Pro Life Girl

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation Backs Down to Planned Parenthood Bullying

2012-02-03T17:02:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - In a one sentence tweet the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation revealed another dimension of the growing epidemic of bullying in the United States, bullying by Planned Parenthood. The tweet simply said, "We want to apologize for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives."

Like millions of other Pro-Life people, I received the news that Planned Parenthood had prevailed in this entire struggle with deep disappointment. I admired the courage originally displayed by this Foundation. It does such important work.

I also knew that any financial loss they might have incurred from Planned Parenthood bullying would have been far exceeded by contributions from the Defenders of the Right to Life who admired their proper decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood.

Komen had given over half a million dollars to Planned Parenthood this year alone. The money was supposed to be used for the noble purpose of breast cancer screening and breast health services. When they announced they would no longer grant Planned Parenthood any funds because they were under investigation, Planned Parenthood cried foul.

Planned Parenthood is the subject of a Congressional investigation for using tax payer funds for abortion services. In fact, there is a cloud over much of their operation for good reason.

The head of Planned Parenthood's digital bullying effort told the New York Times, "I think this was a tipping point for us. I think something has happened, where people are upset that two great organizations that have this shared mission were now in this difficult position. And so, we have been seeing that response through our supporters, some of whom were not our supporters before Tuesday afternoon."

Sadly, the epidemic of bullying seems to continue, unabated. Now, the largest abortion provider in the United States has displayed a digital form of bullying which should cause grave concern to all people of good will. Under its unrelenting media pressure, the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation has backed down.

Planned Parenthood blamed the decision by the Susan G Komen Foundation to cease giving it grants on "anti-abortion activists". That means people who insist that the child in the womb is our neighbor. People who reject the profane idea that killing our first neighbors can ever be a "right" since it is always wrong to take innocent human life. People who defend the fundamental Human Right to Life of every person, no matter how small.

When an organization like Planned Parenthood receives a grant - or a subsidy - it may argue that it uses that particular money for a purpose other than the taking of innocent life through abortion, but the argument is a ruse. It is a deadly shell game. Money is fungible, or interchangeable. The very fact that the money came in allows other funds to be used for providing abortions.

Planned Parenthood is built on a lie. They dress themselves up as a "Health Care Provider" and include the taking of the lives of innocent children in the womb as a "service" under their offering of "reproductive services".

They have insinuated themselves into the global delivery of "medical services" and receive massive government funding. Included in these purported "medical services" is the killing of children in the womb through intentional abortion. It is the worst kind of child abuse. Abortion is lethal form of bullying.

No matter where you look these days there is a news report, commentary, study or conference on the growing National epidemic of bullying. One television network recently aired a multi-platform series on bullying. The National Education Association released statistics in 2010 indicating that every day 160,000 children miss school out of fear of some form of bullying, verbal, physical or cyber-bullying.

Bullying is a problem, but it is not a new phenomenon. It does appear to be on the increase and concern over bullying is legitimate. I have raised five children and now have six grandchildren. I have had to deal with the horrible effects of bullying in my effort to be a good father and grandfather.

Bullies are bred. Bullying is a symptom and not a disease. I have long contended there is a connection between abortion on demand and the increase of bullying.

We have lost the sense of the dignity of every human person as an unrepeatable gift from God. People are now objects of use, property not persons. This is a root of bullying and contributes to the growth of this behavior.

Now, Planned Parenthood has proven this point. Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation has backed down in the face of Planned Parenthood bullying.

Bullying begins in the womb. There, in the first home of the human race children are brutally bullied to death. They cannot be heard in their resistance. An entire class of persons relegated to the status of personal property can be disposed of for any reason by those more powerful.

These children are our first neighbors in the first home of the whole human race. They are killed by chemicals and surgical strikes and evicted from their first homes. That evil behavior is protected by the positive law and enforced by the police power of a State which has lost its soul.

In the words of now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, "Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. ...I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child." It is time to get to the root of bullying. It begins in the womb and manifests itself in a culture of death and use.

I encourage our readers to pray for the leadership of Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation. I was taught as a child to never back down from a bully because it will only make matters worse. I still believe it.

Victory! Komen Foundation ends partnership with Planned Parenthood

2012-02-01T16:03:00.004-06:00

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, a leading charity for breast cancer, announced Tuesday that it is ceasing its partnership with Planned Parenthood in prevention screenings and education at the health centers across the nation.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun told The Associated Press that the cutoff results from the charity's newly adopted criteria barring grants to organizations that are under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. Aun said this applies to Planned Parenthood because it's the focus of an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., seeking to determine whether public money was improperly spent on abortions.

According to a statement from Planned Parenthood, the Komen Foundation began informing local Planned Parenthoods in the past few weeks that their breast cancer initiatives would no longer be eligible for new grants beyond existing agreements.

Planned Parenthood said it had set up a Breast Health Emergency Fund to offset the support that 19 of its local programs are expected to lose from the Komen Foundation. But the organization on Tuesday did not disguise its disdain for anti-abortion groups that they blame for threatening the foundation for its partnership.

"We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure. Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement released by the federation.

Planned Parenthood has been a continuous target of protests, boycotts and funding cutoffs because it is the largest provider of abortions in the nation. With almost 800 health centers in the U.S., the federation provides other services such as birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer screening.

Pro-life groups praised the action.

"As a breast cancer survivor, I applaud the decision made by the Komen Foundation to discontinue their partnership with the billion-dollar, abortion mega-provider, Planned Parenthood," Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said. "The work of the Komen Foundation has life-saving potential and should not be intertwined with an industry dealing in death."

According to Planned Parenthood, its centers performed over 4 million breast exams in the past five years, almost 170,000 of them paid for by Komen Foundation grants.

"We're kind of reeling," said Patrick Hurd, who is CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia -- recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen. Hurd's wife, Betsi, is currently battling breast cancer.

"It sounds almost trite, going through this with Betsi, but cancer doesn't care if you're pro-choice, anti-choice, progressive, conservative," Hurd said. "Victims of cancer could care less about people's politics."

A statement issued by the Komen Foundation cited criteria for new grant-making and ensured there would be no gaps in its assistance.

"While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a long-standing partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/31/komen-foundation-ends-partnership-with-planned-parenthood/?test=latestnews#ixzz1lAcEByIf

Book Review: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

2011-07-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

I have read almost every Jodi Picoult book published. Although I do not always agree with or even like the endings, I enjoy her writing as it is easy to read and gives my brain a break from having to work too hard. The most recent novel, Sing You Home, is a far cry from her norm.
Besides the fact that there are gaping holes in the story big enough to jump through, you are given two very extreme sides to a hot topic: homosexual marriage and same-sex parenting. This story paints the anti-homosexual Christians as the oppressive right wing, narrow-minded, unsympathetic, and intolerant extremists while the homosexuals are portrayed as bullied, persecuted and loving heroes.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of Tolerance is sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own. Doesn’t that mean that you have to be tolerant of me just as I am tolerant of you? Even if I believe that same sex marriage should not be legal? I am a Conservative, go to church every Sunday, am opposed to birth control and abortion and think sex outside of marriage is a sin. When was the last time someone celebrated my diversity?
I think this book was written hastily to satisfy an agenda since the story is so poorly developed. Unless you proudly fly your rainbow flag for the world to see, you will be better off skipping this book.

Planned Parenthood Pushes Intensive Sex Education for Kids as Young as 10

2010-02-08T17:35:00.001-06:00

A new report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation is advocating that children as young as 10 be given extensive sex education, including an awareness of sex's pleasures.

The report, "Stand and Deliver," charges that religious groups, specifically Catholics and Muslims, deny their young access to comprehensive sexual programs and education.

"Young people's sexuality is still contentious for many religious institutions. Fundamentalist and other religious groups — the Catholic Church and madrasas (Islamic Schools) for example — have imposed tremendous barriers that prevent young people, particularly, from obtaining information and services related to sex and reproduction. Currently, many religious teachings deny the pleasurable and positive aspects of sex." the report states.

Click here to read the report.

The report demands that children 10 and older be given a "comprehensive sexuality education" by governments, aid organizations and other groups, and that young people should be seen as "sexual beings."

"Young people have the right to be informed about sexuality and to have access to contraceptives and other services," Bert Koenders, the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation, wrote in the foreword to the report. It was his organization that helped fund the report.

The report argues that sex education should be "recast" to show sexuality as a "positive force for change and development, as a source of pleasure, an embodiment of human rights and an expression of self."

Much like a U.N. report released last August that advocated teaching masturbation to children as young as 5, "Stand and Deliver" has set off a wave of protest among religious and conservative groups.

Ed Mechmann, spokesman for New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, charged that Planned Parenthood was "trying to teach children sex without values and that sex is a matter of pleasure and done without consequences."

He said religions like Catholicism and Islam teach sex as part of a much bigger picture and that Planned Parenthood was trying to de-link sex from traditional values.

"It is part of an effort to get children to reject traditional values and accept a liberal American-European view," he said. "In many traditional countries — Catholic and Muslim — it won't work and should be seen as cultural imperialism."

Mechmann also charged that Planned Parenthood's report was compromised because it has a financial stake advocating the changes. "The difference between Planned Parenthood and us is that we don't make money off what we teach and say. They do. They make money off contraceptives and abortions," he said.

Michelle Turner, president of the Maryland-based Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, said Planned Parenthood was simply trying to eliminate parental say.

"What are they trying to do? They are trying to eliminate the role of mom and dad in the family," Turner said. "For Planned Parenthood to decide that governments, private organizations and religious organizations should make decisions about kids' sexuality is just going too far."

"It is part of a bigger push to change the way we think about sex," she said. That sex is all about pleasure and there are no consequences. They are wrong. No matter how much we teach children, some will make mistakes. They will forget. And Planned Parenthood doesn't want to deal with that," she said.

"They see religious groups, especially those that counsel abstinence and waiting until marriage, as bad guys," she added. "We aren't."

Planned Parenthood said it was unable to comment because the report was issued by its European office and it was unable to contact them.

Expecting

2010-01-24T12:56:00.003-06:00

After months of trying, my wonderful husband and I are expecting our first child. Our Gift From God is due to arrive in July. It is funny, though, with this week being the 37th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision, how differently I am affected by the thought of abortion. I feel like my first and only obligation is to keep my baby safe. Hubby and I tried for many months to achieve this pregnancy. It is truly by God's grace that we were able to conceive and that baby and I are both healthy so far. I hope women everywhere can understand what a gift, joy, and responsibility it is to become pregnant... and I pray every day that mothers can see their child as a gift instead of an inconvenience. Praise God for this beautiful gift.

Protest terrible blasphemy to Our Lady of Fatima

2009-10-29T12:39:00.001-05:00

My heart is sick to tell you, but...

...as Catholics, we must defend Our Lady's honor, especially when She is blasphemed, and shown half-naked!

According to press reports, homosexual groups in Spain published a calendar that has horrific, unspeakable blasphemies against Our Lady of Fatima and other Marian apparitions!

Besides a man that is practically naked alongside Our Lady, the calendar has "images that are based on famous works of sacred art, especially apparitions of the Virgin Mary, but interpreted by transsexuals.

"In the 'Secular Calendar,' each month is represented by a free interpretation of famous scenes of Catholic imagery, such as Our Lady of Fatima and the three shepherd children. But redecorated with homosexual esthetics."

"The scenes show saints dressed as drag queens, using crowns, necklaces, bracelets, and colored condoms with applicators and vibrators attached to the crowns."

Moreover, the homosexual group behind the calendar suggests December 25 be officially declared the Day of Democracy instead of Christmas. (BOL Noticias, online 10/19/09). http://noticias.bol.uol.com.br/internacional/2009/10/19/ult36u47296.jhtm
--- (Access with caution).

As Catholics, you and I cannot remain silent before such blasphemous insults to Our Lady and the Catholic faith! No matter where in the world it is.

So please send a protest message NOW via email to the Minister of Justice in Spain.

It's vital that you send your message right away. I don't believe the honor of Our Lady has ever been attacked like this before in history. Ever!

You and I, and tens of thousands of Americans MUST speak out against this and spread our just outrage to other countries too. And, with God's help, our prayers and protest may become so huge that the authorities in Spain will enforce the country's anti-blasphemy laws, and prohibit this blasphemous calendar.

How wonderful that would be!

For love of Our Blessed Mother, please pray this happens.

So please send your e-message today to the Minister of Justice of Spain.

And consider forwarding this posted message to all the Catholics you know.

And since the honor of Our Lady was insulted in the worst way ever, you and I MUST offer the most fervent and widespread act of reparation possible at this time.

To join our nationwide, even worldwide campaign of reparation, please go here to download and pray these acts of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Thank you for joining me in this fervent, filial and global act of reparation in face of such a vile, unspeakable blasphemy against our dearest and purest Mother.

Help Stop "Abortion Care"

2009-10-29T12:34:00.003-05:00

The fight to remove the abortion mandate from the health care bill is becoming more intense by the hour. Pro-life Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) is making headlines with his announcement that 40 Democrats are prepared to block health care reform legislation from coming to the House Floor unless its abortion mandate is removed.

AUL Action is working against time to support the efforts of Stupak and other pro-lifers on the Hill, meeting with Congressmen to ensure they know what’s at stake if the health care reform bill is not amended to protect life.

Even as House members express determination to remove abortion from the House bill, in meetings AUL has learned that Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership are working hard to convince pro-life members of Congress that the Capps Amendment “compromise” prevents abortion funding and coverage.

Please, call your Congressman and tell him/her that the Capps Amendment is not a compromise. The Stupak/Pitts language must be included in the House bill.

The word must get out: health care reform is simply unacceptable unless the final bill contains an explicit provision barring abortion funding and coverage.

Please visit the Team Life Action Center to find out how you can make a difference in your community! When you sign up to join Team Life, AUL will work with you, providing resources to help you educate your friends and family about how to stop your tax dollars from paying for abortion in health care reform.

The online ad "Don't Be Fooled: Abortion is in Health Care Reform” shows how abortion advocates are trying to use health care reform as a means of forcing Americans to pay for the destruction of unborn life. Please watch it on RealHealthCareRespectsLife.com and send it to your friends, your family—everyone you know who doesn’t want to see their tax dollars fund abortion-on-demand.

This health care reform debate is a critical time in the history of the pro-life movement, as the fates of millions of unborn lives hang in the balance.

Thank you for your support as we work together to protect and defend life!

Los Angeles Man Arrested in Death of His Unborn Child

2009-10-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

The law never ceases to amaze me.

LOS ANGELES — Authorities say a 37-year-old Los Angeles man has been arrested on suspicion of murder for the death of an unborn child believed to be his.

Police said in a press release that Joshua Woodward was arrested Sunday in Los Angeles and is being held on $2 million bail in a county jail.

Police say the arrest came after an investigation on Monday revealed "suspicious circumstances of a miscarriage." Investigators estimate the fetus was in its 13th week.

Police released no information on the mother or the circumstances of the child's death.

The release says Woodward is believed to have ties to Miami and Chicago and detectives are also seeking information in those cities.

Investigators are set to present the case to prosecutors on Tuesday.

A deputy at the jail had no information on an attorney for Woodward.

International Call for the Rights and Dignity of the Human Person and the Family

2009-10-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

Sign Petition HERE

We, the citizens of UN member states, in this year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948,

Recalling that:

The Universal Declaration is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all Nations,

Bearing in mind that:

Human rights, dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity and justice constitute the spiritual and moral patrimony on which the union of Nations is based,

Stress that:

Proper consideration must be given to

1. The right to life of every human being, from conception to natural death, each child having the right to be conceived, born and educated within the family, based on marriage between a woman and a man, the family being the natural and fundamental group unit of society,

2. The right of every child to be educated by his or her parents, who have a prior and fundamental right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Therefore, we call upon:

All governments to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights properly such that:

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3)

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family (Article 16).

The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State (Article 16).

Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance (Article 25).

Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children (Article 26).

I Am 71 Percent Project

2009-10-12T16:04:00.002-05:00

What is I Am 71 Percent?

President Barack Obama has been quoted as saying that abortion funding is central to his health care reform agenda. But not so fast, Mr. President!

A recent Zogby poll has shown that 71% of Americans oppose taxpayer funded abortions.

Are you one of those Americans? If so, then join the virtual protest!

We plan make sure that President Obama and every member of Congress is sent a link to these photos so they can put faces on the 71% figure that represents the percentage of Americans opposed to tax-funding of abortion in health care legislation currently under consideration. We want them to look us in the eye and consider who they represent before they finalize plans to oppose our will on this critical moral issue.

Take a picture of yourself with the number 71 then click here (http://www.prolifeunity.com/index.php/iam71percent/comment/upload) to upload your photo and we will add you to the I Am 71 Gallery!

But this protest doesn't’t stop there. Click the “Do More” tab to make your voice heard so that not one dime will go to fund the killing of innocent children through abortion!

DID YOU KNOW?

Whenever public funds are used to pay for abortions, the abortion rate rises. That makes the issue of public abortion funding a critical life-and-death moral issue of great importance to the American people.

Pro Life Activist Gunned Down Outside Michigan High School

2009-09-11T15:04:00.003-05:00

A well-known anti-abortion activist was shot multiple times and killed Friday morning in front of a Michigan high school, and another man was shot and killed just miles away in what police are investigating as related incidents.

Owosso police chief Michael Compeau said Jim Pouillon, 63, was outside the school Friday morning with a sign when a man drove by and shot him. No one else was injured.

Michigan State Police have taken a suspect into custody, the Flint Journal reported.

The school was placed on immediate lockdown, though no students were hurt or involved in the shooting, Ossowo Hish School officials told the paper.

When authorities were responding to the first shooting, officials received a report that another man had been shot and killed at a gravel pit business in Owosso. Shiawassee County Sheriff George Braidwood said Mike Fuoss was found dead in his office.

A 33-year-old Owosso man was later arrested in connection with the school shooting at about 8:15 a.m. at his home, according to Compeau. The chief said he then told police he was involved in the gravel-pit shooting.

School officials say the first shooting took place outside of school grounds around 7:30 a.m., when most students were already inside the building for classes. The school, located 20 miles west of Flint, was allowing students to leave with a parental escort, WLNS News reported.

Police barricaded a section of street in front of the high school, where a large sign bearing the image of a baby and the word "Life" was visible, according to the Flint Journal.

Religion Professor at Fredericton Catholic University Moonlighting as Abortion Clinic Escort

2009-09-10T15:19:00.004-05:00

By Patrick B. Craine

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A lecturer in religious studies at St. Thomas University (STU) in Fredericton, New Brunswick has begun volunteering as an escort at the city's Morgentaler abortion facility.

Dr. Christopher Levan, a minister in the United Church of Canada, serving at Wilmot United Church, holds a lectureship at STU. According to the university's course list, he will be teaching two sections of Introduction to Religious Studies in both the fall and winter semesters.

LifeSiteNews.com learned about Levan's activities with the Morgentaler facility after a woman who regularly stands in vigil at the Morgentaler facility sent around an e-mail claiming that she witnessed Dr. Levan acting as an escort. She said last Tuesday was the first time she had seen him, and that she discovered his identity because the director of the abortion center introduced him to the other escorts.

Dr. Levan told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview today that he has only done escorting once so far, but plans on continuing. He's doing it, he says, because he has a problem with the "harassment of women going into the abortion clinic," referring to activities of the regular pro-life protestors who stand outside.

"Not that they're in any way vindictive or mean," he said, "but their signs are sometimes. And these are women who have a legal right to this particular medical procedure and there is enough distress without having to run the gauntlet of [people] who want to change their mind."

"It's currently a legal medical procedure, is it not?" he asked. "And in a society that is pluralistic, that allows people to make those kind of choices, they're allowed to make that choice, aren't they?"

"So what I'm doing," he said, "is I'm making sure that the women who make that choice, who make it with, I assume, whatever sincerity they are capable of making it, are allowed to make that choice without the recrimination of those who have not been party to the difficulty they have gone through in making that decision."

Dr. Levan insisted that he personally disagrees with abortion. Commenting on the "I Regret My Abortion" pro-life sign carried by a woman outside the abortuary, he said, "I want to say to her 'I regret them too.' Absolutely. I'm not standing there because I agree with abortion, but people having made that choice deserve the dignity of being able to go and get the procedure without having to be guilted or in some way told that they are guilty of a heinous crime. Because they are not."

"Abortion is a regrettable, regrettable procedure that women are legally allowed to choose in this province," he emphasized.

Dr. Levan's view of abortion is completely in line with the position of the United Church, as he indicated to LSN. In 1980, the community promulgated their policy on abortion, which stated that "abortion is acceptable only when, after careful consideration, the medical, social, and/or economic situation makes it the most responsible alternative." In this and other policy statements on abortion, they have urged the government not to regulate abortion and to ensure access to it throughout the country.

St. Thomas University, however, is a Catholic university that continues to highlight its Catholic identity. In its mission statement, the university states, "We are a liberal arts institution whose roots are in the faith and tradition of the Roman Catholic Church." According to the teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue, abortion is a grave and intrinsic evil that results in the death of a unique human being endowed with the fundamental right to life. Catholics who in any way obtain or help a woman procure an abortion automatically incur the Church's most stringent punishment - excommunication.

Levan is a prolific writer, with books such as God Hates Religion, Sin Boldly, Living in the Maybe, and Knowing your Ethical Preferences. Besides his support for abortion, he has advocated openness to homosexuality, arguing, for example, in a 1995 article that homosexual practice is not condemned in Scripture.

Professors of religious studies at STU have something of a history of conflict with the Catholic Church. The former acting chair of the department and current professor, Dr. Alexandra Bain, has converted from Catholicism to Islam and gave a keynote address at the CWL's 2006 provincial convention after which she ridiculed the Trinity. Further, STU president Dr. Michael Higgins, who specializes in religious studies, and is a former president of St. Jerome's University at Waterloo, famously scolded Pope Benedict in 2006 for his comments on Islam at Regensburg, calling them "grossly stupid."

LSN left a message with the Bishop of Saint John, Most Reverend Robert Harris, who is also the chancellor of STU, but did not hear back by press time. A message left for STU's media director was also not returned in time.

Contact information for St. Thomas University:

Dr. Michael Higgins, President and Vice Chancellor
Mary Jones, Administrative Assistant
Email: mjones@stu.ca
Phone: 506-452-0537
Fax: 506-452-0633
Margaret Norrie McCain Hall Room 400

General Inquiries
St. Thomas University
51 Dineen Drive
Fredericton, NB
Canada, E3B 5G3
Phone: (506) 452-0640
Fax: (506) 450-9615

Abercrombie & Fitch pitches new trashy T-shirts to America's youth

2009-09-09T08:30:00.004-05:00

Send an email to Abercrombie and Fitch. Ask them to pull their sexualized shirts.
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) continues its pattern of pushing pornographic-themed material into mainstream America. Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has just begun offering their "New College" line of T-shirts.

The first A&F t-shirt pictures a young girl opening her blouse - exposing herself. A&F titles the image: "Show the Twins".

The second picture is of a female running nude. A&F titles it: "Female streaking encouraged."

The next Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt is entitled: "Female Students Wanted for Sexual Research"

Abercrombie & Fitch does not merely sell a popular line of clothing – they sell a lifestyle. And because A&F clothing is popular among teens and college kids, the influence of their sex-as-recreation lifestyle is widespread.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention reports that Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new infections occur each year— almost half of them among young people 15 to 24 years of age.

Family Attacked for Too Many Children: "Thrilled" to be Preparing for Baby Number 19

2009-09-06T09:30:00.002-05:00

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas, September 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar told US news service MSNBC they are delighted to discover the impending arrival of their 19th child. Described by the Today program as "glowing," Michelle Duggar said, "I'm feeling sick and tired, which is a good way to be feeling about right now."

"I always tell myself that's a good way to be because that means good things are happening."

The baby is due to arrive around March 18, 2010.

The family stars in the reality TV show "18 Kids and Counting" airing on TLC. The family are members of the Quiverfull movement among US Protestants that rejects the modern anti-child philosophy and allows God to decide how large their families will be.

The news of Michelle's pregnancy, only eight months after the birth of their last child Jordyn-Grace, was followed by that of the family's eldest son, Josh, who announced that his new wife Anna is expecting their first child, who is due on October 18. "Children are a blessing and a gift if you raise them right, and I think my parents have definitely shown that," Josh Duggar said.

But not everyone is smiling. When the story was published on the website of the left-leaning Huffington Post, commenters did not hesitate to express their hostility to the Duggar's openness to life. 1081 commenters responded with nearly uniform outrage that the Duggars, who have no financial problems, live in a large house they built themselves and are not in debt, have the audacity to be happy with their large family.

"Nothing but pure selfishness," said one. "How about adopting a klan of white children who actually NEED homes?" followed another.

Commenters focused on the "threat" the Duggar children posed to the environment and accused the Duggar parents of using their older children as "unpaid servants and de facto parents" calling them "greedy and slothful." Some called the Duggars' religious beliefs a cult that "expounds the subjugation of women."

"You should pity these poor children with no childhood and no future, who pay everyday for their parents' desire to collect children the way the crazy lady down the street collects cats."

But one writer was more skeptical: "Funny how my fellow liberals preach tolerance and choice until they disagree with someone else's decisions."

The Duggars have produced a book about their experiences, including their decision to stop using artificial hormonal birth control, and have been featured on several US television documentaries. They have also appeared on numerous national and international TV shows including The Early Show, The Today Show, The View, Fox & Friends, Italian Public Television, the Korean Broadcasting System, Discovery Home & Health in the UK and Australia, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox News Network and CNN.

See a video of the Duggars here.

2009-07-16T11:07:00.002-05:00

I need a favor!!! Please click the link below and "Become a Friend" on the top right of the page. You will just need to enter your name and email address, you can even opt out of getting emails from this organization. There is a contest to see what group can gain the most 'friends.' I would love to win! :)

http://kidsmartpushforpencils.org/keefegroup

KidSmart-Tools for Learning is helping provide essential school supplies to more then 90,000 kids in need across the St. Louis area.

Please also forward this to anyone who you think could help. Thanks!

Not feeling very good today...

2009-07-15T08:35:00.001-05:00

If You Are Planned Parenthood, Crime Does Pay

2009-04-15T09:09:00.001-05:00

Planned Parenthood (PP) released its annual report this week. It would appear that for Planned Parenthood, crime does pay -- as long as it is crime against humanity. Last year, while the rest of the nation was seeing a downward trend in relation to abortions, Planned Parenthood was perpetrating over 15,000 more abortions than the year before, for a grand total of 305,310 (while apparently offering no post-abortion counseling to the women who enter into PP's "clinics.") Added to this mayhem, Planned Parenthood distributed over 1.4 million "emergency contraceptive kits" containing the abortifacient called the "morning after pill." During this time the organization only did 4,912 adoption referrals. All this proved very profitable to Planned Parenthood as they posted a net profit of $1.014 BILLION. A clear 34 percent of that figure came from you - the U.S. taxpayer. Government grants to Planned Parenthood allowed the abortion industry to spend on a variety of things including contributing $10 million to elect President Obama and spending close to $1 million to lobby Congress for even more cash, claiming poverty in this time of economic crisis! This investment by Planned Parenthood has paid handsomely as increases in government funding have led to an increase in the number of abortions the group performs. Only when the abortion industry is completely separated from the government funding spigot will President Obama have any credibility when he says he wants to "reduce the number of abortions." Local governments like Orange County, California and Corpus Christi, Texas have realized this and defunded their local PP's - when will Congress?

Additional Resources
For more number crunching go to The Cloakroom

Pressure Mounts on Notre Dame to Pull the Plug on President Obama's Address

2009-04-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

At Cross Purposes

Ten priests from the order that founded the University of Notre Dame are asking the school to reconsider its invitation to President Obama to speak at next month's commencement. The priests from the Congregation of the Holy Cross say the school is risking what they call its true soul, by giving an honorary doctorate to a person whose policies on abortion and stem cell research clash with those of the Catholic Church. The group says failure to rescind the invitation, "will damage the integrity of the institution."

And in an effort to strike at the school's funding, The American Life League is calling for Notre Dame to be removed from the official list of Catholic institutions. The pro-life group’s president, Judith Brown, says they interviewed students and, "found a tragic attitude at the university... apathy, if not hostility, toward the faith. The university is backing away from the Catholic Church."

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

2009-04-13T16:13:00.004-05:00

Spoiler Alert! If you read this blog, you will find out what happens at the end of the movie. Also, if you read this blog, you will never want to see the movie. It was, in my opinion, morally appalling.

In the opening scene of the drama "Seven Pounds" (Columbia/Relativity), Will Smith calls 911 to report a suicide. Asked who the victim is, he answers: "I am." The remainder of the film, which sets out to confound the viewer at every turn, gradually explains how his character reached this desperate pass.

Although he's fond of flashing his credentials as an IRS agent, Ben Thomas' interaction with the taxpayers he visits seems to have as much to do with a hidden personal agenda as with the work of his office. Burdened by a terrible secret -- flashbacks hint at a horrific car crash -- he's out to discover a group of genuinely decent people to whom he can offer life-altering assistance, thus atoning for what he regards as a virtually unforgivable sin. Unfortunately, Ben is suffering from depression and is selfishly wrapped up in his own despair.

His carefully chosen beneficiaries include blind pianist Ezra (Woody Harrelson) and struggling Latina mother Connie (Elpidia Carrillo), who's being physically abused by her boyfriend. Ben's interest in the case of artistic printer and cardiac patient Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson) gradually flowers into romance, despite his initial efforts to remain aloof. After lying to Emily about who he is and claiming to fall in love with her, he kills himself so that she may have his heart for a transplant. Note: in real life, you cannot choose who will be the recipient of your organs should you choose to donate them.

Ben relies on the reluctant support of his best friend, Dan (Barry Pepper), who's concerned about the lengths to which Ben seems willing to go for his do-it-yourself redemption. And not without reason, since Ben's spirit of self-sacrifice, by which he would make himself into his own redeemer, extends to donating bone marrow without the benefit of an anesthetic.

Also worried about Ben's mysterious behavior is his younger brother (Michael Ealy), whom Ben assures of his love but consistently evades. We find out that Ben took over his brother's identity and lied to all of the people he meets, including Emily who he claims to have fallen in love with.

Contrary to the bedrock principal of Catholic moral theology that holds that even the noblest ends do not justify or excuse the use of wrongful means, "Seven Pounds" seems to endorse an obviously unwise and sinful choice driven by confused idealism. The message I received was that you can break any commandment if your intentions are well meaning and the desired outcome is good. Were it not for the humane character of the project as a whole, the script's muddled ethics could otherwise warrant an O classification for morally offensive by the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting, but they require careful interpretation by mature, religiously well-grounded viewers.

The film contains a suicide theme, nongraphic premarital sexual activity, a few sexual references, occasional crude and crass language, and a couple of uses of profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

I think the movie deserves the Morally Offensive rating and should not be viewed by anyone with a conscience.

Planned Parenthood and STDs: It’s latest attempt to push its own name

2009-04-08T16:00:00.002-05:00

All of us who have been fighting Planned Parenthood for quite some time have seen all sorts of different tactics that PP uses to bring in customers. It’s National Condom Day or “Proper Attire” condoms are just some examples. In PP’s eyes, why not take advantage of the STD crisis in our country, with every one in four teenage girl having an STD, and make up some phrase to get customers into its clinics – looking as if it really does care.

MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation joined in on PP’s latest marketing push called “Get Yourself Tested” or GYT for short. Even calling it GYT is an attempt to be more teen savvy since many of our youth are on the internet instant messaging, and texting on their cell phones. Using acronyms is a form of communication that today’s youth are using. For example, “Talk to you later” is TTYL.

This latest scheme, Get Yourself Tested, is something PP hopes will encourage young people to talk about getting tested for STDs so frequently that it would be like getting an oil change for your car. Everyone needs to get it done, so when are you going in? Yet, we know this is another stunt to push its promiscuous propaganda, but do our teens realize what PP is doing to them? Brainwashing them to come into their clinics – supposedly to be tested for an STD, and at the same time give you condoms and sell you birth control; thus making more business and help spread STDs and thus creating more business.

Several reports have been seen across the country of different PP affiliates and clinics advertising this new marketing ploy. I must share the article with you from the Michigan Messenger that described this new initiative and yet came out and said that while PP clinics charge for STD testing, most Michigan Health Departments offer the testing free. Hmm. Interesting. Even some of the secular media sees PP’s ploy for bringing in the money.

I sympathize with the people in Africa who are suffering with AIDS, some think that condoms are the solution. However, last month Pope Benedict came out with a statement saying that distributing condoms only makes the problem worse. Edward C. Green, Harvard University's director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project stated that the pope is correct. Shocker.

The problem is that teens and young adults are using condoms and birth control thinking that these types of things actually can protect them from getting an STD! PP is teaching them that relying on contraception and abortion is safe. Unfortunately this is very scary when every one in four abortions occurs at PP facilities, and according to the Center of Disease Control, the cases of syphilis in the U.S. from 2001 to 2007 continue to increase.

We need to be educating our young people on chastity. We need to show them that PP’s tactics are NOT helping them. We need parents talking about it, grandparents talking about it. The youth of our country and world today face many pressures and PP is behind a lot of that. We must get this organization out of our schools and out of our kids’ lives! Take a stand and educate your community on the evils of PP.

Doctor Shocks Oprah with News of Ethical Stem-Cell Successes

2009-04-08T09:13:00.000-05:00

Click HERE to view the video. It is great.

White House confirms it got 2 million red envelopes

2009-04-08T09:10:00.002-05:00

The White House mail office has confirmed it received a "deluge" of as many as 2.25 million red envelopes symbolizing the empty promise of lives snuffed out in abortion in a massive campaign that was larger than most White House mailing movements in the last 35 years.

White House mail worker "Steve" has handled letters for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for more than three decades. Every single package and letter destined for the White House goes through his office.

Asked if he has seen a flood of red envelopes bound for the White House, Steve chuckled.

"Uh, yes," he said emphatically. "Believe me, they made it here."

Steve said while Obama has been occupied in Europe, his administration has noticed millions of red envelopes on behalf of aborted children.

"Quite frankly, there was definitely a deluge of mail coming through," he laughed. "I had to handle them all."

"I've been here 35 years, so I've seen presidents come and go," Steve told WND. "This campaign ranks up there with the big ones."

The Red Envelope Project is an idea sparked in the mind and prayers of a Massachusetts man, Christ Otto, who envisioned in January thousands of red envelopes sent to the White House, a visual expression of moral outrage over the president's position on abortion.

On the backs of the envelopes, senders wrote a message Otto composed: "This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."

The original project began small, but when Otto sent out an email to friends asking them to join him in the envelope effort, the symbolic gesture spread through the Internet like wildfire – eventually resulting in delivery of as many as 2.25 million red envelopes.

"Last Tuesday 2.25 million were sent all together," Otto told WND. "There were 1 million sent before that date. I keep getting e-mails, and I know that people are still sending them. This past weekend, there were at least 10,000 more sent just from churches announcing it on Sunday."

The Catholic News Agency reports that a consortium of 11 different student groups at the University of Notre Dame, in protest of the university's invitation of Barack Obama to speak at graduation, plan to hand deliver a surge of the red envelopes to the pro-abortion president when he arrives to give the commencement address in May.

Otto said he expected no response from the White House.

"On Thursday their goal is to remove the conscience clause on physicians," he said. "So, they don't want any press."

However, WND was successful in confirming that the red envelopes did arrive.

Asked if he hopes President Obama will be influenced by the campaign Otto said, "I really hope that he is seeing them. I know that somebody in Washington is seeing them, for whatever that's worth. I do hope that it changes the president's heart."

He continued, "I also know that there are many people in our government – in both political parties – who believe that life and freedom are controlled by the state. They want to control who lives and who dies. So, it's not just the president, but there are lots of people in Washington who need to know that this was an important thing and that they are out of step with the people."

The Red Envelope Project has been provided with letters to cease and desist because it allegedly infringes upon trademark and copyright of another organization, but Otto said the campaign will comply with copyright issues and continue its work once the legal matters have been resolved. Details of the new campaign have not been released.

Nonetheless, Otto said the Red Envelope campaign was a resounding success.

"It has made a difference, regardless of what happened in Washington," he said. "Just the numbers of children that have been involved are huge. It's gotten a lot of people talking about the value of life. To me, that's priceless."

Hundreds of babies saved from abortion in recent pro-life campaign

2009-04-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2009 / 05:16 am (CNA).- As the 40 Days for Life Campaign nears the completion of its spring session, its leaders claim to have helped saved nearly four hundred babies from abortion. Organizers are now judging the campaign’s effects and considering how to extend its success. The campaign encourages actions like 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, vigils outside abortion clinics and extensive community outreach.

“It was an amazing 40 days," said spring campaign director Shawn Carney. "Courageous people stood and prayed in rain, cold weather and snowstorms. Abortion workers tried to smear this effort with accusations that 40 Days for Life volunteers' prayers 'intimidated' their clients. But none of this could dissuade peaceful, determined people who know their efforts touch hearts and impact communities."

According to the campaign, participants’ efforts helped save 389 babies from abortion. Activities reportedly were held in 135 cities in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland.

“There are undoubtedly others that we don't know about," said Carney. "We're aware that many appointments were canceled when several clinics closed unexpectedly on days when abortions are normally scheduled.”

The campaign joined forces with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, in which men and women with abortion experiences came forward to pray at abortion clinics and to warn women about the physical, emotional and spiritual damage they risk by undergoing an abortion.

40 Days for Life reports that over its four campaigns 466 local efforts have taken place in 240 separate cities in all 50 states and seven other countries. The organization says that more than 200,000 individuals and more than 4,000 churches have participated. Additionally, at least 17 abortion clinic employees have quit their jobs.

Its next campaign is scheduled for the fall from September 23 to November 1. Its website is at www.40DaysForLife.com.

X-rated films exposed on campuses

2009-04-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Schools find redeeming value in pornography
Jennifer Harper

The ivy-covered halls are tinged with scarlet this semester. And maybe a little purple too.

Some of the most hoity-toity universities in the nation are offering students an unusual distraction from the stress of academic life. In recent weeks, "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge" - an X-rated swashbuckler with hundreds of special effects - has been screened in campus theaters at the University of California at Los Angeles, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Southern Connecticut University.

The University of California at Davis will show "Pirates" on Thursday evening, the University of Maryland at midnight Saturday.

"I'm always impressed by the open-minded attitude in our country's universities. Sex is a topic which should be discussed in the open. It is no longer taboo," said Ali Joone, who wrote and directed the film and serves as chief executive officer of Digital Playground, a California-based adult-film studio that has produced more than 300 titles.

The company is mainstreaming its racy fare, offering films to student activities offices around the country. Though policies vary, campus officials do not forbid pornographic materials to be screened for the most part, though some administrations stipulate that attendees must be older than 18.

"Numerous colleges published reviews and stories on 'Pirates,' sparking the healthy debate as to whether adult entertainment has a place in academic studies," Mr. Joone added.

"Parents don't shell out thousands of dollars for porn to be adopted into the official curriculum. Students can get that for free, with an Internet search," said Jason Mattera, spokesman for Young America's Foundation, a Virginia-based group that monitors the cultural and ideological bent of the nation's colleges and universities.

"Perhaps college officials should concentrate on beefing up their students' abysmal knowledge of American history, civics and free enterprise," Mr. Mattera added.

Most of the screenings for "Pirates" include educational frills of some sort.

When some 800 students settle in with their popcorn to view "Pirates" at UC Davis, they will also hear a lecture on pornography as a cultural institution - drawing on the fact that X-rated films such as "Deep Throat" began appearing in the lecture halls of American universities more than three decades ago.

The University of Maryland will offer "Pirates" at the Hoff Theater on campus, complete with an introduction by Planned Parenthood representatives.

"They're going to talk about safe sex. We think it's important to contextualize the film before we show it," theater manager Lisa Cunningham said.

Porn, however, does not create much of a fuss.

"Four years ago, we showed 'Deep Throat,' and nobody spoke up. No parents protested. Maybe they would have 30 years ago, but not any more. We also operate on our own income. We use no student activity fees to screen X-rated films," she said.

Parents appear to be worried about other things, perhaps.

Theater personnel will be on their toes, meanwhile.

"We're very good at manning the doors. Nobody under 18 can get in, and we require a state-issued ID. When we showed 'Deep Throat,' it sold out. But I'd be shocked if this one were to sell out. It's really more of a fun event, a chance to hang out before the stress of exams start," she added.

She compared the experience to attending the "Rocky Horror Picture Show," a 1975 British musical parody of the horror genre that has built a solid following of obsessed fans who know every lyric, and often attend dressed as their favorite character from the film.

NY City Council ok's bill to arrest any protesters at abortion clinics

2009-04-03T15:18:00.002-05:00

Council Moves to Protect Access to Clinics

In an attempt to clear a path for patients at reproductive clinics, the City Council approved legislation strengthening the city's clinic access law, allowing police to arrest protesters who harass people seeking medical care.

The bill will ensure patients are not threatened, followed or harassed when attempting to enter a clinic, supporters said. On the other hand, critics argue by supposedly strengthening access to clinics, the legislation cripples protesters' First Amendment rights.

In addition to the clinic access bill, the council approved its operating budget for fiscal year 2010, which starts in July, and passed several resolutions urging the state to act on rent regulation.

Accessing Health Care
For patients looking for care at Dr. Emily's Women Health Center in the Bronx, the problems start when they get off the subway, say women's rights advocates. Patients are followed and greeted by supposedly inappropriate catcalls in an attempt to dissuade them from having an abortion. Sometimes, advocates said, protesters block the building's entrance so women looking to terminate their pregnancies don't have any other option but to turn around.

Just because there is a choice in New York City, doesn't mean that there is access, said city officials.

To provide that access, City Council approved legislation that would remove the need for intent to make an arrest, meaning a police officer could arrest protesters who they see harassing patients. Currently, said city officials, women seeking health care have to come forward for an arrest to be made. Many times, said Council Speaker Christine Quinn, women are too intimidated to come forward and identify harassers.

The legislation also would enable clinic workers to call and complain, which could lead to the arrest of protesters who block the clinic entrances or interfere with their operation.

The council voted to approve the bill (Intro 826-A) by a vote of 39 to 8. The mayor plans to sign the legislation, a spokesman said.

Any violation of the legislation would be a misdemeanor.

"The city's women throughout the five boroughs are vulnerable to harassment, intimidation and coercion when they try to access legal reproductive health care," said Quinn. "Harassment and intimidating women as they enter and exit a reproductive health clinic is a clear violation of both a woman's right to access care and a clinic's legal right to provide services."

Many council members equated the legislation to a practical defense of Roe vs. Wade -- or a women's right to choose. Supporters said if protestors are peaceful, then no violation would occur.

Those who voted against the bill said it would erode free speech and create more ambiguity in the law.

"I do not want to protect or enable people who break the law and harass women seeking services," said Councilmember James Oddo, a Republican from Staten Island. "But I also do not want to pass a bill that might have the unintended consequences of having a chilling effect on other constitutionally protected speech."

A Slimmer Budget
The City Council also unanimously approved a $50.5 million operating budget for fiscal year 2010, a reduction of $1.7 million from the previous year or about 3.3 percent.

The reduction will not lead to any layoffs and is on par with the reduction for the mayor's office. Quinn said the council would cut down on events and printing and reduce staff size through attrition.

The council cut its central staff budget. Individual members' budgets will not be affected.

Rent Control Resolutions
The council approved two resolutions urging the state legislature to repeal the state's Urstadt law (SLR 1) and to revise vacancy decontrol (SLR 2).

By repealing Urstadt, the city would have control over housing and rent policies, which it lost in the 1970s.

The council approved the Urstadt resolution by a vote of 43 to 4 and the vacancy decontrol resolution by a vote of 37 to 5 with 5 abstentions.

The council wants the state to repeal parts of vacancy decontrol to force thousands of formally regulated apartments back on the rent regulated rolls. Currently, any rent-regulated apartment is deregulated if its rent exceeds $2,000. Legislation in the state legislature would keep apartments under regulation until they reach a monthly rent of $5,000.

Prayer Requests? Send them here!

2009-03-31T10:26:00.001-05:00

Send them here!

Don't Forget!

2009-03-31T09:43:00.001-05:00

Today is Red Envelope Day!

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HONORS SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR HER COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE

2009-03-30T15:15:00.002-05:00

Actor America Ferrera Co-Hosts Celebration

HOUSTON, TX — On March 27, 2009, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) proudly honored reproductive health and rights advocates who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women’s health care through their work promoting prevention and family planning, and presented its highest honor, the PPFA Margaret Sanger Award, to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Secretary Clinton received this award for her unwavering support of women’s health and rights throughout her public service career. Actor America Ferrera co-hosted the event with PPFA President Cecile Richards.
“It was a great privilege when I was told that I would receive this award,” said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in accepting the award. “It’s part of a movement which is about economic and political progress for all women and girls. It’s about making sure that every woman and girl everywhere has the opportunity she deserves to fulfill her potential, the potential as a mother, worker and human being. The overarching mission of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the cause of reproductive freedom that you continue to advance today is as relevant in our world now as it was 100 years ago. So, I thank you.”
“Throughout her public service career, as first lady of the United States, as a U.S. senator, and now as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton has blazed a path to make health care affordable and available to all Americans,” said Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards. “We are honored to work alongside such a champion of health care reform to meet the needs of women, men, and families across the country.”

The PPFA Maggie Award for Television was awarded to The CW program Privileged for the episode, “All About the Power Position,” which entertained and educated the public about safer sex and the HPV vaccine. Writer and producer Rina Mimoun and Privileged actor JoAnna Garcia accepted the award. The Maggie Award for Television recognizes exceptional contributions by the entertainment industry that enhance the public's understanding of reproductive rights and health care issues.

“The creators of Privileged seized an opportunity to educate young viewers about the emotional responsibilities that come with sexual relationships,” said Richards. “Planned Parenthood applauds Privileged for its socially responsible message.”

PPFA’s “Walk the Talk” Award recognized Audre and Bernard Rapoport of Waco, TX, for their tremendous generosity and decades-long commitment to supporting Planned Parenthood in Texas. A Corporate Leadership Award was presented to Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP, for contributing invaluable legal advice that led to significant changes in the PPFA bylaws and governance structure — and for providing critical and ongoing legal support to the PPFA PROPER ATTIRE® condom program. Lillian Tamayo, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast was honored with the Ruth Green Award, which is presented to a Planned Parenthood affiliate chief executive chosen by her or his peers for outstanding leadership with board volunteers in planning, public affairs, and fundraising.

The awards gala was the highlight of the 2009 Planned Parenthood National Conference.

Planned Parenthood offers free implantable birth control to Iowa women who have no insurance

2009-03-30T15:11:00.004-05:00

Leave it to Planned Parenthood to take care of women when the economy gets bad.

Implantable birth control offered free to Iowa women

Free, implantable birth-control devices are being offered to women throughout Iowa, paid for through a multimillion-dollar project financed by an anonymous donor.

Women can choose intrauterine devices, known as IUDs, or Implanon, a matchstick-size hormone-releasing device that is put into the upper arm.

The devices can last several years. Unlike birth-control pills or patches, they don't require women to remember to take any action.

"You are much less likely to have an unintended pregnancy. That's the real upside," said Penny Dickey, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa's chief operating officer.

Planned Parenthood branches around Iowa expect to give away about 1,400 of the devices in the next year. The agencies will bill patients' insurance if they have coverage, but won't charge people who have no insurance, Dickey said. The offer, worth several hundred dollars, includes the cost of having a medical professional insert the device and remove it if a patient decides she wants to get pregnant.

Visiting Nurse Services in Des Moines is making a similar offer. Vice President Keri Lebeda Townsend said the agency has seen an increase in requests for help with birth control.

"Some women have been laid off or maybe they're working part time and they don't have insurance," Townsend said.

The offer, which started last year, is financed by an anonymous donation coordinated by the Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies, a group led by former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack. The group also finances other forms of birth control.

Like many things in medicine, the devices do have possible side effects, which can include cramping or other menstrual issues, and they offer no protection against sexually transmitted diseases.

Dickey, the Planned Parenthood leader, said her agency encourages women to use the implantable devices only if they want to put off pregnancy for several years. Although the effects of the devices are easily reversible, she said, the agency doesn't want to spend several hundred dollars on a long-term form of birth control if the patient plans to stop using it quickly.

Culture of Death Accomplishments

2009-03-25T10:24:00.002-05:00

From attacking conscience protections, to funding abortion and unrestricted human embryo research, the President takes aim at pro-life protections.

After only 2 months in office, President Barack Obama is clearly the most pro-culture of death President in history. Here's why:

1. President Obama reversed the Mexico City Policy four days after taking office. Instead of restricting foreign aid to organizations who directly support abortion, American taxpayers will be funding abortions overseas, all while trying to make ends meet in the midst of a recession.

2. The new omnibus budget increases money spent on the abortion industry, including an increase of $7.5 million to $307.5 million for Title X Domestic Family Planning and a 19% increase of $88 million to $545 million for International Family Planning.

3. President Obama signed an executive order forcing American taxpayers to fund unrestricted embryonic stem cell research. As pointed in a column by Charles Krauthammer, President Obama “pointedly left open the creation of cloned -- and noncloned sperm-and-egg-derived -- human embryos solely for the purpose of dismemberment and use for parts.”

4. President Obama has started the proceedings to rescind the “conscience clause” regulations put in place by President Bush, which protects healthcare professionals and medical students who refuse to perform abortions for moral reasons. (To speak out, go to www.Freedom2Care.com)

5. President Obama nominated one of the most pro-abortion governors in the country, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, to be Secretary of HHS, which oversees millions spent on the abortion industry. Sebelius hosted infamous late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller and his staff at the governor's mansion.

6. On March 17, 2009, for the first time in eight years, the Obama State Department released $50 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an organization linked to China's one-child policy and coerced abortions. Unsatisfied by the $50 million mark, House members, led by pro-abortion Rep. Louise Slaughter, are asking for even more money in the next budget Congress will consider.

7. Under Obama’s proposed healthcare plan, the same advocates that are pushing for taxpayer-funded abortions and wiping out parental consent laws, were front and center at the Healthcare Summit in Washington, DC to present their solutions.

Can Planned Parenthood get any more stupid?

2009-03-25T10:09:00.004-05:00

Seriously folks, when fighting Planned Parenthood you will run into some things that really have you wondering, how stupid can PP get? With a desperate cry to get more people into its clinics, PP of South Texas is sponsoring a competition of who can make the most creative outfit…out of condoms. Can you say stupid? I’m sure plenty of other things come to mind, but with $336.7 million of your tax dollars, this ridiculous business must be shut down.

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, PP is trying to make condoms into some kind of fashion. With its most recent attempts of selling “Proper Attire” condoms with a new “collection” of condoms, PP is once again trying to desensitize the young people of our generation and lure them into its clinics.

The event in South Texas is titled Project Slicker 2009 and the condoms to create these costumes “will be provided free of charge to registered artists.”

This condom on the brain, baby-killing organization must be defeated. With all of its nonsense and medically inaccurate information, PP still claims to know it all. PP supposedly has “leaders” that offer a “robust vision and commonsense solutions designed to protect women’s health and safety and the basic human rights of us all.”

Give me a break.

Sign the petition to stop PP agenda: http://www.stopp.org/agenda/

Notre Dame ignores calls to rescind Obama invitation

2009-03-24T14:27:00.002-05:00

SOUTH BEND, IN - The University of Notre Dame is sticking with its invitation to President Barack Obama to speak at its May 17 commencement despite criticism from some Roman Catholics that his views on abortion and stem-cell research run counter to Catholic teachings

The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for orthodoxy on Catholic college and university campuses, calls the invitation to Obama "a scandal and an outrage."

As of Monday evening, the society said more than 33,000 people had signed its online petition urging Notre Dame's president, the Rev. John Jenkins, to withdraw the invitation.

Jenkins issued a statement Monday saying the invitation does not mean that Notre Dame supports all of Obama's positions. In an e-mail to The Associated Press, Notre Dame spokesman Dennis Brown added, "I don't foresee a circumstance in which we would rescind the invitation."

African American Pastor Sent to Jail for Offering Abortion Alternatives on Public Sidewalk

2009-03-24T14:22:00.003-05:00

OAKLAND, CA, March 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday the Rev. Walter Hoye of Berkeley, California, was ordered to serve 30 days in county jail by Judge Stuart Hing of the Alameda Superior Court. Rev. Hoye had been found guilty on January 15, 2009, of unlawfully approaching two persons entering an abortion facility in Oakland. Judge Hing had also ordered him to stay one hundred yards away from the abortion facility for three years. However, Rev. Hoye refused this term of probation and would not agree to a stay-away order. Therefore, the judge denied the defense motion to stay the sentence pending appeal. Mr Hoye was taken into custody from the courtroom.

At a hearing on February 19, Judge Hing stated that he had not intended to impose any fine or jail time on Rev. Hoye if he would agree to stay away from the abortion facility. After Rev. Hoye refused to agree not to offer alternatives to abortion-minded women, Judge Hing imposed a 30-day sentence and $1130 fine.

Dozens in the African-American and pro-life communities from around the nation who came out in support of Rev. Hoye were outraged by the sentence.

"It is absolutely incredible that in America an individual can be sentenced to jail for engaging in peaceful free speech activity on a public sidewalk," remarked Allison Aranda, Staff Counsel for Life Legal Defense Foundation. "Rev. Hoye is being singled out for particularly harsh punishment because he refused to agree not to offer help to women considering abortion. Where is the justice in that?"

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today denounced the sentence leveled against the pastor.

Rev. Hoye, said Pavone, "has just begun serving a sentence which is blatantly unjust. Rev. Hoye did no violence, but rather attempted to stop violence by his prayerful presence at an abortion mill in Oakland.

"He was right to refuse to promise not to approach the abortion facility. By intervening for these children, he simply seeks to fulfill the command, 'Do to others what you would have them do to you.' No government can put a cap on peaceful efforts to save children from violence."

Rev. Hoye is an African-American pastor who says he feels a special calling to work for the end of what he calls the genocide by abortion taking place in the African-American community. As part of his efforts, he stands in front of an abortion facility in Oakland with leaflets offering abortion alternatives and a sign reading, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help."

In response to Rev Hoye's efforts, the Oakland City Council passed an ordinance making it a crime to approach persons entering abortion centers to offer alternatives to abortion. Approaching women to encourage them to enter the clinic is permitted, according to City policy.

According to 2004 statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, about 37 percent of pregnancies of black women end in abortion, compared with 12 percent for non-Hispanic white women and 19 percent for Hispanic women.

LLDF Legal Director Catherine Short and attorney Mike Millen, who also represented Rev. Hoye at trial, are currently challenging the constitutionality of the ordinance on Rev. Hoye's behalf in federal court. They say they are hopeful the ordinance will be struck down and Rev. Hoye vindicated.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Pro-Life Pastor Faces 2 Years Jail and Fine for Peaceful Sidewalk Counseling

African American Pastor Sentenced to Jail for Counselling Women on Public Sidewalk

Dr. George Tiller faces 19 misdemeanor counts of violating the Kansas law governing late-term procedures.

2009-03-24T09:31:00.002-05:00

Opening arguments got underway Monday in the criminal case against Dr. George Tiller, one of the only physicians in the country who provides late-term abortions. And by day's end, it was clear that the case could hinge on such nonmedical issues as who paid for copy paper and toner, the meaning of a hug and whether selling a beat-up sedan to a colleague can constitute proof of guilt.

Tiller, 67, faces 19 misdemeanor counts of breaking the Kansas law that governs how late-term abortions should be handled.

In cases where the fetus is deemed viable -- or able to survive outside the womb, around six months' gestation -- the state requires the approval of a second doctor who is not affiliated legally or financially with the first doctor before an abortion can be performed. The doctor must certify that the mother will suffer permanent and irreversible harm, which can include psychological harm, if she carries the baby to term. The state also requires that the second doctor be from Kansas, which considerably narrows the field since few doctors in the state perform abortions.

Prosecutors contend that Tiller's relationship with Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus of Lawrence, Kan. -- who signed off on 19 of his cases in 2003 -- violated the state's independent physician requirement. Neuhaus, who did not have her own clinic at the time and whose only source of income was Tiller, used his office but denied using his staff.

The defense has countered that Neuhaus saw patients at Tiller's office for security reasons -- protesters regularly harassed patients outside the clinic -- and because it was convenient for patients, many of whom were emotionally fragile teenagers.

One of the 19 patients in question was 10 years old. Many of Tiller's patients are women who discover late in their pregnancies that they are carrying severely impaired fetuses.

On Monday, antiabortion activists lined up before the courtroom opened in hopes of getting seats inside.

About 25 did, including Troy Newman of Operation Rescue and a handful of young adults he described as "survivors of the abortion holocaust" because they were born after 1973, the year the Supreme Court legalized abortion. Two people in apparel with antiabortion slogans were asked by sheriff's deputies in the courtroom to turn their sweat shirts inside out or cover up.

In his opening statement, Kansas Assistant Atty. Gen. Barry Disney told the jury that Tiller had recruited Neuhaus, hired his attorney to train her about legal requirements and scheduled his patients for her to see at his office. "They were so entwined that she, in essence, was an employee," Disney said. He implied that one way to tell their relationship crossed the line was the hug she gave Tiller when she saw him at the courthouse Monday.

Neuhaus -- who testified under a grant of immunity -- said she saw five or six of Tiller's patients a week, earning about $300 for each consultation.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Dan Monnat asked Neuhaus: "When you saw [Tiller] this morning and gave him a hug, did you mean to convey that you were legally or financially affiliated with him?"

"No," she replied.

Disney also implied that Tiller had given Neuhaus a special deal when he sold her a 1994 Toyota Camry in 2006 for $300. But Monnat produced an appraisal from a local dealership setting the value of the car at $300 and showed the jury a photo of what he mockingly called "this sleek car" -- which Neuhaus testified needed $3,000 worth of body work.

Neuhaus, the day's only witness, seemed at times flustered.

On some points, such as whether she had received legal advice from Tiller's lawyers, Neuhaus on Monday contradicted her earlier deposition. Tiller's attorneys had sent her a packet of information about the Kansas abortion law, she said Monday, but she did not recall meeting with them. In her deposition, she had said that she received the packet "after consulting with his attorneys."

Her deposition, she testified, may have been flawed because "it was a pretty hostile engagement." She later added, "I was being interrogated for four hours and was a little distraught."

Still, she testified, she maintained her independence from Tiller, going so far as to pay for the copy paper and toner that she used while seeing patients at his Wichita clinic, Women's Health Care Services.

When the prosecutor pressed her about whether she had paid rent to Tiller or paid for any of his staff, she said she had not, adding: "I didn't pay for the toilet paper or coffee" either.

Outside the Sedgwick County courthouse, a couple dozen antiabortion activists prayed. A truck with large panels showing aborted fetuses and slogans such as "Tiller the Killer" drove slowly around the block to mark the first time that Tiller, who has practiced in Kansas for more than three decades, has been charged with a crime.

If convicted, Tiller would face one year in prison and a fine of $2,500 for each count. The trial is expected to last at least through the week.

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Obama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy

2009-03-24T07:51:00.004-05:00

NOTRE DAME, Indiana, March 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - White House Secretary Robert Gibbs stated today that President Obama will give the commencement address at Notre Dame University this year. The school confirmed the announcement, stating on its website that Obama will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the University's 164th University Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. May 17 in the Joyce Center on campus.

In 2004, the United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a policy statement called "Catholics in Political Life," which says, with reference to pro-abortion politicians, "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

President Obama has been called the "abortion president" by pro-life activists, and his appearance at the university would appear to violate the USCCB's policy against honoring pro-abortion politicians.

One alumnus from the university has already expressed his displeasure in an open letter sent today to the president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins.

William Newton, a D.C. area attorney, wrote, "As an alumnus of Notre Dame Law School, I am deeply offended that you would invite President Barack Obama to speak at Commencement this year."

Newton then lists the numerous pro-abortion decisions that Obama has made since assuming the office of the presidency. "This is the person that you feel is worthy to address the students and faculty of Notre Dame, in the shadow of Our Lady atop the Golden Dome, with the spires of the Basilica in the background?" writes Newton.

"Father Sorin must be wringing his hands in heaven, that his successor would approve this disgrace. Shame on Notre Dame for choosing to scandalize the faithful who continue to support the Catholic identity and mission of the University."

Conservative commentator Kathryn Jean Lopez said on The Corner that the arrangement was "shameful."

"Last week the president of the United States perpetrated an assault on human dignity. No statements or press releases will undo what Notre Dame's position in the eyes of the world is in response: 'Doesn't matter,'" wrote Lopez. "We've got THE ONE. So much for the One the school's namesake gave birth to."

"I've been optimistic that the radicalism of this administration on life could be a real catalyst for renewal in many churches. At Notre Dame, the administration there just made a choice. They took a giant step away from their identity as 'Catholic.' They [sic] rather be of this world than the one they supposedly exist to bring people toward."

Notre Dame is among the most prestigious Catholic universities in America. The school's Center for Ethics and Culture recently established a pro-life fund in an effort to bolster Notre Dame's pro-life identity.

Sign the Petition to Father Jenkins

To contact Notre Dame:
Phone: (574) 631-5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Notre Dame Fellows:
Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President, U. of Portland
(503) 943-7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
(216) 586-7272
Email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO, Navigant Consulting
main: (312) 583-5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/

To contact the USCCB:

Cardinal Francis George, President
Archdiocese of Chicago
phone: 312-751- 8200
email: mfox@archchicago.org

Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Chairman, Committee on Education
Diocese of Worcester
phone: 508-791-7171
committee email: catholiceducation@usccb.org

To contact Notre Dame's bishop:
Bishop John D'Arcy, Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese
Fort Wayne Chancery
phone: (260) 422-4611

Fishermen find infant girl in trash bag

2009-03-24T07:48:00.002-05:00

Police are asking for the public's help in finding a mother after two fishermen make a disturbing discovery Sunday -- an infant girl in a trash bag at Lake Artemesia.
"When you see something like that it doesn't go easy on you," says Will Perdue, one of the fishermen who found the child as they fished at the 38-acre lake.

Will Perdue and Joseph Dean didn't know each other before Sunday. Perdue says they were "just trying to clean up trash" when they found the bag around 3 p.m.

"You don't do it that way -- by disposing a trash bag," Dean says. "Hospitals is where you take them."

Police hope someone comes forward to report a mother who may have been pregnant but no longer is, or someone who may know what happened. If you know anything that may be helpful to police, call 866-411-TIPS.

The tragedy has Prince George's County Police Cpl. Erica Johnson reminding people that "Maryland has what is known as the 'safe haven law.'" Under that law, a child up to 72 hours old can be left at a hospital, police station or fire department without any questions.

Dean wants to see the person responsible for dumping the baby brought to justice.

"If I was the person who that baby belonged to, I would give them the chair," he says.

Woman Accused Of Ending Daughter's Pregnancy, Dumping Baby In Trash

2009-03-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

A South Florida mother says she ended her teenage daughter's pregnancy and dumped the infant's body in the garbage. Miramar Police Detective Yessenia Diaz says 39-year-old Tonuya Rainey admitted giving her daughter medication from a Miami clinic to end the pregnancy.

Rainey is not a nurse, but works in the medical field. The daughter told police she gave birth two weeks ago over a toilet. Rainey later said she placed the infant in a bag and dumped the body in the garbage. Rainey said the infant was born dead, but her daughter claimed she saw it breathing.

Rainey was arrested Friday and faces felony charges that include performing the termination of a pregnancy without a physician license, unlicensed practice of health care professional, child abuse and improper disposal of human remains.

Harvard AIDS Expert Says Pope is Correct on Condom Distribution Making AIDS Worse

2009-03-21T09:19:00.003-05:00

March 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, has said that the evidence confirms that the Pope is correct in his assessment that condom distribution exacerbates the problem of AIDS.

"The pope is correct," Green told National Review Online Wednesday, "or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope's comments."

"There is," Green added, "a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded 'Demographic Health Surveys,' between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates. This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction 'technology' such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by 'compensating' or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology." ( see the full interview with Green here.

The Harvard AIDS Project's webpage on Green lists his book "Rethinking AIDS Prevention: Learning from Successes in Developing Countries". It is stated that Green reveals, "The largely medical solutions funded by major donors have had little impact in Africa, the continent hardest hit by AIDS. Instead, relatively simple, low-cost behavioral change programs--stressing increased monogamy and delayed sexual activity for young people--have made the greatest headway in fighting or preventing the disease's spread."

The full text of Pope Benedict XVI's exchange with the reporter, which has set off a firestorm around the world in the media, has been released by the Vatican press office.

The pope was asked, "Holy Father among the many evils that affect Africa there is also the particular problem of the spread of AIDS. The position of the Catholic Church for fighting this evil is frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective?"

Benedict XVI replied:

"I would say the opposite. I think that the reality that is most effective, the most present and the strongest in the fight against AIDS, is precisely that of the Catholic Church, with its programs and its diversity. I think of the Sant'Egidio Community, which does so much visibly and invisibly in the fight against AIDS ... and of all the sisters at the service of the sick.

"I would say that one cannot overcome this problem of AIDS only with money -- which is important, but if there is no soul, no people who know how to use it, (money) doesn't help.

"One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem.

"The solution can only be a double one: first, a humanization of sexuality, that is, a spiritual human renewal that brings with it a new way of behaving with one another; second, a true friendship even and especially with those who suffer, and a willingness to make personal sacrifices and to be with the suffering. And these are factors that help and that result in real and visible progress.

"Therefore I would say this is our double strength -- to renew the human being from the inside, to give him spiritual human strength for proper behavior regarding one's own body and toward the other person, and the capacity to suffer with the suffering. ... I think this is the proper response and the church is doing this, and so it offers a great and important contribution. I thank all those who are doing this."

See Dr. Green's impressive credentials and list of publications.

U.S. Lawmakers Fight to Remove Law, Signed by Obama, against Federal Funding for Embryo Research

2009-03-19T10:41:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 17, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While President Obama's executive order last week abolished former President George Bush's order forbidding taxpayer funds from being used for embryo-destructive research, the move did not address current U.S. law that bans federal funds from being used for the creation and destruction of embryos. Anti-life legislators are now working to repeal the pro-life law as the next logical step to completely free up funds for embryonic stem-cell research.

Just two days after signing the embryonic stem cell research executive order, Obama signed the annual omnibus appropriations bill, which since 1995 has included an amendment that forbids federal funds from facilitating the harm or destruction of life.

Known as the Dickey-Wicker amendment, the language states: "None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes, or research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death."

Obama's executive order only states that embryonic stem cell research would be allowed "to the extent permitted by law."

Peter Breen, an attorney with the pro-life Thomas More Society, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that the Dickey-Wicker law prohibits the president from authorizing funds for research that creates or destroys embryos. However, because of the executive order, funds can now go to research on stem cells taken from embryos already destroyed via private funding. The Bush executive order had restricted such research to the cell lines of embryos destroyed before August 2001.

A White House official recently confirmed to the Cybercast News Service (CNS) that the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the government's medical research arm, will be drafting guidelines to perform research in compliance with the Dickey-Wicker law.

But now that President Obama has lifted the Bush ban, legislators have set to work to abolish the Dickey-Wicker language from next year's appropriations bill, thereby completely freeing up federal funds for embryo research.

Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and Mike Castle, R-Del., are working to repeal the amendment.

"Dickey-Wicker is 13 years old now, and I think we need to review these policies," DeGette told the New York Times. The Times published an editorial Tuesday urging Congress to do away with the law.

Rep. Mike Castle, a Republican co-sponsor of Rep. DeGette's bill, said the law is "something we need to look at."

"That was passed in 1996, before we realized the full potential of embryonic stem cell research. Some researchers are telling us now that that needs to be reversed," he told the Congressional Quarterly on Monday.

But pro-life leaders are warning that removing the law would give free rein to scientists eager to create, manipulate, and destroy countless human lives.

On the same day that Obama signed his controversial executive order, Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee pointed out that Obama's order "sets the stage for an attack" on the Dickey-Wicker amendment, the removal of which would have dire consequences.

"Many researchers are already demanding federal support for research in which human embryos would be created for the specific purpose of research, through human cloning and other methods, and there was nothing in the President's remarks today to limit NIH to the use of so-called surplus embryos created in IVF clinics," said Johnson.

"Any member of Congress who votes for legislation to repeal this law is voting to allow federal funding of human embryo farms, created through the use of human cloning."

Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) told the Times that he doubts the public would approve of discarding the law.

"I don't think it will fly because the movement in the country is in favor of life," said Smith. "For Congress to say that the new guinea pig will be human embryos, most Americans will find that highly offensive."

US births break record; 40 pct out-of-wedlock

2009-03-19T10:39:00.002-05:00

More babies were born in the United States in 2007 than any year in the nation's history, topping the peak during the baby boom 50 years earlier, federal researchers reported Wednesday.

There is both good and bad news from the more than 4.3 million births:

• The US population is more than replacing itself, a healthy trend.

• However, the teen birth rate was up for the second year in a row.

The birth rate rose slightly for women of all ages, and births to unwed mothers reached an all-time high of about 40 percent, continuing a trend begun years ago. More than three-quarters of these women were 20 or older.

For a variety of reasons, it's become more acceptable for women to have babies without a husband, said Duke University's S. Philip Morgan, a leading fertility researcher.

Even happy couples may be living together without getting married, experts say. And more women – especially those in their 30s and 40s – are choosing to have children despite their single status.

The new numbers indicate the nation is experiencing a baby boomlet with fertility rates higher in every racial group. On average, a US woman has 2.1 babies in her lifetime. The highest fertility rates were among Hispanics.

But it's not clear the boomlet will last long. Some experts think birth rates are already declining because of the economic recession that began in late 2007.

"I expect they'll go back down. The lowest birth rates recorded in the United States occurred during the Great Depression – and that was before modern contraception," said Dr. Carol Hogue, an Emory University professor of maternal and child health.

The 2007 statistical snapshot reflected a relatively good economy coupled with cultural trends that promoted childbirth, she and others noted.

Meanwhile, US abortions have been dropping to their lowest levels in decades, according to other reports. Some have attributed the abortion decline to better use of contraceptives, but other experts have wondered if the rise in births might indicate a failure in proper use of contraceptives. Some earlier studies have shown declining availability of abortions.

Cultural attitudes may be a more likely explanation. Morgan noted the pregnancy of Bristol Palin, the unmarried teen daughter of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The young woman had a baby boy in December, and plans for a wedding with the father, Levi Johnston, were scrapped.

"She's the poster child for what you do when you get pregnant now," Morgan said.

Teen women tend to follow what their older sisters do, so perhaps it's not surprising that teen births are going up just like births to older women, said Sarah Brown, the chief executive for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Indeed, it's harder to understand why teen births had been declining for about 15 years before the recent uptick, she said. It may have been due to a concentrated societal effort to reduce teen births in the 1990s that has waned in recent years, she said.

The statistics are based on a review of most 2007 birth certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers also showed:

• Cesarean section deliveries continue to rise, now accounting for almost a third of all births. Health officials say that rate is much higher than is medically necessary. About 34 percent of births to black women were by C-section, more than any other racial group. But geographically, the percentages were highest in Puerto Rico, at 49 percent, and New Jersey, at 38 percent.

• The pre-term birth rate, for infants delivered at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy, declined slightly. It had been generally increasing since the early 1980s. Experts said they aren't sure why it went down.

• Among the states, Utah continued to have the highest birth rate and Vermont the lowest.

CDC officials noted that despite the record number of births, this is nothing like what occurred in the 1950s, when a much smaller population of women were having nearly four children each, on average. That baby boom quickly transformed society, affecting everything from school construction to consumer culture.

Today, U.S. women are averaging 2.1 children each. That's the highest level it's been since the early 1970s, but is a relatively small increase from the rate it had hovered at for more than 10 years and is hardly transforming.

"It's the tiniest of baby booms," said Morgan in agreement. "This is not an earthquake; it's a slight tremor." - AP

A mother is appealing for women to have sex with her adopted Down's syndrome son.

2009-03-17T10:48:00.003-05:00

Truly nauseating...

Lucy Baxter says she will even pay for a prostitute so he can lose his virginity.

The mother has now set up a Bebo page for Otto appealing for potential dates to come forward.

The leading campaigner has three other adopted sons with Down's and works with the charity Mencap.

She said: "I'd like all my boys to find love and enjoy sex.

"I always look at what other people are doing and why shouldn't they do the same things?

"I strongly believe, and have always said, that society has a learning disability when it comes to Down's syndrome.

"If he doesn't get a girlfriend, I will feel really bad, because I have sold him this thing that he is like everybody else. That's why I'm working overtime to get this sorted for him."

Otto enjoys acting and has appeared in local stage versions of Macbeth and The Canterbury Tales.

He persuaded his mum to help him find a girlfriend after being rebuffed for three years - and says presenter Fearne Cotton is his ideal woman.

He said: "I'm on a mission to find a girlfriend. I'm looking for girlfriends everywhere."

Miss Baxter, 50, of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, has never married but has four adopted sons - James, 25, Otto, 21, Titus, 14, and Raphael, seven.

She said: "Everyone else his age is having sex and enjoying being young adults, so why shouldn't Otto?"

Miss Baxter is a respected member of the Down's Syndrome Association and has been at the forefront of research into the condition.

A charity spokesman said: "Lucy has worked tirelessly to break down the stigma attached to people with Down's Syndrome."

Pope: Condoms 'Increase' AIDS Epidemic in Africa

2009-03-17T10:33:00.002-05:00

If only someone would listen...

Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that the distribution of condoms is not the answer in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

Benedict has never before spoken explicitly on condom use although he has stressed that the Roman Catholic Church is in the forefront of the battle against AIDS. The Vatican encourages sexual abstinence to fight the spread of the disease.

"You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane headed to Yaounde, Cameroon. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

Some priests and nuns working with victims of the AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa question the church's opposition to condoms.

The pope also said that he intends to make an appeal for "international solidarity" for Africa in the face of the global economic downturn.

He said that while the church does not propose specific economic solutions, it can give "spiritual and moral" suggestions.

Describing the current crisis as the consequence of "a deficit of ethics in economic structures," the pope said, "It is here that the church can make a contribution."

Benedict's seven-day pilgrimage will take him to Cameroon and Angola.

Africa is the fastest-growing region for the Roman Catholic Church.

My Amazing Husband

2009-03-16T16:11:00.005-05:00

Although I wrote last week that I was having a rough lent (which is still true, but getting better thanks to a friend's advice), I have to tell you that I am truly grateful to be alive. I have the most amazing husband! He is so tender and caring, so thoughtful and supportive, so understanding and gentle. And he loves ME. I feel unworthy. I often wonder how on earth I got this lucky. I am so very blessed. Please pray for us as we begin trying for a baby!

Study: Women Who Use Birth Control Pill 1.5 Times More Likely to Develop Bowel Disease

2009-03-16T14:42:00.002-05:00

LONDON, UK, March 13, 2009 - A study on the role of oral contraceptives in the cause of inflammatory bowel disease, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, found that women who use the pill are one and a half times more likely to develop Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) than women who have not used oral contraceptives.

The research by doctors at the Gastroenterology Unit of St. Mary's Hospital, Imperial College, and the Department of Surgery of St. Mark's Hospital, London, reported that a total of 75,815 patients were involved in the study of the etiology of UC and CD between 1983 and 2007. Of these women, 36,797 used the oral contraceptive pill (OCP) and 39,018 did not.

The report stated that the relative risk of developing Crohn's disease increased with a prolonged exposure to the OCP. Whereas the overall average of increased risk was 1 1/2 times, the relative risk of developing CD for a woman who has used the pill for three years increases to almost 3.5 times.

This study has also shown that the risk associated with OCP exposure was reversed to that of the non-exposed population after stopping the use of the drug.

The adjustment of the results for smoking was an important aspect of this analysis, since it was found that smokers are more likely to take the OCP, and oral contraceptive users have been reported as more likely to smoke. The adjustments for smoking increased the relative risk of CD and decreased the risk of UC.

The study also suggested that a reduction in the estrogen and progesterone dosages in OCPs over the last two decades has not reduced the relative risk of inflammatory bowel disease in women who use the contraceptive pill.

An abstract of the study is available here.

Read related SLN articles on the dangers of the oral contraceptive pill:

Birth Control Pill May Cause Prostate Cancer and Bladder Disease in Mothers' Children

Birth Control Pill Raises Heart Attack Risk 100%

Massive Study Finds the Pill Significantly Increases Cancer Risk if Used more than Eight Years

Birth Control Pill Linked to Hardening of the Arteries

Vatican Slams Choice of Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of Health and Human Services

2009-03-16T14:38:00.001-05:00

SAN DIEGO, CA, March 13, 2009 - The head of the Roman Catholic Church's highest office overseeing Church law has slammed the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling the nomination "the source of greatest embarrassment" to the Catholic Church.

In an interview with Thomas J. McKenna, president of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, strongly supported the means by which the Governor has been disciplined by her bishop because of her public support for abortion. Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann has been strongly critical of Sebelius in the past, publicly admonishing her not to receive Communion, and has called Obama's nomination of the governor "offensive."

"Archbishop Naumann acted with exemplary pastoral charity in the matter, protecting the Body and Blood of Christ from unworthy reception, preventing the Governor from the commission of the most serious sin of sacrilege, and ending the great scandal caused by the Governor's unworthy reception of the Body and Blood of Christ" said Archbishop Burke in the interview.

When asked for his opinion on the nomination of Governor Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services he said, "As a Roman Catholic, her appointment is the source of the greatest embarrassment because she has publicly and repeatedly betrayed her Catholic faith."

"What is more, she has obstinately remained in her moral error after being admonished by, at least, three of her Bishops … Her position on the question of procured abortion is the source of the greatest scandal to Catholics and to all who uphold the natural moral law."

"No matter how good Governor Sebelius' record regarding other human life concerns may be, if she is not committed to the safeguarding of human life from its very inception, she should not be entrusted with the questions of health and human services for our nation" he continued.

The Archbishop concluded his remarks by saying that "every bishop" is held to the "universal Church discipline" found in Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law, which state that, "Those [...] who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."

"Whether Governor Sebelius is in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, or in any other diocese, she should not present herself for Holy Communion because, after pastoral admonition, she obstinately persists in serious sin."

In a separate interview with Archbishop Naumann, McKenna asked why the bishop publicly asked Governor Sebelius not to present herself for Holy Communion. "My motivation was primarily to protect the Church and her teaching, as well as to protect our people from being misled" he explained.

When asked about the sin of scandal he explained, "I am very concerned about the governor and others like her leading individuals to think that it is not really so bad if you support abortion. What I think is even more deadly, especially for our young people, is for them to think that if the law permits abortion it must not be all that bad for me to procure an abortion either."

Both interviews can be read in their entirety on Catholic Action for Faith and Family's web site, http://www.CatholicAction.org

I am struggling this Lent...

2009-03-13T09:41:00.005-05:00

I am having some issues this Lent. I am really struggling.

There is a woman who sits next to me at work who used to be a friend/acquaintance whom I will call Jane. In the past 12 months, Jane and her husband filed for and are now divorced, she started a new romantic (and intimate according to her) relationship with a man in the office whom I will call Bob (I can only assume this is what caused her marriage failure) and she has stopped going to church (Lutheran). I just heard her on the phone renewing her prescription for her birth control pill. Jane has a two year old son who is truly suffering with her new lifestyle. She complains that the boy cries when she takes him to daycare, has trouble sleeping on the 3 nights a week that she has him (her ex-husband has him 4 nights a week), that he does not eat well. Jane's personality has changed tremedously since I met her almost four years ago.

You know how there are some people in this world with whom you simply cannot get along with? Bob is someone whom I have never liked, and from what I can gather the feeling is mutual. It has been made apparent in how they both act towards me when he is at her desk. I must say, this does not bother me at all. I have always been a person who is self-concious, but the fact that Bob dislikes me has no affect on me whatsoever. It is Jane I am concerned about.

As I said before, Jane and I were acquaintances. I was invited to her baby shower before her son was born, but I assume it was because I am very close with the woman who hosted it. My problem is that Jane has fallen victim to an immoral life and I have little tolerance for it. I have been avoiding her, but it is not really in my nature to be cold to people and it is really starting to make me feel crappy. I am unsure what to do?

Bishop: "President Obama is forcing all American taxpayers to pay for this homicidal research"

2009-03-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

PHOENIX, March 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishop of Phoenix in Arizona has written a straight-talking column responding to President Barack Obama's executive order providing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

"This means that American taxpayers will now be paying for the killing of human beings at a very early stage in their lives (as embryos), so that scientific research can make use of them for experiments that may or may not yield positive results," writes Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted in his diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Sun.

Unwilling to sugar-coat the reality with polite euphemisms, Bishop Olmsted says, "We U.S. taxpayers will now be forced to pay, whether we wish to or not, for the killing of our youngest brothers and sisters on the dubious hypothesis that their murders might, in the future, benefit others."

"What President Obama is doing is forcing all American taxpayers to pay for this homicidal research," he said.

The Bishop offers five ways in which Catholics should respond to the President's action. "First, we must beg forgiveness for this horrendous sin of our nation," he says. "Second, we Catholics must join with others of good will and make our voices heard across our land, at the White House, on Capitol Hill, in our state Legislatures and in the media. We must not stand by idly while our neighbor's life is at stake. The dignity of a human person does not depend upon his or her age, developmental stage, or ability to function."

To read more see the full column here.

Studies Find Contraception Makes Women Obese and Newborns Too Thin

2009-03-12T15:47:00.001-05:00

OTTAWA, March 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - University of Ottawa researchers have found that women who conceive within a month of taking birth-control pills tend to have premature babies or babies with a low birth weight. At the same time, another study from the University of Texas has revealed that users of the contraceptive "shot" are significantly more likely than other women to become obese.

Xi-Kuan Chen, an epidemiologist and senior analyst with the Canadian Institute for Health Information at the University of Ottawa said doctors should inform patients of the link between chemical contraceptives and low birth weight, which is a growing problem in Canada, because children born too thin are likely to suffer health problems later in life.

"Doctors should be bringing this to the attention of patients," said Dr. Chen in a National Post report. "When they consult with some patients, they should suggest there might be some effect for them."

The study used the singularly comprehensive database of the Saskatchewan drug and medicare plans to look at 1,500 women, divided into three groups, who had taken contraceptive drugs within 30 days, 31-60 days and 61-90 days of their last period before becoming pregnant. They then compared the birth weight of their children with 6,100 women who had not used birth-control pills for at least a year before they gave birth.

Analysis of the data showed that women who had taken the pill within 30 days of getting pregnant were more than three times as likely to have a very low-weight newborn (under 3.3 lbs) and twice as likely to have a child born weighing less than 5.5 pounds or to deliver the child six weeks prematurely.

The report also showed that the longer the abstention from contraceptive drugs before conceiving, the closer the newborns birth weight would be to those women who had not used birth-control pills.

Dr. Chen said that although the study does not definitively prove a cause-and-effect relationship and needs to be confirmed by more research because it did not take into account factors such as smoking, which also contribute to low birth weight and prematurity, the results of the study should not be ignored.

At the same time as the findings of Dr. Chen's study are being reported, Dr. Abbey Berenson at the University of Texas Medical Branch has revealed that the use of certain contraceptive drugs causes significant weight gain and an increase in body fat, according to a study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Dr. Berenson and her team of researchers studied the use of the contraceptive drug depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commercially known as Depo-Provera, which is delivered in the form of a shot, and found that DMPA users were more than twice as likely to become obese as women who did not use that contraceptive drug.

"Women and their doctors should factor in this new data when choosing the most appropriate birth control method," said Berenson.

"One concern is DMPA's link to increased abdominal fat, a known component of metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes."

See related LSN articles:

Abortion-Causing Birth Control Patch Manufacturer Faces Class-Action Lawsuit

Two Canadian Women Die from Use of Contraceptive Patch; Sixteen More Suffer Blood Clots

The Pill: "the largest unregulated human trial that's ever been conducted"

Gov. Sarah Palin selects former PP board member to Alaska State Supreme Court

2009-03-12T07:42:00.000-05:00

Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen, a former PP board member, was selected to be the 20th Supreme Court Judge in Alaska.

Because of Alaska’s State Constitution, the governor was given a list of nominees that were provided by the Alaska Judicial Council. The list Gov. Palin received had a choice of two nominees. That was of Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen and Superior Court Judge Eric Smith.

Despite many letters from pro-lifers across the country, Gov. Palin selected Judge Morgan Christen.

Update: They are Trying to Destroy Catholic Church

2009-03-10T15:06:00.002-05:00

I guess the Catholic Church is not something they want to fight just yet. Praise GOD!

They are Trying to Destroy Catholic Church

2009-03-09T14:49:00.002-05:00

If you live in Connecticut, you must fight this!

See this link also.

As Lent Begins, 3 Prominent Catholic Universities Celebrate Porn, Promiscuity

2009-03-01T17:44:00.000-06:00

MANASSAS, VA, February 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As Christians worldwide kneel in prayer to begin the holy season of Lent, students at three Jesuit Catholic universities are busy celebrating extramarital sex, homosexuality, cross-dressing and pornography, the Cardinal Newman Society has revealed.

From February 23 to 28, Georgetown University is hosting "Sex Positive Week," sponsored by feminist and homosexual student clubs.

On Monday, the event "Sex Positive … What's That?" featured a speaker from Black Rose, an organization "which provides a forum for the many different expressions of power in love and play. This can include dominance & submission, bondage & discipline, fetishism, cross-dressing, to name a few."

A talk on Ash Wednesday, "Torn About Porn?" was advertised to include "discussion about arguably alternative forms of pornography that are not supposed to be exploitative, but rather radical and empowering."

On Saturday, February 28, pornographic film director Tristan Taormino will speak at the university on "Relationships Beyond Monogamy" - one day after speaking in downtown Washington, D.C., about "Anal Pleasure 101." She will discuss her book "Opening Up: A Guide to Creating and Sustaining Open Relationships" with Jenny Block, author of "Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage." Taormino is also the author of "True Lust: Adventures in Sex, Porn and Perversion."

On Tuesday, the Student Diversity and Cultural Affairs Office of Loyola University Chicago presented the film "Brother to Brother," about a homosexual African-American who is transported in time to cavort with the allegedly homosexual writer Langston Hughes.

The film is part of a semester-long "Color of Queer Film Series" sponsored by the university. Upcoming films include "Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros" about a 12-year-old boy who falls in love with a male police officer, and "I Exist: Voices from the Lesbian and Gay Middle Eastern Community in the U.S."

This week is "Transgender Awareness Week" at Seattle University, which includes a session on allegedly transgender Bible heroes and heroines and "Criss-Cross Day," where students are encouraged to "come dressed for the day in your best gender-bending outfit." The events are sponsored by the university's Office of Multicultural Affairs and the student Trans and Allies Club.

"These obscene abuses of Catholic values come just as Christians begin a holy season of penance, fasting and almsgiving," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "That Catholic universities would permit these events on their campuses at any time of the year is unthinkable, but to do so during the holy season of Lent is unconscionable."

"The saddest part of this story is that there is no indication that these universities are ashamed or embarrassed by what is taking place on their Catholic campuses. Parents and potential students might begin to wonder how these universities can in good conscience consider themselves Catholic when they allow such perverse distortions of Catholic values to take place."

Visit the Cardinal Newman Society at: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/

Contact:

Georgetown University

President John J. DeGioia
Office of the President
204 Healy Hall
37th & O Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20057
Tel: (202) 687-4134
Fax: (202) 687-6660

Seattle University

President Sundborg SJ, Stephen
President's Office
901 12th Avenue, P.O. Box 222000
Seattle, WA 98122-1090
Administration Building 109
(206) 296-1891
SUNDBORG@seattleu.edu

Loyola University

Michael J. Garanzini SJ
President
mgaranz@luc.edu
Phone: 1 - 312 - 915-6400

National Pro-Life T-shirt Week

2009-02-27T10:03:00.001-06:00

Yep, that’s right American Life League’s National Pro-Life T-shirt Day has been extended to a week! To add to this craziness we will be initiating a photo scavenger hunt with prizes for first, second and third place! How cool is that! Keep checking back at www.NPLTW.com for more information. While you’re waiting go order the NPLTW shirt, it’s only $6.50!

Tiller the Killer to Stand Trial

2009-02-27T10:02:00.002-06:00

Kansas Judge Clark Owens has ruled that late-term, Wichita, abortionist George Tiller will stand trial in a court of law. During a pre-trial hearing, Tiller’s attorneys attempted to have the charges dismissed based upon a flimsy theory of “prosecutorial misconduct” on the part of former Attorneys General Phill Kline and Paul Morrison.
However, Judge Owens’ ruling came down as follows, “While Phill Kline testified that he would like for all abortions to be outlawed, his investigations made no attempts to prevent lawful abortions from being performed in the State of Kansas. His procedures have certainly been questioned by the Kansas Supreme Court, but his conduct in the investigation does not merit the sanction of the dismissal of the charges or suppression of evidence.
The motion to dismiss or suppress is therefore denied,”
“This has been a long time coming. Killing children is horrible enough to warrant prosecution, and his disregard for the laws of our state is finally catching up to him,” remarked Keith Ashley, Chapter Director of Rock for Life Kansas.
Tiller faces 19 charges of illegal late-term abortions for failure to obtain a second physician’s signature, and he could be sentenced to a year in prison for each charge. The trial is set to begin March 16.

Today we bury our great friend, Dave

2009-02-26T07:44:00.008-06:00

Dave Joyce is the epitome of "What a Great Guy". It would be difficult, it not impossible, to find someone (other than the hundreds of criminals he put away) that would have a bad word to say about Dave, or about his work ethic. Dave was prodigious in both scope and in depth of knowledge, within whatever attracted his keen, perceptive, and often smart-assed, attention.

If you were lucky enough to talk to Dave in his duties as a Detective-Sergeant with the Jennings Police Department, Jennings Police Department-ATF Joint Task Force, or Major Case Squad, you soon learned to lean in and listen to this unassuming, soft spoken man. His knowledge was referred to as "encyclopedic", and with good reason. Sure enough, if you followed a direction that Dave might provide, it generally led in the right direction, the right person, and a good conviction.

If you were even luckier to know and talk to Dave personally, you learned even quicker to lean in close and listen to this, unassuming, soft-spoken, incredibly intelligent, deep, big-hearted man.

The policeman stood and faced his God, which must always come to pass. He hoped his shoes were shining just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman. How shall I deal with you? Have you always turned the other cheek? To my church have you been true?"

The policeman squared his shoulders and said, "No, Lord. I guess I ain't. Because those who carry badges can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays, and at times my talk was rough... and sometimes I've been violent because the streets are awful tough.

But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep... though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear. And sometimes, God, forgive me, I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place among people here. They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand. I never expected or had too much. But if you don't... I'll understand."

There was silence all around the throne where the saints had often trod, ans the policeman waited quietly for the judgement of his God.

"Step forward now, policeman. You've borne your burdens well. Come walk a beat on heaven's streets. You've done your time in hell."

Octomom's gift to the pro-life movement

2009-02-25T11:12:00.003-06:00

By Jill Stanek
I don't know why Nadya Suleman opted for single, poverty-stricken motherhood on steroids, pun intended, undergoing the in vitro fertilization procedure several times to produce 14 children since 2001. The last eight were born Jan. 26.

But Suleman has explained why she opted to have her remaining six frozen embryos implanted at one time. (Two split into twins.) A RadarOnline.com video released Feb. 23 revealed Suleman's rationale while arguing with her mother, Angela:

Suleman: I planned on one growing, at the most two. … [T]his is all unintentional.
Mom: But did you read about the statistics?

Nadya: The statistics is that this doesn't happen…. This never, ever happened. One person it happened to.

Mom: … [Y]ou should have considered your other six children.

Nadya: OK, but … I'm not gonna destroy the embryos, period. …

Mom: … They were frozen, and you did not have to do anything.

Nadya: They were lives. The only thing you can do with frozen embryos?... You use them or destroy them. … Do you want to know how they destroy them? They allow them to live – they allow the cells to live – and then they kill them.

One of Suleman's publicists, Joann Killeen, stated in an interview before quitting due to death threats (taking bets on who made the threats, pro-lifers or pro-aborts), Suleman's decision had precedent: "The last pregnancy she had before the octuplets was six embryos planted, and she had twins."

After Suleman found she was carrying multiples, doctors recommended "selective reduction," or aborting some of the babies in theory to save the rest. Suleman explained why she rejected the suggestion in an interview with ABC's Ann Curry:

You know, what gives any human being a right to – to pick and choose which embryo – which fetus is more valuable than another. You know, that's not up to human beings.
So it appears Suleman was prompted to have so many embryos implanted and carry them all to term by pro-life principles, which is laudable. No matter what the circumstances of conception, resulting human life is a blessing.

That said, I'm frankly not a fan of IVF – hard to say knowing beautiful children who wouldn't be here sans IVF.

But I tend toward Catholic teaching that it is morally wrong to create the image of God in a petri dish.

Unintended negative consequences corroborate:

The process to mature and retrieve multiple human eggs at one time for the IVF procedure is harmful to women's health, involving the injection of numerous synthetic female steroids over several weeks. It has also led to the exploitation of women for eggs.

Studies show children conceived via IVF have increased health problems including a doubled risk of dying at or soon after birth, low birth weight, birth defects and cancer.

Thousands of human beings whose mother did not implant them remain in frozen suspended animation. These "leftovers that will be destroyed if not put to good use" have helped persuade the general public to support embryonic stem cell research. Now scientists are creating human clones, chimeras (human-animal mix) and shemales (mix of male-female DNA), to name a few.
Generally speaking, I think IVF is just another attempt to avoid the consequences of illicit sex. In Deuteronomy 28 we read:

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today … The fruit of your womb will be blessed. … However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today … The fruit of your womb will be cursed. …
I don't think God meant He would simply zap people with fertility or infertility depending on whether they obeyed Him or not. Following or disregarding God's guidelines for sexual behavior likewise leads to fertility or infertility.

Analogy: Jews avoided the Bubonic Plague by following God's laws for diet and hygiene (so noticeably they were accused of spreading it among Gentiles and persecuted).

Desires for personal population control and illicit sex have resulted in the Pill, abortion and STDs, all complicit in the current epidemic of infertility, as is disregarding the prime years God built women to procreate. The Pill plays a secondary role by leeching estrogen into our drinking water.

I am not making a blanket statement on the cause of infertility. But if we would restore sexual values, we'd see a big drop.

Now to the gift Nadya Suleman has given pro-lifers. In one fell swoop Suleman has spotlighted problems with unregulated IVF and turned public opinion against unregulated IVF.

Now is the time for pro-lifers to introduce legislation in their states regulating IVF and with it regulating the creation and care of embryos.

There is perfect model language, introduced in the Georgia Senate last week, The Ethical Treatment of Human Embryos Act, SB169.

SB169 limits the number of embryos implanted to the same number fertilized, up to a maximum of three, which will stop the practice of freezing human embryos and curtail selective reductions.

The bill defines ex utero embryos as human beings with inherent rights, so court disputes must be decided in the best interest of the embryo, not either parent fighting over the embryo.

SB169 goes much further, outlawing all forms of human cloning, creation of chimeras, etc. David Prentiss of the Family Research Council has endorsed SB 169.

Importantly, the wording of SB169 attempts to take Catholic concerns about IVF into account. Crafters are hoping for the endorsement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, even today.

There may be no better time to introduce legislation that addresses so many pro-life bioethical concerns at once.

Report: Fetal Stem Cells Trigger Tumors in Sick Child's Brain, Spinal Cord

2009-02-18T10:46:00.001-06:00

WASHINGTON — A family desperate to save a child from a lethal brain disease sought highly experimental injections of fetal stem cells — injections that triggered tumors in the boy's brain and spinal cord, Israeli scientists reported Tuesday.

Scientists are furiously trying to harness different types of stem cells — the building blocks for other cells in the body — to regrow damaged tissues and thus treat devastating diseases. But for all the promise, researchers have long warned that they must learn to control newly injected stem cells so they don't grow where they shouldn't, and small studies in people are only just beginning.

Tuesday's report in the journal PLoS Medicine is the first documented case of a human brain tumor — albeit a benign, slow-growing one — after fetal stem cell therapy, and hammers home the need for careful research. The journal is published by the Public Library of Science.

"Patients, please beware," said Dr. John Gearhart, a stem cell scientist at the University of Pennsylvania who wasn't involved in the Israeli boy's care but who sees similarly desperate U.S. patients head abroad to clinics that offer unproven stem cell injections.

"Cells are not drugs. They can misbehave in so many different ways, it just is going to take a good deal of time" to prove how best to pursue the potential therapy, Gearhart said.

The unidentified Israeli boy has a rare, fatal genetic disease with a tongue-twisting name — ataxia telangiectasia, or A-T. Degeneration of a certain brain region gradually robs these children of movement. Plus, a faulty immune system leads to frequent infections and cancers. Most die in their teens or early 20s.

Israeli doctors pieced together the child's history: When he was 9, the family traveled to Russia, to a Moscow clinic that provided injections of neural stem cells from fetuses — immature cells destined to grow into a main type of brain cells. The cells were injected into his brain and spinal cord twice more, at ages 10 and 12.

Back home in Israel at age 13, the boy's A-T was severe enough to require that he use a wheelchair when he also began complaining of headaches. Tests at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv uncovered a growth pushing on his brain stem and a second on his spinal cord. Surgeons removed the spinal cord mass when the boy was 14, in 2006 and they say his general condition has remained stable since then.

But was the boy prone to tumors anyway or were the fetal stem cells to blame? A Tel Aviv University team extensively tested the tumor tissue and concluded it was the fetal cells. Among other evidence, some of the cells were female and had two normal copies of the gene that causes A-T — although that boy's underlying poor immune function could have allowed the growths to take hold.

Using stem cells from multiple fetuses that also were mixed with growth-spurring compounds "may have created a high-risk situation where abnormal growth of more than one cell occurred," wrote lead researcher Dr. Ninette Amariglio of Sheba Medical. She urged better research to "maximize the potential benefits of regenerative medicine while minimizing the risks."

This brain disease wasn't conducive to stem cell therapy in the first place, said stem cell specialist Dr. Marius Wernig of Stanford University, who said it's unclear exactly what was implanted.

"Stem cell transplantations have a humongous potential," Wernig said. But "if people rush out there without really knowing what they're doing ... that really backfires and can bring this whole field to a halt."

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Eggs Human Status

2009-02-18T10:33:00.002-06:00

The measure that would make it all but impossible to get an abortion in the state now goes to the North Dakota Senate after the state House.

BISMARCK, N.D. -- A measure approved by the North Dakota House gives a fertilized human egg the legal rights of a human being, a step that would essentially ban abortion in the state.

The bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that extended abortion rights nationwide, supporters of the legislation said.

Representatives voted 51-41 to approve the measure Tuesday. It now moves to the North Dakota Senate for its review.

The bill declares that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a person protected by rights granted by the North Dakota Constitution and state laws.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said the legislation did not automatically ban abortion. Ruby has introduced bills in previous sessions of the Legislature to prohibit abortion in North Dakota.

"This language is not as aggressive as the direct ban legislation that I've proposed in the past," Ruby said during House floor debate on Tuesday. "This is very simply defining when life begins, and giving that life some protections under our Constitution — the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Critics of the measure say it will cost millions of dollars to defend. Ruby said the state has been willing to go to bat for other principles that were less important.

In Oklahoma, meanwhile, a state House committee Tuesday approved legislation that would prohibit physicians from performing abortions solely on account of the gender of a woman's fetus, even though the measure's author said there is no evidence the practice has ever occurred in the state.

The legislation passed 20-2 by the House Public Health Committee. The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

The author of the bill, Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, said it is designed to stop couples from using the gender of a fetus as a reason to get an abortion. Sullivan said a doctor would be prohibited from performing an abortion if the mother specifically said the fetus' sex was the reason.

However, he said there is no evidence the practice has occurred in Oklahoma. "I haven't received any definite information that proves it," Sullivan said.

ACTION ALERT! HELP STOP CONSTRUCTION OF MEGA-PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN PORTLAND

2009-02-17T14:36:00.000-06:00

HELP STOP CONSTRUCTION OF MEGA-PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN PORTLAND
Washington, D.C. (17 February 2009) – Act now to help Precious Children of Portland, the group leading the fight against construction of a 40,000 sq. ft. Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Oregon, by calling Peninsula Plumbing, and asking that they cease doing business with the nation's largest abortion chain.

Construction has begun on this facility, but it is not too late for Peninsula Plumbing to get out of its contract.

Call Peninsula Plumbing at (503) 761-0500 and ask for Planned Parenthood project manager, Baron Adams,

E-mail Peninsula Plumbing at info@peninsulaplumbing.com or write to: 13520 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97236.

Samples of letters or ideas on what to say can be found on the Precious Children of Portland's website at: http://www.preciouschildrenofportland.org/contacts.

Let's help close this business deal between Peninsula Plumbing and Planned Parenthood!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Precious Children of Portland
http://www.preciouschildrenofportland.org/

From a friend...

2009-02-12T11:11:00.004-06:00

Dear Friends and Intercessors:

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do:

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500

On the back, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion.
It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.
Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

From a friend...

2009-02-12T11:11:00.000-06:00

Nothing says romance like 'National Condom Week'

2009-02-12T07:30:00.001-06:00

Planned Parenthood’s ‘National Condom Week’

As many of you already know, PP is an organization that kills for profit and lures young people into its clinics to sell them birth control and abortions, while promoting sexual promiscuity for youth in particular and society in general. Once again, PP is attempting to twist a day on which we traditionally send love notes and chocolates to the persons we love into another marketing opportunity.

February 14, Valentine’s Day, is fast approaching, and unfortunately, PP is once again lying to youth and young adults by telling them that not using a condom means they do not love the other person. PP, the nation’s largest abortion chain, certainly does not know what love is! PP takes Valentine’s Day and calls it “National Condom Day.” We have also come across situations wherein PP has labeled the week in which Valentine’s Day occurs (February 7–14) as “National Condom Week” and the entire month of February “National Condom Month.”

Take, for example, PP of Golden Gate in California – an affiliate known not only for making atrocious videos to sell more birth control and abortions, but also for bragging about concealing the rape of an 11-year-old girl on its web site. Now it is encouraging people to send condom e-cards for “Valentine’s Day/National Condom Week.”

Upper Hudson PP in New York plans to celebrate “National Condom Week” by giving businesses drink coasters displaying PP’s condoms and a character who says, “No glove, no love!” It has also provided “safer sex” kits to those who answered questions correctly as part of its question and answer game at Muddy Cup, an Albany coffee shop.

In the past, “National Condom Week” kicked off on February 14 at most PP affiliates. However, whether it starts before or after February 14, its motive hasn’t changed: PP wants your money and wants you to believe the lies. So, we need to continue to spread the truth: Living a promiscuous lifestyle will NOT solve your problems, and it will NOT bring you love. It will, however, increase your chances of getting an STD or AIDS. Living the life of chastity is the way to really show someone you love him/her. You also love yourself by respecting yourself and others, and ultimately, you love Christ by living the way He wants us to live. Living and loving others in this way brings authentic freedom – something PP knows nothing about.

Chastity is for Lovers

2009-02-11T15:54:00.006-06:00

With my birthday tomorrow ending an era that is my twenties, I thought this was a most appropriate article written my friend Bryan from Stand True. Since I was born just two days shy of Saint Valentine's Day, I have always been a romantic. When I was younger, I often confused lust and love and paid a hefty price for it: a broken heart. But after much self evaluation, I learned that the only one who could give me true love is Christ. I also realized that all of the times I chose sin, I was breaking His heart.
Just over three years ago I met my best friend, my husband. Christ blessed me with the best man I have ever known and we strive to live our life together as an example to other Christian Lovers!

Chastity is for Lovers

We are often asked why we use the word chastity over the word abstinence. Isn't it the same thing? Why would you tell married people to practice chastity? Are you saying that sex is bad even if you're married?

Most people think that abstinence and chastity are the same thing. Far from it: abstinence is simply abstaining from sex, but with some people that definition becomes very fuzzy. Some would say that remaining abstinent means refraining from all sexual activity, while others would say it simply refers to sexual intercourse and nothing else.

Chastity, on the other hand, is not just about abstaining from sexual behavior; it's a lifestyle that we choose to live. While chastity does include refraining from sexual activity before marriage, it also encompasses much more.

Chastity is not just for non-married people; it's something for everyone to embrace and practice. As a married man I must live a chaste life in my marriage and remain chaste to my wife. That does not mean that I abstain from sex with my wife; it means that I abstain from outside sexual behavior. A married couple enters into a bond and covenant with God to remain faithful to each other and to keep their marriage bed sacred.

Outside of the marriage covenant, sexual behavior is simply an act of lust. While many may say that they love each other and that it's entered into in love, it really cannot be defined as love. God is the creator of sex and He made us sexual beings. However, He did set guidelines for sex and created it for a purpose.

Sex is not simply about physical pleasure, as today's society may teach. If you were to look at what the media, educational system, Planned Parenthood, MTV and most of popular culture push onto the youth, you would think that humans were simply wild animals with no self-control.

Sex is so much more than just physical pleasure. It was created for two main purposes: reproduction and unity between man and wife. We, of course, know that there is physical pleasure involved, but that does not mean it's good for all occasions.

There is a popular saying: "If it feels good, it must be OK." We know that it would be ridiculous to apply that to everything in life. I know that drugs feel good, but does that make them OK? When someone commits a crime they may get a rush of adrenaline that feels good, but does that make it OK? There are many things in life that are fun and give us pleasure. That does not necessarily make them right.

Many also teach that sex is a taboo or dirty thing. While outside of the marriage covenant sex is forbidden by God, it i s not in and of itself dirty or taboo. Sex is a beautiful act that God created for man and wife to enjoy and to bring them closer together as one. Sex brings a unity and bond to a man and a woman that God intended for us to share in a loving relationship.

The word love is so misused in today's society; it has almost no meaning in most instances. God created love and gave us the ability to love. Lust, which is what takes place when we abuse sex and ignore its purpose, can very often be mistaken for love.

When people enter into a sexual relationship outside of the bonds of marriage it is simply to fulfill their own selfish desires for physical pleasure. When a man pressures a woman into sex and tells her, "You would if you loved me," he is simply coercing her for his own selfish desire. Lust becomes the driving factor, not love.

When young people start to date and become physically involved certain things happen inside their bodies. It's how we are created. Physical activity will trigger our bodies to react in ways that God intended, but He intended those reactions for marriage.

So, where do we draw the line? What is appropriate behavior for a man and woman who are not married? The question should not be, "How far can we go before it's a sin?" The question should be, "Are we acting in lust or in love?"

It seems so often that we just want to fulfill our own desires instead of wanting to honor God and our bodies in the way God intended. We look at sex and physical pleasure as simply that: pleasure.

Many groups teach that it's unhealthy to restrain ourselves and deny the sexual desires that we have for each other. This comes from the mindset that we should indulge in what feels good and live our lives for ourselves. This is contrary to all that God teaches us about life. The scripture teaches us in Galatians 2:20 , " I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

We must live our lives for Christ and not for ourselves or for our selfish desires. Many of us forget this principle when it comes to our physical relationships, but truly unhealthy behavior is living our lives for ourselves, including engaging in sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage. We all know that there are so many pitfalls to promiscuous sexual behavior such as STDs, unwed pregnancies, heartbreak and brokenness. The world seems to try so hard to come up with false hope and protection from these dangers, but the answer is simple.

If we truly act in love and treat sex as it was intended, then we can avoid these dangers along with a need for false safety nets. If we truly act in love we can experience sex in the way God intended it, which is the most beautiful expression of our love to each other.

If we are acting in lust, not love, then we are robbing ourselves of the true purpose of an amazing gift God gave to us. If we are acting in love, than we are honoring God and each other. If we are acting in love we are living a chaste life both before and in our marriage.

Chastity is for lovers.
Bryan Kemper bryankemper@standtrue.com

AGAIN? Planned Parenthood investigates alleged failure to report 'abuse'

2009-02-06T07:32:00.001-06:00

By Stephanie Innes
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 02.05.2009

Planned Parenthood of Arizona is investigating an accusation that one of its staff members did not alert authorities when a girl who said she was 15 reported a pregnancy resulting from sex with a man nearly twice her age.

The accusation comes from Lila Rose, 20, a junior at UCLA and editor of an anti-abortion magazine, who did an undercover, hidden-camera operation at Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger Center in Tucson. The girl in the video is not pregnant or a minor.

Planned Parenthood Arizona spokeswoman Jolinda Nestor said the video footage appears to be edited and is part of an "ongoing coordinated effort by a small but vocal minority that strongly opposes Planned Parenthood."

"At this time, we cannot verify the accuracy of the tapes," she said.

In the video, Rose's friend, 21-year-old Jackie Stollar, poses as a 15-year-old named Lizzie who says she was impregnated by her 27-year-old boyfriend, and Rose goes along as her friend. In Arizona, sexual conduct between an adult and a 15-year-old is a felony.

The Planned Parenthood nurse appears to disregard the boyfriend's age and advises Lizzie not to bring him to the judicial-bypass hearing that's required in Arizona to waive parental consent for abortion.

Planned Parenthood Arizona officials on Wednesday released a statement about Rose's video and stressed that an investigation is ongoing.

"Planned Parenthood Arizona provides high-quality health care and takes any allegation of this nature very seriously," said Rachel Chánes vice president of community services for Planned Parenthood Arizona.

"We are conducting an internal, fact-based review to ensure that all our high standards of care and legal obligations have been met. Planned Parenthood Arizona is committed to following all laws, and the health and safety of our patients is our top priority."

Arizona law says medical professionals must report suspected sexual abuse if there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the abuse occurred.

Rose said the video is part of a multistate investigation that she's undertaken to expose what she believes are cover-ups of sexual abuse by Planned Parenthood.
She denies the video footage, which can be viewed on YouTube, is intended as anti-abortion propaganda.

"Our goal is to expose sexual abuse cover-up for the public to see the truth about what is happening at Planned Parenthood and ultimately for state authorities to look at this evidence carefully and conduct their own investigations," she said.

Update: Boycott NBC!

2009-01-30T09:19:00.003-06:00

You may also send emails to: victoria.morgan@nbc.com

Boycott NBC!

2009-01-30T09:19:00.001-06:00

NBC is refusing to air The CatholicVote.com ad (please view it if you have not already done so, it is awesome) see news article: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174307/posts
Please write to NBC and tell them that you disagree with their choice! Here is my letter, which you are welcome and encouraged to use:

To: programming@nbcuni.com

I understand that you will not air the http://www.catholicvote.com/ ad. For this reason, I will not be watching the Superbowl or any other programming on NBC. Thank you.
Sincerely,

Obama Promises to Fund Coercive China One-Child Policy Collaborator UNFPA

2009-01-27T14:05:00.000-06:00

By Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following on the heels of the elimination of the Mexico City Policy, President Obama has confirmed that the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which helped instigate, perpetuate and enforce China's coercive one-child policy, will again receive taxpayer dollars.

Appended to the statement announcing the end of the Mexico City Policy, Obama said: "In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund.

"By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries." The move came as no surprise as Obama has spoken out in favor of UNFPA funding in the past.

President Bush halted funding for UNFPA when it was discovered by an independent investigation in 2001, and confirmed by a U.S. State Department investigation in 2002, that the UN group supported restrictive laws and coercive population control tactics in China, including forced abortion and sterilization.

"The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has decided to continue to provide financial and technical assistance to the Chinese birth limitation program under the direction of China’s National Population and Family Planning Commission," read a 2006 statement from U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

It continued: "The U.S. opposition to this program is a matter of principle. It is not directed at UNFPA as an institution. Rather, it is based on the strong opposition of the United States to human rights abuses associated with coercive birth limitation regimes." The statement, however, was recently erased from the State Department website.

Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002 confirmed the link between UNFPA and China's coercive population control policies following a Population Research Institute (PRI) probe (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/oct/011005c.html).

Vatican official accuses Obama of 'arrogance'

2009-01-27T11:48:00.001-06:00

A senior Vatican official on Saturday attacked US President Barack Obama for "arrogance" for overturning a ban on state funding for family-planning groups that carry out or facilitate abortions overseas.
It is "the arrogance of someone who believes they are right, in signing a decree which will open the door to abortion and thus to the destruction of human life," Archbishop Rino Fisichella was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera daily.

Fisichella is president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, one of a number of so-called pontifical academies which are formed by or under the direction of the Holy See.

"What is important is to know how to listen... without locking oneself into ideological visions with the arrogance of a person who, having the power, thinks they can decide on life and death," he added.

Obama signed the executive order cancelling the eight-year-old restrictions on Friday, the third full day of his presidency.

The so-called "global gag rule" cut off US funding to overseas family planning clinics which provide any abortion services whatsoever, from the operation itself to counselling, referrals or post-abortion services.

"If this is one of the first acts of President Obama, with all due respect, it seems to me that the path towards disappointment will have been very short," Fisichella said.

"I do not believe that those who voted for him took into consideration ethical themes, which were astutely left aside during the election debate. The majority of the American population does not take the same position as the president and his team," he added.

The order won Obama praise from Democratic lawmakers, family planning and women's rights groups but drew angry condemnation from pro-life organisations and Republicans.

More than 250 health and human rights organisations from around the world sent Obama a letter, thanking him for ending a policy "which has contributed to the deaths and injuries of countless women and girls."

Copyright AFP 2008

Obama lifts ban, will use your tax dollars to pay for abortions around the world

2009-01-23T12:14:00.000-06:00

President Obama has lifted a ban on federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions, reversing a policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Obama's actions mean that hundreds of millions of your tax dollars will go to help groups like Planned Parenthood perform abortions around the world.

His actions came one day after the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states.

Please take the action suggested below. It will not cause Obama to reverse his decision, but it will send a notice to him that unborn babies are human and deserve the same rights as the born.

Take Action!

Send an e-mail to Obama asking him to stop funding the killing of unborn children.
After you send the e-mail, please make a phone call (202-456-1414) and leave a message that you strongly disagree with Obama's using tax dollars to fund abortion.

36 years since Roe vs. Wade

2009-01-22T07:47:00.003-06:00

Obama acts quickly, lays out his abortion and gay agenda

2009-01-21T15:41:00.003-06:00

One of his first moves pushes social issues to the top.

It didn't take long for President Barack Hussein Obama to move his social issues to the top of his to-do list. His agenda on gay rights can be found here and on abortion rights here.

This is only the beginning of Obama's plans to reshape society. His view is that unborn babies aren't worth protecting and that homosexuals deserve special rights.

Now, not later, is the time to let President Obama know that you oppose his efforts. People like you who oppose taking the life of the unborn and who oppose giving special rights to those who practice of perverted sex need to take action now!

It is time to ask your friends and family who have not been engaged to get involved. This is not the time to quit. It is a time to act! Our children and grandchildren are counting on us!

Take Action!

Send this email or your own to President Obama. It will go directly to the White House.

Please share this to your family and friends so they can read about Obama's priorities.

Happy Inauguration Day Mr. President

2009-01-20T13:05:00.001-06:00

Oregon's Bishop Vasa Says : "Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars"

2009-01-20T07:49:00.000-06:00

By Bishop Robert Vasa

The Mass readings for the week between Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord are taken from the First Letter of St. John. These readings are not always used for it often happens, depending upon the day on which Christmas falls, that the season of ordinary time begins immediately after the celebration of Epiphany. This year, however, the occurrence of Christmas allowed for a full week between these two post-Christmas celebrations and thus the readings from St. John’s first letter. As often happens, the daily Mass readings are both appealing and challenging. The reading of Thursday from I John 4:19ff is particularly appropriate in this year when the life issues are very much on the minds of pro-life persons.

The reason for the increased awareness and even concern on the part of the pro-life community is the specter of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which is highly rumored to be in the works at the federal level. It is this act which has stimulated the bishops of the United States to launch a massive postcard campaign calling upon the House and Senate to abandon FOCA. While further details about the dramatic impact of FOCA on our American culture can be found in many places, I will simply say that it would establish abortion as a federally protected right and, as I understand it, preclude state limitation or regulation of abortion. Further, since abortion would be a federally protected right, it is very possible that even Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Physicians would be mandated to provide this heinous service.

Thus I strongly urge all who have a glimmer of concern for the lives of pre-born children to engage themselves in this postcard campaign. This is not an action which would limit or alter present permissive abortion laws, which some so-called Catholic pro-choice persons might object to, it would simply preclude a dramatic expansion of that permissiveness. Thus it would be very difficult for any Catholic, no matter how much in favor of abortion itself, to find a reason to refuse to participate in this campaign. At the same time, I do not see how any Catholic senator or representative could vote for the passage of FOCA without recognizing that such a vote would constitute a direct and intentional declaration of their disdain for Catholic teaching. Such a vote would be tantamount to a public declaration of their intention to abandon the Catholic faith. It would be imperative that the faith consequences of such a declaration be allowed to fall fully on the heads of those who would make it.
The writing from St. John applies: “Beloved, we love God because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from Him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
We of the Catholic faith certainly know that love of God is central to our tenets, this is the appealing part. It is hard to imagine a Catholic saying, “I am a Catholic in good standing but I do not love God.” But the inspired scriptures tell us that whoever does not love his brother or neighbor does not and, indeed, cannot love God. This is the challenging part. The people of Jesus’ day understood this and it was this understanding that prompted them to ask, “And who is my neighbor?” For all of us, and especially for Catholic legislators in every strata of government, it is necessary to declare, in conformity with the Natural Law and the teaching of the Catholic Church that, the pre-born child is our brother, our sister, our neighbor!

It may sound a little strong to state that legislators “hate” the pre-born child but hate is an absence of love and love means to wish another well. There is nothing about abortion that wishes the pre-born child well. The preservation of abortion “rights” is already an absence of love for the pre-born child but the passage of FOCA could be construed as nothing less than active and positive disregard, even hatred, for these our brothers and sisters. To paraphrase St. John, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but votes for FOCA, thus showing a disregard for his pre-born brother or sister, he is a liar.” Lots of things can be rationalized in government but I do not see any way in which any Catholic could rationalize or justify an affirmative vote for FOCA.

It is not necessary for your postcards to be as outspoken as this bishop but you do have an obligation to participate in this concerted effort to show love for the tiniest and most defenseless of our brothers and sisters. President-elect Obama made it very clear, prior to the election, that he would happily sign FOCA and the millions of Catholics who voted for him hopefully did so for reasons other than this promise and certainly not because of it. It seems to me that it is particularly incumbent upon these same voters to make it clearly known to their representatives that their vote may not in any way be taken as a sign of support for FOCA.

Another way in which we show our affirmative love for our pre-born brothers and sisters is by way of our annual memorial on Jan. 22. This year the Diocesan Office of Pro-life Activities has scheduled a rosary and Mass at St. Joseph’s in Prineville on Thursday evening, Jan. 22. The rosary will commence at 6:30 p.m. with Mass beginning at 7 p.m. While I recognize that many parishes host similar memorial Masses to pray for the two-fold victims of abortion, the child and the mother, I invite any who can to join me at the rosary and Mass at St. Joseph’s in Prineville.

Regardless of how many years have passed since the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Decision and regardless of how prevalent and routine abortion has become in this country, the simple truth remains, it is an act of extreme violence to the pre-born child and to the distressed mother. Thus, if anyone says, “I love God” and still favors abortion, he is, to quote St. John, a liar. May we all live out faithfully what it means to love God.

Campbell's labels help support gay marriage

2009-01-16T08:23:00.002-06:00

Many people aren’t aware that when their school participates in Campbell’s “Labels for Education” program they are supporting a company that has openly come out in support of homosexual marriage, and it has no intentions of stopping that support.

“Labels for Education” provides equipment for schools in exchange for proofs of purchase from the family of Campbell’s brands.

Many of the schools that participate don’t know that Campbell’s supports the homosexual publication The Advocate with advertising. The Advocate is a leading promoter of same-sex marriage.

AFA asked Campbell’s to be neutral in the culture war. Campbell’s refused and said it would continue to support The Advocate. The Media Daily News reported that a Campbell spokesman was quoted as saying: “Our plans for the Swanson brand [a division of Campbell’s] include additional placements in The Advocate." To show their commitment to same-sex marriage, Campbell's sought out and featured two "married" lesbians and their son in one of the ads.

Take Action!

Check to see if your school participates in Campbell’s “Labels for Education” program. If so, ask them to stop participating. These labels support a company that openly supports homosexual marriage.

Campbell is blocking AFA e-mails. However, you can send a personally written e-mail directly to Chrm. Donant by clicking here. After sending your e-mail, please call Campbell Soup Company (1-800-257-8443) and its Swanson division (1-800-442-7684) and express your disappointment that Campbell's is supporting same-sex marriage.

Share this with your friends and family.

Anti-Abortion Forces Target Planned Parenthood

2009-01-15T15:22:00.000-06:00

Undeterred by solid Democratic gains in November's national elections, religious conservatives who oppose abortion are going on the offensive with a new weapon: a sick economy.

In its largest-ever state-based initiative, the Family Research Council (FRC) is contacting every state lawmaker in the country with a plea to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, one of the nation's largest providers of family planning and abortion services.

Their argument is fairly simple: lots of organizations need public money now, but Planned Parenthood -- with a $1 billion budget and a $114 million operating surplus -- isn't one of them.

"Planned Parenthood has proven that they don't need federal or state handouts," says Tom McClusky, vice president for government affairs at the Washington-based FRC. "During these economic times, when states are rethinking their investments, subsidizing abortion is probably not the kind of thing that they want to be known for."

Planned Parenthood has long been a favorite target for abortion opponents, who chafe at the $337 million that the organization receives from public sources to help run its 880 clinics nationwide. States are the center of the action because 17 state legislatures permit their funds to be used for abortions. Federal funds, by contrast, can support only non-abortion services, such as counseling and birth control.

Basing the de-funding argument on a dour economy represents a new wrinkle in a long-term strategy, according to Ted Jelen, a political scientist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who studies attitudes toward abortion.

Since most Americans aren't deeply convinced of the moral merits or demerits of abortion, Jelen says, critics of abortion increasingly seek allies by appealing to other value systems -- outrage over the grotesque image of a late-term abortion, for example, or now, a belt-tightening eagerness to purge unnecessary spending during an economic crisis.

"Most people are pro-choice under at least some circumstances,"
Jelen said. "So the idea that `maybe we can't afford this in tough economic times' might be fairly plausible."

Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, is tuning up an economic argument of its own.

"Public funding of family planning services is an investment in prevention care that has numerous dividends," says Tait Sye, spokesperson for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in an e-mailed statement. "Cutting public funding of family planning is bad public policy, will leave even more women without access to vital health care services, and will lead to increased health care costs for the state."

FRC recently launched its lawmaker outreach campaign after staffers noticed cash-strapped local governments in Florida, Georgia and Texas cutting funds for Planned Parenthood. If budget concerns could prevail in those locales, activists figured, then maybe the same could happen in statehouses from coast to coast.

Other conservative Christian groups are mobilizing, too. The American Life League (ALL) of Stafford, Va., has re-ordered its political priorities this year to focus primarily on de-funding Planned Parenthood, according to Jim Sedlak, director of the ALL's Stop Planned Parenthood project. In his view, the GOP's steep losses in November do not necessarily suggest that Americans have warmed to abortion rights.

"This (election) battle wasn't about abortion, or pro-life or moral values. This election was all about the economy," Sedlak said. "I don't think you can take a message from the election in terms of the moral fight over abortion. ... Things are going our way, and this election was an aberration for other reasons."

Still, anti-abortion activists face logistical and political hurdles. State funding often gets channeled through agencies or local governments, which then may subcontract with Planned Parenthood affiliates for services. That means cutting money for Planned Parenthood isn't as simple as dropping a single line item in a state budget bill.

"We're trying to understand exactly how much funding in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is going to Planned Parenthood," said David Edmunds, policy analyst at the Family Foundation of Kentucky in Lexington. "We have to determine that first before we have any kind of action strategy to try to de-fund it."

Abortion-rights supporters, meanwhile, recognize they may need to be assertive in order for Planned Parenthood to resist the fierce budget-cutting pressures expected in 2009. To that end, they're highlighting the importance of maintaining accessibility to Planned Parenthood's full range of services, especially in hard economic times.

"This economic downturn is going to throw a lot of middle-class women into the `poor' category," said Rev. Carlton W. Veazey, president of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in Washington.

"They're going to lose their jobs, and they're going to need these services."

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald
Religion News Service

Copyright 2009 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.

Abortion memorial to honor 50 million dead

2009-01-15T15:17:00.003-06:00

The 58,000 names on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., occupy a 10-foot wall that is 500 feet long, so pro-life activists assembling a memorial for the estimated 50 million dead as a result of the 1973 legalization of abortion had to turn to cyberspace.

That's because a wall with that many names would be more than 80 miles long.

The new project, called Personhood, is intended to raise awareness of the cost of abortion in American lives and generate support for a series of advertisements that address the personhood issue: the idea that constitutional rights should be conferred on the unborn.

Dan Becker, the chief of Georgia Right to Life, which has been involved in battling for recognition of personhood rights, said the response has been phenomenal.

In the ad, two prospective parents discuss options for their coming child with a doctor. The physician describes the wonderful genetic advances that have just been developed as they talk about the sex of the child - male - and hair color, blonde.

The discussion is interrupted when the couple's young daughter, apparently born before such technological innovations, turns to her mother and asks: "Would you love me more if I were perfect?"

Hundreds of visitors have been visiting the site daily to participate, organizers for the site said.

SupportPersonhood.com features a short video describing the goal of remembering individual victims of abortion by granting them an identity and providing an epitaph, thereby personalizing the loss.

"Unlike the Jewish Holocaust, there are no pictures of death and destruction to prick our consciences and bring these dark deeds into the light. There is no enduring reminder that these children were our hope and our future," Becker said.

"They are voiceless, faceless and anonymous thereby leaving no lasting impression of their short existence," he said.

"The purpose of this project is to promote personhood within our culture," said Becker.

"We need to be a voice for the voiceless, and we saw this as a way to portray the loss that each individual human life represents. By naming each child, we clothe them in death with the human dignity they deserve," he said.

Individuals are asked to "adopt a child" and provide it an identity and leave a short memorial message. The wall is searchable and the "adoptions" of others may be viewed.

The concept, a new effort by many pro-life activists across the nation, was described in a commentary by Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center.

"While seeking to decrease the number of abortions performed in this country is a laudable endeavor and should continue, we must never forget that ending all abortions is the ultimate goal," he said. "Protecting innocent human life is not negotiable.

He said while critics argue that regulating abortion and seeking to end abortion are "either-or" propositions, they aren't.

"There is no conflict between the two positions, so long as principle is not compromised in the process. Both strategies can and must coexist. However, it would be a tragic mistake to be content with a strategy that makes ending abortion secondary to other regulatory efforts, or worse yet, a strategy that avoids it altogether. Accordingly, passing a human life amendment should be the pro-life movement's main effort," he said.

He suggested a case needs to be presented to the United States Supreme Court to challenge the central premise of Roe – that the unborn is not a person within the meaning of the law.

"In Roe," he said, "the court conceded that if the 'personhood' of the fetus 'is established, [the case for abortion], of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [Fourteenth] Amendment.'"

Pro-Abortion Groups Post ‘Wish List’ on Obama’s Web Site

2009-01-15T15:15:00.001-06:00

(CNSNews.com) – A coalition of pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, the Guttmacher Institute, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the American Civil Liberties Union, have posted a reproductive health wish list on the Obama Transition Team Web site, change.gov.

The list outlines the steps the groups think the next president should take during his first 100 days in office to promote and fund abortion in America and around the globe.

The 50-plus-page document, “Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration,” is a laundry list of actions that the coalition says president-elect Barack Obama should put in place to “advance a reproductive health agenda that will make a profound difference in the lives and health of women, men and family in the United States and around the world.”

“For too long, our nation’s reproductive health policies have failed to address adequately the heath care needs of women and their families,” the plan says. “Skyrocketing costs and ideologically driven government restrictions have put reproductive health services out of reach for millions of women.”

The actions the document calls for partly include the following:

- Increasing Title X Family Planning Funding, which funds Planned Parenthood and others on the list, from $300 million in fiscal year 2009 to $700 million in 2010.

- Federal funding of abortions for Medicaid-eligible women, federal employees and their dependents, residents of the District of Columbia, Peace Corp volunteers, Native American women and women in federal prisons.

- Reduce the cost and increase availability of contraceptives for women on college campuses.

- Rescind the so-called “Global Gag Rule,” or Mexico City Policy first implemented by President Ronald Reagan in 1989, to allow federal funding of programs in foreign countries that promote or perform abortions.

- De-fund abstinence-only programs.

- Increase federal funding of international family planning programs from $461 million in fiscal year 2009 to $1 billion for 2010.

- Remove age restrictions -- which is now 18 or older -- for access to over-the-counter emergency contraceptives.

- Create the first-ever comprehensive sex education program that is paid for by federal dollars.

- Calls on Congress to pass the Freedom of Choice Act, which would strike down all state and federal laws that restrict abortion and make federally funded abortions available in all 50 states.

- Reverse the Health and Human Services Federal Refusal Rule, which protects health care professionals who are morally opposed to promoting or providing abortions.

- Appoint judges who support Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.

Pro-life groups have reacted to the proposal by acknowledging that the policies it supports have long been part of the agenda of pro-abortion advocates.

“It’s not anything new,” Judie Brown, president and co-founder of the American Life League, told CNSNews.com. “Basically, it’s a boiler plate desire list of the pro-abortion organizations that have been around for years.”

“The thing that I think is different now, is that (the groups) actually have someone going into the White House who agrees with every single one of these priorities that they’ve listed in this report,” Brown said.

“Needless to say, this is the pro-life advocate’s worst nightmare realized,” Rev. Clenard Childress, northeast director of the Life Education and Resource Center and senior pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church in Montclair, N.J., told CNSNews.com. “Unquestionably, it does vindicate the strong opposition of those who were concerned about mothers and the unborn about electing Barack Obama.”

But Malika Saada Saar, executive director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, which also signed onto the proposal, told CNSNews.com that her organization thinks the plan submitted to the next president is positive.

Saar described the report as “broad, detailed and thoughtful,” and the “right path” for promoting reproductive rights.

“I believe we ought to be in a place of allowing mothers to exercise their right of when they want to be able to mother,” Saar said. “And allowing full access to abortion allows women to exercise when they feel it is best to become a mother, and to be able to mother their children with the dignity and the safety and the stability that they see is required.”

Pro-life advocates, however, see a silver lining of sorts for their cause under an Obama administration.

“I hope this wakes up the sleeping people of conscience,” Childress said. “This is a political, social revolution right now, and we’d better make our voices heard as never before.”

Brown said her organization has its own proposal in the works, inspired by the pro-abortion proposal.

“We have a golden opportunity in the pro-life movement with (Obama) in the White House to raise awareness and, if we don’t do that, we’ve failed,” Brown said.

Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said he does not think the American people want the kind of change proposed by the authors of the plan.

“Abortion supporters overestimate their own strength, because much of what they want will not be achievable,” Pavone told CNSNews.com. “The culture is moving in a pro-life direction, and the election outcome does not reflect any pro-abortion shift on the part of the American people.”

“Some 34 percent of voters said that the abortion issue affected their vote, with 25 percent voting for pro-life candidates and only 9 percent for abortion supporters,” Pavone said. “For Obama or these pro-abortion groups to claim that he has any kind of ‘mandate’ to implement this laundry list of changes is both misinformed and dishonest.”

Ringling College and Planned Parenthood

2009-01-15T09:24:00.001-06:00

At the beginning of each performance of the Ringling Brothers circus, the ringmaster exclaims, "Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages ..."

But, the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida is near a final decision on a lease with Planned Parenthood in Sarasota that will put artwork from the college’s students directly below a Planned Parenthood abortion facility – where future circus attendees will be killed.

Under the lease, reportedly at $1 a year for 99 years, the school would display student art in a 1,000-square-foot street-level gallery in the new Planned Parenthood building. The gallery would be visible from the sidewalk through a large glass wall. Patrons could go inside to view the art closely and the school reportedly would have at least some of the art for sale.

On the floor just above the proposed gallery is Planned Parenthood's new abortion facility that will commit an estimated 1,000 abortions a year.

In a previous statement, Ringling college president Dr. Larry Thompson said the school would not be supporting Planned Parenthood but its own students. He added: "As an organization, Ringling School does not espouse any views on the activities of Planned Parenthood or any pro-life organization. We are not a part of any of those organizations and do not intend to be."

Can you imagine a college bearing the prestigious Ringling name not caring about the killing of children? Can you imagine students proudly displaying their art while wondering if blood will drip from the ceiling onto their work? Can you imagine how gallery visitors will react when they learn what is occurring over their heads?

The Ringling family has a long and proud relationship with the arts. The Ringling Museum of Art was established 82 years ago by John and Mable Ringling. Their home, Ca d'Zan, is a treasure trove of art, visited by millions from around the world. Sarasota was the home of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for decades and its legacy remains throughout the community. The art museum grounds include a circus museum.

Now, all of this grand history will be tarnished because the Ringling College administration wants a free facility to show the students’ art. With this 99-year lease, the Ringling name will be linked to Planned Parenthood, operator of the nation's largest abortion chain, forever.

Every time the Ringling Brothers' circus arrives in any town in America, people will be reminded of the association between Ringling College and Planned Parenthood.
ACTION ALERT: Now is the time to speak out. To express your views on a student art gallery at Planned Parenthood’s killing center, contact these key people:
Larry Thompson, president
lthompso@ringling.edu
941-359-7601

Christine Meeker Lange, special assistant to the president for media and community relations
Clange@ringling.edu
941-359-7594

Dr. Tammy Walsh, dean of students
twalsh@ringling.edu
941-359-7509
(50 students are in the Catholic student group FOCUS, which operates under her authority.)

Christine DeGeorge, vice president for human organizational development
ccarnegi@ringling.edu
941-359-7619
(She is very concerned about Ringling's image and wants to keep everyone happy. Cigarette butts on campus or offensive art displayed there or bad food in the Ringling cafeteria are major concerns to her and she takes action immediately to correct the problem)

Jim Dean, dean of admissions
jdean@ringling.edu
941-359-7524
(Each student is worth $140,000 to the college.)

Deficit of a trillion dollars a year as far as the eye can see

2009-01-14T13:06:00.002-06:00

Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be paying off the debt we are incurring...

Our government now owes more money than all of us in the country put together possess. We now owe nearly $57 trillion while our net worth is $56.5 trillion.

President-elect Barack Obama has said that we can expect a trillion dollars in additional debt each year as far as the eye can see into the future. Soon Obama will ask Congress for an additional trillion dollars to bail out certain large companies.

Remember when they gave $350 billion to the banks? That money is gone and guess what? The banks cannot or will not tell us what they did with it.

Obama's plan, being promoted by Democrats and Republicans alike, is to pass out money, running up debt that our grandchildren will be forced to pay. Their solution is simple. Throw more money at the problem.

Where will the government get these trillions of dollars? They will go to the printing press and print more, which means that dollar in your pocket will be worth less.
It also means the government will borrow more. From whom? Try China and the rich oil producing countries. At the rate we are going, China will never have to fight us. They will own us.

Our leaders, if that is what you want to call them, are unwilling to call us to bite the bullet and pay the price for our irresponsible financial behavior. It is immoral to pass this debt on to our grandchildren.

The time to act is now, before it is too late. While it may be painful now, failure to act will be deadly in the future.

Take Action!

Send an e-mail to your representative and senators telling them not to support the trillion dollar bailout.
Please share this post with family and friends. If Congress fails to hear from their constituents they will probably vote for Obama's trillion dollar bailout.

Nation's First Goverment-funded Abortion Alternatives Program Serves Over 150,000 Women Since 1995

2009-01-13T18:46:00.004-06:00

Pennsylvania Program Sets Record - 19,747 women provided pregnancy and parenting support services last year.

Harrisburg, PA (January 12, 2009) - Real Alternatives, statewide administrator for the award winning Pennsylvania Alternative to Abortion Services Program, reports that in fiscal year 2007 -2008 a record 19,747 women were provided comprehensive counseling, mentoring, and support throughout their nine (9) months of pregnancy and twelve (12) months after the birth of their baby. In fiscal year 2007-2008 the program received its highest funding of $6.5 million per year by the Commonwealth’s Department of Public Welfare. The program's administrative cost ratio is less than 8.5%

“We have seen a steady decrease in annual abortions since the start of the program 13 years ago. To date, the citizens of Pennsylvania have placed $59 million of tax payer funds to provide pregnancy and parenting support services to 150,000 women experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. We are striving for the day when no woman in the Commonwealth feels that she must have an abortion – that is what the program is about,” said Kevin I. Bagatta, Esquire, Real Alternatives President & CEO.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, 118 Real Alternatives-funded pregnancy support centers, Catholic Charities, social service agencies, maternity homes, and adoption agencies throughout the Commonwealth provided services to 19,747 women at 83,263 visits. There is a center within an hour of every woman in Pennsylvania.

Since its inception 13 years ago, the Program [www.RealAlternatives.org/movie] has served over 150,000 women at over 645,329 office visits.

Bagatta continued: “this state-funded support program is the only program in the Commonwealth dedicated to lowering abortions after there is a crisis pregnancy. It continues to work because of the approximately 500 counselors and mentors statewide meeting the needs of women in unplanned and crisis pregnancies. By providing a counselor to be with the woman in need from the moment she finds out she is pregnant to 12 months after the birth of the baby, this program empowers her to overcome her obstacles and crisis. She is not alone. She knows someone is with her to help her. An alternative to abortion is not a pamphlet, it is another person….it is one woman seeing another woman in crisis and loving her and supporting her like she is her own daughter. This program represents the best in America.”

View a short film about this successful program visit: www.RealAlternatives.org/movie.

Forced abortions - America's secret epidemic

2009-01-12T18:28:00.001-06:00

The Elliot Institute has released a report that exposes America's forced abortion epidemic.

Elliot Institute spokesperson Amy Solby tells OneNewsNow that one study found 64 percent of women who had abortions reported they felt pressured to abort by others. "Something like 80 percent of them said that they didn't get the counseling they needed to make a good decision, that often they were not given counseling at all, or that the counseling they had was inadequate," she explains.

Solby also mentions forced abortions, which are not widely discussed in the U.S. An article released from the Institute cites two cases in 2006 in which teenage girls were violently persuaded to have abortions. In Maine, a couple abducted their 19-year-old daughter, bound and gagged her, and drove her to New York for an abortion. However, she escaped from her parents in the parking lot of a store and called police from her cell phone.

That same year, a Georgia mother forced her pregnant 16-year-old daughter to drink turpentine in hopes of aborting her baby. She was later arrested for criminal abortion after her daughter told the school counselor about the incident. The Institute has studied other cases where women are commonly threatened, pressured, or subjected to violence for refusing to abort.

"There's not any necessarily real hard numbers on violent [coercion] but, if you consider that homicide is the leading killer of pregnant women according to several studies, and then the fact that a large number of them have to do with the fact that the woman was killed or assaulted...because she refused to have an abortion or in an attempt to force her to abort," Solby concludes.

The Elliot Institute is trying to convince states to pass laws forcing abortion facilities to screen women for coercion and not to do an abortion where coercion is involved. Solby believes women then could be helped with whatever situation they are facing.

JULIA DUIN: Ignoring issue of black abortions

2009-01-12T18:22:00.004-06:00

It arrived in my e-mail last Friday; a press release about a journalism conference on mortality rates for black Americans.

I looked at the conference description, but there was nothing there about black abortions.

Or why blacks, who make up about one-eighth of the U.S. population, have more than one-third (37 percent) of America's 1.2 million annual abortions. Or how, if you take 37 percent of America's 45 million abortions between 1973 and 2005, you come up with 17 million people.

The National Association of Black Journalists' Conference on Health Disparities has all the trappings of a well-run effort. Speakers at the Jan. 30-31 meeting in Atlanta include Dr. Kevin Fenton of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund, Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute and Linda Blount of the American Cancer Society.

The focus is on enlightening journalists on health issues that plague blacks, such as mental health issues from incarceration, heart disease, breast cancer, strokes, HIV/AIDS and childhood obesity.

No mention of a procedure that ends one out of every three black pregnancies?

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which compiles reproductive health statistics, black women abort their children at five times the white rate and twice the Hispanic rate. The rate is 11 abortions per 1,000 white women, 28 for every 1,000 Hispanic women and 50 for every 1,000 black women.

I contacted the NABJ and asked why there was not at least one workshop on this topic. Everyone knows abortion is connected to health care. Ask Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The conference organizer said she had never seen the figures I was quoting -- sort of like a Jewish reporter professing ignorance of the Holocaust.

Please. The Guttmacher Institute should be on the Rolodex of every health reporter. Abortion is the country's most common surgical procedure. One of every four pregnancies is terminated this way. Women who get abortions are mostly young, poor, single, and black or Hispanic.

I was told the NABJ's schedule was too full for yet another workshop. At best, unplanned pregnancy might be dealt with during a session on women's health, but not, she said, as a morals or values issue.

So, religion is simply irrelevant here?

Day Gardner, director of the National Black Pro-Life Union, says abortion clinics are purposely located in minority neighborhoods.

"A lot of people don't report abortions in the African-American community," she said. "African-American people are culturally pro-life. Generally, we have larger numbers of children than white people do. I was one of seven children. My mother was one of nine.

"But this is a silent killer among African Americans. We don't talk about it. Millions of African Americans - including the black media - don't know the statistics on this. We think, abortion must be a thing for white people because they are the only ones talking about it."

For her, abortion is all about health. "Abortion is the Number One Killer of African Americans!" her Web site proclaims.

"Women who've had abortions have emotional issues and their breast cancer rates are higher," she assured me. "Abortion is decimating us as a community."

• Julia Duin's "Stairway to Heaven" column runs Thursdays and Sundays. Contact her at jduin@ washingtontimes.com.

Planned Parenthood makes staff cuts

2009-01-12T18:19:00.001-06:00

Funding declines partly attributed to Madoff.

Hit with declines in funding from the economic crisis and the Madoff scandal, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America is laying off around 20% of its staff.

Roughly 30 people were let go earlier this week, according to a source who works for the nonprofit. Executives at Planned Parenthood confirmed the layoffs, but declined to give more details.

“As with many other nonprofit organizations, Planned Parenthood has had to make staff reductions at our headquarters due to the challenging economic times facing our country,” said Maryana Iskander, chief operating officer at the agency. “While taking this action is never easy, we want to ensure the millions of women and men who rely on Planned Parenthood as a health care provider that the reductions will not impact our ability to deliver care to those in need.”

Part of Planned Parenthood’s funding declines stem from the closing of the Florida-based Picower Foundation, which shut down in December because its assets were managed by Bernard Madoff. The $1 billion foundation was one of the few major funders of reproductive rights issues.

Letter to President Obama

2009-01-12T11:29:00.003-06:00

Below is the letter that I am asking you to send to President Obama. You may amend it as you see fit. Please PRINT and MAIL this letter with your signature between January 17 and January 18! Thank you for helping to fight for a better America!

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

I am writing to ask you and members of Congress not to approve the bill S.1173 Freedom of Choice Act. My opposition to this bill is based on the following points:

• In Sec. 2. Findings, the bill informs its readers that before Roe v. Wade thousands of women died annually in the United States from illegal abortions. This claim wildly exaggerates the facts, which may easily be found online;
•The bill seems to call for taxpayer support of abortion;
•The bill disallows or outlaws the rights of parents in terms of notification and consent regarding abortions for underage teenagers;
•Sec. 4. Interference with Reproductive Health Prohibited states that "a government may not deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose," a position which denies the regulatory rights of a state in our federal system;
•Sec. 4 also allows the termination of a pregnancy after "viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman." This point clearly reestablishes the practice of partial-birth abortions;
•FOCA will require hospitals, including those founded and funded by organizations opposed to abortions, to practice abortion;
•FOCA eliminates strict regulation of abortion clinics and may subject women to abortion by non-physicians.

With all due respect, I ask you to keep this bill from becoming law.

Sincerely,

Second-Guessing First Prevention

2009-01-10T10:05:00.001-06:00

On the first day of the 111th Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sent a very clear message about what pro-lifers can expect from the next two years by introducing S. 21, "The Prevention First Act" that would direct hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry, a business that already receives over $286 million each year from federal taxpayers. It should come as no surprise that Planned Parenthood, the largest supporter of unrestricted abortion, praised the bill. And why not? The abortion merchant will likely be the largest beneficiary of Reid's abortion bailout. Among other things, the legislation would use taxpayer funds to mislead people about the potential of the "morning after pill" (known as Plan B) to act as an abortifacient. It also encourages the use of Plan B for victims of sexual assault yet has no reporting requirement in place for young girls who may have been victims of abuse and/or rape. When you get right down to it, the bill does nothing to support parental involvement--let alone consent--for dispensing the morning after pill and other "contraception" to minors. In addition to funding Plan B, the measure would also: subsidize birth control for college and low-income women; expand Title X, the main federal family planning program that requires abortion referrals; expand Planned Parenthood targeting of low-income women through Medicaid; target teens' with "comprehensive" sex education; and spread emergency contraception.
Planned Parenthood Applauds Introduction of Prevention First Act In U.S. Senate

'Puberty blockers' pushed on children

2009-01-10T10:02:00.000-06:00

The sexualization of tots in diapers has been ongoing since Alfred Kinsey bragged of infant orgasms in 1948, kicking off Playboy's infant-and-child sex vignettes in 1954. After the late 1960s, schoolhouse administrators increasingly trained children in Planned Parenthood texts to engage in "outlet" sex, homosexuality, bisexuality and pornography use.

Millions of children did as they were educated and became sexually promiscuous. This opened the door to Big Pharma when, in 1992, the State began mandating an improperly tested venereal-disease vaccine, HepB, for neonates.

Big Pharma neglected to inform mom and dad that one commonly gets HepB from sexual contact with a vector. The Imperial State now mandates yet another improperly tested STD vaccine, HPV, to allegedly protect "tweens" from cervical cancer.

"Follow the money." No moral society finds STDs rife among its chaste or its children. Now, as we await Big Pharma's next batch of children's STD vaccines, "The Endocrine Society has published guidelines advising that children as young as 12 be offered puberty blocking drugs to 'buy time' for a gender change."

Now transsexuality has become a child option. What do you want for Christmas? A boy's part? A girl's part? Any special size, color? In fact, in May, WND published an article about third-graders being asked to "help classmate in gender change."

Here, school pedagogues and the poor boy's parents appear ignorant or unimpressed that brain science confirms the obvious: The human brain does not mature until roughly 21-to-25-years of age. Wholly discounting the lack of cognition in 8 and 9-year-old children, this school principal would impose transsexual "lessons" on 100 third-graders, expecting them to treat their boy classmate "as a girl."

The adults pushing this boy into a transsexual life included the principal, the district director of community relations, teachers, as well as county officials in various states who chose to believe a modern-day superstition – that a boy can be born in a girl's body, or vice versa. This claim was made famous by Johns Hopkins' infamous pedophile advocate, Dr. John Money (deceased), who lied for years about the value of sexual reassignment surgery.

Even the controversial Dr. Paul McHugh, former head of the Johns Hopkins, clinic admitted that sex change operations did not solve people's problems.

And comes now an International Endocrine Society to claim there are "transsexual children as young as 12."

Really?

But how do these simple Society members prove who is a "transsexual"? A child says he or she "feels" like another sex!

Yet, this Endocrine Society has no statistical data or other evidence of early-witnessing wife or spousal battery or of sexual abuse, battery, or neglect of these children who claim to be in the wrong body. The Society could not even know the truth about such abuse were it to exist. How could they know? What parents admit, even if they area aware themselves, what they have done to traumatize their vulnerable child?

The Society, based on wholesale ignorance and the arrogance that commonly accompanies educated ignorance, would drug children "to postpone puberty and make it easier for them to change sex at the age of 16 if they still want to."

The Society guidelines state that children and teens should get puberty blockers to stop the natural body developments "they perceive as out of line with their true gender." As in other propaganda campaigns, the Society uses scare tactics claiming that normal pubertal change can "drive children to self-harm or even suicide."

Again, really, how do these Society members (and who are they, after all?) know what is causing the child's desperation when they cannot even really know the child's real background and most intimate experiences and emotions?

Children are surrounded by supranormal sexual stimuli, inundated with disordered adult sexual misconduct in pornography, in the mass media, schools, in our chemically tainted food and water, at home, everywhere they turn. Adult leaders would clearly rather medicate and vaccinate infants and children than change their own conduct to provide children with a stable, moral culture in which to grow and thrive.

Even those who believe in transsvestism admit that "transsexualism persists into adulthood in only 20 percent of boys who show signs of distress in childhood."

Moreover, like the STD vaccines inflicted on innocent children by order of the State, no long-term, scientifically viable trials (30 years or more) have ever been documented that prove the harmlessness of these chemical insults to children's brains, minds and bodies.

Shame on an adult culture that is so self-centered that it bombards its children with violent and sexual stimuli and answers its crimes by chemically violating and numbing the nation's cruelly and unnaturally traumatized youth.

Shame. Shame. Shame!

Pill inventor slams ... pill

2009-01-10T09:59:00.003-06:00

Published: January 08, 2009
Eighty five year old Carl Djerassi the Austrian chemist who helped invent the contraceptive pill now says that his co-creation has led to a "demographic catastrophe."

In an article published by the Vatican this week, the head of the world's Catholic doctors broadened the attack on the pill, claiming it had also brought "devastating ecological effects" by releasing into the environment "tonnes of hormones" that had impaired male fertility, The Taiwan Times says.

The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill.

Djerassi outlined the "horror scenario" that occurred because of the population imbalance, for which his invention was partly to blame. He said that in most of Europe there was now "no connection at all between sexuality and reproduction." He said: "This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete."

He described families who had decided against reproduction as "wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the world to get on with it."

The fall in the birth rate, he said, was an "epidemic" far worse, but given less attention, than obesity. Young Austrians, he said, were committing national suicide if they failed to procreate. And if it were not possible to reverse the population decline they would have to understand the necessity of an "intelligent immigration policy."

The head of Austria's Catholics, Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, told an interviewer that the Vatican had forecast 40 years ago that the pill would lead to a dramatic fall in the birth rate in the west.

"Somebody above suspicion like Carl Djerassi ... is saying that each family has to produce three children to maintain population levels, but we're far away from that," he said.

Schonborn told Austrian TV that when he first read Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical condemning artificial contraception he viewed it negatively as a "cold shower." But he said he had altered his views as, over time, it had proved "prophetic."

Writing for the Vatican daily, L'Osservatore Romano, the president of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, Jose Maria Simon, said research from his association also showed the pill "worked in many cases with a genuinely ... abortive effect."

Angelo Bonelli, of the Italian Green party, said it was the first he had heard of a link between the pill and environmental pollution. The worst of poisons were to be found in the water supply.

"It strikes me as idiosyncratic to be worried about this," he said.

Catholic News Agency details the claims by the president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, Dr Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, who outlined a series of scientific arguments said to confirm the prophetic nature of Pope Paul VI's encyclical on artificial contraception.

In an article published by the L'Osservatore Romano, the Spanish doctor pointed to the Federation's recent document commemorating the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, which "irrefutably shows that the most widely used anti-ovulatory pill in the industrialised world, the one made with low doses of estrogen and progesterone, in many cases works with an anti-implantation effect; that is, abortifacient [effect], because it expels a small human embryo."

Castellvi also pointed out that "this anti-implantation effect is acknowledged in scientific literature, which shamelessly speaks of an embryo loss rate. Curiously, however, this information does not reach the public at large."

He also pointed to the "devastating ecological effects of the tons of hormones discarded into the environment each year. We have sufficient data to state that one of the causes of masculine infertility in the West is the environmental contamination caused by the products of the 'pill'." Castellvi noted as well that the International Agency for Research on Cancer reported in 2005 that the pill has carcinogenic effects.

After explaining that the "natural methods of regulating fertility are the ones that are effective and that respect the nature of the person," Castellvi stated that "in celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man we can say that the contraceptive methods violate at least five important rights: the right to life, the right to health, the right to education, the right to information (its dissemination occurs to the detriment of information about natural methods) and the right of equality between the sexes (responsibility for contraceptive use almost always falls to the woman)."

Red Faced and Red Handed: Top Ten Pro-Abortion Moments of 2008

2009-01-09T15:22:00.001-06:00

by Katie Walker
Released January 7, 2009
Washington, D.C. (7 January 2009) – 2008 was a down year for the pro-abortion movement's talking heads. As you read the quotes below, despite the seriousness of the subject - after all, we are talking about matters of life and death - it's hard not to laugh at their ridiculous attempts to justify their position.

1) NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Dear leader, President-elect Barack Obama at a town-hall meeting in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in March:

“Look, I got two daughters – 9 years old and 6 years old,” he said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

Comment: President-elect Obama demonstrates his disdain for the sanctity of preborn babies by stating that children are “punishments” instead of miracles and blessings.

2) HOLDING OUT FOR A RAISE?

President-elect Barack Obama answers Pastor Rick Warren’s question “At what point does a baby get human rights?” at a Saddleback Church interview:

“Answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade.”

Comment: The future president will swear to uphold and defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights - hard to do when you can’t decide who gets rights and who doesn’t because it’s above your “pay grade.”

3) DATE-NIGHT OPTIONS: DINNER? DANCING? ABORTION?

Justin Timberlake/Jessica Biel

“Nobody should be able to say what you can do with your body,” Biel told cheering crowds at Last Chance for Change, a rally endorsing presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. "I give Jess the right to choose where we go to eat all the time," Timberlake added.

Comment: Just when we start to have a sliver of respect for our Hollywood elite, they say something like this. Justin sees no difference between choosing where to eat or which child to kill.

4) KILLING BLACK BABIES – 'UNDERSTANDABLE, UNDERSTANDABLE'

Planned Parenthood of Idaho – A Live Action Films exposé video exposed Planned Parenthood’s deep-rooted racism. A caller posed as a potential donor and the following conversation ensued:

Actor: I want to specify that abortion to help a minority group, would that be possible?

Planned Parenthood employee: Absolutely.

Actor: Like the black community for example?

Planned Parenthood employee: Certainly.

Actor: The abortion – I can give money specifically for a black baby, that would be the purpose?

Planned Parenthood employee: Absolutely. If you wanted to designate that your gift be used to help an African-American woman in need, then we would certainly make sure that the gift was earmarked for that purpose.

Actor: Great, because I really faced trouble with affirmative action, and I don’t want my kids to be disadvantaged against black kids. I just had a baby; I want to put it in his name.

Planned Parenthood employee: Yes, absolutely.

Actor: And we don’t, you know we just think, the less black kids out there the better.

Planned Parenthood employee (laughing): Understandable, understandable.

Comment – The apple doesn’t fall far. Planned Parenthood hasn’t strayed much since the days of its racist founder Margaret Sanger, who once spoke to a Ku Klux Klan group and was a member of the American Eugenics Society.

5) HEY LOOK, MOM, HERESY!

Ca. Rep. Nancy Pelosi in a television interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw:

Tom Brokaw: Madame speaker, when does life begin?
Rep. Pelosi: As an ardent, practicing Catholic, …I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins.

Comment: That’s like saying, “As a vegan, I would like my steak medium rare.”

6) BEING 'PRO-CURE' IS BEING PRO-LIFE! ... EVEN IF WE HAVE TO CANNIBALIZE PREBORN CHILDREN FOR IT

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm in support of Proposition 2, a bill that now allows embryonic stem cell research:

“As a Catholic, I can say to be pro-cure is to be pro-life.”

Comment: What about this statement is Catholic? Not a thing.

7) FIVE-FINGERED DISCOUNT FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD C.E.O.

PP C.E.O. Miriam Inocencio

Despite a six-digit salary drawn from Planned Parenthood’s tax- and abortion-gorged pockets, Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island CEO Miriam Inocencio must have really liked that Macy’s blouse!

Comment: Clearly her day job – helping to kill preborn babies – has affected her moral judgment. If Miriam is hurting for cash, perhaps we can redirect some of Planned Parenthood's extra Title X taxpayer funding her way?

8) MODERN CHIVALRY

Comedian Doug Stanhope

These are not empty words. I, Doug Stanhope, am offering you, Bristol Palin, the sum of $25,000 so that you can abort your child and move out of that draconian home. I have also set up a PayPal link so that others around the world can help increase this amount to ease the burden of starting out on your own at such an early age.
Comment: We love it when pro-abortion radicals show their true colors. Stanhope can’t fathom why a young couple would actually want their baby. Nope. Clearly, Bristol doesn’t need love and compassion – she needs $25,000!

9) MORE THAN WE CAN SAY FOR SOME POLITICIANS

South Carolina Democrat chair Carol Fowler

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s “primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.”

Comment: South Carolinians overwhelmingly voted for the Palin ticket. That’s got to hurt, Fowler.

10) KEEP IT CLASSY, OLD BOY

Comedian Bill Maher

Refers to Sarah Palin’s Down syndrome baby as “it” three times in a monologue citing why she isn’t qualified to be vice president and then ends with “Does anyone in that party understand the concept of pulling out?”
Comment: What can we say, really? We’ll just let Maher condemn himself.

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.

Planned Parenthood workers recycled

2009-01-08T10:45:00.000-06:00

You may wonder what happens to Planned Parenthood workers who allegedly ignore state laws requiring the reporting of child sexual abuse. Well, it appears that, in at least one case, they are simply given jobs at another Planned Parenthood affiliate.

According to a January 5, 2009 press release by the Idaho Values Alliance, a Planned Parenthood employee, who was named in a lawsuit alleging she was part of the cover-up of the rape of an underage girl in Ohio, has now surfaced as the Director of Education and Training at Planned Parenthood in Boise, Idaho.

This apparent shuffling of employees is outrageous. But, then, so is all of Planned Parenthood’s operations. It will be interesting to watch where the two PP Indiana employees, who left because of the failure to deal legally with the case of a 13-year-old girl, will wind up in a couple of years.

Major merger of Planned Parenthood affiliates in the Northwest

2009-01-08T10:44:00.000-06:00

As of January 1, 2009, three Planned Parenthood affiliates have merged their operations. Planned Parenthood of Alaska, Planned Parenthood of Western Washington, and Planned Parenthood of Idaho will now operate as one new affiliate – Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest.

According to the latest financial data filed by each of these affiliates, their annual income is:

Planned Parenthood of Alaska $ 2,653,590 (2007)
Planned Parenthood of Western Washington $28,946,766 (2006)
Planned Parenthood of Idaho $ 2,190,789 (2007)

Clearly, this is a situation where PP of Western Washington is expanding its reach. The Planned Parenthood Federation wants to do away with all of its smaller affiliates. That desire is what led Planned Parenthood of Amarillo to withdraw from the federation and that desire is clearly at work here.

According to American Life Leage records, the combined organization will operate a total of 27 clinics in the three states (28 when the new Juneau, Alaska site opens). This includes 20 facilities that do medical or surgical abortions. The initial announcement was that no clinics would close and no employees would lose their jobs, but it is normal for both to happen during the first year of operation following a merger such as this.

Planned Parenthood continues to cut costs and streamline its operations. With the merger of these affiliates, the number of Planned Parenthood affiliates falls to 99 – the lowest number since 1960. At its peak, Planned Parenthood had 191 affiliates in 1978, but that number has steadily declined through the years. When a merger happens, duplicate positions (presidents, executive directors, medical directors, etc.) normally get eliminated and PP saves money – and makes more profits.

In addition, Planned Parenthood of Western Washington pointed out in its fall 2008 newsletter that “the merge means multiplying the political clout of Planned Parenthood in the region by three. Our Government Relations, Media Relations, Public Relations, and Public Policy teams can apply the influence of the entire three-state region.”

In other words, the new affiliate can be expected to try to obtain more and more government money and get favorable laws and regulations passed in all three states.

The new Congress

2009-01-08T10:43:00.001-06:00

The 111th Congressional session began on January 6, 2009. The next couple of weeks will see a flurry of activity as hundreds of bills for various purposes will be introduced.

We, of course, are very interested in any bills that will promote the Planned Parenthood agenda or cut funding to that organization. In the latter category, Senator David Vitter introduced S. 85, which would significantly reduce government funding of Planned Parenthood. It is a “bill to amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions.”

On the other side, Senator Harry Reid introduced S. 21, “A bill to reduce unintended pregnancy, reduce abortions, and improve access to women's health care.” This, despite its title, is a pro-abortion bill aimed at promoting programs that will result in millions of dollars going to Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood clinic in New York State to close

2009-01-08T10:41:00.000-06:00

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, located in the Albany, New York area, has announced the planned closing of its medical abortion clinic in Latham, NY.

In an article in the Times Union, Planned Parenthood spokesperson, Blue Carreker, said, "We have been looking for several years at ways to increase our efficiency as a nonprofit health care provider. We are always pressed to make the best use of our dollars and we haven't seen increases to our funding for many years, while the cost of providing health care has gone up."

According to Planned Parenthood, the Latham clinic saw 1,200 customers a year and that was simply not enough business to keep the clinic open.

Congratulations to the Citizens Concerned for Human Life, Schenectady County Right to Life, Scripture Wall, and the Capital Region Pro-Life Council that have worked for decades fighting Planned Parenthood’s agenda in the region. May God continue to bless your efforts.

PepsiCo gives $1,000,000 to help promote the gay agenda

2009-01-08T10:02:00.001-06:00

Company forces employees to attend sexual orientation classes
January 8, 2009

PepsiCo has refused a request by AFA to remain neutral in the culture war. The company indicated that it will continue major financial support of homosexual organizations. AFA wrote Pepsi two times (on October 14 and October 29) requesting a meeting to discuss Pepsi’s neutrality in the culture war.
On November 17, AFA received a condescending letter (dated Nov. 7) from Paul Boykas, director, public policy, in which he refused to address Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda.
In the last two years, Pepsi has given $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and $500,000 to the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The $1,000,000 was to be used to help promote homosexuality in the workplace. Pepsi refuses to give money to any pro-family organization that opposes the homosexual agenda. Plus, every homosexual organization we know of is overwhelmingly pro-abortion.
Both HRC and PFLAG supported efforts in California to defeat Proposition 8 which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. HRC, the homosexual group financially supported by Pepsi, gave $2.3 million to defeat Prop 8.
Pepsi forces all employees to attend sexual orientation and gender identity diversity training where they are taught to accept homosexuality.
Take Action!
• Sign the Boycott Pepsi Pledge. After signing the pledge, please call Pepsi (914-253-2000 or 1-800-433-2652) and tell the company you will boycott their products until they stop promoting the homosexual agenda.
• Call the Pepsi bottler nearest you and ask the bottler to ask Pepsi to stop supporting the homosexual agenda.
• Pepsi’s products include Pepsi soft drinks, Frito-Lay chips (800-352-4477), Quaker Oats (800-367-6287), Tropicana (800-237-7799) and Gatorade (800-367-6287).
• Print out the Boycott Pepsi Pledge and distribute.
• Forward this e-mail to your friends and family so they will know about Pepsi’s support of the homosexual agenda. Millions of people are not aware of Pepsi’s support of homosexual organizations.

Invest in Abortion: Planned Parenthood's post Christmas wish

2009-01-07T14:42:00.001-06:00

On the way out the door, President Bush has delivered a bailout of the domestic automotive industry, which under its current business practices could not possibly survive in a free market. President Obama, on the other hand, may see as his first task a bailout of the abortion industry.

Among the many left-wing interests that have submitted wish lists to the Obama transition team is a conglomeration of 50 abortion-advocacy groups, all of whom want the U.S. taxpayer to stand and deliver. When their 55-page report to Obama calls for an end to “ideologically driven government restrictions,” it really means that the government should be paying more of the bills for groups that advocate and perform abortions.

To provide some context, the government has been “bailing out” Big Abortion for years. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, feeds off the taxpayer to the tune of $337 million in government funds that would otherwise have to come from donors. If the recommendations in this report are enacted, they and other abortion providers and advocates will have even more spoils upon which to feast.

“Bans on public funding for abortion services have severely restricted access to safe abortion care for women who depend on the government for their health care,” the report states. “These policies create an unjust obstacle to quality health care and inflict disproportionate harm on poor women, women of color and certain immigrant women. . . .”

The report is audacious in the scope of its demands, most of which would mean more money for the groups that authored it. In all, it calls for $1.5 billion for groups that engage in abortion advocacy and perform abortions. Among its demands is an expansion of funding for Title X health clinics, from $300 million to $700 million, and greater freedom in how that money is spent. Of the 4,400 such clinics in America, about 450 are run by Planned Parenthood, whose domestic and international arms are listed as co-authors of the report.

The report also calls for an increase in international “family planning” funds from $461 million to $1 billion, much of which would go to the groups that authored the report and their affiliates. And it calls for an end to the ban on using this money for abortion. The report requests $65 million for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), whose officials were discovered in 2000 to be assisting Chinese officials in enforcing that country’s coercive population-control program.

Meanwhile, conscience protections for medical professionals in federally funded facilities are targeted in the report for elimination. Those who refuse to perform or refer abortions are protected under current law, but the elimination of appropriations laws and federal rules could make them vulnerable to discrimination by governments or institutions that seek to require cooperation in abortion. This is no unimportant issue — recall that in 2002, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a policy of forcing all medical students who train in public hospitals to participate in abortion (with students who object on moral or religious grounds allowed to opt out).

Another goal of the 50 abortion groups is to expand direct federal funding for abortions by repealing various laws that protect taxpayers from paying for them. This is particularly interesting to read, considering the popular opposition to taxpayer funding of abortions. Currently, appropriations amendments prevent Medicaid or Medicare funding for abortions in most cases (the Hyde amendment) and prevent the Department of Defense from paying to facilitate abortions on military bases in foreign countries. The report calls for these provisions to be repealed. Importantly, the report also calls for abortion to be covered under any national health-care plan produced by the Obama administration.

“There are a lot of restrictions on current funding, and they are looking to overturn all of those restrictions,” says Joy Yearout of the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life political action committee.

The abortion groups’ biggest goal, though, is to kill all these birds with one stone through passage of the Freedom of Choice Act. That bill would overturn all state and federal restrictions not only on abortion (such as the partial-birth abortion ban) but also on government funding of abortions. President-elect Barack Obama has promised to sign that bill. He has also promised, in line with the report’s recommendation, only to nominate individuals to the bench who believe in “the right to have an abortion.”

Some of these items, such as the Freedom of Choice Act, seem unlikely to pass. Others look far more likely — particularly the increase in funding for abortion advocates. But in presenting and fighting for their demands, pro-choice advocates may be helping to bring the culture war back to the forefront of America’s electoral politics, after an election in which it played nearly no role.

“The majority of Americans are opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion,” said Yearout. “We’re hoping to leverage that popular pressure even with lawmakers who consider themselves pro-choice.”

While Americans are divided on the question of restricting abortion, polls have found as many as 69 percent opposed to using federal funds to pay for abortions. Amid the dark cloud of a government dominated by proponents of abortion on demand, pro-lifers may find a silver lining in the form of a new debate they can win decisively. There is nothing “pro-choice” in requiring taxpayers to subsidize the abortion industry.

— David Freddoso is an NRO staff reporter.

DAILY WOMEN'S HEALTH POLICY REPORT

2009-01-07T14:39:00.001-06:00

ABORTION NEWS | Antiabortion Groups Protest University of Wisconsin Plan To Provide Second-Trimester Abortions
[Jan. 7, 2009]

A pending University of Wisconsin plan to provide second-trimester abortions at its Madison Surgery Center is drawing criticism from antiabortion-rights groups, which are questioning the legality of the plan, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based antiabortion-rights group, sent a letter to university officials urging them to stop the plan, saying that performing abortion procedures at the surgery center might violate a state law that prohibits federal or state funds from being used to pay physicians or clinics that perform abortions. In the letter, ADF lawyer Thomas Bowman wrote that "[m]any ... employees" believe that performing abortion procedures at the center would "severely upset regular patients, disrupt the respected surgical practice that currently occurs there, decimate employee morale, require burdensome policy changes and compel direct or indirect staff participation" in the procedures. A second antiabortion-rights group, Pro-life Wisconsin, issued a statement saying that its members would regularly protest outside the clinic if it opens, adding, "We strongly urge [the university] to abandon this morally reprehensible, potentially illegal plan."

Lisa Brunette, the university's health spokesperson, said that state physicians employed by the university would perform the procedures and that the procedures would be paid for by patients or insurance companies, not by public funding. Brunette also said that employees would be able to opt out of a procedure and that medical students would only be trained on the procedures if they elect to do so. Wisconsin state law prohibits employers from penalizing health care workers who refuse to "recommend, aid or perform" abortions because of moral objections. Brunette said the plan is awaiting final approval from the surgery center's board, which will meet later this month. The university's lawyers are confident that the plan is legal, she added.

The university released the plan after the retirement last month of the only second-trimester abortion provider in the area. Planned Parenthood took over the provider's clinic and offers abortions up to 18 weeks' gestation. Women who are more than 18 weeks pregnant are now referred to a Milwaukee clinic. The new surgery center would offer abortion services to patients between 13 and 22 weeks' gestation, according to the AP/Tribune. Brunette said that physicians at the surgery center "believe that there is a public health responsibility to provide [second-trimester abortions] as part of comprehensive reproductive health care," adding that physicians also feel that the surgery center is the most appropriate facility to perform the procedures. There were more than 8,200 abortions performed in Wisconsin in 2007, the lowest number since 1974. More than 80% of the procedures were performed in the first trimester, the AP/Tribune reports (Foley, AP/Chicago Tribune, 1/6).

Medical Expert Says that Contraceptive Pill is Causing Global Rise in Male Infertility

2009-01-07T14:37:00.002-06:00

Writing for the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano, doctor cites growing medical evidence

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

VATICAN CITY, January 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An eminent doctor writing for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano has stated that hormones from the contraceptive pill are causing a significant rise in male infertility in western nations.

Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, President of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC), writes that "we have sufficient data to affirm that one of the reasons for the not insignificant rise in male infertility in the west (due to increasingly fewer sperm in men), is the environmental contamination caused by 'the pill'."

"We are confronted with a clear anti-ecological effect that demands further explanation from the manufacturers," continued Castellvi, who also noted that the abortifacient and carcinogenic effects of the contraceptive pill are also well known (see LifeSiteNews coverage at http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010504.html).

Castellvi's statements echo similar utterances made by numerous other medical and scientific experts since 2004. Female hormones from birth control pills, which enter the water supply through urination, are being blamed for declining sperm counts in human and animal populations, the growth of female sex organs in male fish, breast growth in young men, and early onset of puberty in young girls.

In September of last year, a scientist at the University of Montreal's Department of Chemistry announced the discovery that Montreal's water treatment plant was dumping estrogen products into rivers at a level 90 times the critical amount, a level far beyond the minimum for disrupting the fertility of fish.

Last week, Mexico's Secretariat of Health issued a warning that use of the contraceptive pill during pregnancy could raise the risk of "genital ambiguity," also known as hermaphrodism, in newborns.

"The sad thing about this is that, if we are talking about the regulation of fertility, these products are not necessary," writes Castellvi, noting that Natural Family Planning methods, which involve abstaining from sexual intercourse during the fertile period of a woman's monthly cycle, "are just as effective and furthermore they respect the nature of the person."

Despite mounting evidence indicating the harmful effects of artificial hormones on the environment, the French Press Agency reported that Castellvi's statements were "promptly dismissed by several organizations," which claimed that female hormones are present "everywhere" and change once they are digested.

Castellvi's statements are supported by a report recently issued by FIAMC, which he says contains more than 300 source citations, the majority of which are from medical publications. His article appeared in the January 4th issue of L'Osservatore Romano.

Related Links:

Estrogen 'Flooding Our Rivers,' Montreal Study Finds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170628.ht...

Male fish becoming female?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6436617/

Hormones in water blamed as more men seek breast reduction
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article549956.ece

Secretariat of Health Alert Regarding Genital Ambiguity (Spanish)
http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/ElFinanciero/Portal/cfpages/c...

Original L'Osservatore Romano article: L’«Humanae vitae» Una profezia scientifica (Italian)
http://tuespetrus.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/l%C2%ABhumanae-vi...

Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

Study Confirms Estrogen in Water from the Pill Devastating to Fish Populations
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08021805.html

Hormonal Contraceptives Pollute Drinking Water - Environmentalists Turn a Blind Eye
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07071105.html

Pro-lifers push to 'stop subsidizing' abortion industry

2009-01-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

A Kansas state senator wants to defund Planned Parenthood.

Republican Senator Tim Huelskamp explains why he believes it is time to drop funding of the abortion provider. "Planned Parenthood has been under criminal investigation for nearly a year now, and they've found probable cause to have committed 107 misdemeanor and felony counts in our state," he contends.

On a national level, Planned Parenthood gets many millions of federal tax dollars and makes a sizeable profit, even though it is a nonprofit organization. "It makes no sense that hundreds of thousands of pro-life Kansans have to fork over more than $550,000 to this organization," he adds. "That's the amount we've discovered."

Huelskamp is submitting a bill to the Kansas legislature to defund the abortion provider. "I think it's time to stop subsidizing the actions of an organization that operates under a cloud of suspicion and scandal," he concludes.

Baby girl given only 10 per cent chance of survival goes home for first time

2009-01-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

A baby girl given a 10 per cent chance of survival after she and her twin were born at just 23 weeks has gone home for the first time.

Steven and Michelle Wilson were told to expect to lose both their girls after the death of Ellie at 30 days.

But Chloe has defied the odds and has gone from strength to strength in hospital.

Mr Wilson, 24, of South Hetton, County Durham, said: "We have waited 16 weeks for this and it feels fantastic.

"It feels just right having her here in her home rather than hospital. I think we must be the only parents who are looking forward to being woken in the night."

Chloe was born at 23 weeks - one week below the legal abortion limit - after Mrs Wilson went into premature labour.

Mrs Wilson, 23, was first taken to North Durham University Hospital before being transferred to Newcastle where she gave birth.

As Chloe wasn't developed enough to survive on her own, doctors kept her in an incubator and connected to oxygen tubes to allow her lungs to grow fully.

She has already undergone a number of operations, including a heart procedure and a blood transfusion. She also recently had laser eye surgery to prevent her from going blind.

Mr Wilson, a trainee manager, said: "Because she was born before 32 weeks her eyes hadn't fully developed.

"They checked her at 34 weeks and decided they would need to do the surgery.

The blood vessels in her eyes hadn't developed fully and, if left unchecked, would have blinded her.

"We were told that she had 3500 nerves in each eye burned."

Mrs Wilson, who works in insurance, added: "She will need glasses very early on but as she gets older she could wear contact lenses.

"Her peripheral vision won't be as good as ours but she will be able to see things in front of her and she will never know the difference."

At birth, Chloe weighed just 1lb 2oz but she is now 6lb 11oz. She is still connected to oxygen tubes 24 hours a day and will continue to rely on them for a couple more months.

Novena of Reparation for Roe vs. Wade, January 14-22

2009-01-05T14:31:00.000-06:00

The Catholic bishops of the United States have designated January 22 as a special day of prayer and penance in reparation for the massive killing that has resulted from the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision (handed down January 22, 1973) which permitted abortion throughout pregnancy.

Therefore, Priests for Life invite you to prepare spiritually for that day by joining a Novena that starts on Monday, January 14 and concludes on the 22nd. We invite you to say the prayer below each of those days, and to let them know through this form that you have committed to say it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prayer of Reparation
(Spanish version -- En Español)

God and Father of Life,
You have created every human person,
And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.

We live in the shadow of death.
Tens of millions of your children have been killed
Thanks to the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Father, have mercy on us.
Heal our land
And accept our offering of prayer and penance.
In your love for us,
Turn back the scourge of abortion.

May each of us exult in hearts full of hope
And hands full of mercy
And work together to build a culture of life.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

How Support for Abortion Became Kennedy Dogma

2009-01-02T13:48:00.000-06:00

By ANNE HENDERSHOTT

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123086375678148323.html

For faithful Roman Catholics, the thought of yet another pro-choice Kennedy positioned to campaign for the unlimited right to abortion is discouraging. Yet if Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of Catholics John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, abortion-rights advocates will have just such a champion.

Ms. Kennedy was so concerned to assure pro-abortion leaders in New York, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Dec. 18, that on the same day Ms. Kennedy telephoned New York Gov. David Patterson to declare interest in the Senate seat, "one of her first calls was to an abortion rights group, indicating she will be strongly pro-choice."

Within the first week of her candidacy, Ms. Kennedy promised to work for several causes, including same-sex marriage and abortion rights. In responding to a series of 15 questions posed by the New York Times on Dec. 21, Ms. Kennedy said that, while she believes "young women facing unwanted pregnancies should have the advice of caring adults," she would oppose legislation that would require minors to notify a parent before obtaining an abortion. On the crucial question of whether she supports any state or federal restrictions on late-term abortions, Ms. Kennedy chose to say only that she "supports Roe v. Wade, which prohibits third trimester abortions except when the life or health of the mother is at risk." Presumably Ms. Kennedy knows that this effectively means an unlimited right to abortion -- including late-stage abortion -- because the "health of the mother" can be so broadly defined that it includes the psychological distress that can accompany an unintended pregnancy.

Ms. Kennedy's commitment to abortion rights is shared by other prominent family members, including Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and Maryland's former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Some may recall the 2000 Democratic Convention when Caroline and her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, addressed the convention to reassure all those gathered that the Democratic Party would continue to provide women with the right to choose abortion -- even into the ninth month. At that convention, the party's nominee, Al Gore, formerly a pro-life advocate, pledged his opposition to parental notification and embraced partial-birth abortion. Several of those in attendance, including former President Bill Clinton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, had been pro-life at one time. But by 2000 nearly every delegate in the convention hall was on the pro-choice side -- and those who weren't simply kept quiet about it.

Caroline Kennedy knows that any Kennedy desiring higher office in the Democratic Party must now carry the torch of abortion rights throughout any race. But this was not always the case. Despite Ms. Kennedy's description of Barack Obama, in a New York Times op-ed, as a "man like my father," there is no evidence that JFK was pro-choice like Mr. Obama. Abortion-rights issues were in the fledgling stage at the state level in New York and California in the early 1960s. They were not a national concern.

Even Ted Kennedy, who gets a 100% pro-choice rating from the abortion-rights group Naral, was at one time pro-life. In fact, in 1971, a full year after New York had legalized abortion, the Massachusetts senator was still championing the rights of the unborn. In a letter to a constituent dated Aug. 3, 1971, he wrote: "When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."

But that all changed in the early '70s, when Democratic politicians first figured out that the powerful abortion lobby could fill their campaign coffers (and attract new liberal voters). Politicians also began to realize that, despite the Catholic Church's teachings to the contrary, its bishops and priests had ended their public role of responding negatively to those who promoted a pro-choice agenda.

In some cases, church leaders actually started providing "cover" for Catholic pro-choice politicians who wanted to vote in favor of abortion rights. At a meeting at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Mass., on a hot summer day in 1964, the Kennedy family and its advisers and allies were coached by leading theologians and Catholic college professors on how to accept and promote abortion with a "clear conscience."

The former Jesuit priest Albert Jonsen, emeritus professor of ethics at the University of Washington, recalls the meeting in his book "The Birth of Bioethics" (Oxford, 2003). He writes about how he joined with the Rev. Joseph Fuchs, a Catholic moral theologian; the Rev. Robert Drinan, then dean of Boston College Law School; and three academic theologians, the Revs. Giles Milhaven, Richard McCormick and Charles Curran, to enable the Kennedy family to redefine support for abortion.

Mr. Jonsen writes that the Hyannisport colloquium was influenced by the position of another Jesuit, the Rev. John Courtney Murray, a position that "distinguished between the moral aspects of an issue and the feasibility of enacting legislation about that issue." It was the consensus at the Hyannisport conclave that Catholic politicians "might tolerate legislation that would permit abortion under certain circumstances if political efforts to repress this moral error led to greater perils to social peace and order."

Father Milhaven later recalled the Hyannisport meeting during a 1984 breakfast briefing of Catholics for a Free Choice: "The theologians worked for a day and a half among ourselves at a nearby hotel. In the evening we answered questions from the Kennedys and the Shrivers. Though the theologians disagreed on many a point, they all concurred on certain basics . . . and that was that a Catholic politician could in good conscience vote in favor of abortion."

But can they now? There are signs today that some of the bishops are beginning to confront the Catholic politicians who consistently vote in favor of legislation to support abortion. Charles J. Chaput, the archbishop of Denver, has been on the front lines in encouraging Catholics to live their faith without compromise in the public square. Most recently in his book "Render Unto Caesar," Archbishop Chaput has reminded Catholic politicians of their obligation to protect life.

The archbishop is not alone. The agenda at November's assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops included a public discussion of abortion and politics. The bishops' final statement focused on concern about the possible passage of the "Freedom of Choice Act," and referred to it as "an evil law that would further divide our country." The bishops referenced their 2007 document, "Faithful Citizenship," which maintains that the right to life is the foundation of every other human right. In it, they promised to "persist in the duty to counsel, in the hope that the scandal of their [Catholic congregants'] cooperating in evil can be resolved by the proper formation of their consciences."

Whether the bishops truly will persist remains to be seen. New York's Cardinal Edward Egan, for instance, has not publicly challenged Ms. Kennedy's pro-choice promises. This is unfortunate. Until the clerics begin to counter the pro-choice claims made by high-profile Catholics such as Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and, now, Caroline Kennedy, faithful Catholics will continue to be bewildered by their pastoral silence.

Ms. Hendershott is a professor of urban studies at The King's College in New York. She is the author of "The Politics of Abortion" (Encounter Books, 2007).

Pro Life Girl

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation Backs Down to Planned Parenthood Bullying

Victory! Komen Foundation ends partnershi​p with Planned Parenthood

Book Review: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Planned Parenthood Pushes Intensive Sex Education for Kids as Young as 10

Expecting

Protest terrible blasphemy to Our Lady of Fatima

Help Stop "Abortion Care"

Los Angeles Man Arrested in Death of His Unborn Child

International Call for the Rights and Dignity of the Human Person and the Family

I Am 71 Percent Project

Pro Life Activist Gunned Down Outside Michigan High School

Religion Professor at Fredericton Catholic University Moonlighting as Abortion Clinic Escort

Abercrombie & Fitch pitches new trashy T-shirts to America's youth

Family Attacked for Too Many Children: "Thrilled" to be Preparing for Baby Number 19

Not feeling very good today...

If You Are Planned Parenthood, Crime Does Pay

Pressure Mounts on Notre Dame to Pull the Plug on President Obama's Address

Movie Review: Seven Pounds

Planned Parenthood and STDs: It’s latest attempt to push its own name

Doctor Shocks Oprah with News of Ethical Stem-Cell Successes

White House confirms it got 2 million red envelopes

Hundreds of babies saved from abortion in recent pro-life campaign

X-rated films exposed on campuses

NY City Council ok's bill to arrest any protesters at abortion clinics

Prayer Requests? Send them here!

Don't Forget!

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HONORS SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON FOR HER COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE

Planned Parenthood offers free implantable birth control to Iowa women who have no insurance

Culture of Death Accomplishments

Can Planned Parenthood get any more stupid?

Notre Dame ignores calls to rescind Obama invitation

African American Pastor Sent to Jail for Offering Abortion Alternatives on Public Sidewalk

Dr. George Tiller faces 19 misdemeanor counts of violating the Kansas law governing late-term procedures.

Catholic Notre Dame University to Give Obama Honorary Degree on May 17, Against USCCB Policy

Fishermen find infant girl in trash bag

Woman Accused Of Ending Daughter's Pregnancy, Dumping Baby In Trash

Harvard AIDS Expert Says Pope is Correct on Condom Distribution Making AIDS Worse

U.S. Lawmakers Fight to Remove Law, Signed by Obama, against Federal Funding for Embryo Research

US births break record; 40 pct out-of-wedlock

A mother is appealing for women to have sex with her adopted Down's syndrome son.

Pope: Condoms 'Increase' AIDS Epidemic in Africa

My Amazing Husband

Study: Women Who Use Birth Control Pill 1.5 Times More Likely to Develop Bowel Disease

Vatican Slams Choice of Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of Health and Human Services

I am struggling this Lent...

Bishop: "President Obama is forcing all American taxpayers to pay for this homicidal research"

Studies Find Contraception Makes Women Obese and Newborns Too Thin

Gov. Sarah Palin selects former PP board member to Alaska State Supreme Court

Update: They are Trying to Destroy Catholic Church

They are Trying to Destroy Catholic Church

As Lent Begins, 3 Prominent Catholic Universities Celebrate Porn, Promiscuity

National Pro-Life T-shirt Week

Tiller the Killer to Stand Trial

Today we bury our great friend, Dave

Octomom's gift to the pro-life movement

Report: Fetal Stem Cells Trigger Tumors in Sick Child's Brain, Spinal Cord

North Dakota House Gives Fertilized Eggs Human Status

ACTION ALERT! HELP STOP CONSTRUCTION OF MEGA-PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN PORTLAND

From a friend...

From a friend...

Nothing says romance like 'National Condom Week'

Chastity is for Lovers

AGAIN? Planned Parenthood investigates alleged failure to report 'abuse'

Update: Boycott NBC!

Boycott NBC!

Obama Promises to Fund Coercive China One-Child Policy Collaborator UNFPA

Vatican official accuses Obama of 'arrogance'

Obama lifts ban, will use your tax dollars to pay for abortions around the world

36 years since Roe vs. Wade

Obama acts quickly, lays out his abortion and gay agenda

Happy Inauguration Day Mr. President

Oregon's Bishop Vasa Says : "Those who profess to love God, but back abortion, are liars"

Campbell's labels help support gay marriage

Anti-Abortion Forces Target Planned Parenthood

Abortion memorial to honor 50 million dead

Pro-Abortion Groups Post ‘Wish List’ on Obama’s Web Site

Ringling College and Planned Parenthood

Deficit of a trillion dollars a year as far as the eye can see

Nation's First Goverment-funded Abortion Alternatives Program Serves Over 150,000 Women Since 1995

Victory! Komen Foundation ends partnership with Planned Parenthood