Bishop Paul Loverde of the Roman Catholic diocese of Arlington, Va., said last week that if the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) should become law and a Catholic hospital in his diocese is forced to provide abortions, he would refuse to let the hospital comply, but he would also not close the institution. Though there are no Catholic hospitals in his diocese, the bishop nevertheless was defiant: "I would say, 'Yeah, I'm not going to close the hospital, you're going to arrest me, go right ahead. You'll have to drag me out, go right ahead. I'm not closing this hospital, we will not perform abortions, and you can go take a flying leap.' " According to the catechism – or official teachings -- of the Catholic Church, Catholics are "obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel." Catholics may refuse to obey civil authorities, "when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience." Loverde addressed the crowd of mostly young adults about the proposed Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). In 2007, President-elect Obama publicly promised a Planned Parenthood convention that signing FOCA into law would be one of the first things he would do upon taking office. The bill has not been approved by Congress, but seems poised to do so when the new Congress convenes in January. It would prohibit government from "interfering" with a woman's right to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability -- or after fetal viability if a mother's health is at risk. The government also may not "discriminate" against or deny the exercise of women's rights to choice "in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information." The legislation has been interpreted by many, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to mean that all hospitals and healthcare institutions would be mandated to perform abortions – or face the loss of federal funding and likely closure if they refuse to do so. "It's quite a title, let me tell you," Bishop Loverde said, concerning FOCA. "It's a misnomer, it's neither free nor choice, so I don't know where they got the name of the act, because it's just crazy, because it has no freedom, and it has no choice, nobody has a choice for abortion." The bishop said that the law, if enacted, would deprive everyone of conscientious objection to abortion. "It will take away the right of Catholic hospitals not to do abortions, which I suspect would close them," Loverde said. Under the proposed bill, any individual "aggrieved" by a violation of her "right to give birth or terminate a pregnancy" may file a civil suit in federal court. At the USCCB's fall general assembly in Baltimore, the bishops approved an 830-word, untitled statement condemning the Freedom of Choice Act, calling it "an evil law that would further divide our country." One bishop, the Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Paprocki, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, pointed out that, if the government mandates that all health-care institutions perform abortions, it would not be enough for the Church merely to sell a hospital to another organization that would perform abortions. "We would need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely," Paprocki said. Cardinal Francis George, the head of the U.S. Catholic Conference, hinted at closures while answering questions at a news conference during the fall general assembly. When asked what the ramifications would be if Catholic hospitals were forced to take a stand against FOCA, George replied, "I think you can guess as much as I can. Sure, you have one-third fewer facilities for health care in the country than you have now, wouldn't you, at least in the state of Illinois." Contact: Matthew Hadro Source: CNSNews.com Source URL: http://www.cnsnews.com Publish Date: December 1, 2008 Link to this article: |
December 1, 2008
Defy Freedom of Choice Act, if it Becomes Law
November 26, 2008
Special Note
The Illinois Federation for Right to Life would like to wish you and your families a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are thankful for you and for your continued support. We continue to change hearts and saving lives due to your generous support. The IFRL Daily News will not publish on Thursday, November 27th, in observation of the Thanksgiving Holiday. |
Thomas More Society Asks U.S. Court of Appeals to Reinstate Decision Allowing 'Choose Life' Illinois License Plates
New Decision Conflicts with Federal Ruling on Arizona "Choose Life" Plates; U.S. Supreme Court Appeal Possible Next Step Just two weeks after a three-Judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit overturned a lower court's ruling that Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White must produce and sell "Choose Life" Illinois specialty license plates, lawyers for the Thomas More Society have filed a petition asking all the Judges in active service on the Court of Appeals to reinstate the earlier ruling. That ruling had been handed down January 22, 2007 by a federal district Judge, ordering that the plates be made available. Over 25,000 Illinois citizens had signed petitions for the "Choose Life" plate, sale proceeds of which were to fund Illinois adoption agencies to help children find lifetime homes with loving families. But efforts to get the plate approved by Illinois authorities were frustrated at every turn. Bills introduced in the General Assembly were diverted to a special subcommittee where they died without any hearing. Secretary of State Jesse White claimed he did not have power to approve the plate himself, and when the federal trial court ruled that he did have such authority under the wording of license plate statute, the General Assembly passed a new bill that required legislative approval for every new specialty plate. At a meeting with Choose Life Illinois leaders, Illinois Senate president Emil Jones said he disagreed with the "Choose Life" message, as his position was "pro-choice." Based on all these facts, which Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan never contradicted, the federal district court held that suppression of the "Choose Life" plates constituted "viewpoint discrimination" which violates the free speech rights of the petition signers and other Illinois citizens under the 1st Amendment. Illinois has also approved many specialty plates supporting other causes, such as environmental, peace and wildlife. The Choose Life Illinois petition highlights "questions of exceptional importance" involving conflicts between the panel's ruling and rulings of other courts approving such plates. Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of Thomas More Society, said that an appeal to the US Supreme Court is likely in the event that rehearing is not granted, or if enough votes are not won on rehearing to overturn the panel's decision. "We are committed to fight this battle to the finish," said Brejcha, "It makes no sense that suppression of the 'Choose Life' specialty plate in Arizona was condemned by the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals as 'viewpoint discrimination' in violation of the First Amendment rights of Arizona's citizens, whereas that same suppression here in Illinois was held a valid exercise of state power. "Our US Constitution, especially the First Amendment's free speech clause, must be held to mean the same thing in all parts of our country, and it makes no sense that specialty plates that say 'Choose Life' whose proceeds support the cause of adoption are permitted in so many other states, yet outlawed here. This is a classic case of what federal courts always have condemned as 'viewpoint discrimination' and it must be stopped." The Choose Life Illinois petition, whose principal author is Alan Untereiner, of the Washington, D.C. law firm, Robbins, Russell, Orseck, Untereiner & Sauber LLP, raises other issues including: (a) whether Illinois' action could be justified even if viewed only as a "content restriction" rather than as "viewpoint bias" in light of controlling Supreme Court precedent; (b) whether specialty license plates should be viewed as a "nonpublic forum," as the panel ruled, or rather as a "designated public forum" as most other courts have ruled; and (c) whether the panel erred in carving out a new, unprecedented "legislative body" exception to the venerable First Amendment principle forbidding license schemes that delegate unfettered, standardless discretion to government decision-makers. Lawyers from Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office had argued that Illinois' refusal to approve Choose Life plates was lawfully based on the 'controversial' nature of the plates' message - the slogan "choose life" and two smiling kids' faces. They claimed that Illinois must be permitted to refuse any messages relating to 'reproductive rights.' But no pro-choice plate was ever sought, and Jim Finnegan of Barrington, Illinois, head of Choose Life Illinois, said if enough petitions were signed he would have no objection to a pro-choice plate. Contact: Tom Ciesielka Source: Thomas More Society Source URL: http://www.thomasmoresociety.org Publish Date: November 26, 2008 Link to this article: |
Activists hope new law reduces Down abortions
Kadi Coe was almost midway through her pregnancy when she received the news her baby was diagnosed with Down syndrome. "When my husband and I first found out the news, we were devastated," Coe said, fighting back tears as she spoke on the phone from her Michigan home. "It felt like someone had died ... and we really struggled. I was 29 years old at the time, and I didn't think young women could have children with Down syndrome at that age." The diagnosis was finalized after Coe received results from an amniocentesis test, a prenatal test designed to find conditions such as Down syndrome, which normally results when a person has three copies, rather than two, of chromosome 21. Coe, whose daughter turned 1 year old in November, represents thousands of women who experience pain and grief upon receiving diagnoses of Down syndrome or other conditions for their children. Thankfully, Coe's physician provided encouragement during her pregnancy, but many advocacy organizations believe doctors oftentimes deliver the diagnosis as "bad news" to parents instead of supporting mothers to follow through with their pregnancies. The organizations see a great need for doctors to offer more accurate and complete information to parents whose children have been diagnosed with Down syndrome or other conditions. Down syndrome, for instance, typically is marked by mental and physical impairments, but people with the condition have a wide range of abilities. Often, a doctor's delivery of the "bad news" results in parents making a lethal choice for their baby; an estimated 90 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. That abortion rate holds for unborn babies diagnosed with spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and dwarfism, according to the office of Sen. Sam Brownback, R.-Kan. Brownback, a pro-life leader in Congress, addressed the problem by sponsoring a bill that was signed into law Oct. 8 by President Bush. The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act requires parents who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or another disability to be provided the latest information regarding the condition and be informed of support services available. The law also establishes a registry of families willing to adopt children with special needs. "All too often, the road to abortion is paved with negative words of medical providers who sell it as the 'compassionate' choice," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, in a written statement. "There is nothing compassionate about eliminating entire categories of human beings.... The transforming effect of children with special needs is what this culture needs more of -- not less." Pro-life advocates hope Brownback's measure will reduce the abortion rate for children diagnosed with Down syndrome and other conditions. David Tolleson, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress, said he hopes doctors will choose to share more information with their patients as it becomes available. "As far as the termination rate, we never know what goes into a woman's decision related to that," Tolleson told Baptist Press. "What we do know by studies is that doctors traditionally do a poor job delivering a diagnosis. Our point of view is mothers need to have all the information so that whatever decision they make will be an informed decision and not the doctor's prejudices." Some advocacy organizations already are trying to educate doctors on what can be a life-or-death issue. Families Exploring Down Syndrome (FEDS) supplies medical professionals with photos and information about the conditions of people with Down syndrome. FEDS encourages doctors to learn more about the capabilities of special needs children. Lucy Talbot, president of FEDS, does not believe abortion is the answer for babies diagnosed with disabilities. If doctors could see the capabilities of these children, it would change the way they present the diagnoses to families, she said. "A physician's attitude can make all the difference in the world," Talbot said. "If [doctors] are doom and gloom and tell parents their child will be nothing, their hopes will be shattered. The more information they give out, the better it will be for everybody." In 2003, the National Down Syndrome Society developed the Changing Lives Program in order to educate medical professionals on the clinical and developmental needs of people with Down syndrome. The program also supplies materials to expectant parents, prepares professionals to deliver diagnoses to families and provides families with both local and national resources. Martha Ostendarp, early matters coordinator for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, works directly with parents who decide to follow through with their pregnancies. Ostendarp is also the grandmother of a 5-year-old boy with Down syndrome. "When I walk into [my grandson's] house, he announces me, saying, 'Grandma's here,'" Ostendarp said. "He makes you feel good about yourself. That's the best thing I can summarize about a child with Down syndrome." Contact: Elizabeth Wood Source: Baptist Press Source URL: http://www.bpnews.net Publish Date: November 24, 2008 Link to this article: |
Husband Saves Wife from Forced Starvation as Sister-in-law Sought to Remove Food and Hydration
A man seeking to protect his disabled wife from having her nutrition and hydration removed by his sister-in-law succeeded in having the court name him as guardian Tuesday when the sister-in-law withdrew her application for guardianship. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Joel Kirkpatrick represents Robert Lavers, the husband of Heather Lavers. "Everyone deserves a chance to recover. We are pleased that Heather will be given this chance," said Kirkpatrick. "Robert Lavers is the rightful guardian of his wife and simply desires to take care of her. He did not want a death sentence for Heather." Heather Lavers went into a coma after suffering a heart attack in September and had been receiving medical care, nutrition, and hydration at a Florida hospital not far from her and her husband's home. Robert Lavers later agreed to the request of Heather's sister, Heidi Kaczala, that Heather Lavers be moved to Ohio where she could receive better medical care and be close to her family. He moved to Ohio when his wife was transferred to a Toledo hospital. After the transfer, Kaczala applied to be appointed as her sister's legal guardian. At that time, Kaczala did not agree with Robert Lavers that his wife should be kept alive because she believed that her sister would not want to live in her current condition. For that reason, Kaczala indicated to Robert Lavers that she would consider the option of withdrawing food and water if given guardianship. Kaczala consented to withdraw her application for guardianship prior to a formal hearing Tuesday (http://www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4761). A copy of the letter of guardianship issued Tuesday by the Probate Court of Lucas County naming Robert Lavers as legal guardian over his wife in the lawsuit In re: Lavers is available at http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/LaversGuardianshipLetter.pdf Source: LifeSiteNews.com Source URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com Publish Date: November 25, 2008 Link to this article: |
Volition - A Film that Demands a Radical Choice
Tim and Matthew Morgan have somehow produced a first-class short film that masterfully deals with the taboo issue of abortion despite working with a budget that would pay for approximately thirty seconds of a Hollywood blockbuster. "Volition," first created for a short film competition, is as yet unknown, but will soon, I predict, become very well known indeed, as it very well should. Volition is an astonishing achievement. The film itself is not made any greater by the fact that Tim Morgan, who directed it, is only 23-years-old, and that his brother, who composed all of the music, is only 20-years-old, but the ages of the brothers does help put the scope of their accomplishment into even greater relief. Volition places its central character, who goes unnamed, in the historical contexts of what the filmmakers clearly believe to be three of the greatest human rights violations in history: the holocaust, slavery, and abortion. In each of these situations the protagonist is placed in a position of some authority, with the promise of more to come: in the first, he is a Nazi who is being considered for a promotion; in the second, he is a respected American physician who has travelled to Africa and studied the blacks; and in the third, he is a promising medical student on scholarship whose girlfriend is pregnant. The premise is as clever and well-executed as it is effective. It purpose is clear: by placing the same figure, presumably with the same sort of upbringing, and the same genetic and temperamental predispositions, into the crucible of extreme historical times that demand a response, we may observe his choices, or, in other words, we may try his "volition." As the synopsis of the film states, "Throughout history, men have been faced with difficult choices in a world that makes it easy for them to conform. This film explores the hope that lies behind every decision made in the face of adversity; the hope that is buried in the heart of those that look beyond themselves and see something bigger worth fighting for." The protagonist is scripted as the perfectly volatile figure, the man who walks on the razor's edge: young, handsome, intelligent and capable, he is being embraced by the establishment in each historical age, invited by those who control the power and the prestige to climb the ranks and enjoy the benefits with them. But in each vignette he is caught between two alternatives that are so dramatically mutually opposed that they demand a radical choice. He cannot not act. The times are too extreme, the choices too stark. When presented with the holocaust one must choose the holocaust, or rebel against it. And so too, the film argues, with slavery and abortion. Passivity is not only cowardly, but signals tacit acceptance and by default makes one a co-conspirator with the prevailing spirit of the age. Luke Williams, the unknown actor who plays the lead, was a spectacular find; he has the perfect face for the role – haunting and deeply expressive - and he uses it well. It is a great credit to Tim Morgan, who wrote the script, that he provides the opportunity for Williams to do so by avoiding the commonest and most annoying error of the amateur screenwriter – to pack the script with dialogue. In "Volition" dialogue is scarce, and what dialogue there is, is strictly necessary. Instead the carefully constructed and deeply moving visuals, undergirded by Matthew Morgan's first-rate soundtrack, are what carries this short film through to its conclusion. The efficiency of the Morgan brothers is breathtaking - they expertly weave together and develop three separate story lines, while creating an intimate knowledge of the main characters, and all in a mere fifteen minutes or so. A fascinating element of the film is that we are not shown the protagonist's final choice either in Nazi Germany, or in the American, pre-Civil War South. It is made clear in both cases that he is deeply divided and dissatisfied with what he is being asked to participate in. And in each case he is brought to the breaking point, as the full cruelty and inhumanness of the age is suddenly brought to bear upon him. But that is where the viewer leaves him – in one case, as a Nazi soldier, suffering a heart-rending emotional breakdown, and in the other, looking on with clenched jaw as a black child is beaten outside his window. Where he goes from there, we do not know. It is as if because Nazism and slavery are closed chapters in history, they can no longer be altered. Instead the protagonist is left in his state of tortured tension, unable to choose, unable to act, his will frozen in the immovable past. It is different in the case of abortion, however. Because abortion is ongoing, because his choice is presented in the here and now, the protagonist can change the course of events. And, of course, in the end he does make such a choice, though I will not say what it is. In that sense the protagonist serves as a symbol for those who are watching the film: those who are alive now and cannot, therefore, do anything about either the holocaust or slavery, but who can still make a decision in regards to abortion. The sheer beauty and artistry of "Volition," the excruciating attention to detail evidenced in every shot, and the emphasis on the human story over its moral, ensures that those who watch the film must, like its protagonist, respond with a choice. They cannot, no matter how much they disagree with its message at first glance, write it off as a boring, or unbelievable, or crude attempt at making a piece of pro-life propaganda and leave it at that. The film demands that the viewer either choose to go along with the parallelism, to accept the similarity between the three great human rights violations, or either reject it - to watch passively is impossible. Either the current situation with abortion is like these past cruelties, in which case it must be vigorously opposed with the full powers of the mind and body, or it is an entirely new situation. But either way, Volition ensures that its viewers cannot ignore the question as unimportant. (To watch Volition, go to: http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/film/?film=420351f1aefa2b42b1772fe9d5cc044a) To find out more about Tim and Matthew Morgan and their film company, go to: http://www.rockyfarmstudio.com Contact: John Jalsevac Source: LifeSiteNews.com Source URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com Publish Date: November 25, 2008 Link to this article: |
China's forced abortion policy challenged by mother of three
Chinese officials have caved to international pressure and will now release a woman who is pregnant with her third child. The woman was being held in a hospital in order to undergo a forced abortion. China has a strict one child policy, although two children are permitted under certain circumstances. Steven Mosher of the Population Research Institute is thankful that officials have released the woman, but says now is not the time to forget her situation. "She's been released now because the world is watching," he points out. "But as soon as the world blinks I'm afraid this woman could be rearrested and…[the child] forcibly aborted. She is by no means out of the woods." According to Mosher, if she does have the baby, it will have to be in a government hospital because it is illegal to deliver a baby elsewhere. "And when she goes to the hospital to give birth they may very well take that baby and give it a lethal injection while it's being born," he warns. "That happens all the time in China." If she gave birth privately, she would still not be free said Mosher. "Because she's given the population control police an enormous headache…they will be looking for her," he contends. China plans to continue the forced abortion population control program another 42 years. Contact: Charlie Butts Source: OneNewsNow Source URL: http://www.onenewsnow.com Publish Date: November 26, 2008 Link to this article: |
Russian city observes ‘week without abortion’ as country battles population crisis
Authorities in the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk have scheduled a "week without abortion" in an effort to combat the country's extremely high abortion rate. During the weeklong event that began on Monday, doctors will not perform abortions in all but "the most extreme cases," RussiaToday.com reports. The city's maternity welfare center will hold open houses with information seminars on family planning as psychologists and gynecologists work with pregnant women to help prepare them for motherhood. A hotline for pregnant women will also operate during the week, putting them in contact with gynecological experts in Novorossiysk. "Doctors will do everything they can to stop women from doing the irreparable," a city administration representative told RussiaToday.com. The city's universities will also screen films demonstrating the detrimental effects of abortion. Russia's abortion rate is among the highest in the world, with nearly 70 percent of pregnancies ending in an abortion. The Western Europe abortion rate is about 12 per 1,000 women per year, while in Russia that figure is 54 per 1,000, according to U.N. records on abortion rates. In 2004 there were 100,000 more abortions than births. Further, about 10 to 15 percent of abortions in Russia have complications, leaving about 8 percent of women sterile. Novorossiysk's "week without abortion" was timed to coincide with the Russian Day of Motherhood, scheduled annually for the last Sunday of November. City authorities have also dedicated a day to "child making," ensuring people a shorter work day once a year to improve the demographic situation in the country. The Russian government declared 2008 to be the "Year of the Family" to combat demographic decline. What RussiaToday.com called the "propaganda of abortions and their advertising" has recently been banned in the Russian media. Despite welfare payments for childbirth, improvements in the healthcare system, and public service announcements to boost the birthrate, recent reports indicate the government policies have had little effect. Source: Catholic News Agency Source URL: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com Publish Date: November 26, 2008 Link to this article: |
NEWS SHORTS FOR WEDNESDAY
Disclaimer: The linked items below or the websites at which they are located do not necessarily represent the views of The Illinois Federation for Right to Life. They are presented only for your information. Family With Down Syndrome Child Finally Granted Australian Residency Australia's immigration minister granted permanent residency Wednesday to a German family whose application was twice denied because their 13-year-old son has Down syndrome. Immigration Minister Chris Evans ruled that Dr. Bernhard Moeller and his family made a valuable contribution to their community and should be allowed to stay. http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=39968 Speaking at the 2008 Denver Democratic National Convention, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that the party is united in supporting abortion rights, and that the right to abort a pregnancy is one of the party's "core moral values." That plank of the ratified platform states: "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay." Therein lies the crux of the abortion issue. Using Roe v. Wade, the pro-abortion establishment pits "a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay" against my right of non-involvement in her sin. http://www.covenantnews.com/helms081126.htm Abortifacient Birth Control For Minors Scrutinized Anticipating a legislative challenge to state laws giving teens access to birth control prescriptions and other reproductive health services without the consent of their parents, the Family Planning Association of Maine will host a series of forums around the state, beginning Tuesday in Bangor. The issue stems from last year's controversy about a school clinic in Portland that prescribed birth control to middle school students. http://www.bangornews.com/detail/94010.html 14-Year-Old Girls to Be Forced to Watch Film About Their 'Right' to Abort Babies The film puts forward the idea that it is up to a woman if she wants to terminate her pregnancy, and makers claim only a few are left traumatised by the procedure. Made by the Family Planning Association, Why Abortion? shows a range of scenarios in which actresses justify abortion on the grounds that they cannot afford to have a child or that it could jeopardise their relationship with parents or boyfriends. The pro-choice FPA says that abortion is a fact of life and so it makes sense for teenagers to learn about it. England and Wales has the second-highest termination rate in Europe, with 205,600 abortions carried out in 2007, while Labour MPs rejected moves to cut the upper time limit from 24 to 20 weeks earlier this year. Madrid Hospital under Investigation for Telling Truth about Abortion and Sodomy Angry health official says that such material is "expressly prohibited" in city hospitals Madrid's Carlos III Hospital has provoked a controversy and a government investigation by distributing an informational pamphlet on sexuality that recommends abstinence from sexual intercourse until marriage, mentions that abortion ends a human life, and calls sodomy a "behavioral disturbance" that spreads disease and causes depression. Although the statements in the pamphlet are conceded by much of the medical establishment and supported by peer-reviewed studies, Madrid's Health Director Juan Jose Guermes expressed outrage at its distribution, and promised a full investigation to determine who was responsible. "That guide was expressly prohibited," Guermes told the media last week. "We are going to open a reserved informational file to counteract its distribution within the hospital." http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112601.html |
November 25, 2008
Pro-Life Activists Announce Major 'Prophetic Art Demonstration' In Front of the White House during Presidential Inaugural Week
Activists will "sidewalk chalk" pro-life messages and pictures for President Obama on the two blocks of Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House on January 24, 2009. This "prophetic art display" is part of a major pro-life witness taking place in Washington, D.C. during Inaugural Week called "The Birmingham Letter Project." The American Center for Law and Justice, who is representing the activists, sent a letter to Terrance Ryan, General Counsel to the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia outlining their plans on Monday, November 24. You may view the letter here: http://www.earnedmedia.org/chalk%20letter.pdf The leaders of "The Birmingham Letter Project" are inviting pro-life and human rights activists to come to Washington, D.C. during the week of the Inauguration and be involved in a prayerful and prophetic witness for life as they call upon President Obama to end the violence and brutality of abortion. Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states, "From a Birmingham jail cell 45 years, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged the Christian community to step out of their apathy, comfort and indifference and boldly confront the evil of segregation. "Today Dr. King's words speak to a new generation of Christians and people of good will dealing with the horror of abortion. He is calling upon the church of today to step out of the status quo and be a voice for justice. "As part of 'The Birmingham Letter Project,' we are inviting the pro-life community from around the country to the 'front yard of President Obama' and leave a message of change, hope and compassion. As we sidewalk chalk on Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House, we will be publicly asking President Obama to follow the teachings of Dr. King and end the discrimination and violence against these innocent children. "We hope and pray that President Obama will embrace the timeless message from 'Letter from Birmingham City Jail' where it states, 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney Source: Christian Defense Coalition Source URL: http://thebirminghamletterproject.com Publish Date: November 25, 2008 Link to this article: |
Poll Finds 44% of Canadians Would Choose Euthanasia over Palliative Care
Poll Finds 44% of Canadians Would Choose Euthanasia over Palliative Care A new Environics poll has found that Canadians are split on the question of palliative care versus euthanasia. When asked if they would choose palliative care over euthanasia at the end of their lives, 44% of Canadians polled said they would choose palliative care with an equal number choosing euthanasia. "It is note worthy that older Canadians polled were more likely to choose palliative care," reported Dr. Delores Doherty, president of LifeCanada, the group that commissioned the poll. Among those over 60 years old, 51% of respondents would choose palliative care and 36% would choose euthanasia. "This suggests that those closer to the end of their lives have a different perspective on illness and dying." "We find the poll support for euthanasia alarming and wonder if those polled realize that this is the deliberate ending of their lives. The conflict evident in the results reflects the fear people have of dying in misery. It also highlights the failure of the health care system to make palliative care equally accessible throughout Canada. The provision of quality end-of-life care must be a greater priority in this country." Palliative care provides effective pain-management, support, and care when a person is dying. Research shows that good palliative care can reduce the demand for what some call 'mercy-killing.' "The experience in other jurisdictions where euthanasia and/or assisted suicide are legal has shown that many of those who 'choose' euthanasia are depressed and need treatment, not killing," said Doherty. "In addition, many vulnerable people have been killed without their consent in countries like Holland, which has had legal euthanasia for many years." The Focus Canada poll of 2023 Canadians was conducted between September 24 and October 21, 2008. It is considered accurate 19 out of 20 times, with a margin of error of +/-2.2%. LifeCanada, the national educational pro-life body, has commissioned an annual poll on life issues since 2002. Source: LifeSiteNews.com Source URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com Publish Date: November 25, 2008 Link to this article: |
Vatican in “Firestorm” over Brain Death Criteria for Organ Transplants
Vatican in "Firestorm" over Brain Death Criteria for Organ Transplants Dispute within the Vatican on the approval of so-called "brain death" criteria for organ transplants remains sharp, according to a senior Vatican correspondent. Sandro Magister, a leading Italian journalist and expert on the Vatican, wrote this week of the internal dispute over support and opposition to "brain death" criteria, the definition of death that allows vital organs to be removed from patients while their hearts are still beating. Magister points out that in September this year, L'Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Vatican, published on its front page a long article by the philosopher Lucetta Scaraffia. Scaraffia, who is the vice-president of the Italian Association for Science and Life and a member of the Italian National Committee on Bio-Ethics, called into question the Vatican's approval of "brain death" criteria for organ transplants. That article, said Magister, "raised a firestorm" of debate within the Vatican, coming as it did in the immediate lead-up to a generously financed international conference on organ transplants, sponsored in part by the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV). That sponsorship had outraged pro-life advocates around the world who said that, given the problems surrounding organ transplantation, the PAV had no business promoting it. Judie Brown, a member of the PAV and the head of American Life League, had written to Academy head Archbishop Fisichella asking that the conference be postponed or cancelled altogether. Nevertheless, Magister said, the "predominant approach" towards organ transplantation by the Vatican has been "agreement with the practice of transplanting organs after the confirmation of brain death." It was perhaps with this "agreement" in mind that Scaraffia wrote in L'Osservatore Romano that a declaration of "brain death: cannot be considered the end of life in light of new scientific research." The unease of the pro-life movement with "brain death" was sustained by Pope Benedict XVI's address to the transplant conference, in which he pointedly insisted that organ donation must remain "a gift" of the donor and that organs cannot be taken from vulnerable persons without their consent. "The main criterion," the Pope said, must be "respect for the life of the donor so that the removal of organs is allowed only in the presence of his actual death." The Pope is likely to have been referring to the L'Osservatore Romano article when he told the Transplant Conference, "Science, in recent years has made further progress in the determination of the death of a patient." In the question of determination of death, the Pope cautioned, "there must not be the slightest suspicion of arbitrariness. Where certainty cannot be achieved, the principle of precaution must prevail." At the same time, however, Magister says that "pressure was applied" to Pope Benedict to attempt to force him to confirm "brain death" as a valid criterion. Magister pointed out, as evidence of the dispute within the Vatican, that Bishop Marcélo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS), immediately following the Pope's address hastened to post to the Vatican website the findings of a group of scholars at a 2006 conference of the PAS who supported "brain death" criteria. Bishop Sorando did not also post the suppressed findings of the 2005 conference on the same topic where a majority of participants opposed 'brain death' as a true definition of death. There was a more selective invitation to pro-organ transplant scholars for the 2006 conference. Contact: Hilary White Source: LifeSiteNews.com Source URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com Publish Date: November 24, 2008 Link to this article: |
Look out MTV, Here Come Pro-Life Ads which Have Been Shown to Decrease Abortion Numbers
Look out MTV, Here Come Pro-Life Ads which Have Been Shown to Decrease Abortion Numbers Pro-life television commercials with a proven track record of substantially lowering abortion rates are set to air on MTV beginning the day after Christmas. With more than 98% of US homes having televisions, and the average American spending over 5 hours every day consuming media, it is easy to see how VirtueMedia can reach millions of people each day using powerful broadcast commercials to positively affect culture. Four U.S. regions with significant abortion-vulnerable populations recently reported a decrease in abortions in response to the airing of VirtueMedia's educational pro-life ads, partnered with other effective pro-life efforts. - Abortion rates have dropped nearly 20% in Arizona (2004 vs. 2007). Since 2005, VirtueMedia began to air pro-life television ads year-round, in collaboration with the Diocese of Phoenix. - Abortion rates decreased 12% in Montgomery County, OH (Dayton) since 2006, when VirtueMedia ads began airing in partnership with Dayton Right to Life. - Since opening a second office in Georgia and beginning to air crisis pregnancy ads in Atlanta in 2005, abortion rates have declined nearly 10% in metro Atlanta. In just one month, VirtueMedia ads in Atlanta generated 2,646 calls for help from abortion vulnerable women. In contrast, abortion rates have increased in other areas of Georgia, where pro-life TV ads did not air. - In Charlotte, abortions have declined 15% in the past year, since VirtueMedia commercials began airing in collaboration with North Carolina Right to Life and local churches. Abortions increased in other counties in North Carolina, where VirtueMedia ads did not air. VirtueMedia, Inc., a 501C3 national non profit media organization founded in 1998 by Tom Peterson, is endorsed by the Vatican, Priests for Life, Focus on the Family, Silent No More, and many other organizations. The organization's TV and radio ads are licensed to pro-life groups and are available in both English and Spanish. VirtueMedia's TV portfolio contains a number of messages utilized for sanctity of life education, crisis pregnancy outreach, post abortion-healing, as well as legislative issues such as embryonic stem cell experimentation and informed consent. Crisis pregnancy ads will air nationwide on MTV and BET beginning December 26th. View the ads online here: http://www.virtuemedia.org/television.htm Contact: John-Henry Westen Source: LifeSiteNews.com Source URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com Publish Date: November 24, 2008 Link to this article: |
New GOP leader Radogno plans loyal opposition
New GOP leader Radogno plans loyal opposition State Senator Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) is not interested in using her new power position as Senate Minority Leader to pressure social conservatives in the caucus to moderate their votes, she told Illinois Review late last week. "On social issues, all members should vote their consciences and their districts," Radogno said, responding to grassroots conservatives criticizing the Republican caucus selecting her last Wednesday. Social conservatives pushed for State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) to succeed Republican Senate Leader Frank Watson in January. They were especially leery of Radogno's past pro-choice votes and the campaign dollars she's received from pro-abortion Personal PAC over the years, amounting to $14,000. Would Radogno consider returning that money to Personal PAC to assure pro-lifers she's not beholden? "That money's already spent," Radogno said, "but let me remind you that Personal PAC hasn't helped us towards the goal of getting more Republicans elected. That's what I intend to do as leader of this caucus." Radogno said Personal PAC spent thousands of dollars to assist Democrats challenging her, and to elect Democrat Susan Garrett over pro-choice Republican Kathy Parker in 2002. This year Personal PAC worked to defeat Republican Dan Duffy, vying to fill retiring Senator Bill Peterson's seat. "I've already spoken with Dan Duffy about this, and we're looking for a way to push back on Personal PAC," Radogno said. But it's not just the left she's concerned about, Radogno said, it's the extreme right, too. Still stinging from a round of robo calls that went into southern districts last week, blasting Republican senators who had committed their votes, Radogno made it clear the calls did more harm than good. "Paul Caprio's robo calls caused our members to spend tons of time on the phone defending their decision to support me," Radogno said. "That was unnecessary and took our focus off what is really needed at this time." Conservative columnist Tom Roeser suggested this morning that Senator Radogno is especially close to gay rights activists, and other speculate her new position as Republican leader could add to their momentum to establish civil unions or gay marriage in Illinois. During a spirited primary challenge this spring, Illinois homosexual activist group Equality Now encouraged members to walk precincts on Radogno's behalf. So IR asked Radogno if the rumor was true that she met with gay lobbyists last Wednesday while the Protect Marriage rally was going on in front of the Capitol? "As Republican leader, I will need to be open to hearing from both sides of an issue," Radogno replied. "That will be a part of my job." Radogno says she's committed to leading a loyal opposition to Democrats' tax-and-spend agenda and will appoint a strong leadership team, including those in the caucus who are solid social conservatives. "Again, I will encourage them to vote their consciences and their districts," she said. Radogno said the 12 to 8 with two abstention vote indicated the caucus members were still unhappy with Senator Dillard allowing the Obama campaign to use portions of an interview in his campaign, especially in the Iowa Democratic Primary. They're also concerned about Dillard's unpopular support of the RTA sales tax increase last January. Three DuPage GOP senators -- Dillard, Dan Cronin and John Millner -- gave the Democrats the votes they needed to raise RTA taxes and keep endangered Democrats in swing districts from making an unpopular vote. "There's no question I'm fiscally conservative, more so than some others who've supported tax increases in the past," Radogno said. Radogno said her goal is to rebuild the Republican caucus over the next few years, saying it will take a joint, strenuous effort. "We will have a conciliatory focus as we move ahead," Radogno said. "We're getting started now." Source: Illinois Review Source URL: http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview Publish Date: November 25, 2008 Link to this article: |