Senator Casey Withdraws as Commencement Speaker at St. Vincent's College

By Deacon Keith Fournier
3/27/2009

Did Senator Casey decide he did not want to face the flood of protests which would accompany his address?

U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., has canceled his May 9 appearance without explanation. St. Vincent College spokesman Don Orlando says Casey gave no reason for canceling.
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - The Associated Press reported today that Senator Bob Casey Jr. has withdrawn from speaking at St. Vincent College commencement with no explanation.

Senator Bob Casey Jr.’s father, the late, former Governor of Pennsylvania, Bob Casey Sr., was denied a speaking role at the 1992 Democratic nomination convention. He was the last of an almost extinct breed of Democrats, those who consistently defend all of the poor, including those whom Mother Teresa called the “poorest of the poor”, children in the womb.

This champion of life, Senator Bob Casey Sr. once wrote concerning his own Party and its rejection of the Right to Life and embrace of abortion:

“It’s hard to think of anything more foreign to the principles of the Democratic Party or the whole American experience. Far from being “inclusive”, it excludes an entire class of fellow human beings from our care and protection. It’s the only “constitutional right” we’re ashamed of, avoiding the word abortion with contorted euphemisms like “reproductive rights” and “termination” and “evacuation”.

"Far from liberating women, abortion has become a lucrative industry, exploiting young women beyond anything ever imagined. When pregnancy comes at a difficult time, which is the worthier response of society: To surround mother and child alike with protection and love, or to hold out the cold comfort of an abortion clinic? Where is America’s true character to be seen- in an adoptive home or at the abortion clinic? In which role is a woman more empowered – giving life or taking it?

"These are questions that rest uneasily on the conscience of today’s Democratic Party. We have traded our principles for power – the fleeting power offered by loud and well financed factions like NARAL and Planned Parenthood…. "We can choose to extend once again the mantle of protection to all members of the human family, including the unborn. We can choose to provide effective care of mothers and children."”

Sadly, his son has not followed in his fathers footsteps. Neither has the Democratic Party.

Senator Bob Casey Jr. proclaims his pro-life credentials but fails to vote in a consistent manner to defend the fundamental right to life. He also missed an extraordinary opportunity to undo the injustice done to his father all those years ago at another Democratic Convention, when he spoke at the one in 2008. He failed to do so and many, including this writer, were deeply disappointed.

He has come under increasing criticism as he defends the Administrations indefensible anti-right to life agenda and is regularly rolled out as one of President Obama’s Catholic supporters.

Senator Casey has also been consistently and continually engaged by the Pro-Life community. Perhaps the strongest voice calling Senator Casey to consistency in his defense of life and fidelity to the teaching of the Catholic Church is his own Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pa., the courageous Defender of Life who has captured the deep admiration of so many.

Now, the AP Reports that “A Catholic college in western Pennsylvania is scrambling to find another commencement speaker because U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., has canceled his May 9 appearance without explanation….St. Vincent College spokesman Don Orlando says Casey gave no reason for canceling. Casey spokesman, Larry Smar, also didn't give a reason in an e-mail response to questions from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"Casey has been criticized by some conservative Catholic groups, including the Cardinal Newman Society, for his positions on federal funding of contraception and legalization of same-sex marriages. The Newman group protested when Casey spoke at Catholic University in 2006, where Casey received his law degree.”

Has Senator Casey decided he does not want to face the flood of protests which would accompany his address in light of the activities surrounding the invitation of President Obama to speak at Notre Dame? Was there a concern over the clear and courageous leadership of his own Bishop? Was he protecting his friend, the President, from possible ramifications such as another Catholic outcry against the administrations' anti-right to life positions?

It's Not Over! Tiller Can Still Lose His Medical License: Charged with 11 Counts by Kansas Health Group

WICHITA, Kansas, March 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Just after a jury in Sedgwick County, Kansas, returned not guilty verdicts in the criminal case against late-term abortionist George Tiller, the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts released to the public a petition it filed in December listing eleven allegations against Tiller's license.

According to a statement released by the KSBHA, "Violations alleged include performing an abortion on a fetus that was viable without having a documented referral from another physician not legally or financially affiliated with him; unprofessional or dishonorable conduct or professional incompetency; and commitment of acts likely to deceive, defraud or harm the public."

The KSBHA also indicated that the case they have filed against Tiller is independent from the criminal charges and will proceed in its own merits.

Tiller could have his medical license revoked, suspended, or dramatically restricted, depending on the outcome of the Board's determination.

In October, 2006, Cheryl Sullenger filed a complaint with the KSBHA alleging an improper financial relationship between Tiller and Neuhaus that violated Kansas law. That complaint was amended in February, 2007. Sullenger has been periodically notified by the Board that her complaint is active and continuing, although no final resolution has been reached.

"As a famous baseball player once said, 'It ain't over 'til it's over.' We are encouraged by this news from the KSBHA," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "We have never put all our hope in the criminal prosecution and continue to work through a number of avenues to ensure that one day Tiller will be brought to justice."

Read KSBHA Statement -
http://operationrescue.org/pdfs/KSBHA%20Statement%20032709.p...
Read KSBHA Petition - http://operationrescue.org/pdfs/12-12-08_tillerpetition.pdfRead about Sullenger's complaint - http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/abortionist-tiller-n...
See related LSN Report:
Jury Declares Abortionist Tiller Not Guilty of Illegal Late-Term Abortions
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032711.html

Chastity ~ True Sexual Revolution

Have you ever been called ‘generous’ for paying your taxes? Probably not, because paying taxes is compulsory—we don’t have the option to say ‘no’ to the government. In essence, when we lose personal choice in a decision, we lose the opportunity to be virtuous. Jason Evert, a noted speaker on the topic of chastity, applies this analogy to sex. “If we can’t say ‘no’ to sex, then what is our ‘yes’ even worth?” Whether one is married or single, gaining control over our sexual actions and ordering them to God’s plan is the virtue of chastity. In this way, chastity is not a negation of sexuality, but the proper use of a God-given gift. When we are in control of ourselves, we are free to reject lust and all of its sinful baggage.

The rejection of sin opens the opportunity to do God’s will—to love. While lust distorts love and mangles sex into a self-serving action, chastity embraces love and shows proper sexual relations to be self-giving, patient, and respectful. Mr. Evert adds that chastity provides the opportunity for “romance without regret.”

While there is one virtue called chastity, its practice depends on one’s state in life. For a single man or woman, chastity requires a patient abstinence. However, the chaste are rewarded with a beautiful opportunity to broaden their ability to show romantic love through avenues other than sex. For married people, chastity might entail proper restraint for emotional, health, or natural family planning purposes. For consecrated religious, chastity permits the vow of celibacy to be a pure and total gift to God.

No doubt, a good thing like chastity has its enemies and detractors. Anything that liberates will be attacked by those that stand to benefit from continuing the enslavement. The world and its culture often advance sex and lust as tools for manipulation. Things such as racy advertising and provocative movies aim for the most sensitive part of our wounded human nature, hoping to get us to surrender our money, power, and dignity. Chastity stands in contradiction to this. And just when the world proposes abortion as the remedy for any negative “side effects” to a sex-saturated life, chastity stands up and offers hope—hope that there exists a way out of the vicious cycle of enslavement and sin.

John Paul II challenged us “to rediscover and make others rediscover the sacred value and inviolable dignity of every human person.” (Christifidelis Laici, 37) Chastity is a response to this call. It is a commitment to love the way God intended us to love. Only when we are free to do God’s will can we consider ourselves truly free.

by: Georgia Kijesky
**Thank You, Mark, for hacking, uh, I mean, editing (ha!) & TLC of this piece (at the last minute) VERY Much appreciated!!!***

Pope's Message to Africans Urgently Needs to be Heard in America & Throughout the World. Are We Listening?

Addressing Angolan political leaders and an international group of diplomats, Pope Benedict XVI appealed on behalf of African families struggling from the effects of poverty, disease and war.

The Pope said women and girls in particular experience "crushing" discrimination and sexual exploitation. At the same time, he criticized agencies that, under the pretext of improving health care, try to promote abortion.

"How bitter the irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care! How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health!" he said.


The previous day, March 19, Pope Benedict delivered his sermon emphatically, speaking in French and English. He said it was essential for African mothers and fathers to pass on to their children the human and spiritual values of the past, beginning with belief in God.

"The first priority," he said, "will consist in restoring a sense of the acceptance of life as a gift from God. Every tiny person, however weak, is created in God's image. Every person must live! Death must not prevail over life!"

Celebrating Mass with more than 40,000 Catholics in Cameroon, Pope Benedict XVI urged African families to reject the "tyranny of materialism" and other social changes that risk eroding the continent's traditional values.

"Brothers and sisters in Cameroon and throughout Africa, you who have received from God so many human virtues, take care of your souls! Do not let yourselves be captivated by selfish illusions and false ideals!" the pope said in a homily March 19 at the Amadou Ahidjo soccer stadium in Yaounde.

The Pope held out St. Joseph, whose feast day was celebrated the same day, as a model for husbands and fathers in Africa. He made a special plea for husbands to treat their wives with respect and love, as St. Joseph treated Mary. It is a sensitive topic in Africa, where in many places wives are still considered the property of their husbands and subservient to them.


The pope also offered special words to young Africans, asking them to allow Christ into their lives and, if they feel called, to enter the "supreme service" of the priesthood or consecrated life.

"To the children who no longer have a father, or who live abandoned in the poverty of the streets, to those forcibly separated from their parents, to the maltreated and abused, to those constrained to join paramilitary forces that are terrorizing some countries, I would like to say: God loves you, he has not forgotten you and St. Joseph protects you!" he said, as the crowd burst into applause.

At the end of the liturgy, the pope handed out the 60-page working document for the Oct. 4-25 Synod of Bishops for Africa. The text called on Catholics to help end the rampant injustice that fuels conflicts on the continent and usher in an era of peace. It said the synod would examine ways to better prepare the faithful in Africa for a more visible and active role in promoting unity both in the church and society.


The document said globalization "infringes on Africa's rights" and tends "to be the vehicle for the domination of a single, cultural model and a culture of death." But it also pinned the blame for many of Africa's ills on the evil in people's hearts, which makes them thirsty for riches, power or revenge.


sources: The Catholic Standard & Catholic News Service

Secular Harvard Expert Agrees with Pope Benedict XVI: Condom Use is Not the Most Effective Way to Fight AIDS in Africa or Anywhere Else

‘We have found no consistent associations between condom use and lower HIV-infection rates, which, 25 years into the pandemic, we should be seeing if this intervention was working.'

So notes Senior Harvard AIDS Prevention Researcher, Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, in response to papal press comments en route to Africa this week.

Benedict XVI said, in response to a French reporter’s question asking him to defend the Church’s position on fighting the spread of AIDS, characterized by the reporter as “frequently considered unrealistic and ineffective”:

I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanization of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness — even through personal sacrifice — to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“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. He stresses that “condoms have been proven to not be effective at the ‘level of population.’”

“There is,” Green adds, “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.”

Green added: “I also noticed that the pope said ‘monogamy’ was the best single answer to African AIDS, rather than ‘abstinence.’ The best and latest empirical evidence indeed shows that reduction in multiple and concurrent sexual partners is the most important single behavior change associated with reduction in HIV-infection rates (the other major factor is male circumcision).”

And while, as Travis Kavulla writes from Kenya today, the international media will ignore all sorts of fascinating new stories about church and civilizational growth in favor of a sexier, albeit way-too-familiar storyline, Green has some encouraging news: The pope is not alone. “More and more AIDS experts are coming to accept the above. The two countries with the worst HIV epidemics, Swaziland and Botswana, have both launched campaigns to discourage multiple and concurrent partners, and to encourage fidelity.”

The pope added during that Q&A,

I would say that our double effort is to renew the human person internally, to give spiritual and human strength to a way of behaving that is just towards our own body and the other person’s body; and this capacity of suffering with those who suffer, to remain present in trying situations.

We need to, in other words, treat people as people. Reason with them and show them there is a better way to live, respectful of themselves and others. It’s a common-sense message that isn’t madness whether you’re in Africa or dealing with hormonal American teenagers. It’s a hard message to hear over the same-old silly debates, parodies, and dismissals. But it’s one that is based on real life—and acknowledged not just in Saint Peter’s Square but in Harvard Square.

by Kathryn Jean Lopez
NRO Editor: National Register Online

Related Article: Harvard Researcher Agrees with Pope on Condoms

President of Catholic US Bishops meets with President Obama; Urges Catholics to RALLY for Conscience Protection for Health Care Workers

"On Tuesday, March 17, the president and Cardinal George discussed a wide range of issues, including important opportunities for the government and the Catholic Church to continue their long-standing partnership to tackle some of the nation's most pressing challenges," said the White House statement. "The president thanked Cardinal George for his leadership and for the contributions of the Catholic Church in America and around the world."

The statement from the USCCB said: "The meeting was private. Cardinal George and President Obama discussed the Catholic Church in the United States and its relation to the new administration. The meeting lasted approximately 30 minutes.

"At the conclusion, Cardinal George expressed his gratitude for the meeting and his hopes that it will foster fruitful dialogue for the sake of the common good," the USCCB statement added.

Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, USCCB director of media relations, said she expected no further information about the meeting to be released.

Reported by The Catholic News Service
Those who want to protect conscience rights can speak out through an action alert at http://www.usccb.org/conscienceprotection.

I find this to be no mere coincidence that this meeting took place on St. Patrick's Day. Let us pray to St. Patrick for a miracle: a conversion of heart for Barack Obama. This beautiful prayer, "St. Patrick's Breast-Plate," was supposedly composed by him in preparation for victory over Paganism in Ireland.

Interviews with Former Tiller Botched Abortion Patients and New Video Documenting Botched Abortion, Show Need for Justice + Sebelius link to Tiller

Listen to Patient S.’s harrowing abortion experience interview below.
Click here to read Patient S. full narrative)


Wichita, KS – Just four days before jury selection begins in late-term abortionist George R. Tiller’s criminal trial, a woman was transported to the emergency room by ambulance from Tiller’s abortion clinic, Women’s Health Care Services.
(See VIDEO below!!)

Sedgwick County ambulance number 23 left Tiller’s clinic at approximately 2:15 PM Central Daylight Time and transported a woman to Wesley Medical Center with no lights or sirens running. The patient was rushed into the emergency room with her head covered, leaving witnesses to wonder if she was alive or dead.

Tiller followed the ambulance to Wesley Medical Center and was dropped off by unlicensed “nurse” Cathy Reavis at an entrance on the east side of the building, out of sight from Operation Rescue staffers who were photographing the incident near the Emergency Room entrance.

“Tiller’s abortion clinic operates outside the bounds of the law and moral decency,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who was on the scene at the hospital when the injured woman came in. “How many women must suffer life-threatening injuries or even death until he is jailed and his dangerous abortion business is shut down?”

Operation Rescue renews its plea that Tiller’s abortion clinic be closed down on an emergency basis in the interest of public safety.

On the eve of jury selection for Tiller’s criminal trial, Operation Rescue has released a new video with more information about a young woman who was hospitalized on Thursday due to a botched abortion at George Tiller’s infamous abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas.


“This video shows the need to convict Tiller and get him out of business. He and his staff present an extreme danger to the public,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman who photographed the ambulance at the hospital emergency room. “We urge Christians everywhere to join us in praying that Tiller will be convicted and his abortion mill will be permanently closed.”
Please watch this dramatic video (2 min. 13 sec.) then join in prayer in Wichita, or wherever you may be! (updated prayer schedule at bottom of this article)



Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's political connections to Tiller, who is nominated to run the Department of Health and Human Services,
has even caught the attention of Fox News Host Bill O’Reilly, who took Sebelius to task for her efforts to protect Tiller. On a May 30, 2007, broadcast of “The O’Reilly Factor,” the popular host accused Sebelius of having blood on her hands and stated, “Sebelius is unfit to serve.” (Watch excerpts from the O’Reilly video segment below).


Watch the video below to see Sebelius making excuses for Tiller during an O’Reilly Factor surprise interview


Sebelius has long been an avid supporter of the most radical abortion policies.

In an interview published twenty years ago on October 29, 1989, in the Wichita Eagle, Sebelius, who was then a member of the Kansas House of Representatives said, “I think for me and a lot of other people, there are certain inalienable rights established for a person, but those are not applied in utero.”




Photographs obtained by Operation Rescue show that Sebelius hosted a lavish secret party for Tiller and his entire abortion clinic staff at the official governor’s mansion, Cedar Crest, in April, 2007. The source of the photos, who actually attended the party, told Operation Rescue that it was an “invitation only” party to honor Tiller and his staff for their abortion work.

Operation Rescue made an open records request for documents related to the party, including funding. After much stonewalling, the request was answered, but the party was listed under the name of a PAC, not under Tiller’s name or his abortion clinic, Women’s Health Care Services.

Sebelius told the press that the party was the prize at an auction event that benefitted the PAC, and that the state was reimbursed for the expense. However, records show the state initially paid for the party, and was only reimbursed by the PAC - conveniently - on the very day that the open records request was finally answered a year and a half after the event, giving the strong appearance of impropriety.

Based on the eye-witness source and the open records evidence, which indicates the “auction prize” story was cooked, Sebelius’ account of the Tiller party just does not add up and should not be believed for one minute. (Read in depth analysis)

The Wichita Eagle criticized Sebelius for her lack of judgment in hosting the Tiller soiree.

Please, keep calling your senators! Click here to contact. Ask them to block Sebelius’ confirmation as Secretary of Health and Human Services!

**********************************************************************************
Operation Rescue, the Christian Defense Coalition, and other pro-life groups will muster in Wichita for prayer that justice will be served during the court proceedings. Tiller his been charges with 19 counts of illegally aborting viable babies without the concurring opinion of an unaffiliated Kansas physician.

UPDATED: Schedule for prayer events:

• Press Conference, Monday, March 16 at 8 AM outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse featuring Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, and other pro-life leaders.

• Morning prayer outside the Sedgwick County Courthouse located at the corner of Central Ave. and Main St. each day at 8:00 AM beginning on Monday, March 16, and continuing on every day there are court proceedings until the trial ends.

• Evening prayer and praise Monday, March 16, through Wednesday, March 18, at Cornerstone Fellowship, 3520 N. Arkansas Ave. in Wichita at 7:00 PM.

• Evening prayer and praise will be held each evening at 7:00 PM, at Living Word Outreach, 3033 S. Hillside in Wichita, beginning on Sunday, March 22 and continuing until the end of the trial. *Schedule subject to change as circumstances arise*.

For related stories, visit: www.operationrescue.org

Let Your Voice Be Heard! All Comments Will Be Made Public. Deadline: 11:59pm, April 9, 2009

No health care worker should ever be forced to participate in practices that he or she finds morally objectionable.

At the conclusion of his term, President Bush took steps to strengthen these protections of conscience. Now, President Obama wants to change them.

The Department of Health and Human Services allows the public to send in comments on these changes. Please see the instructions below and let your voice be heard.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMENTING ON PROPOSED REVOCATION
OF HHS RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE RULE

On order from President Barack Obama, the Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to rescind the regulation it issued on December 18, 2008 entitled, “Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law.”

The public is invited to comment on this proposed rescission. All comments on this proposed rescission, though, are due by 11:59 PM on April 9, 2009.

Comments may be made electronically, by regular mail, by express or overnight mail, or by hand delivery or courier.

Electronically: E-mails may be sent to proposedrescission@hhs.gov. Alternatively, comments may be made online at http://www.Regulations.gov. Once on the website,
1. Click on the link “Select to find documents accepting comments or submissions”
2. Enter the keywords “Rescission Proposal.”
3. On the next page, click on “Send a Comment or Submission.” Attached comments preferably should be in Microsoft Word, but HHS also accepts WordPerfect and Excel.

Regular mail: Written comments (one original and two copies) may be mailed only to the following address:

Office of Public Health and Science
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: Rescission Proposal Comments
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 716G
Washington, DC 20201

Express or overnight mail: Written comments (one original and two copies) may be sent by overnight delivery only to the following address (which is the same as the regular mail address):

Office of Public Health and Science
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: Rescission Proposal Comments
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Room 716G
Washington, DC 20201

Hand delivery or courier: Written comments (one original and two copies) may be delivered before the 11:59 PM, April 9 deadline to

Room 716G
Hubert H. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201

Because access to the interior of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building is not readily available to non-federal employees, the public is encouraged to leave their comments in the mail drop slots in the building’s lobby. A stamp-in clock is available for persons wishing to retain proof of filing by stamping in and retaining an extra copy of the documents being filed.

Please be aware that all comments will be made public, including any personal or confidential information included in the comments. Comments submitted to HHS will be posted online and are viewable by going to
1.http://www.Regulations.gov,
2. Checking the box that says “Select to find documents accepting comments or submissions,”
3. Clicking “Go.”
Comments will also be available for physical inspection by the public at the Humphrey Building.

Further information on the comment period is available from:

Mahak Nayyar
(240) 276-9866
Office of Public Health and Science
Department of Health and Human Services
Room 716G
Hubert E. Humphrey Building
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20201


***

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

February 10, 2009

The Los Angeles Times today quotes NARAL President Nancy Keenan as saying that “[t]he votes just aren’t there” to pass major legislation like the Freedom of Choice Act at this time. The article also states that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), FOCA’s sponsor in the last Congress, has no intention of introducing the bill in the immediate future. Pro-abortion forces are said to be gearing up to remove funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research and abortion, such as the Hyde Amendment.

With this possibility in mind, two pro-life Representatives, Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Heath Shuler (D-NC) are circulating a letter in Congress that will ask Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Rules Committees to either include all current abortion funding restrictions in upcoming spending bills or to allow floor votes on any such restrictions deleted in committee. Thus far, 90 Congressmen have signed the Jordan/Shuler letter. The deadline for Congressmen to sign the letter is Friday, January 13. To see a copy of the letter, click here.


January 28, 2008

The Senate this morning rejected an amendment offered by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) to restore the Mexico City Policy that barred foreign aid money to groups that perform or promote abortions abroad. The amendment, which lost by a 37-60 vote, would have overturned President Obama’s Executive Order that now allows taxpayer money to pay for abortions in foreign countries.

The amendment was defeated on almost a straight party line, with Sen. Ben Nelson (NE) the only Democrat voting to restore the Mexico City Policy and Senators Collins (ME), Murkowski (AK), Snowe (ME), and Specter (PA) the only Republicans voting to fund abortions abroad. To see the complete roll call vote, please click here.

More on the Freedom of Choice Act
Current Legislation

For an update on current pro-life legislation, please visit http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/. This page will give you guidance from the nation's top pro-life lobbying group, National Right to Life.

http://thomas.loc.gov - The largest public internet source for legislative information provided by the Library of Congress with a searchable database of congressional activity from 1969-present.

Pre-natal nondiscrimination Act - Introduced by Trent Franks on September 23, 2008

Click here to locate your representatives in Congress, to find out how they have voted, and to contact them!

Click here for tips on communicating with and visiting your representatives.

Click here to read transcript of Fr. Frank Defending Life, Season 9, Episode 2"Politics 101." Here he discusses communication with legislators with Capitol Hill activist Connie Marshner.

Supreme Court Cases on Abortion

To find out more, visit www.PriestsForLife.org

The Message Society Doesn't Want to Hear ~ Speech Given at Saint Thomas Catholic University

Just what did he speak of which caused such an outcry? The War in Iraq? Border control? NSA spying? None of the above...
Warning: some profane language

What happened to the exchange of ideas universities are famous for, namely, diversity and tolerance? Where were all of the supposed "open minds" at during this speech? Instead of listening to his speech with an open mind, it seems that they were too busy keeping themselves ignorant by jeering and ridiculing him. So much for "liberalism."

Powerful Straight-Talk

By John-Henry Westen

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."

Read Full Column Here

Bishop Martino Speaks on Authentic Diversity and Catholic Identity, Stands Firm

By Deacon Keith Fournier
3/5/2009
Catholic Online

My job as a Bishop is to promulgate the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church to all the faithful. I will continue to do so.

I voiced my “absolute disapproval” of Misericordia’s hosting of Keith Boykin not because of his sexual orientation, but because he is a well known proponent of morality that is disturbingly opposed to Catholic teaching, such as homosexual relations and same sex marriage.
SCRANTON, PA (Catholic Online) - Once again, Bishop Joseph Martino has acted in a manner which not only displays fidelity to his teaching office as a Catholic Bishop but great courage - in an age too often characterized by its opposite, cowardice. He has released further reflections on the issue of properly teaching authentic diversity and tolerance within a Catholic Educational Institution.

Our readers will remember that Misericordia University, located in the Bishop's Diocese, sponsored two talks given by homosexual activist Keith Boykin,over his explicit objection. Boykin is a best selling author and advocate for what I call the "equivalency movement" among active homosexuals. This activist effort seeks to use the Police Power of the State to mandate that the legal status of authentic marriage also be given to homosexual paramours, even though such relationships can never be a marriage. After the event, the Bishop asked Misericordia to consider discontinuing its "Diversity Institute" which had sponsored the lectures.

Now the good Bishop has issued the following Refelection which we offer to all of our readers. It can be found on the website of the Diocese of Scranton. In it he not only instructs the faithful but reasserts his intention to stand firm and his obligation to continue on in his efforts:

Bishop Issues Reflection on Teaching of Diversity and Tolerance

Bishop Joseph F. Martino has issued a reflection on how the teaching of diversity and tolerance relates to the teaching of the Catholic Church. The reflection follows:

"A substantial amount of media coverage and public commentary ensued after I asked Misericordia University to seriously consider discontinuing its Diversity Institute. Students and others in the community related how this Institute has furthered the advancement of tolerance, understanding and harmony between people of different races and cultures.

These are all worthy goals. All people of good will should work toward these ends.

Misericordia University, as a Catholic institution, has a responsibility for helping the community achieve these goals. However, precisely because it is a Catholic institution, it also has a responsibility to transmit Catholic teaching to its students in ways that are not ambiguous or confusing.

As I said in my previous statement, students should learn respect for all races and cultures, but viewpoints that are in direct opposition to Catholic teaching should not be presented under the guise of “diversity.” Doing so within a formal structure sanctioned by the institution gives the impression that these viewpoints are acceptable, or that all morality is relative.

As Catholics, we must distinguish between authentic tolerance and an “anything goes” mindset. For example, would the Diversity Institute be justified in hosting a speaker who believes the Holocaust is a myth? Or one who believes slavery is okay because certain people are inferior? Or one who believes women can be exploited because they are the “weaker sex”? There are people out there who actually believe this nonsense, and they would be perfectly willing to come to the campus to tell you why.

Their views are certainly “diverse,” but does that qualify them to be given a platform in the name of tolerance? Or should they be allowed to make a presentation without any retort from the Catholic perspective?

As Catholics, we believe there is an objective, moral Truth – given to us by Jesus Christ. This Truth is timeless, and it cannot be altered by the shifting tides of popular culture. If our faith and our actions are not rooted in this Truth, we risk contributing to the “dictatorship of relativism” cited by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in a homily given just prior to his election as Pope Benedict XVI. He said:

“To have a clear faith, according to the creed of the Church, is often labeled as fundamentalism. While relativism, that is, allowing oneself to be carried about with every wind of ‘doctrine,’ seems to be the attitude that is fashionable. A dictatorship of relativism is being constituted that recognizes nothing as absolute and which only leaves the ‘I’ and its whims as the ultimate measure.”

As the Bishop, it is not only my right, but my obligation to ensure that authentic Catholic teaching is being provided in all Catholic institutions in this Diocese, and that viewpoints in opposition to this teaching are not being presented as acceptable alternatives.

I voiced my “absolute disapproval” of Misericordia’s hosting of Keith Boykin not because of his sexual orientation, but because he is a well known proponent of morality that is disturbingly opposed to Catholic teaching, such as homosexual relations and same sex marriage. Furthermore, no presentation was made to balance Mr. Boykin’s viewpoints with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

That is why I asked Misericordia, which asserted that it “is committed deeply to its Catholic mission,” to convey how it teaches Catholic morality regarding sexuality and homosexuality, and to produce concrete evidence. It is regrettable that the University chose to respond with a brief statement without any such evidence.

Nevertheless, I continue to urge Misericordia University to fulfill the four essential characteristics of a Catholic institution of higher learning. As I pointed out in briefer form in my initial statement on this matter, these are:

1. A Christian inspiration not only of individuals but of the university community as such;

2. A continuing reflection in the light of the Catholic faith upon the growing treasury of human knowledge, to which it seeks to contribute by its own
research;

3. Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church;

4. An institutional commitment to the service of the people of God and of the human family in their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal which gives meaning to life.

(Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities)

I also offer this postscript to those who criticize me for taking public stances that may not be popular or “politically correct,” or may not agree with their own personal notions of what “progressive” Catholic doctrine should be. My job as a Bishop is to promulgate the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church to all the faithful. I will continue to do so."
- - -

Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (www.catholic.org) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!

Secularist Intolerance of Christianity Despite "Diversity & Tolerance" Rhetoric.

OXFORD, March 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - There is a growing culture of suppression among secularist governments that is using the doctrine of "tolerance and diversity" to push Christians entirely out of public life, Australia's Cardinal Pell told an audience at Oxford University this weekend. The Australian cardinal said during an address at the university that human rights and anti-discrimination legislation is being used as a weapon against Christians and Christian opinion in the public debate.

"Secularist intolerance for Christianity," the archbishop of Sydney said, "seeks to drive it not only from the public square but even from the provision of education, health care, and welfare services to the wider community." And it is through anti-discrimination legislation that this goal has been widely achieved, he said.

The cardinal pointed to the apparent irony in the way in which some of the most morally permissive groups, such as the homosexualist and feminist political movements that endorse limitless "pan-sexuality" as well as abortion on demand, have become politically repressive of opposition, despite the rhetoric of "diversity and tolerance."

The cardinal's address, titled "Varieties of Intolerance: Religious and Secular," was the first Thomas More Lecture on Religion in the Public Square, hosted by the Oxford University Newman Society. The Thomas More Lectures, co-sponsored by the Catholic Herald newspaper, were established "to examine the relationship between faith and society."

In the inaugural lecture, the cardinal cited a long and growing list of instances where "anti-discrimination" laws are being used to shut down the Christian viewpoint. He mentioned that: health care workers in New York state and the UK have been sued and disciplined for upholding the sanctity of life; citizens in California threatened with violence and harassed out of their jobs for opposing "same-sex marriage"; government tribunal proceedings launched in Canada and Australia against publications and individuals for critiquing Islam; Catholic social service agencies in the UK forced to renounce their religious affiliations or close; hospitals in the US forced to provide abortifacient drugs to employees or lose government funding; and Canadian and Austrian clergy slapped with lifetime bans on preaching Christian doctrine by government agencies.

The crucial issue for secularists, he said, is the protection of legal abortion. He pointed to the possible passage in the US of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and to the recently passed legislation in Victoria, Australia that forces health care workers to participate in abortions, laws that make "a mockery of conscientious objection."

He warned that laws protecting the conscience-rights of Christians, particularly those who object to abortion and homosexual lifestyles, have been ignored or overturned: "The human rights industry ran dead on the freedom of conscience issues which the legislation raised."

During the debate on the Victoria legislation, he pointed out, "pro-abortion commentators attacked the concept of conscientious objection as nothing more than a way for doctors and nurses to impose their morality on their patients. Victoria's statutory charter of rights, which purports to protect freedom of religion, conscience and belief, was shown to be a dead letter when it comes to abortion."

He warned too that human rights and anti-discrimination laws and the new reproductive technologies have combined to "make it possible for children to have three, four or five parents," and has reduced the concept of children brought up by a mother and father, "as nothing more than a majority adult preference."

"The rights of children to be created in love and to be known and raised by their biological parents receives scant consideration when the legislative agenda is directed to satisfying adult needs and ambitions."

He related what he called a campaign of "organised intimidation" against those citizens in California who supported Proposition 8, a legislative effort to secure the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Despite this "prolonged campaign of payback and bullying," that has included "violence, vandalism and intimidation" including threats to burn down places of worship, "few human rights activists have objected to the vilification and hate speech that has been directed at supporters of Proposition 8."

Calling it a "legal process straight out of Kafka," the cardinal also cited the use of human rights and hate-speech legislation to silence Christians in Canada, Australia and the US, as in the Human Rights Commissions cases against Ezra Levant, Maclean's Magazine and Mark Steyn.

He warned that modern secularist liberalism, far from its origins in classical political liberalism, now "has strong totalitarian tendencies" and is oriented towards a heavy-handed statism, not democratic freedom.

"Institutions and associations, it implies, exist only with the permission of the state and to exist lawfully, they must abide the dictates or norms of the state."

But, he said, "believers should not be treated by government and the courts as a tolerated and divisive minority whose rights must always yield to the minority secular agenda, especially when religious people are overwhelmingly in the majority."

Cardinal Pell concluded his lecture by calling on Christians to "recover their genius" for presenting the Christian vision of society. "They also have to recover their self-confidence and courage."

Calling opponents a "small minority with disproportionate influence in media," the cardinal said one of the "crucial tasks" of Christians in the 21st century is to confront the "secular and religious intolerance of our day ... regularly and publicly."

Francis, from Oxford, wrote and gave me this front page account from the Oxford University Newman Society for your perusal
Thanks Francis!!!
Also, to read Cardinal Pell's full address (pdf format, requires Adobe):

Good News & Bad News: Planned Parenthood Offices are Closing; Remaining Offer Medical Abortions

WASHINGTON, DC (06 March 2009) - A new report from American Life League shows that in the last two years 61 additional Planned Parenthood facilities began offering medical abortions.

While Planned Parenthood closed clinics across the United States in 2008, more of the remaining Planned Parenthood facilities are offering medical abortions - abortions involving the administration of drugs specifically intended to kill the preborn child. Some common drugs used for medical abortions are Mifepristone (RU-486) and Methotrexate.

"We're encouraged to see an overall decline in the number of facilities and its affiliates," said Marie Hahnenberg, a researcher for American Life League. "However the report shows Planned Parenthood is simply changing focus from its express clinics to more facilities offering medical abortions." Express clinics are facilities where customers can pick up birth control without having an examination.

The report shows Planned Parenthood facilities down from 855 in 2007 to 844 in 2008. The report also reveals a decrease in the number of affiliates, express clinics and surgical abortion facilities.

"These findings show conclusively that Planned Parenthood is invested more than ever in finding and providing ways to kill," Hahnenberg said. "With these results in mind, it's crucial for Americans to participate in grassroots - local, state and national - efforts against Planned Parenthood and to work to defeat taxpayer funding of the nation's largest abortion chain."

To view the full report, go to:
http://www.stopp.org/pdfs/2008/2008ReportPPFacilitiesUS.pdf
To see exactly where each of the 844 Planned Parenthood facilities are located, visit American Life League's Map Room, an online, interactive map that offers facts, figures and locations: http://www.stopp.org/maps.

"Very Bad Period of Catechesis" in Church "Bearing Bad Fruit in Our Time," says Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput

By Steve Jalsevac
TORONTO, Canada, March 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During a LifeSiteNews interview last week, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput stressed that "not nearly enough" US Catholic bishops have been speaking out strongly on the current state of the culture. He also noted that the poor instruction of Catholics over the past 40 years has to a large degree been responsible for many of today's serious problems within US Catholicism, especially the lack of "understanding of the horror of abortion."

Chaput, a prominent US bishop and recent author of "Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life.", was interviewed following his breakfast lecture to Toronto businessmen on February 24. The archbishop, who is usually upbeat and gentle mannered, nevertheless, and true to his frankness in Render Unto Caesar, did not beat around the bush on the abortion issue and the responsibilities of Catholics and Catholic leaders in the culture wars.

Asked what could be done to get Catholic pro-abortion politicians to comprehend their faith obligations on the abortion issue, Chaput did not give a reassuring response. He stated, "Apparently, very little can be done because so little seems to have been accomplished."

He conjectured a likely reason for the current situation has been negligence on the part of the Church leadership in the U.S. "I don't know if it's because we've let it go on for such a long time and haven't challenged it before now, but this attitude of being comfortable with being pro-choice and Catholic at the same time seems to be deeply set in the lives of these folks."

Chaput expanded, "It seems like there has been a very bad period of catechesis of people in the Church, not only catechesis of the laity but also catechesis of the clergy and it's bearing bad fruit in our time."

"We need to reinvigorate the Church's understanding of the horror of abortion," Chaput continued. "It seems that we have become deadened to the horror of abortion."

To the archbishop, clergy have a crucial role related to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. He stated, "I think it's very important for clergy to advise political leaders of the great scandal that they might be part of because this can lead not only to the death of the unborn but it can also lead to the spiritual death of the political leaders who vote that way."

The fact that some prominent pro-choice Catholics are even lectors or have other visible roles in parishes, Chaput calls "another sign of accommodation with the reality of abortion." He went on that, "We don't understand this horror so we can put up with people who are pro-choice or pro-abortion and not challenge their Catholic identity."

Once again, as he has recently said many times, Archbishop Chaput told LifeSiteNews that "anyone who is pro-choice or pro-abortion shouldn't receive communion as they are not in communion with the Church's teaching."

The Denver archbishop has been warning Catholics and all Americans about the dangers of the path our culture is upon, but his warnings are often not heeded. Asked about this, he replied that just as in the time of Noah and the Flood, "I think it is true about our time, that we are not taking the situation concerning the Church and the world seriously now."

Although he did not "know what we can do about it," Chaput encouraged faithful Catholics "to be persistent in our preaching and in our continuing to give the warning and that God bring fruit from that if He chooses. We shouldn't give up."

It was mentioned that many bishops spoke out strongly during the last election. However, he was clearly not impressed himself and said, there were "not nearly enough".

Chaput has himself been very outspoken and continued that reputation during the lecture, related to his book, Render Unto Caesar, the previous night.

See the complete interview:
A Conversation with Denver Archbishop Chaput

See previous LifeSiteNews report:
Denver Archbishop To Toronto Audience:
"We Can't Build a Just Society With the Blood of Unborn Children"

Anniversary of Dred Scott Case (1857), Reminder of Connection Between Race and Abortion

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 6, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Today is the anniversary of the infamous Dred Scott decision and one leading African-American pro-life advocate tells LifeNews.com that she is reminded of how some black Americans aren't considered persons today.

Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, notes the irony of the connection between race and abortion.

"One hundred and fifty seven years ago today, Dred Scott, a black slave, petitioned the Supreme Court for his freedom, but was denied," Gardner recounts. "In the case known as the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that slaves--even freed slaves, and all their descendants, had no rights protected by the Constitution and that states had no right to abolish slavery."

"The reasoning in Dred Scott and Roe v. Wade is nearly identical," she explains.

"In both cases the Court stripped all rights from a class of human beings and reduced them to nothing more than the property of others," Gardner says.

Gardner says the 1857 decision determined that African-Americans were not fully human and that they were the property of their owners and therefore he had no rights at all. Dred Scott was not deemed "fully human," so he could be bought, sold or even killed at the owner's discretion, she contends.

"In the Roe v. Wade case of 1973 the Supreme Court said the same thing," Gardner says.

"A baby is the property of his/her mother -- and that he/she is not fully human, therefore he/she has no rights at all. The Court stated that because an unborn baby is not deemed 'fully human' he/she can be bought, sold or even killed at the mother's whim," the pro-life black leader tells LifeNews.com.

Gardner says the Supreme Court says unborn children are now the same "beings of an inferior order" that the justices considered Blacks to be over a century ago.

She concludes: "We must all come to realize that if we are the truly an America that holds life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness so dear -- then we must obliterate the scourge of abortion from our midst otherwise we are no better than the those who perpetrate the conflict in Darfur, or any other country where human beings are enslaved, butchered or denied their rights just because they are meeker or weaker."

Gardner is the president of the National Black Pro- Life Union headquartered in Washington.


Related web sites:
National Black Pro-Life Union - www.nationalblackprolifeunion.com

Dred Scott

Brownback - Turncoat

I am not a politician, I am a priest. So I would like to give my priestly perspective about the recent endorsement of Senator Sam Brownback for the candidacy of Kathleen Sebelius for Secretary of Health and Human Services: Senator Brownback's cowardly betrayal of his Catholic faith is even more damaging than his political permission for this renegade to take office.

The situation is atrocious. An extremist abortion hack (called the most pro-abortion governor in the nation by many), who falsely calls herself "Catholic," is given the opportunity to preside over the nation's healthcare system and normalize abortion even further; this radical is then endorsed by a US senator who also calls himself "Catholic" and who, many believe, wants her job back home when she becomes the abortion queen in DC.

With pro-lifers like Senator Sam Brownback, who needs pro-aborts?

Moral theologians can work out what level of cooperation in evil the Senator's endorsement represents - he is, after all, an influential senator whose opposition, if he had given it, may very well have stopped her nomination. Yet, those of us who do not breathe the rarified air of Washington DC and who have dedicated our lives to defending the sanctity of human life understand one thing: any covenant with the abortion industry or its promoters is consent to the killing. As a convert to the Catholic Faith, Senator Brownback seems not to understand the Church's profoundly wounded heart with regard the slaughter of the innocents. The Church tells us never to participate in that slaughter, no matter what the cost; we do not give aid and comfort to the enemies of human life, we do not stand by while the innocent are being dragged off to a violent murder, and under no circumstances do we endorse the political aspirations of their executioners. Politicians who sell the lives of babies for political gains are the worst kind of turncoats.

Yet, this Catholic Senator's decision constitutes, I think, a watershed moment for all of us who want to see an end to the immoral industry of baby-killing in our country. We will never be served by the compromise of our principles in any form. Catholicism is the solution to this culture of death. If only Catholics ourselves would fully live up to our doctrine and put it into practice, there would be no "Tiller the Killer"s in Kansas, no partial birth abortions, no immoral sex education in the schools or Planned Parenthoods dominating our public life. Self-described "Catholics" like Brownback (in politics), Doug Kmiec (in academia), Hannity, Matthews and O'Reilly (in media) and others are not the solution to the problem - they are enablers of the problem. Despite their high-sounding lip service to the culture of life, they are compromisers. They will never end abortion because they don't want to end abortion.

I have often said that false Catholics, whether they be Cardinals, politicians or janitors, are the ones who have the most to account for on the Day of Judgment when they will have to account for ignoring Christ in His "least brethren," the unborn. Whether through advocacy of the evil (like Sebelius) or negligence in stopping it (like Brownback), they have blood on their hands. They've been given everything the Church has to offer: the teaching, the sacraments, the example of the saints and the grace to stand against Satan and all his works and all his empty promises. In other words, they know better, and the Biblical warning applies to them: "To whom much has been given, much will be required." Cowards and turncoats beware.

Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International www.hli.org

Catholic Church Criticized at Annual UN Conference for Strong Pro-Life Stance

By Samantha Singson

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) This week at the United Nations (UN), thousands of activists, government officials and UN officials gathered in New York for the annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). While the theme for the conference is “The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS,” several countries and non-government organizations (NGOs) have used the annual meeting as a soapbox to promote radical ideas on homosexual rights, abortion and sex education.

Norway and Sweden partnered with the International Planned Parenthood Federation to host a panel on “Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment.” Both governments expressed the need to prioritize “sexual and reproductive rights.” In his brief address, Norwegian State Secretary Hakon Gulbrandsen proclaimed that “sexual rights are a cornerstone to gender equality” and that “safe abortion is a crucial component of sexual and reproductive rights.”

Gulbrandson criticized “those who claim to be pro-life and yet wish to abolish abortion” as sometimes “abortion is the only solution to premature, unwanted pregnancies.” Gulbrandson advocated for homosexual rights and urged to “respect the diversity of gender identities.”

Support for homosexual rights was also a priority at an event sponsored by Human Rights Watch where organizers strategized on how to build on the non-binding European Union (EU)-led “sexual orientation” statement which was introduced in the General Assembly last fall. The EU statement called on member states to include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as protected non-discrimination categories like race, religion or sex. Human Rights Watch confirmed critics’ fears that homosexual rights NGOs would push for the non-binding statement to appear in a more permanent form, like a General Assembly resolution to be voted upon in “three years or less.”

At more than one event, radical feminist NGOs took the opportunity to criticize the Catholic Church on its strong pro-life stance. At a meeting of the European Women’s Lobby on religions and sexual and reproductive rights, organizers called on the EU to defend a woman’s “right” to abortion at the UN against the “alliance [that] is currently being formed between the Holy See, Islamist fundamentalist regimes and Christian right-wing governments – including the former Bush administration – who work together in order to influence UN texts on women’s rights.”

Pro-life and pro-family advocates at the CSW have attempted to get their voices heard at the various NGO events but have encountered resistance and hostility. At the Center for Reproductive Rights event on HIV positive women, one of the panelists from Chile took the opportunity to denigrate the Catholic Church for wielding its “power and influence” to discourage the Chilean government from supporting widespread condom distribution. When one young pro-life advocate spoke on effectiveness of abstinence for HIV prevention, she was shouted down by the panelist.

At a youth caucus meeting, organizers refused to incorporate pro-abstinence suggestions from a group of over 20 pro-life youths. One pro-life student told the Friday Fax, “I don’t know which youth they represent, but they don’t speak for me or any of my friends that are here.”

The Commission on the Status of Women meeting concludes on March 13.

www.c-fam.org

22 Weeks: Based on a True Story

www.22weeksthemovie.com

President Obama Insults Catholics, Nominates Gov. Sebelius to be Head of U.S. Healthcare

By Deacon Keith Fournier
3/1/2009 Catholic Online

“Catholic Social thought is built upon the foundational truth that every single human life has an inherent human dignity and must be respected and protected. The unborn child, who is alive and is a member of the human family, cannot defend himself or herself. Good law defends the defenseless. Our present laws permit unborn children to be privately killed. Laws that place unborn children outside the protection of law destroy both the children killed and the common good, which is the controlling principle of Catholic social teaching. One cannot favor the legal status quo on abortion and also be working for the common good." ~ words from Francis Cardinal George

This Secretary designee, if confirmed, will make the major decisions concerning health care right when major changes in the delivery of health care services loom. She is, in my opinion, a WRONG choice for Catholics and for the true common good. Under her leadership this administration will insist that the voluntary taking of innocent human life in the first home of the whole human be considered a “medical procedure” and covered in health programs. This Governor vetoed legislation to limit abortions and held a fundraiser for notorious abortionist George Tiller who is now on trial for 19 criminal charges related to his performance of late term abortions.
Kathleen Sebelius's nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services should be strongly opposed.
Click here to read article in its' entirety