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It began in Michigan and it swept across the nation like a mask of death -- a plague that would soon engulf America -- that far too many Americans began to legitimize and even to become unyielding advocates for this culture of death. It was Dr. Jack Korvorkian and his infamous Dr. Death moniker, which has come to symbolize the devaluation of human life. Unfortunately innocent people who could not speak for themselves, like Terri Schiavo, were swept up in its wake.

Bob Schindler, father of Terri Schiavo, joined me February 16th on The Kevin Fobbs Show on News Talk 1400 WDTK to announce the national launch of an initiative to annually honor the memory of Terri Schiavo as well as celebrate the "Culture of Life" by gathering pledges from every state in the nation to respect the Culture of Life. We joined arms to support March 31 as Terri's Day in every station in the nation.

Why do we need a celebration of the Culture of Life or a national day of remembrance? Our nation needs it because we have wandered too far from our historic Judeo Christian roots. Therefore we are seeking at least 1 million pledge signers from all 50 states as well as from international supporters who would certainly agree.

In many ways this effort was born ten years earlier out of the comments delivered by Pope John Paul II on April 22nd 1996. The topic of the speech was "Reaffirm The Culture Of Life." He addressed the international audience attending his speech in Rome by stating, "The rejection of life, confirmed and ratified by legal abortion as a culture of death, is gaining ground in today's society with the intention of legalizing euthanasia also."

Some may feel the pope's comments were too political. Others may feel that the nation should not have to be bound by comments delivered by a religious leader half a world away. After all what real-life relevance could his words have on today's complicated societal mores?

America did move on. Countless Americans ignored those telling words and our nation was left with indecision, complacency, traditional values rejected and a growing clash between two cultures -- one for life and the other for death -- and one innocent victim; Terri Schiavo, a devout Catholic who would soon become victim to Pope John Paul II's predictions.

But America should not just move on. The Culture of Life must be welcomed and desired "as being the fundamental and primary value for every individual, must be reaffirmed, assimilated and recovered today from a culture which otherwise risks closing in on itself, or reducing life to a consumer product for an affluent society," added Pope John Paul II.

On May 12, 2006, we will hold an official ceremony that is so crucial for our nation. We want to recover our values for the essence of the Culture of Life. May 12th -- just two days before Mother's Day -- will be a day for reaffirming our values and those who believe in the sanctity of life. It is about building awareness, engaging in reflection and identifying and supporting those families who have disabled, severely handicapped, or brain injured family members which may number in the tens of thousands across America. A good number of these families need the support that the Terri Schiavo Schindler Foundation seeks to provide.

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