Students face life issues

Young people in Catholic schools and religious education programs bring a different perspective to classroom discussions on abortion than did previous generations.

"This generation grew up with legalized abortion," said Gertrude Johnson, religion teacher at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady. "Abortion is one of the hardest issues to teach. It is the hardest [life issue] for young people to accept the Church's teaching on."

For the most part, her students take a pro-life stance, but she does hear students say: "I don't personally believe in it, but I can't make anyone else's decision."

Information

Mrs. Johnson has learned how to teach on this issue so that it doesn't turn into a debate.

"What made a difference for me was information," she said. "Information is a powerful tool. Logic and reason are less powerful with young people. It usually ends in confrontation."

It is important for youth to learn that the child in the womb is not a bunch of cells, she said. "They need to grasp the child in the womb," she said.

The dawn of ultrasound has helped get that message across. "You can see the child in the womb," she explained. "There is much more of a consciousness of who the child in the womb is."

Telling stories

A contributing writer to the "Christian Approach to Human Sexuality," a diocesan curriculum for Catholic schools and religious ed programs used throughout the Diocese, Mrs. Johnson has found that story-telling can be a powerful tool.

"Stories can lead to change," she said. "Stories of abortion give witness to its destruction of lives."

Abortion is just one of a multitude of life issues presented in the classroom. "We present a consistent ethic of life," said Mrs. Johnson. "It's not a single issue. It's fostering self-respect and the underlying thread of respect for life."

Life issues

Today's young people face more of a challenge than previous generations, she continued, because of the number of issues that exist. Besides abortion, the death penalty and euthanasia, complex issues have developed due to such scientific advances as reproductive technology, genetic engineering and cloning. Other important life issues addressed in the classroom include genocide, torture, Third World poverty and homelessness.

"Respect for life is one of the biggest moral concerns of our time," she said. "All of us will be touched by these issues; it's not just an academic issue."

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