Category Archives: abortion

$600,000 to be Awarded to Life Saving Heroes

August 16, 2010

Exciting news out today from the Gerard Health Foundation …

The foundation again will be awarding $600,000 in prize money to those who have succeeded in saving human lives and awakening the conscience of America at an invitation-only event this January in Washington DC.

That’s some prize money!

Ray Ruddy, founder of the Gerard Health Foundation, shared this at the launch of this year’s program:

Our Foundation has a profoundly simple mission: to save lives. Life Prizes works to honor those who have best accomplished this noble goal and to inspire the next generation to break the mold in their life-saving work. As last year’s winners will tell you, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary goals. We look forward to celebrating six new heroes and thanking them for their ingenuity, dedication, sacrifices and leadership.

You may recognize most if not all of the six inaugural award winners 2009:

  • Jill Stanek – Nurse who first publicly exposed infanticide of abortion survivors
  • Lila Rose - Student leader who has launched several successful, undercover investigations exposing statutory rape cover-up and racism at Planned Parenthood
  • American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) - A professional voice reaffirming the unique value and dignity of individual human life in all stages of growth and development from conception onward.
  • Richard Doerflinger – Associate Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, bioethics expert, and consummate researcher
  • Kay Coles James – Founder of The Gloucester Institute and of Black Americans for Life, pro-life advocate in the highest levels of government for decades
  • Margaret “Peggy” Hartshorn – President, Heartbeat International, a preeminent network of more than 1,000 pregnancy resource centers

As Human Events’ Elisabeth Meinecke notes in her piece , the 2009 ceremony and reception “drew over 1,200 attendees, with Laura Ingraham serving as master of ceremonies” and was held in January of 2009.  The popular rock band BarlowGirl headlined the fantastic event and several St Michael Society editors were fortunate enough to attend. It truly was like the Oscars of the pro-life movement.

LifeNews.com also aptly notes  that

… with the mainstream media frequently ignoring or twisting the coverage of pro-life advocates and Hollywood awards ceremonies featuring a who’s who of pro-abortion celebrities, the Gerard Health Foundation decided to create its own awards ceremony to honor pro-life heroes working against abortion.

Watch last year’s event video and read the ceremony speeches at www.LifePrizes.org.

We can’t wait until October when the award winners will be announced!

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Also posted in Catholic Life, Catholic culture, activism, personhood, prolife – 1 Comment

Ahead of Schedule: NC Forces Students to Buy Health Insurance That Pays for Abortions

August 10, 2010

Students for Life of America has revealed that the North Carolina Board of Governors is requiring all of the students of the University of North Carolina institution carry health insurance this year.

 From the Students for Life release:

“Students who do not already have private health insurance are required to buy a state selected policy from Pearce & Pearce, Inc. 

“This mandated policy covers up to $500 toward elective abortions and has 80% PPO coverage for elective abortions.

“The Pearce & Pearce policy costs students $744 per year or $375 per semester. The State of North Carolina will not be paying into the policy; rather, the students who are required to purchase the insurance will be required to pay the entire cost.”

 Sound familiar? It should.

Because a student is enrolled in the University of North Carolina educational institution, they are required to have health insurance. On a national level, just because someone is an American citizen, they are required to have health insurance (the individual mandate provision).

The government has said that supposedly there will be policies that won’t include abortion coverage that pro-lifers can purchase. But what if those policies don’t include everything someone needs to stay healthy and the only plans that work are the ones that include abortion coverage? It’s a likely scenario.

For the pro-life students or even those students who don’t think that their dollars should pay for abortions, there is no other option. They are FORCED to fund something they find morally reprehensible. 

Students for Life of America has a new website dedicated to raising awareness of this issue and is asking people to sign a petition against the forced mandate and contact the NC Board of Governors Chairman on this issue. Go here to check it out: http://www.noabortioninhealthcare.com/NC/Home.html.

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Nancy Pelosi Pretends She’s a Catholic Theologian (Again)

August 4, 2010

Because we haven’t written on Nancy Pelosi in awhile and because the things the supposedly Catholic Speaker of the House says are too ridiculous not to bring to your attention, here we go.

Nancy Pelosi said earlier this year, when talking about the massive healthcare bill, that she wanted to pursue policies “in keeping with the values” of Jesus Christ, the “Word made Flesh.” Which is why she passed a bill that allowed for government funding of abortion of course.

At a press briefing last week, a CNSNews.com reporter reminded Pelosi of her previous statement and of the very fact that the bill takes life rather than saves it.

Pelosi, the quick Catholic thinker that she is, declined to say when Jesus obtained the right to life.

“Whenever it was,” said Pelosi, “we bow our heads when we talk about it in church, and that’s where I’d like to talk about that.”

That part where we “bow our heads” is during the Nicene Creed when we profess how Jesus came into this world:

by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

In other words, we bow because we acknowledge that extraordinary miracle of the Incarnation, the moment of Christ’s conception when God became man, yet still retained his divine nature.

The reporter followed up with a question about Christ’s conception and if that was when Jesus got the right to life. Through her press secretary, the answer was: “The speaker answered the question. Thanks.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, along with science, also makes it very clear when life begins: “From its conception, the child has the right to life.” (2322) 

CNS News has the full story here with the audio clips and the line of questioning – http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/70445.

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Planned Parenthood Ignores Medical Info; Lies to Patients

July 20, 2010

Lila Rose and Live Action Films, the constant thorns in the side of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, released yet another undercover video today chronicling how a Planned Parenthood staffer gives erroneous medical information to a woman seeking to obtain an abortion in Indiana.

The clinic staffer gives several misleading and incorrect statements regarding abortion:

 1)      The staffer says that the baby’s heart starts to beat around the 8th or 9th week. In reality, the heart starts beating at 22 or 23 days.

2)      The staffer says that abortion is “safer than carrying to term.” In reality, 2009 study from the Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey recently found that a previous abortion increased a woman’s risk of pre-term birth by 20%, and a 2003 report from the Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research notes a 55% increased risk of future miscarriages for women who have abortions.

3)      The staffer says that there won’t be any problems to have children down the road after an abortion. In reality, there’s a 50% increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy after a single abortion (American Journal of Public Health, 1998), previous abortions increase the risk of premature birth by 20% in later pregnancies (Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 2009) and abortion increases the risk of miscarriage

In Indiana, there is an informed consent law that requires women to be given medically accurate information. The data cited from Live Action isn’t from pro-life centered groups but rather from medical studies and non-affiliated organizations.

Planned Parenthood obviously could care less about the kind of information it gives to convince woman to have abortions. Oh, and in case you missed it, you, the taxpayer, are footing the bill for this kind of “counseling” and abortion procedures thanks to the hundreds of millions of tax dollars Planned Parenthood gets each year – and they’ll be getting more due to the new healthcare law.

Live Action – www.liveaction.org

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The Kagan Abortion Distortion Spreads

July 7, 2010

We’ve highlighted Shannen Coffin’s analysis of documents  from Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan concerning partial-birth abortion. It is interesting to see how far her distortion from in 1996 spread. 

When she twisted the words of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) her distortion entered the bloodstream of American political debate. In documents released by the Clinton library, Elena Kagan commented that it “would be a disaster” if the ACOG memorandum would become public.  ACOG stated “the vast majority of cases, selection of the partial-birth procedure is not necessary to avert serious adverse consequences to a woman’s health.” Instead she pushed aside science and in search of a political victory and proposed the ACOG include the following language “An intact D&X [medical term for partial birth abortion], however, maybe the best the most appropriate receipt you’re in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman.”

12 years later the Senator Obama refers to the ACOG statement in his pro abortion speech to Plannned Parenthood:

Obama ends his speech with these words: “It’s time for us to change that. It is time for a different attitude in the White House. It is time for a different attitude in the Supreme Court. It is time to turn the page and write a new chapter in American history.”

These are words to remember during this political season as we begin to turn the page on the last two years of American history.

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ALERT: Military Facilities May Be Able To Do Abortions

July 2, 2010

As if forcing Americans to pay for abortions through the healthcare law wasn’t enough, now the Obama Administration is trying to repeal the longstanding policy that military health care facilities may not be used to perform elective abortions.

Senator Roland Burris (D-IL), who filled Obama’s senate seat after he was elected president, was the one to introduce an amendment to strip this language from current law.

As it stands now, the Senate will most likely take up this legislation after they come back from the July 4th recess next week. Senators will be home this weekend so look for opportunities to meet with them if you can.

Both the Most Reverend Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, have sent letters to the U.S. Senate, urging that the defense authorization bill not be approved until the Burris Amendment is reversed and the current law upheld. For texts of these letters, see: nchla.org/docdisplay.asp?ID=339 and nchla.org/datasource/idocuments/CardinalDiNardoMilitaryLetter.pdf .

And contact your Senators and tell them that you do not support our military facilities taking life -they are there to rehabilitate and save lives, not to do abortions.

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“Women: Where Are Your Children?”

July 1, 2010

In an insightful new commentary  on the rise of “childlessness” in America, a Catholic woman who has experienced the joys of life as a mother of nine children and nurse addresses the pain experienced by women who “bought into the myth that contraception and abortion would liberate them for an awesome career in a ‘man’s world.”

Jennifer Giroux, Executive Director of HLI America, lays out a very strong case for the risks of deciding not to bear children. She cites recent census data that projects which groups of women are on track for “loneliness in their twilight years” due to being childless, describes the “prison of loneliness” that traps people in nursing homes or retirement centers with no children or grandchildren to visit them, and sheds new light on the Gospel of Luke that has sadly come true.

An excerpt from Mrs. Giroux’s piece:

Jennifer Giroux, HLI America

When I was a child we lived 5 doors from St. Margaret of Cortona church. I recall how often we would walk down the street during Lent to frequently attend the Stations of the Cross. It is not until recently that I have been able to fully grasp what was meant by Our Lord as he met the women of Jerusalem on the way to the Cross:

“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’ “(Luke 23:28)

Let us pray for a conversion of heart for those who have bought into the myth that a lack of children will afford a better life, and ask Our Lady to comfort those who regret decisions not to bear children.

Join HLI America, a program of Human Life International, to spread the word that protecting life begins at home.

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Also posted in Catholic Life, Catholic Moment, Catholic culture, contraception, population control – 1 Comment

Pro-Life Foundation Helps Expectant Mothers Choose Life

July 1, 2010

The Paul Stefan Foundation is an amazing mission.  It was inspired from the tragic experience of a family told to get an abortion and through the prayers of a parish priest in Novena to St. Andrew and at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Read this inspiring story here.

Since its 2006 founding, the PSF has helped over 70 women and babies.  While they maintain three homes in Virginia, they are looking to open homes in Maryland soon, as well as in other parts of the country.

These homes are not only a great mission that SMS encourages our fellow Catholics to support, they are also important to our pro-life mission to overturn Roe vs Wade.  Overturning Roe is inevitable, and when it is overturned these life or death decisions will be left to the states to legislate.  An argument long used by pro-abortion advocates is what do you do with women who are pregnant and abandoned or abused who cannot afford a baby.  The answer is the Paul Stefan Foundation and its Homes for Expectant Mothers.

The PSF just announced that its 3rd Annual Celebration of Life Gala will be in Historic Fredericksburg, VA on September 25 and will feature former Virginia First Lady Susan Allen and acclaimed pro-life Catholic Doctor John Bruchalski, Founder and President of the Tepeyac Medical Center and Divine Mercy Care.

For more information on the event or how you can support this important mission read below.

Former First Lady of Virginia, Susan Allen, To Headline Virginia “Celebration of Life” Event for Expectant Mothers and Newborns

Fredericksburg, VA—The Paul Stefan Foundation, a Virginia-based charitable organization dedicated to providing homes for expectant mothers and their newborns, announced today that Susan Allen, former First Lady of Virginia, will be a featured speaker at the organization’s Third Annual “Celebration of Life” Gala Event to be held September 25, 2010 at the Fredericksburg Expo Center.

The former First Lady joins acclaimed Doctor Dr. John Bruchalski, Founder of the Tepeyac Medical Center and Divine Mercy Care as a featured speaker. Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling 540-854-2300, or online at http://www.paulstefanhome.org/celebration-of-life-gala/

“I am so excited to be a part of this event and this great cause.  When you see how the Paul Stefan Foundation, with its three homes in Virginia, is helping expectant mothers in need and their newborns, it is inspiring and incredibly heart-warming.  I look forward to seeing and meeting others in support of this cause at the Gala.  It will be a truly beautiful evening in so many ways,” Ms. Allen said.

Founded in 2006, The Paul Stefan Foundation www.paulstefanhome.org

operates three homes in Virginia, two in Orange County and one in Fairfax.  Since opening its doors to pregnant women in need, the PSF has helped over 70 women and newborns.  The Foundation was inspired through a Catholic priest, Father Stefan Starzynski, and by the death of Baby Paul Stefan James, who died less than an hour after birth.   Learn more about this miraculous story at http://bit.ly/bx2kCM

“We are so grateful to Ms. Allen for accepting our offer to speak at this year’s event.  She is an inspiration to us all and we are extremely honored to have her involved in our cause,” said Randy James, CEO of the Paul Stefan Foundation.

“We hope that with such great speakers this year to further enhance our cause of saving women and babies in a more ecumenical way.  There are so many women right here in Virginia, who find themselves pregnant, abandoned, some abused, others living out of their cars — they have no where to turn.  It is the goal of our Foundation to provide these women and their pre-born babies homes of safe haven where they will receive loving care, support and nourishment necessary for their further growth and development,” said Evelyn James, Director of Homes for the PSF.

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Also posted in Catholic Life, Catholic culture, Ecumenism, Healthcare, prolife – 0 Comments

Abortion Distortion By Obama Nominee

June 29, 2010

Shannen Coffin has an INCREDIBLE piece running on NRO today on the abortion issue and a partial birth abortion case. It is a chilling example of how Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court Elena Kagan cooked the legal books for political gain.

When President Obama promised in his Inaugural Address to “restore science to its rightful place,” he never explained what that rightful place would be. Documents recently released in connection with the Supreme Court nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan suggest an answer: wherever it can best be used to skew political debate and judicial outcomes.

 The documents involved date from the Clinton White House. They show Miss Kagan’s willingness to manipulate medical science to fit the Democratic party’s political agenda on the hot-button issue of abortion. As such, they reflect poorly on both the author and the president who nominated her to the Supreme Court.

 

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IVF Babies Being Aborted

June 22, 2010

One of the arguments against in-vitro fertilization that the Catholic Church makes is that a baby should not be made into commodity – something that is bought or sold at whim….and something that can easily be discarded. IVF is a tough subject because of all the emotions that go into truly wanting to have a child and being unable to for some reason or another. There are many heartbreaking stories of childless parents who would do anything to conceive and bring a child into the world.

But as Pope John Paul II taught, the end cannot justify the means: “It is not licit to do evil that good may come of it.”[iv]

And now we come to a story that exemplifies how having a baby through IVF turns a baby into a commodity.

“About 80 unborn babies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) are eliminated by abortion each year in Great Britain, according to a new report…. The statistics from Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) show an increasing number of women are choosing abortion for ’social,’ rather than medical reasons after becoming pregnant by IVF, The Times reported June 6.” 

It’s not like these women had an unexpected pregnancy. They aborted mostly for “social” reasons, reasons that (not to be judgmental) put the lives of their baby on the backburner and put their needs and wants above anything else. One woman said that her marriage was falling apart at the time she got pregnant via IVF and that she “didn’t want any link” that would force her to stay in touch with her husband. Not to say that a marriage wouldn’t fall apart if the baby was conceived through the loving marital act of selfless giving of each other, but it just seems so cold that the resulting child in this situation would merely be a link to her husband and not the result of love, even if it no longer exists, a human person in its own right.

As R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote on his blog: “We are witnessing the elevation of personal autonomy, personal happiness, and personal fulfillment to levels that can only be described as idolatry.”

 If this is happening in Great Britain, the likelihood that the same thing is happening in the US is very high. When will we wake up to the atrocities of trying to play God?

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