July 2009 Archives

When he was a minister, Schenck challenged a federal district court injunction that restricted pro-life "sidewalk counselors" from approaching men and women with a peaceful, pro-life message. The case, Schenck V. Pro-Choice, reached the United States Supreme Court, which held 8-1 in his favor, striking down the Order as a violation of his First Amendment rights. The Court used his case to strike down similar restrictions across the country.

Live Video - Paul Schenck! 2:15 - 3:15 Eastern http://ProLifeUnity.com

WASHINGTON, D.C./July 30, 2009 -

Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins today urged the House Energy and Commerce Committee to approve amendments to protect the conscience rights of health care providers and ensure that Americans' tax dollars are not used to pay for abortions within the health care overhaul. Perkins also responded to attacks by Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League against FRC Action's new TV ad on abortion funding in President Obama's health care plan. The ad can be viewed at www.frcaction.org/takeover

"In a letter sent today to Planned Parenthood's President Cecile Richards, I challenged her to join me in a public forum to debate the question - Does the President's health care reform plan include a mandate for taxpayer funded abortions? Planned Parenthood says the plan doesn't. I say, come to a debate prepared to prove it.

"Pro-abortion groups have all along expected to see mandated taxpayer funded abortions within President Obama's health care plan, as the President promised them during the
campaign to little public notice. Now, strident statements yesterday by Planned Parenthood and NARAL show they may be getting a little nervous about not achieving their long-cherished goal - especially in a nation where the substantial majority of citizens do not want Uncle Sam paying for abortion.

"As the House Energy and Commerce Committee meets to vote on several pro-life amendments that would ensure taxpayers aren't forced to pay for abortions within any publicly subsidized program, pro-abortion advocates are jittery that their dream of federally-funded abortion on demand won't come true.

"The truth, apparently, hurts. Planned Parenthood and NARAL understand that the future of massive taxpayer subsidies for abortion on demand is at stake in the health care debate.

There is a relatively easy answer to the problem. Take current law - the Hyde Amendment, which has been renewed every year for 33 years -- make it permanent and
ensure that it continues to apply to any publicly subsidized program.

"The various Democratic plans under consideration would invariably crowd out private
sector insurance plans and impose new mandates upon them, including abortion if it is not specifically excluded.

House and Senate Democrats, with Planned Parenthood and NARAL support, have rejected all amendments to protect the Hyde Amendment and give families ownership of their health care plans. FRC is making their intentions plain, and this exposed truth is making the abortion lobby squirm," Perkins concluded.

View this Press Release online at: http://www.frcaction.org/index.cfm?i=PR09G03&f=PR09G03

David Bereit, National Campaign Director, will be speaking until 3:35 Eastern time.

Click here to tune in now at ProLifeUnity.com!

by Christopher G. Adamo

The Republican Party continues to amass expertise in losing elections. Its current reticence in getting behind the momentum of Sarah Palin, now the former Governor of Alaska, unequivocally proves the point.

Many have postulated in vain as to why such an energizing presence in the party has been soundly rejected by its "inner circle." Yet despite phony attempts at eloquence and deep analysis, it is clear that somehow, the basic integrity and common sense that Palin exudes are themselves the offending factors. All of that "of the people, by the people, and for the people," rhetoric may look good engraved on the monuments and surely sounds good in campaign ads, but this is just not how things are done in Washington anymore.

When measured against the current "ruling class," Palin's faults, or more precisely, those qualities about her which critics attempt to manufacture into faults, are trivial at worst. More pertinently, the derisive commentary is far more reflective of truly serious character defects on their own part. Sadly, many of them claim to lean to the political right.

Some have descended to the level of finding fault with the unconventional names Todd and Sarah Palin have given to their children. Certainly, such small-mindedness is a matter of absolute irrelevancy to Palin's nature, and merely another indication of the desperate efforts to marginalize her.

It also reveals a glaring hypocrisy among those critics with their flagrantly selective powers of observation. In comparison, they studiously avoided ever noticing anything unusual about the name "Hussein," as if it is a typical moniker expected for the average passerby on Mainstreet in Middle America.

Not surprisingly, many of these same critics have been having a field day ever since Palin's announcement of her resignation from the governorship of Alaska. Somehow, by prematurely leaving a political office, we are told that she has thoroughly betrayed the public trust and desecrated every worthwhile American institution right down to motherhood and apple pie.

Yet little if any similar criticism was leveled at Hillary Clinton who, during her waning days in the unelected post of "First Lady," suddenly recalled a "Jewish" heritage and a lifelong affinity for the New York Yankees. And all of this happened just as she and the little man were making a frenzied purchase of their dream home in the New York City suburb of Chappaqua.

Apparently, in the world of the political insiders, it is just fine to invent a residency in order to pursue political office and personal ambitions under the flagrant pretense of "representing" the people of New York in the United States Senate. Yet it is political "heresy" for someone to leave office, out of a sincere belief that their best interests and those of their State are served thusly. Nevertheless, in doing so Palin has proven herself to be of a far higher character than any of her attackers.

Of course, no discussion of Palin's detractors would be complete without a mention of the Republican Party's menopausal wing, as epitomized by former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan and Washington Post token conservative "pundit" Kathleen Parker. In their incessant efforts to derail Palin, Noonan and Parker have descended to a level of discourse rife with shallow catcalls and jeers. In telling contrast, Noonan had heaped accolades on Barack Obama while Parker supports the elevation of judicial activist Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and excoriates the GOP for refusing to follow along....

To read this column in its entirety, go to gopusa.com.

Christopher G. Adamo has been active in Wyoming politics for many years and is a managing partner in Best American Buy (www.bestamericanbuy.com), an e-commerce business that markets American made products including the incomparable Abigail Adams Bedspread Set from Bates Mills. Contact information for Chris Adamo, and his archives, can be found at www.chrisadamo.com

Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

When I was in sixth grade I got my first bible. I was 11 years old. I started to read it every day. I was raised in a modernist household with the novus ordo that when to church religiously every Sunday and to CCD during the week as we attended public schools.

I was liked by every one but at the same time was a loner. I was a bookworm as I am now. I had a friend though who was older and was a bad influence on me. When my parents were out of town she took me to see bad movies.

So, there I was learning about right and wrong. Reading about it in my bible and seeing the evil of bad in movies she exposed my innocence to.

One weekend when I was 14, I was with her and over heard her tell another friend that she was pregnant. She caught me listening and so, told me every thing. At first I had to keep the pregnancy as a secret because it would ruin her future of being in college.

Then later she told me she had decided to have an abortion and so I had to keep that secret also. She never told me when she did it. But, I knew it was wrong. I told her so but she argued how it was "better this way" for all involved; especially her parents whom she wanted to keep her in high esteem; whom she said would be devastated if they knew....

To continue reading this article, click here.

For more articles on this website go to:
http://conceptionon.blogspot.com/

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 30 /Christian Newswire -

Concerned Roman Catholics of America (CRCOA) condemn the Knights of Columbus for their continuing failure to expel pro- abortion and pro-homosexual politicians. The K of C meet at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, for their 127th Supreme Convention on August 4-6, 2009.

Ken Fisher, President of CRCOA, said: "With 51 million abortions since Roe V. Wade in 1973, the Knights of Columbus has failed the unborn children miserably. Founded by Venerable Fr. Michael McGivney as a Catholic fraternal organization, the K of C ought to be a major force in the pro-life, pro-family movement. Instead, by sheltering pro-abortion politicians in its ranks, it has joined 'the culture of death', as the late Pope John Paul II called it.

Perversely, the K of C has welcomed to its ranks a great number of pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians in exchange for a charitable tax-free status on its life insurance business. The charitable work is done, and most of the money is raised, by volunteer K of C members at local and state level -- while Supreme Knight Carl Anderson received $1,146,183 in K of C compensation last year.

Fisher continued: "Every year, at state and national level, the K of C pass resolutions denouncing pro- abortion politicians. These resolutions are just hot air put on paper. We hear rhetorical speeches from Supreme Knight Carl Anderson telling us that the K of C will no longer tolerate pro-abortion politicians in their ranks, but have yet to see Anderson expel any pro-abortion or pro-homosexual politicians from the Order. The bishops, many of whom are K of C members, have not excommunicated a single pro- abortion or pro-homosexual politician!

"The K of C have long boasted that they are 'the strong right arm of the Catholic Church.' This claim is clearly false. In his nine years as Supreme Knight, Anderson has failed the unborn children repeatedly. He must resign now, concluded Fisher!"

Washington, DC (29 July 2009) -

Three of the top lay Catholic organizations have divorced themselves from Catholic teaching by supporting the Obama health-care plan, which would foster a culture of mandatory abortion coverage, contraceptive services, and permissive sex education, euthanasia and eugenics.

Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Catholic Health Association are joining together to push the current version of the plan through Congress.

"There is no social justice in rationing charity," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "Millions of taxpayers will be forced to subsidize abortion, contraception, euthanasia and bureaucratic denial of health care to the poorest of the poor."

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities USA sent out an action alert asking members to contact their legislators immediately:

We must maintain momentum for health care reform efforts with calls and emails supporting health care reform immediately. ... Your members of Congress need to hear from you that you support health care reform, and that the system needs to be reformed now.

The Catholic Health Association put together a YouTube video showing people displaying messages such as "I can't wait for health-care reform" and "We can't wait until the signing ceremony."

"All these organizations claim to be faithful to Catholic social teaching - which unambiguously and passionately puts respect for human personhood at the core of all other social and charitable works," Brown pointed out. "Yet these same organizations are undermining the very foundation they exist to protect and foster: the dignity of human persons and the sanctity of their right to life."

American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Catholic Health Association: I Can't Wait ... For Health Reform
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYnhuSd6Uiw

Catholic Charities USA: Study Sheds Light on Role of Abortion Drug (16 June 2008)
http://capwiz.com/catholiccharitiesusa/issues/alert/?alertid=13746156

Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Link to Catholic Health Association YouTube
http://www.svdpusa.org/VoiceofthePoor/tabid/167/ItemId/164/language/en-US/Default.aspx

by Dave Andrusko

Editor's note. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. They are much appreciated!

There is a website titled, "You already know this stuff," which promises that if you read it you will "get fresh perspective on stuff you already know that will help you" [fill in the blank]. When you realize it's the all-too-familiar "read this and you will get ahead in business" gambit, you "already know" the hype will likely far surpass the payoff.

But the basic idea also applies to more important "stuff" than getting ahead in commerce and with more enduring impact. There are important truths that I already "know" but which I will receive an (often unwelcomed) refresher course in. Just such a reminder come crashing down on me last night.

I was driving on my way to a committee meeting when my pastor called on my cell. He told me that hours before, while on a family vacation, the most beloved and respected man in our church had been struck by lightning and killed. For about 30 seconds I was speechless.

As chairman of the church committee it fell to me to tell people, one by one, of his death. Stunned would be so obvious as to be almost trite, saddened a ridiculous understatement, shocked to tears only an approximation of how the passing of a man seen as an indestructible pillar of our congregation had affected us.

I write of this for many reasons, beginning as a tribute to the kind of people who, like Matt, really are the salt of the earth. These are the men and women without whose volunteer contributions so much of what makes life rich would be lost. People like you, for example.

I also write about his death because I remembered how moved I was each time Matt or his wife softly spoke of the loss of their first baby to a miscarriage. They really understand in a powerful way how fragile life is, how real that baby was, and how much a part of a family a child can become without ever having been born.

This is just an opinion, but I believe couples that have miscarried are more in touch with a part of this debate over abortion than those who haven't. And that is in no small measure because of the impact of a lost child on siblings.

Many is the time friends (or friends of friends) had told me of how their oldest child responded when he or she learned that their mother had unsuccessfully carried a baby prior to their birth. Such as, "You mean I had a brother?" or "I'm not the first?"

Finally, I write about my friend both because that is an essential part of how I deal with grief and because his unexpected death reminds me of something I "already know"--that we are not promised even one more day. That is why, I suppose, it seems as if almost everything that happens in my life somehow works its way into what I write about the fight we wager.

Like you, I know I don't have forever. Like you, so much of my life is a real-time reminder that life is fragile and fleeting. Like you, these realities spur me to work even harder to bring about the day when unborn babies need not worry if they will see the light of day.

http://www.nrlc.org/News_and_Views/

Fifteen years ago, Colorado's governor Richard Lamm got himself in trouble by saying elderly people have "a duty to die and get out of the way."

Lamm knew how much governments spend on end-of-life care. About one-third of Medicare's budget goes for costs incurred in the last one year of life, and 40% of that goes for expenses in the last one month of life. It is so much cheaper if old people just do their duty and get out of the way rather than go to hospitals, get expensive tests and surgeries, and take medications.

Congress knows this too, which is why they include Section 1233 in the proposed health care reform bill.

Under Section 1233, doctors get paid to sit down with all patients over 65 years old to talk about end-of-life issues. The idea is to encourage people to sign living wills and enter hospices rather than getting expensive treatments. Since hospice provides only pain relief and palliative care, everyone else saves money. Under the new rules, you enter hospice when you have only 18 months to live, compared to today's six months- so this way you speed things along even faster for us.

Section 1233 is aimed in particular at patients who have expensive diseases, such as cancer and congestive heart failure. In states where physician-assisted suicide is legal, end-of-life talks would no doubt include assisted suicide, the cheapest option of all....

Continue reading this article here.

Washington, D.C./July 28, 2009 -

Tonight, during a live webcast joined by more than 49,000 viewers, Family Research Council Action President Tony Perkins unveiled a new TV ad which will initially run in five key states including Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana, and Nebraska. The hard hitting ad lays out two key threats should President Obama's plan become reality - rationing and taxpayer funded abortions. Patients, particularly the elderly, will face denial of vital treatments while at the same time be forced to pay for abortions.

The ad urges viewers to tell Congress to oppose the government takeover of health care. The ad also urges opposition to a health care plan that will deny care to 'our greatest generation' and deny life to 'our future generation.'

FRC Action President Tony Perkins had this to say:

"In a world of health care rationing, the elderly, the handicapped and the frail are the most likely to lose their lives because care was delayed or denied. Under the government-run plans in England and Canada, the countries' sick and elderly aren't getting the care they need. As a result, their system isn't improving lives but prematurely taking them. Here in the United States, President Obama's rationing would mean that you and I could be denied basic care while our tax dollars are used to underwrite a mother choosing to end the life of her unborn child.

"On the other key life-and-death decisions there is an active commitment on the part of Senate Democratic Leadership to allow the rationing of health care. This is what the White House and Congress mean when they say they will cut costs. It means cutting off your access to health care services by creating the legal authority to do so, while stopping any provision becoming law that would prevent rationing.

"FRC Action will continue to work to mobilize a coalition in opposition to the health care plan in its current form which will force taxpayers to fund abortions, violate the conscience rights of medical workers, and impose a massive tax and debt burden on American families."

To view the ad, "After a Government Takeover of Health Care" please go here.

WASHINGTON, July 28 /Christian Newswire -

Today the Susan B. Anthony List announced that pro-life activists nationwide have sent over 100,000 letters to Congress urging the exclusion of abortion from any national health care reform effort.

"As we approach the August recess, already tens of thousands of pro-life Americans have contacted Congress urging them to keep abortion out of health care," said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. "Americans are urging Members of Congress to preserve the real common ground, our long-standing tradition of limiting taxpayer funds for abortion. This is exactly the type of policy the President has sought to achieve, one that stands the test of time, has popular support and appeals to members on both sides of the aisle. Yet both the House and Senate versions of health care reform legislation seek to undo this commonsense policy. Without language to explicitly exclude an abortion mandate, the legislation will result in Americans footing the bill for abortion on-demand in the largest expansion of government-backed abortion since Roe v. Wade."

In an interview with CBS' Katie Couric last week, President Obama said, "What I think is important, at this stage, is not trying to micromanage what benefits are covered. [. . .] As you know, I'm pro choice. But I think we also have a tradition of, in this town, historically, of not financing abortions as part of government funded health care."

"Families are at the very heart of the health care issue," said Dannenfelser. "And with pregnancy there are always two patients, mother and baby. We must establish a health care system that respects, protects and cherishes both. Congress should explicitly exclude an abortion mandate and preserve the common ground policies supported by the growing majority of pro-life Americans."

To date this year, Susan B. Anthony List activists have sent nearly 400k letters urging Congress to keep taxpayer funds from supporting abortion on-demand, 112k of which called for the exclusion of abortion from health care. In a recent action alert, NARAL Pro- Choice America reported sending 12,500 letters to the Senate in support of an abortion mandate.

The Susan B. Anthony List is a member of the Stop the Abortion Mandate Coalition, a coalition of pro-life organizations dedicated to keeping the abortion mandate out of health care reform.

The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 162,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

www.sba-list.org

Breaking news from CNS - Cybercast News Service, which invstigates and reports on the stuff the Government Media would rather let the Obama Regime get away with.

Obama's Science Czar Said a Born Baby 'Will Ultimately Develop Into a Human Being' Tuesday, July 28, 2009 By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief

(CNSNews.com) - President Obama's top science adviser said in a book he co-authored in 1973 that a newborn child "will ultimately develop into a human being" if he or she is properly fed and socialized.

"The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being," John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, wrote in "Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions."

Read entire article at CNS News.

So a baby is not a human being, but only has the potential of becoming a human being.

Yet another screwball Obama appointee - but unfortunately not so comic since as part of Obama's New Czarist Empire he has absolutely no accountability and is subject to no oversight, reigning at the pleasure of our Glorious Leader.

See also Obama Science czar: backed forced abortion, sterilization

If people really knew the whole truth about abortion, how many of them would still support it?

Over 40 million babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade in 1973 and approximately 93% of those occurred for social reasons (not medical problems, rape or incest).

It is estimated that 43% of all women will have an abortion (at least one) by 45 years of age. If what pro-lifers are saying is the truth, isn't this abysmal and abhorrent infanticide on a mass scale enough to at least give us pause? As a friend of mine said, this is a "modern day sacrifice of the most innocent of human beings to a god of comfort and convenience."

Those who are not in Christ are spiritually blinded to His Truth (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). I understand the spiritual side of the issue of abortion. But I also understand that there are medical and biological facts. And if we approach this issue logically, I have a difficult time understanding why people that know the facts through and through, still believe choosing abortion is a moral choice.

What causes us to instinctively celebrate with friends and family when they announce that they are pregnant? Is it because they are pregnant with a life?...

The 30-year old question of when life begins is not a religious one, as pro-choice proponents would like to have you believe....

Continue reading this article here.

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 28 /Christian Newswire -

"I guess they didn't get the 'memo' from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), which declared back in 2003 that the non- existence of the ABC (abortion-breast cancer) link had been 'established'"! - Professor Joel Brind, Breast Cancer Prevention Institute

A retrospective study conducted by Dr. Vahit Ozmen and his colleagues at the Istanbul Medical Faculty and Magee-Women's hospital reported a statistically significant 66% increase in breast cancer risk among women who'd had any abortions.

According to Joel Brind, professor of endocrinology at Baruch College, City University of New York and a director at the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, Ozmen's team most likely underestimated the breast cancer risk associated with abortion because of a flaw known as "selection bias."

Selection bias would also explain their team's unusual findings - significantly decreased risks for women who use oral contraceptives (OCs) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The World Health Organization and the NCI acknowledge that use of combined (estrogen + progestin) OCs and combined HRT increase risk.

Selection bias is a flaw in the study because only hospital or clinic patients were selected as study subjects, and they were therefore not representative of the general population.

According to Brind's hypothesis, a disproportionate number of "modern" women were likely represented among the controls, a group more likely to use HRT and OCs, have abortions and visit the hospital often for minor complaints. By contrast, a disproportionate number of "traditional" women were represented among the patients; women less likely to use HRT and OCs, have abortions and visit the hospital (except in cases of serious illness, like breast cancer).

To their credit, Dr. Ozmen et al. did acknowledge the likelihood of selection bias in their study, although they were not specific in attributing any effects on their results to it.

Brind's analysis of Ozmen's research can be read here:
www.abortionbreastcancer.com/download/ BrindTurkishStudy.pdf

"Although the NCI, the nation's largest funder of cancer-research, and others have worked feverishly to suppress the ABC link by publishing fraudulent research and even leaning on scientists whose studies have shown risk increases among women who have abortions, honest research occasionally escapes the NCI's purview," declared Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer.

The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.

References:

1. Ozmen et al. Breast cancer risk factors in Turkish women - a university hospital-based nested case control study. World J Surg Onc 2009;7:37. Available at: http://wjso.com/content/7/1/37.

This press release can be found online at: www.abortionbreastcancer.com/press_releases/0907 28/index.htm

WASHINGTON, July 28 /Christian Newswire -

A Constitutional Amendment to protect the parent-child relationship introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Michigan, has reached 110 co-sponsors in the House.

"More and more members of Congress are recognizing the threat from government and foreign interference into the parent-child relationship," Hoekstra said. "I encourage my colleagues to support the initiative by co-sponsoring the Parents' Rights Amendment."

The Parental Rights Amendment (H.J.Res.42) would state explicitly in the U.S. Constitution that parents have a fundamental right to raise their children as they see fit, while protecting against abuse and neglect. Threats to the parent-child relationship include potential Senate ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the erosion of fundamental parental rights in our federal courts.

"Just about every member of Congress agrees with the legal principle that parents have the fundamental right to make decisions for the upbringing of their children," said Michael Farris, J.D., president of Parentalrights.org. "Because of international law and shifting judicial philosophies, the right is being steadily undermined. We now have 110 members of Congress with the foresight to say that we need to protect this long-standing right before the erosion goes too far. We appreciate the leadership of Pete Hoekstra and the 109 other members of Congress who believe that it is important to secure the rights of American families for generations to come."

More information on the Parental Rights Amendment can be viewed at www.parentalrights.org.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -

On Tuesday, July 28 at 8:30 pm ET, FRC Action, the legislative lobbying arm of Family Research Council, will host a special one hour webcast to mobilize opposition to President Obama's proposed government takeover of the health care system. FRC Action President Tony Perkins will be joined by Congressional leaders to discuss the moral, ethical, and financial dangers of President Obama's health care plan. During the webcast, FRC Action will release a national TV ad that will run in key battleground states.
Webcast viewers will be mobilized to:

• stop taxpayer funding of abortions
• protect the conscience rights of health care workers, and
• prevent a government takeover that will impose a massive tax and debt burden

"President Obama and his liberal allies in Congress have ignored the moral, ethical, and financial dangers of this plan," said FRC Action President Tony Perkins, "The takeover will suffocate small business owners with incalculable new taxes. And it would mandate taxpayer funded abortion, abortifacient drugs and limit end-of-life care. From the inevitability of rationed care to diminishing human dignity, the President's plan amounts to a prescription for a health care disaster. This webcast will mobilize concerned citizens who increasingly understand the dangerous implications of what Mr. Obama is proposing."

Who: Tony Perkins, FRC Action experts and key Congressional leaders

What: Government Takeover of Healthcare - Special Webcast
The Moral, Ethical and Financial Dangers of the President's Health Reform Plan

When: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 8:30pm ET

To watch the Webcast, log onto www.frcaction.org/takeover.

We've been saying this is what we have to look forward to under the most pro-abortion regime in American history.  That is a mistake: it's really already happening as pro-abortionists are emboldened by their current In status:

NURSE 'FORCED' TO ABORT

Faith Objector Sues Mt. Sinai

By Kathianne Boniello
July 26, 2009

A Brooklyn nurse claims she was forced to choose between her religious convictions and her job when Mount Sinai Hospital ordered her to assist in a late-term abortion against her will.

SPOTLIGHT ON FED RULE SHIELDING 'CONSCIENCE' WORKERS

The hospital even exaggerated the patient's condition and claimed the woman could die if the nurse, a devout Catholic, did not follow orders, the nurse alleges in a lawsuit.

"It felt like a horror film unfolding," said Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, 35, who claims she has had gruesome nightmares and hasn't been able to sleep since the May 24 incident.

The married mother of a year-old baby was 30 minutes into her early-morning shift when she realized she had been assigned to an abortion. She begged her supervisor to find a replacement nurse for the procedure. The hospital had a six-hour window to find a fill-in, the
suit says.

Bosses told the weeping Cenzon-DeCarlo the patient was 22 weeks into her pregnancy and had preeclampsia, a condition marked by high blood pressure that can lead to seizures or death if left untreated.

The supervisor "claimed that the mother could die if [Cenzon-DeCarlo] did not assist in the abortion." 

But the nurse, the niece of a Filipino bishop, contends that the patient's life was not in danger. She argued that the patient was not even on magnesium therapy, a common treatment for preeclampsia, and did not have problems indicating an emergency.

Her pleas were rejected, and instead she was threatened with career-ending charges of insubordination and patient abandonment, according to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.

Read Nurse Forced to Help Abort.

HT: Martha

Debunking one of the most common arguments made by pro-choice liberals: How can you support the death penalty and a strong military and still be pro-life?

How can you support the death penalty and a strong military and still be pro-life? This is usually the first anti-life argument Liberals throw at us conservatives. For the Progressive crazies out there, I thought I'd spell it out.

My favorite revelation of justice is probably the death penalty. (I wish my favorite revelation of justice could be that American babies are safe from murder in their mother's wombs. I'm workin' on it.) The libs say that "if you think abortion is murder, how can you want to murder people with the death penalty... which kills more blacks disproportionately!"

This is the simplest moral concept in existence, but please try to stay with me. The death penalty punishes people that have committed murder or some other death-worthy crime. These are not innocent people deserving of a second chance or someone that you want walking on the streets. On the other hand, abortion kills innocent pre-borns that have done nothing wrong except live. These children are murdered for their crimes of "inconvenience!" This is the real injustice being committed by American law....

Continue reading at The Snarky Blogger.

Author's note: I wrote this in response to being asked this question several times by listeners of my podcast at ProLifePodcast.net.

Many pro-life people are instantly annoyed when they hear the term "pro-choice" used to describe those on the other side of this debate. So why do I use this term? Here are a few thoughts.

First of all, after having talked at length with hundreds of pro-abortion-choice people, I think that the majority of them would be mischaracterized by being called "pro-abortion."

The term "pro-abortion" implies, whether intentional or not, that the person is in favor of the issue in question. Most pro-abortion-choice people I've talked to don't like abortion, but they feel it's a necessary evil. They are "pro-the choice to have a legal abortion," so I think the term pro-abortion-choice is a very fair term. They do too. (For this same reason, I think the term "pro-war" is too vague to accurately describe the view of those that agree with "just war" theory. It's too simplistic and should be avoided if attempting to choose words carefully. No one really thinks war is a wonderful thing.)

A fair point could probably be made that some abortionists and lobbyists are actually pro-abortion, but I usually refer to them as "abortion advocates," so as not to accidently mischaracterize their views unfairly. Usually, on Life Report, we're talking about people at the grassroots level that hold to a pro-abortion-choice view, not the professionals advocating for abortion rights. It's those people on the grassroots level I'm most interested in engaging on this issue.

Secondly, there's an issue with both of the terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life:" they're too vague.

Steve Wagner makes an excellent point in the introduction of his book, "Common Ground Without Compromise:"

"The terms 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' fail to accurately capture the differing positions of people who are for or against abortion. Everyone believes in promoting choices, and everyone believes in promoting life. The terms 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' are too vague to be accurate. As I wrote the book, however, I found that attempting to use more accurate titles complicated things unnecessarily. In the end, I settled for the classic terms many people on both sides prefer to call themselves: 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life.'

In this book, then, a 'pro-choice advocate' is someone who believes that, generally, abortion should be legal in many cases. A 'pro-life advocate' is someone who believes that, generally, abortion should be illegal in most cases.

I realize that very few people characterize their positions exactly this way. Real people don't fit easily into categories and stereotypes. Each person has a unique set of beliefs and a unique way of discussing them. In order to keep this dialogue tool readable, however, I placed people into these two categories. My descriptions of the two categories are general enough that most people fit into one or the other. Read with his in mind, knowing that everyone is going to cash out their pro-life and pro-choice beliefs a little differently. That's the value of listening and attempting to build common ground. You never know how you might find it, or with whom."

I knew when I started this podcast that I would annoy some pro-lifers by referring to abortion advocates as "pro-choice." Similarly, I knew that I would offend some abortion advocates by referring to our side as "pro-life," which implies that abortion advocates are not pro-life for those human beings they believe are full persons. I actually spent some time talking about this in episode 1 for that reason.

Obviously the term "pro-choice" greatly oversimplifies the reality of the views of abortion advocates. A point I make when opening in a formal debate setting is something I borrowed from Scott Klusendorf:

"Let me be clear: The issue that divides us is not that [my opponent] is pro-choice and I am anti-choice. Truth is, I am vigorously "pro-choice" when it comes to women choosing a number of moral goods. I support a woman's right to choose her own health care provider, to choose her own school, to choose her own husband, to choose her own job, to choose her own religion, and to choose her own career, to name a few. These are among the many choices that I fully support for the women of our country. But some choices are wrong, like killing innocent human beings simply because they are in the way and cannot defend themselves. No, we shouldn't be allowed to choose that."

I had three choices when starting the podcast as to how to refer to those that support abortion rights:

1. I could refer to them as "pro-abortion," which even I feel over-simplifies their position in a needlessly negative way.
2. I could use my favorite terms, "pro-abortion-choice" and "pro-life-rights," but as you can imagine, that's very cumbersome to say over and over when hosting an informal show.
3. I could sometimes refer to the other side sometimes as "pro-choice," making clear every once in a while that those terms are too vague, meanwhile hoping that abortion advocates will be open to listening to what I have to say when it comes to the real issue, as opposed to just arguing about the terms and never getting anywhere.

I went with #3, and here are my results: I actually know abortion advocates that listen to the show!

Take for example a young lady who made the "pro-life lies" video that we've been commenting on for some time now. She enjoys the show, and she and I have had wonderful interactions in private emails since we started that series. She is listening to the content of what we have to say and agreed with many of the points we've made in the series.

Another example is a pro-abortion-choice listener in Maryland who just took our podcast survey. This person, (I don't know his/her name because we didn't ask for it in the survey) has listened to 12 episodes now, and said this:

"I'm actually pro-choice, but I think you guys are the most intelligent and affable pro-lifers on the air."

So while we can all agree that "pro-choice" is an overly-simplified term, I'm unconvinced that using it specifically on this podcast is hurting the pro-life-rights cause. I'm not making people that are already pro-life-rights less passionate about their beliefs, but I DO have pro-abortion-choice people listening to our show. They're not just listening because it's entertaining and honest, but because we at Life Report assume the best about people on both sides of the debate, and want to move the dialogue further than an argument over the terms.

WASHINGTON, July 26 /Christian Newswire -

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, will join with other African American leaders to demand that abortion and the funding of Planned Parenthood not be included in any health care legislation.

Dr. King will be speaking at a news conference and demonstration on Monday, July 27, at 10:30 A.M.

The location will be outside of Speaker Pelosi's office in the Cannon Building at 1st Street and Independence Ave. SE.

This news conference is part of a weeklong campaign called "Abortion is Not Health Care" sponsored by national pro-life and human rights organizations.

Dr. King states:

"Our message is clear; abortion is neither health care not a benefit. It's genocide. Repair our communities with life affirming programs. My fellow civil rights workers and I will be on Capitol Hill to say that if President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, or anyone else truly wants to reduce the number of abortions, they will not coerce Americans to pay for them and they will not subsidize Planned Parenthood, the billion-dollars business that has killed more black children then the KKK."

Dr. Alveda King may be reached at: 888.735.3448 ext. 251, ask for Margaret.

Also on Monday, July 27:

Pro-life activists to demonstrate and hold a pro-life witness challenging the First Lady, Michelle Obama, to embrace human rights and stand against abortion in health care.

The demonstration will be at the Caroline Family Practice Clinic in Bowling Green, Virginia.

The First Lady will be participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the clinic.

The time of the event has not been announced to the public.

For more information and interviews about these events or "Abortion is Not Healthcare" contact or call: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 540.538.4741 202.547.1735

WASHINGTON, July 26 /Christian Newswire -

Pro-life and human rights leaders will launch a week long "Abortion is Not Healthcare" campaign with Capitol Hill prayer vigil on Sunday.

With the House of Representatives set to vote on a healthcare bill this week, activists will be working to ensure that taxpayer funded abortions and not part of this legislation.

The following is a partial list of 'Abortion is Not Healthcare' events:

Sunday, July 26, at 6:30 P.M.
Outside of the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, on 1st and Independence Streets SE, in front of the Cannon Office Building
A prayer vigil to kickoff "Abortion is Not Healthcare" week.

Monday, July 27, at 10:30 A.M.
Outside the Cannon Office Building, at 1st and Independence SE
A news conference with Dr. Alveda King, Dr. Johnny Hunter, Rev. Broden and other African-American leaders to discuss the tragic impact taxpayer funded abortions will have on the African-American community. The leaders will be speaking out against the funding of Planned Parenthood because of their racist agenda.

Monday, July 27, at 11:00 A.M.
Cannon Office Building
Prayer teams will work the halls of the House Office Buildings praying every day for the 435 members of the House of Representatives with a special emphasis on Blue Dog Democrats.

Monday, July 27, (TBA)
Bowling Green, Virginia
A demonstration and pro-life witness led by young women challenging the First Lady, Michelle Obama, to embrace human rights and social justice and stand against taxpayer funded abortions. The demonstration will be at Caroline Family Practice clinic in Bowling Green Virginia. The First Lady will be participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the clinic

Tuesday, July 28, at 11:00 A.M.
Outside the Cannon Office Building
Pro-life activists will leave messages and artwork in sidewalk chalk outside of Speaker Pelosi's office at the Cannon Office Building. The messages will be speaking out against taxpayer funded abortions and calling for Congress to embrace human rights.

Prayer for all the members of Congress. Teams will walk through the office buildings.

Wednesday, July 29, 10:30 A.M.
Cannon Office Building
Pray-in at Speaker Pelosi's office. Pro-life activists will risk arrest by holding a "pray-in" at Speaker Pelosi's office. They will be praying for social justice and against taxpayer funded abortions. The activists will also be standing in solidarity with the 53,000,000 children that have died through abortion and the women who have been diminished through abortion.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, and one of the organizers of the event states,

"'Abortion is Not Healthcare' is a public, prophetic witness calling upon Speaker Pelosi, President Obama and the members of Congress to embrace human rights and stand against the violence of abortion.

"If the President and Speaker have their way, every American will be forced to pay for the killing of innocent children through taxpayer funded abortions. Health care reform should be about healing and community not violence and the crushing of human life.

"Our message this week will be clear; not one penny for taxpayer funded abortions in healthcare.

"We will also be passionately praying all week in all the House Office Buildings that abortion has no place in health care. We are asking the pro-life and faith community across the nation to join us in prayer as we seek God for mercy and justice."

For more information or interviews call: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney at 540.538.4741, 202.547.1735

Earlier this week, Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami called Congress to continue the ban on federal funding for abortions. Sounds good? Not so says that National Right to Life:

Today the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the nation's premiere pro-life organization, awarded its first-ever "Phony-Baloney Citation" to Representative Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL).

n a letter earlier this week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which he co-signed, Meek claimed to seek "common ground" on abortion in the White House-backed healthcare "reform" proposals currently being considered. However, just last week, Meek voted in the House Ways and Means Committee against amendments to prevent the bill from mandating elective abortion coverage and to prevent federal subsidies for elective abortion.

Since coming to Congress in 2003, Meek has voted against the pro-life position on the floor of the House 30 times. He has never cast a pro-life vote in Congress on an abortion-related issue, not even partial-birth abortion, parental notification, or fetal homicide.

In awarding the "Phony-Baloney Citation," NRLC Federal Legislation Director Douglas Johnson said, "In light of his extreme pro-abortion voting record, Rep. Meek's call for 'common ground' reeks of brazen political posturing, and warrants this special citation."

Washington, DC (24 July 2009) -

In a Thursday surprise, an amendment to strip hundreds of millions of dollars from the nation's largest abortion business is set for a Friday vote on the House floor.

The Pence Amendment to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion chain, of Title X funding in the Labor/Health and Human Services Appropriations Bill passed successfully through the House Rules Committee late Thursday.

"In a time of economic crisis it makes no sense for the federal goverment to spend millions of dollars killing millions of future taxpayers," said Shaun Kenney, executive director of American Life League. "Why are the American people forced to fund this vile organization? It's time our legislators represent the will of the people against Planned Parenthood's powerful Washington lobby."

US Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) introduced the Amendment Tuesday which states:

"None of the funds made available under this Act shall be available to Planned Parenthood for any purpose under Title X of the Public Health Services Act."

American Life League motivated supporters around the country in the past week to support the measure. ALL's STOP Planned Parenthood project is the nation's largest watchdog organization dedicated to eradicating Planned Parenthood in the United States.

"Millions of tax dollars are wasted each year fueling an organization that promotes eugenics and protects sexual predators under the guise of 'family planning'" said Rita Diller, national director of American Life League's STOP Planned Parenthood project.

Kenney agrees:

"Planned Parenthood is leeching off our impoverished economy while raking in money hand over first," Kenney said. "Any legislator who votes to fund Planned Parenthood is putting the lives of men, women and children at risk."

American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Townhall: It's Time to Defund Planned Parenthood (23 July 2009)

American Life League: Pence Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funding (22 July 2009)

Standard Newswire: Pence Urges Vote on Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood (23 July 2009)

ARLINGTON, VA-

Yesterday, a pro-life webcast coordinated by 40 Days for Life's National Director, David Bereit, and Students for Life of America's Executive Director, Kristan Hawkins, gathered more than 36,000 concerned Americans to discuss the abortion mandate in the current health care reform bills before Congress.

The webcast, the largest ever held in the pro-life movement, united more than 15 national pro-life and pro-family organizations in an effort to educate and active pro-life and pro-life grassroots activists. The webcast emphasized that without an explicit exclusion of abortion the current health care reform bills before Congress would mandate that all Americans pay for abortions in both public and private plans.

Speakers included Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention ERLC, Congressmen Chris Smith and Joe Pitts, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, Kristen Day of Democrats for Life, Dr. Charmaine Yoest of Americans for United for Life, Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America, Douglas Johnson of National Right to Life, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, and Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America.

Recordings of the call are available for download at www.stoptheabortionmandate.com.

For more information on Students for Life of America and their efforts to train and equip college pro-lifers, visit their site at www.studentsforlife.org. For media inquires, please contact Kristan Hawkins at 703-351-6280 or by email at director@studentsforlife.org.

Is starting now ... click here to participate.

9:00 PM - Starting now - traffic is so high the server is not responding. The webcast provider has never seen this type of traffic.

DAVID BEREIT (40 Days for Life) - this event has been in the plans for less than 96 hours ago and over 32,000 people are participating. The current webcast is the largest in pro-life history.

-- Bishop Jackson opens in prayer --

DAVID BEREIT (40 Days for Life) - 51% of Americans consider themselves to be pro-life vs 42% pro-choice (Gallup) and over 70% of Americans are against taxpayer funded abortions. And yet, powerful Washington forces are attempting to make the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

8:12 PM

Charmaine Yoest (Americans United for Life) - After this last election the media wanted to write an obituary for the pro-life movement and yet you all keep showing up. Healthcare is being used to expand/impose abortion by stealth.

This is a defining moment of us. If the abortion lobby is successful in defining abortion as health care, equivalent to a tonsillectomy (as some legislators have argued), we will have the greatest expansion of mandated abortion in history.

Sidenote - Cong. Woolsey equating abortion to tonsillectomy:

8:16 PM

Tony Perkins (Family Research Council) - It is unconscionable that at a time of economic uncertainty that the President would propose a trillion dollar expansion in health care, paid for in part by cuts in medicare. As troubling as this is ... the moral problems with the health care proposal are worse. For the first time taxpayers will be forced to fund abortions directly.

8:20 PM

Marjorie Dannenfelser, (Susan B. Anthony List) - the claim that the current government takeover of health care won't fund abortion is "insulting". Politically government officials always fill in the blanks when we don't. Obama appoints a committee that decides "essential" benefits - and to the President abortion is essential. Obama does not believe that there is an abortion that is offensive - it's equivalent to a tonsillectomy.

8:26 PM

Recorded message by Dr. James Dobson - the pro-life cause will be set back years if the health care bill is passed. It will be a disaster for the sanctity of human life and an assault on the values of Americans who will be forced to fund the unborn killing of babies. If this train is going to be stopped it is up to voters to stop them.

8:30 PM

Douglas Johnson (National Right to Life Committee) - the pro-abortion forces have been working toward this day for years. In 2007 Barack Obama told constituents that reproductive health care is essential health care. This bill will be a platform to expand access to abortion for all women (Obama staffer). If abortion is not explicitly excluded it is a guarantee that health care providers will be required show that they are providing abortions. Do not trust the media to inform you about these issues.

8:35 PM

Frank Pavone (Priests for Life) - If abortion is not explicitly excluded from health care reform this will be the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. Since Roe, legislation has been put in place that has slowed down the abortion industry. The number of abortion mills have been drastically reduced by two-thirds and the number of those performing abortions has drastically declined. They are using this as a last ditch effort to save this dying industry that does not provide a health benefit to patients. [and much more ... was said]

8:39 PM

Wendy Wright (Concerned Women for America) - The health care bill will lead to an abortion mandate due to the deceptive language in the bill and the fact that these decisions will be turned over to bureaucrats.

A top official in the Whitehouse admitted to Wright that it is not a Whitehouse goal to reduce abortion.

Three prong attack:

1. Disarm and distract - "abortion is not in the bill"
2. Deceptive language - "essential benefits"
3. Hand over the power to bureaucrats

8:44 PM

Tom Minnery (Focus on the Family) - They want abortion covered because they see a treasure chest in it - they will reap the (financial) benefits.

Obama said he wanted to make abortion "rare" - this proposal makes that statement a lie.

8:47 PM - download the action guide

What YOU can do about it:

1. Pray
2. E-mail and write letters to your Representative and two Senators at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/email
3. Call the Washington office and the local office of your Representative and two Senators; instructions at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/call
4. Spread the word! Distribute this flyer to everyone you know and use Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail samples at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/share
5. Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper using

8:50 PM - 34,000 now listening

Christian Day (Democrats for Life) - So proud of the pro-life democrats who are putting up a great fight who are defying their party to vote against the abortion mandate that is part of the health care reform bill.

8:54 PM

Congress Chris Smith (New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District) - Be wary and concerned about the language of amendments that appear pro-life but use phony/deceptive language subject to the interpretation of bureaucrats.  The President said he is not trying to "micromanage" what benefits would be covered by the health care reform bill.  "Give us a break"   All straightforward and transparent pro-life amendments have been voted down.    This is the big one ... never have our children be more at risk.

8:59 PM  - taking a quick break

Dr. Richard Land (Southern Baptist Convention ERLC) - We have been given the opportunity during the August recess to make our voices known. 

9:05 PM - keep abortion out of healthcare

Christian Hawkins (Students for Life of America) - So overwhelmed by the number of pro-lifers who have now logged on (34K).  In addition to mandating abortion, the bill rations health care, esp. to those with disabilities and the elderly.  The lives of the vulnerable are not valued.  Obama has said that those at the end of their life and chronically ill account for 80% of costs.... therefore difficult choices will have to be made.  If we don't value the life of the unborn, how can we expect to value the lives of the chronically ill and disabled.

9:10 PM

Joe Pitts (16th Congressional District of Pennsylvania) - This bill will lead to mandated coverage of abortion.  We cannot settle anything less than an explicit exclusion for abortion.  Abortion is not healthcare.

9:12 PM - interesting noise/talking in the background

9:13 PM

Peggy Heartshorn (Heartbeat International) - great comments

9:19 PM

Melinda Delahoyde (Care Net) - gave a moment of hope.  Pro-lifers are increasing while abortion centers are decreasing.  The right of conscience and the lack of protection is a tremendous issue for the medical Care Net centers.  Pregnancy centers offering help for women would be impacted by a lack of pro-life medical professionals.

9:24 PM - several thousand emails have already been sent to congress.  E-mail and write letters to your Representative and two Senators at: http://www.StopTheAbortionMandate.com/email - I just contacted my representatives!

9:25 PM

Jim Sedlak (American Life League / STOPP) - Planned Parenthood is in a fight for their survival.  If they don't get what they need in this health care plan they are in trouble.  They are desperate and are pushing for their inclusion into nationalized health care and got themselves written into the senate bill.  It's time to push back.  Contact your representatives tomorrow and tell them no money for Planned Parenthood as part of the health and human services bill!

9:31 PM - it is time to act to stop the abortion mandate

Day Gardner (National Black Pro-Life Union) - stopping the abortion mandate is important to all but esp. to black pro-lifers.  Planned Parenthood has a history of racism - in 1939 the negro project (Margaret Sanger) was initiated to get rid of black people through abortion and sterilization.  This racism continues with killing centers placed in areas to target minorities.  Abortion is the number one killer of African Americans in the United States.

Excellent webcast - but it's now time to act.

Thanks all for reading ... unfortunately I have to sign off for this evening!

In case you missed it, Jon Stewart recently hosted former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on his popular Comedy Central program "The Daily Show." Huckabee had previously been a guest, and Stewart invited him to return to discuss and issue of his choice. Mike chose the abortion issue. Click here to watch the entire unedited interview. (If you haven't seen it, I would encourage you to consider watching it before reading this article.)

First, as inflammatory as the title might be, I actually am a fan of the Daily Show. It's funny, and I think Jon Stewart is probably one of the brightest political commentators in the country. I also believe that pro-lifers need to stay in touch with how we're perceived by the other side. (Sometimes it's deserved, and sometimes it's not.)

Second, in general, I think this was a great discussion. Both Jon and Mike went into the dialogue with the mindset that this is a tough issue and not all people on the opposite side are wackos. Neither side was demonized and the discussion was very respectful.

That said, people have been attacking Mike for having the gall to even talk about this issue, so I'm going to balance this out a little, not by attacking Mr. Stewart, but by analyzing Stewart's arguments a little deeper. I recognize that Mr. Huckabee couldn't have used all of my talking points since time is a major factor in settings like this, but I will offer several for your consideration. Let's take a look...

Click here to read the article.

WASHINGTON, July 23 /Christian Newswire --

Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will join with other African American leaders Monday [July 27, 2009] at 10:00 AM in front of the Cannon House Office Building to demand that abortion and Planned Parenthood be excluded from any health care reform legislation.

"Our message is clear - abortion is neither health care nor a benefit. It's genocide," said Dr. King. "Give us procreative reproductive rights. Repair our communities with life affirming programs. My fellow civil rights workers and I will be on Capitol Hill to say that if President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, or anyone else truly wants to reduce the number of abortions, they will not coerce Americans to pay for them and they will not subsidize Planned Parenthood, the billion- dollar business that has killed more black children than the KKK."

Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.

Christian Newswire

From our friends at LetHerLive:

The pro-abortion forces may be rejoicing that they are making big political gains, but at Let Her Live, we are not ready to give up the fight for even one precious life. In fact, we are launching a new offensive. We are working to place a billboard year-round at a major South Carolina clinic and a major Atlanta clinic that will show to women who may be considering abortion the reality of the precious baby inside of them.

When women see these billboards, call the number, and meet with a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center, they are likely to change their minds and embrace life for their babies and hope for their own lives. When enough women change their minds, it cuts into the bottom line of the abortion clinic, and when abortion clinics close, fewer women abort, because it is less convenient.

Please find above a picture of the first billboard design we plan to use. This was the clear winner in our recent billboard poll, and the same graphic designer who gave us this design will be working on more.

Click here for more information or to get involved.

Powerful abortion industry lobbyists and Wasington, D.C., politicians have just launched a massive effort to mandate taxpayer-funded abortions as part of their proposed trillion-dollar healthcare takeover.

You are invited to participate in a one-time-only LIVE webcast event this Thursday, July 23,
at 9 PM Eastern (6 PM Pacific, 7 PM Mountain, 8 PM Central.)

The live event will be approximately 70 minutes long. If you have access to the Internet -- even with a dial-up connection -- you can listen in on the live webcast audio and ask questions.

Speakers include:

• David Bereit, 40 Days for Life
• Marjorie Dannenfelser, Susan B. Anthony List
• Kristen Day, Democrats for Life
• Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family
• Doug Johnson, National Right to Life Committee
• Dr. Richard Land, SBC Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission
• Carmen Pate, Point of View Radio Show
• Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
• Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
• Congressman Joe Pitts, U.S. House of Representatives
• Congressman Chris Smith, U.S. House of Representatives
• Wendy Wright, Concerned Women for America
• Dr. Charmaine Yoest, Americans United for Life

Visit StoptheAbortionManadate to register

Another example of "Choice":

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Monday against Mount Sinai Hospital on behalf of a Catholic nurse who was forced to participate in a late-term abortion under the threat of disciplinary action, including possible termination and loss of her license. The hospital has known of her religious objections to abortion since 2004.

Hospital administrators told the nurse that the scheduled abortion was an "emergency," though evidence shows otherwise, and insisted moments before the procedure that she assist doctors despite her repeated objections to the procedure, which dismembered a preborn child in the 22nd week of gestation. By federal law, hospitals that receive federal funds cannot force employees to participate in abortion procedures under any circumstances.

Thankfully the ADF is on the case but I have to wonder how many voices are never heard when (allegedly) forced to violate their conscience in this manner?

I just heard about this story on Family Radio the radio the other day, involving a 17-year-old, pregnant teen in Utah, who allegedly paid a man to beat her up and induce a miscarriage. This young woman is accused of paying 21-year-old Arron Harrison $150 to beat her up, after her boyfriend threatened to break up with her if she didn't get rid of the child. She is now being charged in Juvenile Court with first degree felony criminal solicitation to commit murder, and she has been ordered by a Judge to remain in Juvenile Detention.

I must say that I am both horribly shocked but at the same time, not terribly surprised, by this unfortunate story. When I was in high school and college myself, and now even when I visit high school and college campuses when I speak across the U.S., the incidence of young women inducing their own miscarriages was and is very commonplace. What makes this young woman's story so unique is the length at which she was willing to go to have this miscarriage, and the subsequent response to it.

I am saddened that this young woman felt such obvious pressure to end her pregnancy, for fear of losing her boyfriend. Why is it that we punish this young woman for the poor choice that she made to place herself and her unborn child at risk, while her boyfriend, who influenced this decision, goes without any consequence? Unfortunately, this is also a very common circumstance in our world; out of fear of losing her family, her friends, her significant other, her job or education, many women feel like ending their pregnancy, despite their own feelings about their unborn child, about having an abortion, is the only choice available to them to meet their needs. All the while, the family, partner, friend, employer, whomever gave her the ultimatum, whomever backed her into a corner where she felt like abortion was the only choice, are not consequenced, are not even confronted by society for their actions or inactions to support the woman.

I don't know for sure what drove my own mother to enter the hospital in August of 1977 to undergo the abortion attempt that was meant to take my life, but from what I've gathered so far from my biological father's family, it may very well have been her father, my biological maternal grandfather, who influenced her to have the abortion. My biological parents had dated for four years before becoming pregnant with me and from all accounts, they were in love with one another. No one in my biological father's family had any idea that my biological mother was ever pregnant with my father's child. The only thing that they do recall is that one night back in 1977, my maternal grandfather called my biological father and told him to "never darken their doorstep again." My biological parents broke up, and she was never seen with my father again. My grandfather, a school administrator, was known to be a very demanding, commanding, controlling individual, and from the sounds of it, my mother's life was not off limits to his control.

It's interesting isn't it, how this young woman, not much younger than my mother was when she became pregnant with me, is being charged with felony to commit murder for this incident, which gratefully did not severely harm her or her baby, but yet my own biological mother, who went through a five-day attempt to end my life, was never consequenced or scrutinized for the very same "choice" she made to attempt to end her child's life. Please know, by no means, do I believe that my mother should have faced criminal penalty for her choice to end my life, (her penalty has been to have to live with this for the rest of her life and ultimately face God someday), but I do want to point out the inconsistencies in our treatment of women and their so-called "choices", and the often double standards that we impose.

I pray that this young woman comes out of this incident as best as she can, and that no matter what she chooses to do with her child, whether she keeps it, puts it up for adoption, that the baby is unharmed and is loved for who they are. I can relate to this young woman's unborn child. I may have been unplanned by my biological mother, but I was far from being an unwanted child-just ask my adoptive parents.

I have frequently thought on many issues that the Democratic Party provides the "wrong answers to the right questions." How can we provide better assistance to the poor? How can we make sure workers are treated fairly? How can we help women with unwanted pregnancies? How can we give everyone access to needed health care...

As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have told us, everyone deserves medical care, and it is a noble end goal. My own bishop, William Murphy, penned a letter to US Senate Committee on Finance on behalf of the USCCB citing:

"The moral measure of any health-care reform proposal is whether it offers affordable and accessible health care to all, beginning with those most in need..."

In noting this, it is still my opinion, and I do not speak for the Magisterium, that the Catholic position should be AGAINST the President's Health Care Initiative. There is a grave devil in the details of his plan. The devil is RATIONING.

This concern is so front-and-center, that the Fourth Estate is even shining the spotlight on it. The Wall St. Journal reported from Obama's town hall meeting this week. A concerned citizen brought up a very real-world, tangible family experience she had and asked Obama if the same respect of life would be given under his plan:

"At one point in the town hall, broadcast from the East Room by ABC news, a woman named Jane Sturm told the story of her 105-year-old mother, who, at 100, was told by an arrhythmia specialist that she was too old for a pacemaker. She ended up getting a second option, and the operation, for which Ms. Sturm credits her survival.

"Look, the first thing for all of us to understand that is we actually have some -- some choices to make about how we want to deal with our own end-of-life care," Mr. Obama replied. After discussing ways "we as a culture and as a society [can start] to make better decisions within our own families and for ourselves," he continued that in general "at least we can let doctors know and your mom know that, you know what? Maybe this isn't going to help. Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller."

What Mr. Obama is describing is his preferred health-care future. If or when the Administration's speculative cost-cutting measures under universal health care fail to produce savings, government will start explicitly limiting patient access to treatments and services regarded as too expensive. Democrats deny this eventuality, but health planners will have no choice, given that the current entitlement system is already barreling toward insolvency without adding millions of new people to the federal balance sheet."

So basically if someone is 65 years old and is diagnosed with a cancer that has a high mortality rate; here is your Advil according to our President.

With this statement, there is the 800-pound gorilla in the room that no one will mention. They will dance all around it, but not land on it. Obama's health care plan will make a clear distinction between two classes of people. Those who are worthy of health care treatment, and those who are not.

Mike Kinsley, who was the original liberal-defending host of CNN's Crossfire, also sees this reality in The Washington Post:

"But that doesn't mean rationing will be easy to avoid. Statistics on life expectancy or infant mortality are averages. The easiest way to raise your averages -- maybe even the best way, if we're being honest -- is to concentrate on the general level of care and not to squander a lot on long-odds cases. But if the long-odds case is you or a family member, you may well feel differently.

...Here is a handy-dandy way to determine whether the failure to order some exam or treatment constitutes rationing: If the patient were the president, would he get it? If he'd get it and you wouldn't, it's rationing."

Even super-liberal Mike Kinsley knows what is coming.

Now, back to my Catholic case against the President's Health Care Plan. The danger, as mentioned, is setting up two classes of people. Some of the darkest chapters of world history began with this premise and resulted in holocausts. This is not hyperbole.

If we, as a society, determine that someone who is possibly treatable does not warrant life-saving or life-extending care because of their demographics or situation- just pain medication - the next logical, expedient, cost-savings and obvious secular step is saying why should this person suffer with absolutely no hope. It's pointless. We should put them out of their misery. Euthanasia is the demonic offspring to the rationed health care that Obama speaks of. This is my grave concern and should be yours.

The immediate front lines of this second class of people, and starting point, will be the handicapped, the elderly, the infirmed and less-than-perfect newborns.

This is why His Excellency Bishop Murphy then follows the above statement in his letter to our government with:

"All people need and should have access to comprehensive, quality health care that they can afford, and this should not depend on their stage of life, where or whether they or their parents work, how much they earn, or where they live or where they come from."

Obama's Health Care Plan is in direct conflict with this second statement and therefore, in my opinion, can not be supported by Catholics. There are other, better solutions out there that do not lead to this culture-of-death end, literally.

By now you're likely one of 1.5 million people who have seen the graphic video of Neda Soltan dying after being shot in the chest on June 20, 2009, during protests in Iran following the presidential election.

The video shows Neda collapsing into the arms of 2 men, who try to stop her bleeding with their bare hands. Suddenly, Neda's eyes roll up and to the right, almost as if they are looking at the cell phone video camera chronicling her death. Blood begins pouring from her mouth and nose, into one eye and down her face. Cries erupt from the crowd, and you know Neda is dead.

I don't know how the tragic video of Neda's death is any less graphic than a video by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform showing the tragic, graphic deaths of children by abortion, but it is according to YouTube, which removed this video.

There's something about showing abortion that sets it apart from all other videos in the Big Brother eyes of YouTube.

YouTube allows almost any surgery video imaginable, like gastric bypass, gallbladder removal, toe amputation, appendectomy and brain tumor removal, and gross-out body parts videos like a buttock fecal fistula or peritoneal cancer - but not abortion.

Neither does YouTube have a problem with videos pertaining to the female anatomy like mastectomies, breast augmentations, hysterectomies or even baby deliveries - but not abortion, unless it is in the form of bloodless illustrations.

YouTube also seems to go out of its way to protect the abortion industry, particularly Planned Parenthood.

To date, YouTube has removed 8 videos posted by Lila Rose and Live Action Films shot undercover at PPs in several states....

But it's not only PP YouTube protects. It also provides cover-up for run-of-the-abortion-mill skanks....

Continue reading my column today, "YouTube serially aborts pro-life videos," at WorldNetDaily.com.

So here is the latest on "Obamacare" and the drive by the White House and the Democratic leadership in Congress to force taxpayer funded abortions down the country's throat.

First the efforts by the Pro-life community nationwide to get out the message appear to be working. The telephones lines in congressional offices are being clogged with angry voters who are very upset that abortion has found its way into this bill. This concern only adds to the public's increasing fears that the massive spending will completely overwhelm the system. so my first admonition is to continue to call and ask others to make their concerns known as well.

Second, the fears of certain congressional representatives that this massive spending and takeover by the government of a key component of our economic and social lives has forced the leadership to consider the likelihood that there will not be nay vote taking place before the August recess. This opportunity to have the elected representatives back home to hear the anger of the voters over the irresponsible behavior of the Congress means that we have to make our voices very clear in this regard. For us in Arizona, that means putting pressure on Harry Mitchell in District 5, Ed Pastor in CD4, Giffords in CD8 and Grijalva in CD7. And it would be well advised to contact the other four to show support for their efforts to oppose this massive government takeover.

Over 1000 pages. Who has had time to look at it? Yet they are trying to force it through before the public knows what is happening. Is it a mere coincidence that much of the country is taking time out fore vacations and other family related events?

Is it so very interesting that all of the rhetoric by Obama on how his administration would be transparent and fully informing the public is so much garbage?

Is the fact that he just lied to the pope about wanting top reduce abortions while contemporaneously supporting public funding of abortions for the District of Columbia speak at all to the the hundreds of thousands who were duped into listening to little old priests who were enamored with the history of electing the first black president?

Does it now make perfect sense why Planned Parenthood has been building these massive abortion mills in various states?

No one listened - or should I say not enough voters listened. and now between health care that would require abortion coverage and DC abortion funding, and efforts to eliminate the Hyde Amendment (and do not forget FOCA), we are at a major crossroads. All of us must get involved and do something. Call your representative. Call your neighbor. Explain what is happening. and if they do not like listening, do not stop. Continue to tell the truth about this assault on our liberties and freedoms.

Realize that your action is needed. Your involvement is needed. If you care about the future of this nation, now is the time for all good people to come to he aid of their country.

Cross-posted: Jacubczyk on Life

In his Jan. 22, 2009, proclamation lauding the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama wrote we must "reduce the need for abortion ... [by] find[ng] common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services."

Since then, "common ground" has become the talk of the pro-abort town.

A month ago, the pro-abortion website RH Reality Check, funded by Ted Turner, even launched an "On Common Ground" forum, inviting thinkers from both sides to publicly contemplate.

To date, of 15 contributors, only 2 are solidly pro-life - Kristen Day of Democrats for Life and Serrin Foster of Feminists for Life - and they have each only posted once.

The problem is pro-lifers fundamentally oppose every "common ground" plank Obama and pro-abortion strategists unilaterally established, which were, in English, widespread contraception distribution, comprehensive sex education and taxpayer funding of the "family planning" industry, i.e., Planned Parenthood.

The equivalent would have been for President Bush to say, "We must work to find common ground to stop government subsidizing of contraceptives, expand abstinence education and defund Planned Parenthood." Right....

Continue reading my WorldNetDaily.com column today, "'Common ground' vs. zodiac abortions."

Sign the petition opposing Sonia Sotomayor at www.stopsotomayor.com

Contact: Ruben Obregon, 571-294-4158

As Senate confirmation hearings begin today at 10:30am, a CNN/ORC survey shows that there is significant opposition to Sotomayor's nomination. The survey reveals that while she enjoys a narrow lead, she does not have a majority of support among the survey's participants.

Opposition to her nomination has grown since President Obama announced her nomination. Immediately after her nomination was announced, Organized for Life's PAC, OFL Action, opened a petition site at www.stopsotomayor.com to oppose the addition of another pro-abortion justice to the Supreme Court.

Sonia Sotomayor, in these few short weeks since her nomination, has made it clear that she is not with the majority when it comes to the dignity and protection of life. This has become more evident with the news of her involvement as a member of the board of a group that filed six legal briefs in support of abortion rights.

Ruben Obregon, president of Organized for Life, added, "Sotomayor's involvement as a board member of a group that filed six legal briefs in support of abortion rights and taxpayer funding of abortion is a key indicator of how she will cast her votes on the nation's highest court. The pro-life majority of this country does not want to see another pro-abortion activist justice impose abortion on our society. Pro-life activists, the Davids in this epic battle for life, can only stop the Goliath of the White House by banding together and signing the petition at www.stopsotomayor.com."

The petition against Sonia Sotomayor be found at www.stopsotomayor.com and will be sent to President Obama and the members of the United States Senate. Let's go out, let's get organized for life, and let's legally protect our children, one Supreme Court justice at a time.

While the Mainstream Media Planned Parenthood groupies would like us to all remain blissfully unaware of the negative impact of abortion, in reality hundreds of thousands of women are coping with post-abortion stress syndrome.

And while pro-lifers say there is not one, but two victims in every abortion - the baby and the mother - the truth is there may be more as husbands and other children deal with the psychological aftermath of a woman who's been taught to deny her emotions and guilt.

Funny how in so many other areas of life, we encourage coming out of denial and provide help for people coping with trauma.  But when it comes to abortion, it's supposed to leave no lasting impact.

Research shows a different picture:  mothers coping with depression, sleep disturbance and substance abuse:

 Study: Abortion Has More Negative Parenting Impact Than Pregnancy Loss

by Amy Sobie
July 6, 2009

LifeNews.com Note: Amy Sobie is the editor of The Post-Abortion Review, a quarterly publication of the Elliot Institute. The organization is a widely respected leader in research and analysis of medical, mental health and other complications resulting from abortions.

A new review of studies examining various types of prenatal loss and the effects on subsequent parenting has concluded that abortion may be "particularly damaging to the parenting process."

The article, published in Current Women's Health Reviews, looked at already published studies on miscarriage, induced abortion and adoption. The author, Priscilla Coleman of Bowling Green State University, focused on psychological reactions to these various types of loss and discussed how they might affect a mother's relationship with children born after the pregnancy loss.1

It is now known that women usually begin feeling maternal attachment in the early stages of pregnancy. The paper notes that despite the increased responsibilities and stress involved in raising children, "numerous studies have documented positive psychological characteristics associated with motherhood including increases in life satisfaction, self-esteem, empathy, restraint, flexibility and resourcefulness in coping, and assertiveness." Losing a child before or at birth, for any reason, however, "can be a profound source of suffering."

While all forms of pregnancy loss can cause emotional distress that can impact future parenting, the available research indicates that emotional responses after induced abortion are more likely to go unresolved and to persist for a longer time period.

Read entire article here.

Since in the US by age 45, 1 out of every 2.5 women has had an abortion (I had one in 1977), chances are that you or someone you know may be suffering from the monumental psychological effort of trying to suppress the natural emotional aftermath. 

Emotional and spiritual health require that we get beyond denial and - with God's help - work through whatever needs to be worked through.  It's never too late to start.

I've listed resources here: Post-abortion stress the hope.

29 June 2009

Press Conference Announcing Colorado's 2010 Personhood Initiative

Denver, June 29, 2009 -- Colorado Right To Life and Personhood USA will submit language for a new Personhood initiative to the Colorado Legislative Council Staff on Thursday, July 2, 2009, marking the beginning of the 2010 Colorado Personhood Initiative. The state's largest pro-life organization joins with this national political action group based in Denver to fight for the affirmation of the rights of all humans from the beginning of their biological development.

"Over half-a-million Coloradans voted for personhood in 2008. Their votes acknowledging the God-given right to life of the preborn revolutionized the pro-life movement and they encourage us toward victory," stated Gualberto Garcia Jones, one of the initiative's sponsors. "Personhood USA's volunteers plan to work around the clock to keep the momentum going in order to ensure that all humans are protected in Colorado."

The initiative has been endorsed by eminent Georgetown University medical ethicist Dr. Dianne N. Irving. Once approved by the Secretary of State, grassroots volunteers will begin collecting signatures to place the Initiative on the 2010 ballot.

"In 2008 our state's Personhood Initiative demonstrated an unparalleled grassroots effort, with more signatures gathered by volunteers than any other ballot initiative in the state's history, and 1,300 petition circulators," said Leslie Hanks, the 2010 co-sponsor and long-time vice president of Colorado Right To Life. "Abortion is wrong because it's a baby; it's always wrong to intentionally kill a baby."

What: CRTL and Personhood USA submit language for new Personhood Initiative to Colorado Legislative Council Staff.

When: Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.

Where: Denver, Colorado - Colorado State Capitol in front of the west steps.

Thanks to PersonhoodUSA for the video coverage.