Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts

Denver Prelate Chaput In For Rigali In Philly

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver is expected to replace Cardinal Justin Rigali as the leader of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, according to various sources.
Pope Benedict XVI is expected to accept Cardinal Rigali's resignation as soon as tomorrow (Tuesday.) An announcement about Chaput's appointment is said to be imminent.
Chaput is a strong proponent of traditional Catholic teachings.
He speaks out regularly on controversial issues, and occasionally differs publicly from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Chaput has even  taken a stance on the issue of whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, contrary to Church teaching, should be denied Communion.Chaput has written that while denying anyone the Eucharist is a "very grave matter" that should be used only in "extraordinary cases of public scandal," those who are "living in serious sin or who deny the teachings of the church" should voluntarily refrain from taking Communion
The New York Times in 2004 reported that Chaput took the position that it was sinful for Catholics to vote for John Kerry. His remarks noted Kerry's pro-choice views, amongst others. According to the Times, he said that those who intended to vote for him were "cooperating in evil" and needed "to go to confession."
Chaput criticized the New York Times' construal of his remarks and the Archdiocese of Denver criticized the Times' article as being "heavily truncated and framed."
He stopped responding to New York Times inquiries for six years in part because of his belief the paper had misrepresented him.

As reported by EWTN, Chaput has criticized what he views as a "spirit of adulation bordering on servility" that exists towards Barack Obama remarking, "in democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs."
The archbishop said that Obama tries to mask his record on abortion and other issues with "rosy marketing about unity, hope, and change." Chaput also dismissed the notion that Obama was given a broad mandate reasoning he was elected to "fix an economic crisis" and not to "retool American culture on the issues of  marriage and the family, sexuality, bioethics, religion in public life, and abortion.
In his book Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life, Chaput exhorts Catholics to take a "more active, vocal, and morally consistent role" in the political process, arguing that private convictions cannot be separated from public actions without diminishing both. Rather than asking citizens to put aside their religious and moral beliefs for the sake of public policy, Chaput believes American democracy depends upon a fully engaged citizenry, including religious believers, to function properly.
According to his official biography, Chaput is as member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe , and the first Native American archbishop.
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Why Do Catholic Universities Dishonor Church Teachings?

Part of a special message from the Cardinal Newman Society:

A few Catholic colleges this year are pointedly celebrating Catholics who defied their bishops and supported President Obama's health care overhaul, even without sufficient provisions to protect conscience rights and preclude government-funded abortions. This Sunday, May 22, St. Catherine University will honor its commencement speaker Sr. Carol Keehan, DC, President of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) of the United States and the lobbyist who perhaps did the most to undermine the U.S. bishops and pro-life organizations on health care reform. But St. Kate's students will have to settle for "seconds," since the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, secured Keehan to speak the prior day at its graduate student commencement ceremony.

Could it be pure coincidence? A year to the day before the St. Thomas graduation—on May 21, 2010—leading representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement which blamed the CHA for causing "confusion and a wound to Catholic unity." Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Bishop William Murphy and Bishop John Wester publicly disagreed with the notion put forward by Sr. Keehan that "the divergence between the Catholic Conference and Catholic organizations, including the Catholic Health Association, represents merely a difference of analysis or strategy.

And then Sr. Keehan publicly defended a Phoenix hospital after Bishop Thomas Olmsted revoked the hospital's Catholic standing. Without consulting the bishop, the hospital had decided it was ethical to perform a direct abortion in violation of the U.S. bishops' ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services. Sr. Keehan has said she respects Bishop Olmsted's authority on matters of morality—but has publicly disagreed with him anyhow.

Now that's a role model for America's Catholic college graduates!

Others who undermined the bishops on health care reform include U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana—members of the Catholics-who-don't-like-abortion-BUT crowd—who addressed graduates at Villanova University on May 15 and Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute today (May 20), respectively. Sen. Landrieu is pro-choice on abortion and urged President George W. Bush to expand federal support for embryonic stem cell research. Sen. Casey has voted against the "Mexico City Policy," thereby allowing the U.S. government to pay for abortions overseas, and against the de-fund Planned Parenthood amendment to the 2011 budget. . . .

No doubt the intentions for recognizing . . . all of the above-cited commencement speakers and honorees—are easily justified by the good that these people do. If a Catholic college chooses to honor someone for their good works, the argument goes, why should we be concerned about other activities that oppose clear moral teachings of the Church?

The answer: Because Catholic colleges have a choice of speakers and honorees. And when they make a choice—especially when selecting someone to serve as a role model for graduation—the choice should be for speakers and honorees who best exemplify the standards of a Catholic college education.

Good people who compromise morality to do bad things—harmful things—deserve our compassion and counsel, but not our honor. We certainly do not want Catholic college graduates following the same path, expecting the future admiration of their mentors.

A Catholic education should mean more than that—if, at these institutions, it still means anything at all.
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Thirty Eight Years Ago Today . . . . .

A special message from Brian Birch at CatholicVote.org:

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

Mehmet Ali Agca, a trained sniper from Turkey, shot four bullets into the Holy Father's body from point-blank range. One bullet missed the Pope's main abdominal artery by a fraction of an inch.

The Holy Father credited Our Lady of Fatima for re-directing the bullets and saving his life. He would later say: “One hand fired, another guided the bullet.”

Many people were surprised the Pope so easily forgave the man that wanted him dead. Just days after the shooting, he said:

“I pray for that brother of ours who shot me, and whom I have sincerely pardoned. United with Christ, Priest and Victim, I offer my sufferings for the Church and for the world. To you, Mary, I repeat: 'Totus tuus ergo sum.'" (I am all yours).
For John Paul II, it was no coincidence that his life was saved on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Our Lady had appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917. She warned the children about a world at war and asked them to: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world!”

Today our world is scarred by abortion, war, terrorism, political unrest and much more.

Our Lady of Fatima's call to pray the Rosary for peace is as urgent today as it was 94 years ago.

She thwarted the plans of John Paul II's assassin. Surely she will come to our aid in redirecting the many bullets aimed at destroying peace in our world.

We hope you will join us in praying the Rosary, today if possible, for peace in our world, peace in our nation, and for peace in the womb.
 
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Democrat Rep: GOP Out To 'Kill Women'


The Democrat Party's effort to craft the budget debate around "women's health" (abortion, etc.) is a shameless and disgraceful ploy.
Here's the bottom line: The Democrats would rather shut down the government than stop government funding for Planned Parenthood which performs more than a quarter of a million abortions every year.
But that's not what the Democrats want you to know.
They want to talk in generalities about "women's health". They want to have you embrace the ridiculous notion that the Republican Party actually wants to "kill women."
Nonsense!
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Call Senators Now To Support Funding Ban

An urgent message from CatholicVote.org:

The House just passed a one-week spending bill to keep the federal government open that also ensures that our troops will be paid until the end of the fiscal year.

The Senate will take up the bill TODAY or TOMORROW. The House bill contains a ban on taxpayer funding of abortions in our nation's capital. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who once supported the DC abortion ban, has now indicated that he might offer an amendment to remove this ban.

A vote on such an amendment would be very close. We must call these Senators now and demand that there be no taxpayer funding of DC abortions in the Continuing Resolution to keep the government running.

The Dornan amendment, which ensures no taxpayer funding for abortions in DC, has even been included in numerous Appropriations bills supported by Members on both sides of the abortion debate.

Notably, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin included the DC Abortion Funding ban in his own legislative text twice since Democrats gained control of the Senate in 2007. President Clinton signed this policy into law six times. President Obama signed the policy into law for FY09 and voted to continue the policy twice while serving in the U.S. Senate.

There's simply no reason that taxpayers should pay for abortions in DC. If you live in one of these states, you need to call right now and tell your Senator: No Taxpayer Money for DC Abortions!
We're on the phones calling these Senators now. Please jump in now. We need your help.


-- Your Friends at CatholicVote.org

Who to call:
Massachusetts:
Sen. Scott Brown
(202) 224-4543

Pennsylvania:
Sen. Bob Casey
(202) 224-6324

North Dakota:
Sen. Kent Conrad
(202) 224-2043

South Dakota:
Sen. Tim Johnson
(202) 224-5842

Illinois:
Sen. Mark Kirk
(202) 224-2854

Louisiana:
Sen. Mary Landrieu
(202) 224-5824

Alaska:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski
(202) 224-6665

Nebraska:
Sen. Ben Nelson
(202) 224-6551

Arkansas:
Sen. Mark Pryor
(202) 224-2353

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Call Now To Stop Planned Parenthood Funding

A special Message from CatholicVote.org:

Can you spare five minutes today? Here's why...

Congress is on recess this week. That means your Representative is home in his or her district taking the pulse of the voters they need to get re-elected.

Next week they will return to Washington D.C. and decide whether to hold firm on cutting taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood -- or whether to give in and compromise.

A 5-minute call to their local office will definitely make a difference. Can you call?

Click here to get your Representative’s local phone number

CatholicVote is a proud member of the Expose Planned Parenthood Coalition. This coalition is working together to stop taxpayer funding of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

Hundreds of thousands of activists have been mobilized by our coalition and today it's our turn.

Today we pledged to ask our members to call the local offices of their member of Congress. It’s time for these Representatives to hear from the Catholic vote!

Get your Representative’s local phone number here:
http://exposeplannedparenthood.net/contact-congress/

Here are some talking points to consider during your call:

1) I am calling today to urge my Representative to cut all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. This is not negotiable and defunding must be included in ANY budget legislation.

2) During a time of fiscal crisis, everything should be on the table for spending cuts, especially an embattled, scandal-ridden corporation like Planned Parenthood. There must be no sacred cows.

3) With tens of millions of dollars in profit each year, Planned Parenthood does not need or deserve our taxpayers dollars.

4) Recent undercover videos show that Planned Parenthood staff from the top-down were willing to aid and abet the sex trafficking of children. I cannot be complicit in this activity through my tax dollars.

5) Please stand up for women, girls, unborn children, and taxpayers by defunding Planned Parenthood. This must be a top priority and is non-negotiable.

Of course, not every Member of Congress is pro-life. But you don’t have to be 100% pro-life to support this amendment. Our government is out of money. The last place our dollars should be going is to Big Abortion.

Planned Parenthood gets $360 million of our tax money every year. This has got to stop. Let's do our part. Please pick up the phone.
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CatholicVote.org Needs You. Join Now!

A special message from Brian Burch, President of Catholic Vote:
I want you to know that the fight to stop taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood remains within reach. We don't want to bombard you with messages, but please know we are working each day to accomplish our goal. Next week we are planning a huge push, so get ready! 
But today I also want to ask: Are you on Facebook? 
Did you know that almost half of all adults in America use Facebook every month? 
Millions of our fellow citizens share our views on the importance of life, family, and freedom but have not yet heard of CatholicVote. Through Facebook, you can help grow our movement by becoming a fan of CatholicVote.

Please take 5 seconds now and visit www.facebook.com/CatholicVote and click the “Like” button.

A recent poll found that 75% of Americans received news from email or a social networking site. We update our Facebook page every day with commentary, news and action alerts – making it easy to share this news with your friends and family. 

Please take a moment and join us today. The more people that you and I reach, the more effective we will be!
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Toilet Topics: Choose Your Own Crapper


If the federal government can support abortion rights, why can't it also support light bulb choice, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul asked yesterday.
And then there's the matter of his -- and your -- toilet!
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Let's Halt Federal Funding Of Abortion Now!

A special message from Brian Burch of CatholicVote.org:
Moments ago, the pro-abortion Senate voted 44-56 to reject a budget that would have ended funding for Planned Parenthood. Another possible government shutdown looms March 18.
Today's vote is not the end, as Republicans in the House must now respond.
Our battle continues, and while today's vote may be discouraging, I hope you will not despair. This setback can be frustrating, but a number of options remain -- beginning with our demand that Republicans stand firm and refuse to give in to the Senate. We simply CANNOT compromise on this issue.
Click here to sign on to our open letter to Republican leadership.

Remember this is taxpayer funding that will go directly into the pockets of Planned Parenthood - the same Planned Parenthood that just reported performing a record number of abortions in 2009, and the same Planned Parenthood that has been caught repeatedly flouting the law.
With our federal government drowning in debt, how could the Senate continue to fund this scandal-plagued organization with $366 million of OUR tax dollars?
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Cardinal Newman Society Needs Your Help!

A special message from the Cardinal Newman Society:


We simply cannot be silent when:
  • Russ Feingold—who was stridently pro-abortion while a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin—was hired in January to teach at Catholic Marquette University.
  • Sister Carol Keehan—the Catholic Health Association president who undermined the U.S. bishops on Obamacare, then clashed with Bishop Olmstead over an abortion at a CHA hospital —remains on the Board of Trustees for Catholic St. John's University (New York) and the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).  Sister Keehan has also been a featured lecturer or commencement speaker at several Catholic colleges and universities in the past year.
  • Next week, Boston College Law School plans to celebrate the "life and work" of Jesuit Father Robert Drinan—a former U.S. Congressman who championed abortion rights and federal funding for abortion.
You have heard of The Cardinal Newman Society.  You know of our important work.


It's simple: Just click here, and you can support this work with more than 20,000 members of The Cardinal Newman Society!

The Cardinal Newman Society is the only national organization dedicated to the serious work of renewing and strengthening Catholic higher education.
The scandals must stop.  We need your support now!
Won't you please send a contribution to support The Cardinal Newman Society's important work?
Please click here now.

Thank you… and may God bless you for standing up to the scandal!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Patrick J. Reilly
President
The Cardinal Newman Society9415 West Street
Manassas, VA 20110
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Corbett: Sweeping Changes At PA. Abortion Clinics

Saying the state failed to properly oversee a Philadelphia abortion clinic at which one woman died and others were seriously injured, Pennsylvania Governor TomCorbett today announced sweeping changes in the two departments responsible.
“This doesn’t even rise to the level of government run amok. It was government not running at all. To call this unacceptable doesn’t say enough. It’s despicable,’’Corbett said.
On Corbett’s first full day in office, a Philadelphia County grand jury report was released to the public, revealing the horrors found inside the Women’s Medical Society, a clinic run by Dr. Kermit Gosnell.
At least two women died as a result of botched late-term abortions, according to the grand jury report, some babies were born alive and then killed by having their spinal cords snipped by scissors and untrained personnel performed medical procedures, sometimes using unsterilized implements that spread venereal disease from patient to patient.
Gosnell and several employees have been charged with murder and numerous other offenses in the case.
In addition to the gruesome description of the clinic, the grand jury also revealed that complaints about unsafe and unsanitary conditions went unheeded for more than a decade until drug investigators finally put a stop to the business in February 2010.
“It will be up to a jury to decide Dr. Gosnell’s guilt or innocence. It is up to me to decide how to stop such horrors from taking place again,’’ Corbett said.
After receiving the report, Corbett ordered his nominees for Secretary of Health, Dr. Eli Avila, and Secretary of State, Carole Aichele, to review the grand jury’s recommendation, identify the problems and come up with a plan of action to change the system that failed these women.
And, Corbett ordered that the people responsible be held accountable.
Seven individuals - employees from the Department of Health, as well as the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, a branch of the Department of State – are no longer employed by the state, having either resigned or been terminated since the situation came to light, Corbett said. In addition, four other
former employees named in the grand jury investigation had previously resigned.
In addition, Corbett today announced changes in the Department of Health and Department of State, including new controls and conditions designed to protect the health and safety of women who use these facilities in the future.
Corbett also outlined some of the specific changes in each department.
At the Department of State:
· All complaints concerning a person or facility should be assigned to the same attorney. This will ensure proper management of each specific case.
· All attorneys will cross check all files, opened or closed, with other staff attorneys to ensure that any patterns of misconduct do not go unnoticed.
· Reports will be more detailed, including history of any prior complaints or violations.
· Attorneys will receive formal training on investigative procedures and instruction on rules and regulations, including prosecuting complaints.
At the Department of Health:
· Abortion clinics will now be held to a higher standard. Inspectors will come from the Division of Acute and Ambulatory Care, which is also responsible for inspecting Pennsylvania’s hospitals and out-patient surgery facilities. Registered nurses from the Department of Health will be trained to inspect these types of facilities for quality assurance and enforce regulations.
· All facilities will be inspected annually. Additional random inspections will be done unannounced, including weekends and evenings.
· Abortion facilities will be added to the same Department of Health computer system used to monitor hospitals and other medical facilities. This will make sure inspections are done in a timely fashion and standards are met. The computerized system will also track complaints, serious events and
investigations.
· Inspection reports will be posted and searchable on the Department of Health website, just like other healthcare facilities.
· If inspectors find a deficiency, plans of correction will be required within 10 days, submitted online and automatically be made available to the public on the department’s website. Failure to comply will result in another on-site inspection. Failure to file a second plan of correction within a second 10-day period will result in an immediate suspension for the facility.
· Any facility that fails to report a serious incident – either to the state or the patient - will be fined up to $1,000 a day from the time of the serious event until the time the report is made. (A “serious event” is when a patient receives some level of harm, ranging from a minor, temporary injury to
death, requiring additional health care treatment.)
· All serious events at abortion facilities will be reviewed within 48 hours by a physician and an on-site investigation will be conducted within five business days.
· Abortion clinics will be subject to the same complaint process as hospitals and other medical facilities in Pennsylvania.
· Abortion clinics will prominently display a poster with a 24-hour toll free number to the complaint line. Posters will be in English and Spanish. Any facility that fails to display the complaint information will be subject to possible suspension.
· Complaints will be taken from any source, entered into the computer system and assigned to the field office inspector, as they do for hospitals and surgical facilities. All complainants will receive a letter of acknowledgement and a follow-up letter after the investigation.
· All new abortion providers will be required to attend training on the state’s rules and regulations. All hospitals will be trained about reporting complications from abortions.
Together, the two departments will:
· Establish a set mechanism for sharing monthly data between agencies, including complaints, serious events, complications, deaths and investigations.
· Establish a process for joint investigations by agencies, including time frames and responsibilities.
· The Governor’s Office will continue, along with the departments of Health and State, to monitor the situation to decide whether additional action, either regulatory or legislative, is necessary.
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PA. Abortion Tragedy: A State Of Neglect

In a fine editorial, the Harrisburg Patriot News notes that "the details in a grand jury report about Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell are difficult to read."
Gosnell ran the notorious abortion clinic where prosecutors say that at least two women died and hundreds of babies were killed with scissors stabbed into their spines.
From the report: “Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has deliberately chosen not to enforce laws that should afford patients at abortion clinics the same safeguards and assurances of quality health care as patients of other medical service provides. Even nail salons in Pennsylvania are monitored more closely for client safety.” 
Click here to read the entire editorial.
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Christie: The Courage To Take A Stand, And Mean It

"You will know that you have someone sitting in that office who understands this issue, 
who appreciates it. 
You have today and you have for the rest of 
my life an ally."
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie 
NJ Rally for Life 
1/24/2011
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Christie To Attend Pro-Life Rally Today

Bravo to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who will attend a Pro-Life rally today at noon on the steps of the State Capitol in Trenton.
The rally is hosted by New Jersey Right to Life, the state's largest pro-life group.
The rally marks the anniversary of United States Supreme Court's Roe V. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973.
Some politicians say they are "pro-life" but they don't really do anything about it. They talk the talk but they don't walk the walk. And when pro-life events or rallies are held, they "phone-in" their support.
But not Chris Christie.
Governor Christie is a man of his word -- and he is not one to mince words.
The Governor has never apologized for his core beliefs nor has he backed away from them.
Thank you, Governor Christie for keeping your word and being there when we need you.
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From 2010 to 2011: Top Ten Reasons For Hope

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