Democrats Won't Commit to Keeping Stupak Amendment to Stop Abortion Funding
You just can't trust Democrats when it comes to abortion; they are too in debt to the likes of Planned Parenthood. This looked like a victory but most likely it was only a tactic of the left. Jesus warned us to be wise as the people of this world are wise, looks like pro-lifers were snookered!
Abby was the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood in College Station Texas where 40 Days for Life originated and has operated six prayer vigils. Pray does change hearts!
The amendment prohibiting use of federal funds for abortion in the health care bill has passed. This is only one battle, but a crucial one.
However the health care bill passed by only 5 votes. Gerardo Rivera said that the Stupak Amendment may be stripped from the bill in markup. Kristen Hawkins of Students for Life said that Planned Parenthood has already announced that it will try and strip the amendment from the bill in committee.
Still more praying, and calling needed. This time to tell your representative what you think about his vote, and then on to your Senator.
Operation Rescue's Troy Newman has a statement on tonight's votes.
"Washington, DC - The House version of the health care reform legislation narrowly passed with the vote of 220-215 late Saturday evening, but it was done without provisions for the funding of abortions.
The Stupak-Pitts amendment, which will deny tax funding for abortions, handily passed with a vote of 240-194. Abortion funding had threatened to derail the entire House bill on health care with pro-life Democrats strongly opposed to Pelosi's scheme to force taxpayers to foot the bill for abortions.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman issues the following statement on today's votes:
"Today, the voices of 71% of the American people who oppose taxpayer funded abortions were heard loud and clear. We thank each one who took the time to raise their voices in opposition to the Obama-Pelosi-Carhart effort to force taxpayers to fund the shedding of innocent blood through abortion.
"There is still a long way to go to prevent government subsidized health care from paying for abortions. Now the ball is in the Senate's court, and we pray that the common sense displayed in the House on the matter of abortion funding will also prevail in the Senate.
"We will continue to stand on behalf of the voiceless and oppose any efforts to restore abortion funding in any future version of health care legislation. But for tonight, we celebrate this day's pro-life victory defunding abortion, which will save lives and prevent the immoral and fiscally irresponsible bailout of the abortion cartel."
from David Bereit
"For at least 25 years, there's been an abortion
facility at 6700 North 9th Avenue in Pensacola,
Florida. But last Friday -- Day 38 of the fall
40 Days for Life campaign -- as people prayed
outside, the clinic CLOSED ITS DOORS and shut down!
The local 40 Days for Life team didn't even realize
it at the time. Ernie Cyr, the Pensacola coordinator,
heard reports that law enforcement officers went into
the clinic on Friday to serve some legal papers, but
no one really knew what was going on.
Then on Monday, a simple legal notice appeared in the
fine-print section of the local newspaper: "As of
October 30th, 2009, The Community Health Center of
Pensacola will be terminating its practice."
Ernie's two-word response? "Praise God!"
A local TV news team did some digging, and last night
their top story reported what they discovered. The
clinic operated a lab, and that lab required a state
license. The owners had a license at one time, but
the news report documented that it expired 413 days
ago. And that's something state investigators became
aware of only recently.
The clinic was given a choice: pay a huge fine or
close down. The fine is $1,000 a day -- for each of
the 413 days the lab was without a license -- which
came to a whopping $413,000!
The clinic could not come up with the money ... and
was left with only one choice: CLOSE.
State officials told WEAR-TV that they had offered
the abortion facility a reduced fine as part of a
settlement agreement -- but they never received a
response. The abortion center staff would not talk
with the TV reporters for comment, but the legal
notice in the newspaper certainly suggests that the
closure is permanent.
A message from Brian S. Brown from National Organization for Marriage.
"WE DID IT!
By a 53-47 margin, voters in Maine won a decisive and historic victory for marriage by passing Question 1!
But each and everyone of you, who volunteered or donated to Stand for Marriage Maine, who forwarded an e-mail to a friend or neighbor, or who simply prayed fervently for the institution of marriage--today is your victory!
The importance of the win in Maine nationally can not be overstated.
Same-sex marriage activists saw Maine as their best chance to win a direct marriage vote. They thought it would stop the momentum we gained by passing Proposition 8 dead in its tracks--and reverse it.They thought, in their words, it "would break" our movement.
Instead, for the first time in history, the voters of a state have overturned the legislative enactment of same-sex marriage. New York, New Jersey and other states considering redefining marriage will now have to confront this blunt fact:The voters in a deep New England state have now joined 30 other states in directly affirming marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
If we can win in Maine, we can win anywhere.
From the beginning, NOM saw how high the stakes were in Maine. That's why we devoted such resources to the effort. We are the single largest donor to Stand for Marriage Maine. We gave nearly $1.8 million, emptying our bank account because of the serious needs in Maine.
Even so, we were outspent 2-1, given little chance to win in the media, and saw our ads pilloried by Maine's elites. But we kept fighting, kept hope alive, and continued to focus on our message--same-sex marriage has clear consequences. And we won.
In my capacity as an executive committee member of Stand for Marriage Maine, I have had the privilege of getting to know and work with campaign chairman Mark Mutty and Rev. Bob Emrich. Both have been tireless defenders of marriage and deserve our nation's thanks.
Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland provided invaluable leadership, inspiring not only the Catholic faithful, but voters across denominational lines. Frank Schubert and Jeff Flint of Schubert Flint Public Affairs, masterfully guided Question 1 to victory.
They are simply the best at what they do, and our movement in Maine and around the country would not have seen these victories without their efforts.
NOM's president, Maggie Gallagher has been willing to fly at the drop of the hat to Maine (or anywhere else for that matter!) to do whatever necessary to protect marriage.
I write all of this quickly this morning, after a late election night watching returns in Portland, Maine. I'm sitting outside an old stone church in downtown Portland. It is a chilly, breezy, day with the sun shining bright, and the Casco Bay bridge in the distance.
An ideal fall day in New England.
An ideal day for marriage in our country.
Thomas Peters has a post on this as well.
The Democratic leadership in Congress has expressed doubts about getting a health care bill passed this year. They are so wedded to the idea of abortion funding, that they would rather the bill pass Obama's deadline than pass without it, even though it looks like a bill without funds for abortion would pass now.
Read the entire story at ABC News
Now THAT is what we want to see, the USCCB at odds with that demon, Planned Parenthood!!
PP President Cecile Richards is lashing out at the bishops because of their recent nationwide campaign against the health care plan's inclusion of abortion funding.
Yet in her ire, she revealed the lie that Obama told the bishops and the Pope, that there is no abortion funding in the bill.
"However, the statement from Richards appears to clash with the earlier denials by President Obama, members of Congress, and Cecile Richards herself, that the proposed health care bill would not bring about federal funding of abortion. In early August, Richards wrote that it was a myth that "taxpayer money would be used to pay for abortions in the public plan." At the same time, however, Richards is now bitterly fighting the U.S. bishops' campaign against the abortion-funding provisions in the bill, despite the fact that the bishops have expressed support for healthcare reform without abortion funding"
Bravo, brave shepherds, when you stand up for the truth of Christ, you'll be known by the enemies you make!
Read the entire story on Life Site News
Greg Craven, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University takes aim at atheists with a bit of humor and salty language; Aussie style.
"The second wearying thing about the new atheism is that it is not new at all. It is so banally derivative of every piece of hate mail ever sent to God that I am amazed Satan has yet to sue for copyright infringement. No old chestnut is too ripe, rotten or sodden, especially when it comes to the Catholics as accredited suppliers of what apparently is the Christian equivalent of methamphetamine."
Catholics are targeted precisely because we stand for the truth which atheists work so hard to ignore. If they really believed in nothing they would casually ignore the Church. But they can't, our faith grates on them, and they must attack, obeying the voice of Screwtape.
Notice how many nasty atheists left comments on the article.
Read the entire article at the Sydney Morning Herald.
Over at American Papist, Thomas Peters received word that Sr Donna Quinn, OP, the abortion clinic escort was censured. But not harshly.
Read the entire storyAmerican Papist: Not Your Average Catholic!: Update: Dominican sister caught volunteering at abortion clinic censured by congregation"> here.
At last, Catholics can unite against the dangerous health care bill about to see a vote in Congress.
According to Cardinal George's inteview with Ray Arroyo on "The World Over" the USCCB's main objection to the bill is that abortion is funded and there are no conscience clauses for medical professionals, not that the government will be running something that 85% of Americans agree works well; insurance company-based healtcare. Raymond said, and I agree that this government takeover of 1/6 of the economy violates the Catholic principal of subsidiarity (all functions of governance should take place on the level closest to the people involved) but that was not an issue mentioned by the bishops, however we appreciate the bishops' clarity on the crucial issue, respect for human life.
Rush Limbagh in an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, said that Obama wants to control our every move; where we live, what we drive, what we eat, where we work. He insists that if the health care bill passes, all these things will be tied into health care and therefore come under government control. It's just a massive power grab. He explained how some of the money from the defecit could be used to insure the 12 million uninsured people in this nation who want insurance, without the trillions which are proposed in the health care reform bill.
This bill, if it fails will be Obama's Waterloo. He can expect to be roundly defeated in the election of 2012. Perhaps by a woman.
If it succeeds, I have done my best to oppose it. Have you? Remember my favorite saying, that all that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
1.)I attended the only public Town Hall meeting offered in my Congressional District and voiced my concern that abortion funding will be included in the health care bill.
2. )I traveled to Martha's Vineyard with Rev Patrick Mahoney and Chris Slattery during the President's summer vacation to make sure that he heard my opposition was heard. Watch the video on AirMaria.com.
3. )I have written extensively on the health care bill, both on my blog Causa Nostrae Laetitiae, on Catholics Against Obamacare, and on Catholic Vote.com.
4. )I participated in a prayer vigil on the lawn of the Capitol Building with Rev Patrick Mahoney to voice my protest over abortion's inclusion in health care (see photo).
5. )I traveled to Washington to voice my oposition to the bill, with the group Health Care for Gunner. Watch our press conference on the group's website.
6. )While we were lobbing on the Hill, I met my Congressman Joe Courtney from the First Congressional District in CT and asked him to oppose this toxic bill. I got political doublespeak about how he loves the insurance industry. He better, many of his constuents work in the insurance industry in Hartford, where many corporate headquarters are located. The insurance industry will be dismantled under the Public Option.
Congressman Courtney will receive a copy of this post which will also be on Facebook and Twitter. I have over 1,000 readers a day to inform of his support of this pernicious legislation which Catholic bishops oppose.
6.) I visited Senator Lieberman's office with Healthcare for Gunner delegation, including UNC Neonatology Professor Martin McCaffrey, who voiced our concerns that the public option would not inlucde our children. We spoke with Shoshanna, the Senator's health care assistant. A month later, when I read the news that our voices had been heard, I thanked Senator Joe Lieberman for his wise decision to oppose the public option in health care.
Now, as a Catholic, ask yourself what have YOU done to oppose health care plan which threatens to install Planned Parenthood as a part of the government and use your tax dollars to pay for abortions?
Will you have to explain to your children why you remained idle while our liberties were taken away and the unborn were further targeted for extermination?Will you be able to explain to your aged parents why their request for life saving surgeries has been denied by the death panels?Or why my disabled child was denied heart surgery because she doesn't have a high enough quality of life?
Here is a link to the bishops' letter which was supposed to be in all Catholic church bulletins yesterday. The PDF directs the public to this page, >> http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/ which has an easy to use GREEN BUTTON to click and send a note to your congress people. The beauty of this is that the link does the mailing for you automatically.
It's easier than you think.
Read my column here.
"It is not hyperbole to call prejudice against the Catholic Church a national pastime. Scholars such as Arthur Schlesinger Sr. referred to it as "the deepest bias in the history of the American people," while John Higham described it as "the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history." "The anti-Semitism of the left," is how Paul Viereck reads it, and Professor Philip Jenkins sub-titles his book on the topic "the last acceptable prejudice."
Archbishop Dolan of New York
The good Archbishop points out examples, mostly from the New York Times of blatant bias against Catholics. For example: public school sexual abuse statistics show rampant unreported child abuse which goes unreported while a Franciscan who fathered a child with a consenting adult woman is treated as big news.
Maureen Dowd goes ballistic, reciting a litany of presumed sins of the Church because the Vatican has the nerve in her opinion to visit communities of women religious, the way it visited US seminaries. Twice.
This is part of the fabric of American journalism. And they wonder why no one is buying the Times, while Fox News is having a banner year.
Read the entire article on Fox News Forum.
Thanks to Senator Joe Lieberman for being a responsible representative of the people's interests and blocking the insanely expensive health care plan. As a resident of Connecticut, I applaud your courageous action and support you in the midst of spurious claims about you acting in your own economic self interest.
I visited your office with several members of the Health Care for Gunner team and spoke with your health care assistant Shoshanna. Dr Martin McCaffrey Professor of Neo-natology at UNC spoke eloquently on our behalf. We appreciated the respectful dialogue which took place and feel that our concerns that our disabled children would not be covered in a government health care plan were heard.
Thank you for voting your conscience.
Here is a link to what the Senator said:
Joe Lieberman: I'll block vote on Harry Reid's plan - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
Dawn Eden was born to a Jewish family in New York City. When she was in high school, she lost her faith and became an agnostic. During her 20s, in the 1990s, she worked as a rock journalist, interviewing bands for music magazines. She went on to work for New York City newspapers, including the New York Post and the Daily News.
She underwent a dramatic conversion to Christianity at age 31, which eventually led her to enter the Catholic Church. With her new faith came a change in lifestyle as she discovered the truth and beauty of Christian teachings on chastity.
That led to the publication of her first book, describing her personal transformation in hope of helping others make positive changes in their own lives: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On. Currently in its ninth printing, The Thrill has also been published in Spanish, Polish, and Chinese. Dawn has discussed it on NBC's "Today" show and EWTN's "Life on the Rock."
Now living in Washington, D.C., where she is pursuing a graduate degree in theology, Dawn has spoken about chastity to college students and young-adult groups throughout North America, England, Ireland, and Poland, as well as at World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney.
Catholic Speaker Month Participant at Fallible Blogma.
Here is my interview:
Dawn, you began your career as a rock journalist living the "Sex in the City" lifestyle. Now you are a happily famous, chaste Catholic single woman living in the center of God's will for you.
What would the old you make of who you are now?
"If I had known when I was a rock journalist, during the 1990s, that I would be a Catholic author and speaker, studying for an M.A. in theology at Dominican House of Studies, it would have shocked me, for two reasons.
"First, I would never have expected to have a religious conversion. It was something I wanted throughout my teens and 20s, because I wanted to be happy, and I knew that faith made people happy. But I had tried numerous times to work myself up into a believing state of mind, and concluded in frustration that faith was not a gift that had been given to me. I was resigned to being an agnostic.
"Second, I would never have expected to find personal fulfillment in a career other than rock journalism. That field was extremely limited in terms of job opportunities, but I felt hopelessly locked into it because there was no other kind of work that I enjoyed. So the idea that I could be happy studying theology, or writing and speaking about faith and personal growth, would have amazed me.
"I also would have been extremely surprised to find myself pro-life and conservative, but that would not have surprised me as much as my spiritual and vocational transformation.
"When I give talks, I imagine that there are people present who are as I was, and I speak to them the way I wish someone had spoken to me. Had I known as an unconverted rock journalist that I could have the level of personal happiness and fulfillment that I have now, it would have intrigued me, even if I were mystified by my older self's faith and lifestyle. Everyone longs for God's healing grace, whether they realize it or not; I was no different."
You had a famous blog "The Dawn Patrol" which you discontinued to pursue other avenues. What are you doing with all that free time you used to blog?
"I am currently in my second year towards a master's in theology at Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. My goal is to attain a doctorate in moral theology so that I might become a professor at a small Catholic college. I would love to write another book if a publisher approached me to write one, but for now am happy to continue my studies and give talks."
Your readers might like to see an example of one of my talks. Here is one I gave at Baylor University this past October 12:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=3485ACF9D635CA70
Also, I would be grateful if you would let readers know about my first Headline Bistro column, on an author who helps pregnant women suffering from HG:
http://headlinebistro.com/hb/en/columnists/eden/20091013.html
A gifted writer, Dawn Eden is also a delightful person to know.
I first met Dawn at Faith on Tap on Long Island where she told the story of how being outed as a pro-life blogger caused her to be fired from the New York Post. Her outspoken eloquence inspired me to come out as a pro-life blogger at the college where I worked.
We shared a podium at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists at St John's University Law School in 2007, for a discussion on the role of the Catholic Blogosphere. When I moved to a quiet Catholic corner of Connecticut, I was delighted to discover that Dawn had found it too and quickly became a favorite of my pastor, Fr Tito, and the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Her powerful message make her a compelling speaker; watch her interview with Friar Roderic of AirMaria.
Dawn Eden is a beautiful Catholic woman whose humility makes her an excellent role model for young women. She is an engaging speaker who exposes society's lies that sexual immorality leads to happiness while her gentle compassion invites those who have failed at resisting tempation to the compassionate embrace of Our Lord.
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