moral sensitivity to the issue of abortion.” read full article.

Please take this moment to pray for increased sensitivity and awareness of the value and dignity of each and every human life. What can women of ENDOW do to help turn the tide from abortions becoming “like having a cup of coffee?” How can our culture be transformed into a culture of life? As Catholics, we are well instructed through the teachings of the Church on how to live lives which promote a culture of life. As we patiently wait for and look forward to new documents on these issues of love and life we can choose to look deep into the timeless teachings we already have on the dignity of life. One such encyclical, titled Humanae Vitae (On Transmitting Human Life), was written in 1968 by Pope Pius VI. The ENDOW study by this same name delves deep into this important instruction on the transmission of human life. To find out where ENDOW’s Humanae Vitae studies are being offered, click here.