Be Our Guest / Dr. Hans Geisler

Respect for the dignity of human person is at the heart of Culture of Life Foundation’s mission

In the Sept. 18 issue of The Criterion, John F. Fink wrote an editorial with the headline “Sex outside of marriage.”

The editorial explained that the Catholic Church continues to regard fornication as a grave sin.

Fink also explained that he received some of his material concerning the subject from a series of columns written by Helen Alvare, Ph.D., former director of planning and information for the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, for the Web site of the Culture of Life Foundation (www.culture-of-life.org), a Washington, D.C.-based organization.

I do not know whether Fink realizes it or not, but the CEO and president of the Culture of Life Foundation is John N. Whelan, a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis.

The vision of the Culture of Life Foundation is summed up in the following words: “The Culture of Life Foundation believes that true freedom flourishes within a responsible and cohesive society that is respectful of the dignity of the human person central to its survival. We aim to foster a culture that will transmit to each generation a commitment to the profound inherent and equal dignity of every member of the human family.”

As a member of the board of directors and of that board’s executive committee, I would like to inform your readers that we try to:

• Inform people in government, media and citizens of the scientific facts and resources pertaining to life and related social issues.
• Shape public policy to reflect the essential truth and dignity of the human person.
• Publish and promote scholarly work intended to inform the broadest possible audience.
• Organize conferences and events domestically and internationally to further public debate.
• Work collegially with like-minded organizations.

Our executive director is a dynamic young lady, Jennifer Kimball, who has her licentiate in bioethics from the Pontifical Atheneum Regina Apostolorum School of Bioethics in Rome.

I know she would join me in inviting all of The Criterion’s readers to visit our Web site and learn more about us and our mission.

(Dr. Hans Geisler is a retired gynecologist-oncologist and member of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis. He is certified in health care ethics by the National Catholic Bioethics Center.) †