Category Archives: Healthcare

Nuns Face Consequences of Supporting Healthcare Reform Bill

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During the tail end of the healthcare reform fight, several supposedly Catholic orders of nuns weighed in for the bill, even though it funded abortion and didn’t protect the conscience rights of healthcare professionals. They signed a letter that went to President Obama on March 17th in support of the bill, which was in direct opposition to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 Some of those nuns, specifically the Sisters of St. Joseph, are now facing the consequences for publicly supporting the atrocious legislation – they are being barred from recruiting new nuns in a diocese in Pennsylvania, right outside of Pittsburgh. The nuns are launching a recruiting drive through ads and community events and Bishop Lawrence Brandt has refused to allow them to add to their members when they so blatantly opposed the Church by publicly supporting the healthcare legislation and the Church’s teachings regarding the sanctity of life.

Brandt “has a right to disapprove a request from a religious community that wants to host a recruitment event when that community has taken a public stance in opposition to the church’s teaching on human life,” the diocese said in a statement dated April 15.

“Furthermore,” the statement continued, “an environment of dissent from and public opposition to the positions of the U.S. Catholic bishops does not provide an appropriate seedbed for vocations.”

Bishop Brandt isn’t alone. In Providence, R.I., the bishop there ordered a “diocesan-sponsored health care system to withdraw from the Catholic Health Association, which also supported the health care bill.”

We are glad to see the bishops exercising their roles as teachers of the faith and taking actions to uphold the Church’s teachings and reprimand those who publicly oppose and encourage dissent from the teachings of the Church.

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New Abortion Clinic Opens Up in MI Because of Healthcare Law

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In Bart Stupak’s home state of Michigan, a new abortion clinic is opening up as a direct result of the new healthcare bill that funds abortion on demand with government dollars. If you remember, Congressman Stupak caved at the 11th hour, providing the crucial votes needed to pass the monstrosity of a bill, delivering a huge blow to the pro-life agenda, to the autonomy of Americans and to the nation’s economy.

From the Detroit News-

An early sign of health care reform’s impact is Planned Parenthood’s decision to open a new Oakland County clinic within the next 18 months, adding to 15 locations, including Detroit, Warren and Livonia. Unlike other Detroit area centers, the new location is likely to include abortion services.

[Planned Parenthood president Cecile] Richards and Lori Lamerand, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Mid and South Michigan, are ramping up for a boom in birth control and other reproductive services — what Lamerand calls “an onslaught” of women poised to gain new access to reproductive health care.

Now that women will be able to not only get access to more birth control but they will be able to finally get those free, or at least government-subsidized, abortions that so-called women’s rights groups have been clamoring for.

Planned Parenthood will say that abortions aren’t their main focus. However, Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood director at a large clinic in Texas, told ABCNews, among other outlets, that her supervisors were “pushing clinics that did have an abortion program to bring in more money.” Abortion is a money-maker, period.

And even the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, says that when abortion is subsidized, abortion rates among those women enrolled in Medicaid could increase 28%.

We predict this is only the beginning. The healthcare bill also provides $11 billion to Community Health Centers, many of which do abortions. Like we always said, the bill is the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade and the abortion industry stands to gain a huge windfall, thanks to President Obama, his allies in Congress and of course, to Bart Stupak.

Thomas Peters at American Principles Project just wrote a piece about this too titled “What the pro-life movement can learn from Planned Parenthood“.  Please spread the word that this is the first tangible evidence that the pro-life movement was right about the effects of Obamacare.

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Earth Day: Nature’s Greatest Gift

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UPDATE: The Daily Caller published an opinion piece by St Michael Society editor Patrick Looby on this ad campaign. Check it out here.  

CatholicVote.org  has created another masterpiece to commemorate Earth Day and celebrate what should be considered our world’s greatest natural resource … people!

Rock star pro-life blogger Jill Stanek shares which cities it is running in here  and deems the organization “ever-hip” and “ever-relevant.” Watch the YouTube video  capturing the reactions from those in Chicago who have already experienced the campaign firsthand.

Hats off to you, CatholicVote.org!

 

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Outrage: Sr. Carol Keehan to Speak at John Carroll Society Annual Dinner on April 16

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UPDATE 10:01 pm 3/25: Sr. Carol Keehan will NOT be attending the Annual Dinner. A mass email sent this evening by JCS read: “Sister Carol Keehan has decided that our annual dinner this year is not the appropriate time to address our Society and friends. We continue to be grateful to her for her many years of service to the Church and especially the poor and those in need.”  A followup personal email from Connie Mitchell read: “She will not be attending this year.  We will not have a speaker.”  So there you have it folks, problem averted.

The John Carroll Society (JCS), the Catholic DC-based organization that annually sponsors the Red Mass, has scheduled Sr. Carol Keehan to be the speaker at their Annual Dinner on April 16.  Sr. Carol Keehan is the President and CEO of the Catholic Health Association and has recently come under fire for her outright support of the healthcare bill that includes federal funding of abortion.  On March 11, Sr. Keehan wrote a letter to the House of Representatives which urged the congressmen to “move quickly” to support the Senate-approved bill.  For her strong support of the controversial health care bill despite the objections of U.S. Bishops, she was one of the 21 people to be awarded a pen used by Barack Obama in signing the health care bill.  This is traditionally done to honor lawmakers and proponents who have played a major role in pushing through a piece of legislation.

In light of recent developments, it is a disgrace that Sr. Keehan should speak at the JCS Annual Dinner.  JCS prides itself in its service to lay Catholic professionals in the DC area but if they still allow her to speak, it will severely undercut its credibility as a faithful Catholic organization.  Please contact JCS to urge them to rescind their invitation to Sr. Carol Keehan.

Please write or call:

Connie Mitchell, Executive Director

The John Carroll Society
P.O. Box 454
Glen Echo, MD 20812

Phone: 202-537-6110

Email: jcs@johncarrollsociety.org

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Bart Stupak’s Betrayal

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For the Editors of St Michael Society, the shock over Bart Stupak’s betrayal this weekend has begun to turn into anger and grief. Its one thing to cave to pressures and intimidation but Stupak’s speech on the House floor sheds new light on the man. This was not a man who changed his vote because he was worn down by attacks. Bart Stupak’s speech on the House floor revealed a man, who in the end, decided to put the Democratic Party ahead the life of the unborn, the lives of women who will suffer from abortion, obedience to the bishops and sadly his faith. We need to pray for him and we must work to undo the damage he has done.

Here are the writings of respected voices on the topic:

Kathryn Jean Lopez:  

Unfortunately, if Bart Stupak truly wanted to ensure that human dignity was respected in this legislation, he wouldn’t have surrendered. But surrender he did — and then some, declaring the Democratic party the protectors of the unborn on the House floor last night.

The Democratic party is nothing of the sort — which is another reason no one who wanted to defeat the taxpayer funding of abortion in Obamacare should have expected a Stupak-led victory in this Washington environment. It’s the party that will never offend the abortion industry. It’s the party that owns partial-birth abortion.

William McGurn

By caving at the last hour, he discredited all who stood with him. (What does it say about Ohio’s Marcy Kaptur and Pennsylvania’s Chris Carney that they had already agreed to vote yes even before the fig leaf of the executive order had come through?) In addition to undermining an encouraging partnership with pro-lifers across the congressional aisle, Mr. Stupak signaled that, in the end, you can’t count on pro-life Democrats.

Susan B. Anthony List

Let me be clear: any representative, including Rep. Stupak, who votes for this healthcare bill can no longer call themselves ‘pro-life.’ The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund will not endorse, or support in any capacity, any Member of Congress who votes for this bill in any future election. Now through Election Day 2010, these representatives will learn that votes have consequences. The SBA List Candidate Fund will work tirelessly to help defeat Members who support this legislation and make sure their constituents know exactly how they voted.

CWA

…in the 11th hour, he caved. He succumbed to the pressures of the most pro-abortion Administration in history just because they said they would write on a piece of paper that the federal government won’t fund abortion. It’s not even a law the President wrote. It’s not worth the Post-It note he wrote it on.

 Shame on you Bart Stupak. Shame on all the other Members who walked the plank with you. You all sold out and scorned millions of voters who trusted you and believed in you. 

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Pro-Life Leaders Comments on Stupak Caving

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Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), a Catholic, self-proclaimed pro-lifer who we have praised time and again on this blog, caved to the pressure today from Nancy Pelosi and President Obama. He struck a deal on healthcare reform that says the President will sign an executive order that upholds current law regarding federal funding of abortion and protects conscience rights. HERE is the text of the executive order.

Many pro-life groups, including the Family Research Council, Americans United for Life and the Susan B. Anthony List, have all shot down the authenticity of the executive order, declaring it essentially not worth the paper it’s printed on. And lest one forget, one of the first executive orders signed by President Obama during his first week in office was to send money overseas for abortion.

Below are statements from pro-life leaders on this most recent news:

Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America

“The deal made includes an illusory promise from the President that after his health care bill passes, he will sign an executive order to ensure that the Hyde Amendment is applied to the bill. However, it is the height of absurdity to trust the most pro-abortion President in history, especially in a back room deal he is surely using to scrape a few more votes from the bottom of the barrel.

“Our members know that under the Constitution of this country, Congress makes the laws of the country and not the President. This executive order is not worth the paper on which it’s written. An executive order from the President can be just as easily undone. The fact that Rep. Stupak says this is a strong statement by President Obama outlining his intent is utterly astounding especially since President Obama is the one who ensured that the Stupak-Pitts pro-life amendment was not included in the Senate bill.”

Doug Johnson, National Right to Life Committee
“A lawmaker who votes for this bill is voting to require federal agencies to subsidize and administer health plans that will pay for elective abortion, and voting to undermine longstanding pro-life policies in other ways as well. Pro-life citizens nationwide know that this is a pro-abortion bill. Pro-life citizens know, and they will be reminded again and again, which lawmakers deserve their gratitude for voting against this pro-abortion legislation.

“The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect. It changes nothing. It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill. The president cannot amend a bill by issuing an order, and the federal courts will enforce what the law says.”

Charmaine Yoest, Americans United for Life Action
“This deal to pass the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade is a tragedy for America. We believe that Mr. Stupak’s choice to succumb to the intense pressure of the last week has resulted in his endorsement of a charade that does not even begin to address the anti-life provisions in this legislation. The American people do not support taxpayer funding of abortion and Speaker Pelosi and the President have undermined representative democracy by working to pass this legislation with this unprecedented contortion of the legislative process.”

Kristan Hawkins, Students for Life of America
“I am extremely disappointed to hear that Con. Stupak and other Democrats who call themselves ‘pro-life’ have caved to a promise President Obama made to them. Why would he trust him when in his first week as President one of his first actions was to fund abortions overseas with tax-payer dollars. Legal scholars agree that an Executive Order will not be strong enough to prevent tax-payer money from funding abortions in the new healthcare take over. Further, Con. Stupak and his other Democrats with them have sold out millions of Americans with disabilities and expensive-to-treat diseases. Make no mistake about it: healthcare rationing will take place with those who need it most and now the 72% of Americans who disagree with tax-payer funded abortions will pay for the slaughter of innocent life.”

Lila Rose, Live Action
“We are dismayed that Congressman Stupak has made a backroom deal with pro-abortion forces. Stupak and his colleagues have appointed President Obama to do their job for them, making the President the sole guardian of pro-life integrity in the health care plan. The chickens have elected the fox to guard the henhouse. It is absurd to trust that Obama, the most pro-abortion president in our history, will stop taxes from paying for abortions. We can only imagine the foul pressures brought upon Congressman Stupak by Obama’s Administration and Pelosi’s Majority. If this bill is not stopped, the consequences of Stupak’s deal with pro-abortion forces will lead to the deaths of countless more defenseless, unborn Americans. With this bill, the IRS will be Planned Parenthood’s cashier as Americans are forced to fund this horrific human rights abuse.”

Bradley Mattes, Life Issues Institute

“Bart Stupak and other so-called pro-life Democrats in the House have sold out America’s unborn babies on a promise made by the most pro-abortion president in our nation’s history.

Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com

“Barack Obama spent less than one week in office before issuing an executive order making Americans fund abortion performance and promotion aboard. Anyone who thinks he and his administration won’t seek ways to fund abortion via this health care bill hasn’t been paying attention.”

Brian Burch, CatholicVote.org
“The decision by Rep. Stupak to accept an Executive Order to solve the abortion issues in the health care legislation is unconscionable. The Executive Order fix is a band-aid solution that fails to solve the fundamental problems in this bill, and can be repealed at any time, for any reason, by the President or future presidents. The Order is likely to be challenged by pro-abortion groups, and could be struck down by the courts.

“Regrettably, Rep. Stupak has abandoned those who have stood by him during the recent weeks and months. The Catholic Bishops along with CatholicVote.org and every major pro-life organization oppose this ‘fix.’ We have defended Rep. Stupak for months, but today we stand in protest of his decision.

“The Stupak-Obama purported fix also sets the stage for a new front in presidential politics that will further politicize the abortion issue. The decision over taxpayer funding for abortion and critical conscience protections now rests with President Obama, Kathleen Sebelius, and future presidents.

“Catholics have worked hard to make the protection of unborn life a two-party effort. Pro-life members of the Democratic Party encouraged these efforts over the last year. But today’s decision by Rep. Stupak and his colleagues, coming only months after the phony compromise of Sen. Nelson will be difficult to overcome.

“We are convinced Rep. Stupak will come to deeply regret today’s decision.”

Day Gardner, National Black Pro-Life Union

“Polls have consistently shown that America does not want this healthcare monster for many reasons, yet, apparently it is being shoved down our throats anyway. any Americans put so much trust in Rep. Bart Stupak and the other Democrats who stood with him when they promised that they would stand firm–no matter what–to insure there would be NO taxpayer funded abortion.

“President Obama is a staunch abortion supporter. He doesn’t care about the 50 million children (including 17 million black babies) that have been butchered by abortionists since 1973. He will say whatever it takes to get this horrible bill passed including issuing an ‘executive order’ to do so.

“It’s amazing that after saying over and over that there was no tax payer funding for abortion in the 2700 page monster—he issued an order about tax payer funding in abortion. President Obama lied…again. And Rep. Bart Stupak is just another member of Congress who promised so much, yet delivered so little.”

Jennifer Giroux, Women Influencing the Nation
“All one needs to know in order to understand this new government healthcare and supposed ban on federal funding of abortions is the order which directs the Secretary of Health and Human services (Kathleen Sebelius) to develop within 180 days a ‘model set of segregation guidelines’ for compliance…….no doubt these guidelines will mirror the respect and compliance she showed for the late term abortion laws in Kansas under her watch as Governor – that would be NONE. God have mercy on our nation”.

Bobby Schindler, The Terri Schiavo Foundation
“The passage of government controlled health care will further reveal the truth of futile care theory (death panels), forcing countless families to watch their loved ones die the same inhumane death we watched my sister Terri die”

 Dr. David Stevens, Christian Medical Association
“Millions of poor patients and those in medically underserved areas currently depend on care from faith-based hospitals, clinics and physicians who follow life-affirming ethical standards such as those found in the Hippocratic oath and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.

“National polling reveals that 95 percent of faith-based physicians say they will be forced to leave medicine without conscience protections. The last-minute deal for an Executive Order relating to abortion and conscience—the deal that changed the ‘No’ votes of pro-life Democrats to ‘Yes’–was like trading a birthright for a mess of pottage. The executive order, which added no additional conscience protections whatsoever, can be changed tomorrow by this President, or later by any subsequent President, with the stroke of a pen. The healthcare bill, meanwhile, becomes permanent law.”

 Dorinda Bordlee, Bioethics Defense Fund  
“The language of the Executive Order reveals that it was a meaningless sham designed to induce the Stupak Democrats to vote ‘yes’ on the Senate bill that provides federal subsidies and direct funding of abortion. The Obama administration knows full well that statutory law overrides executive orders. The President acting alone cannot “extend” the Hyde Amendment policy to new programs as the Executive Order vaguely purports to do – only the Congress can do that.  A court challenge (i.e. by Planned Parenthood) would immediately invalidate the null promises of the Executive Order.  Bioethics Defense Fund is deeply disappointed that the Stupak Democrats allowed empty words and an obvious political ploy to trump the sanctity of life principle that they claimed to defend.”

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Oh No She Didn’t!

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Today is a big feast day in the Catholic Church, so much so that we get a day off from fasting and abstinence on this Friday in Lent.

It’s the feast day of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus himself. We could write a lot on how awesome St. Joseph is, as we’re sure many of you know, but suffice to say, the Church wouldn’t give us a day off in Lent if there wasn’t a good reason.

Feast days of saints are great opportunities to ask them for their intercession and prayers as well. St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers (although St. Joseph the Worker feast day is on May 1st – today we celebrate the role of St. Joseph as husband and father) so we’re sure many requests are going up to him today asking for help with their jobs or in help finding or keeping a job.

But one person has called on the intercession of St. Joseph in a very public forum to “benefit the workers of America, which is exactly what our healthcare bill will do.” Want to guess who said it?

Watch till the end – Madame Speaker, a self-proclaimed Catholic, talks about the misleading letter from the nuns supporting the pro-abortion healthcare bill and says that two of the sisters who taught her signed it. Figures.

St. Joseph, pray for of us.

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Catholic Action Alert — Working to Preserve Sanctity of Life in Health Care

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Update from today’s Good Morning America:

BREAKING — HOW HEALTH REFORM COULD PASS — ABC’s George Stephanopoulos sees new wiggle room in the professed opposition by Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, leader of the pro-life Dems. Stupak told George on “GMA”: “My group is holding firm: We’re still ‘no’ votes. … As you know, I wanta pass health care — I vote voted for it before. … My group of 12 here — we can make the difference on this vote. But at the same time, there’s a principle we’re standing up for. … Protect the sanctity of life and keep current law — no public funding for abortion. Let’s keep that principle intact. Then you could probably get our votes. Probably.”  Please continue to call!

Earlier this afternoon, the House Reconcilliation bill was posted on the House Rules Committee website.  This posting starts the 72 hour review period before the House will vote on the Majority’s health care package.  Timing remains fluid, but based on the 72 hour timeline, the House is expected to vote on health care reform on Sunday afternoon, although the schedule could slip further. 

Members of the House have been told that the House will be in session and voting on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  In addition Majority Leader Hoyer indicated that the House may have votes on Monday earlier in the day than previously scheduled.  (The announcement regarding Monday indicates that consideration of the health care bills may spill over into Monday.)  In addition, President Obama has again postponed his overseas trip (this time until June) to focus on generating votes for the Majority’s health care package.

The reconciliation text is designed to make changes the Senate-passed health care bill, H.R. 3590, after H.R. 3590 is signed into law.  As expected the text does not contain the Stupak amendment that protects against federal funding for abortion coverage, nor does it contain language to ensure that none of the authorities granted by the bill are not used to mandate abortion coverage, nor does it contain the Hyde-Weldon conscience protection provision.

It is important for Catholics and all advocates and defenders of the sanctity of life to keep up their activities to encourage Members to oppose H.R. 3590 unless pro-life concerns are resolved.  Catholics and pro-lifers may be particularly interested in focusing our efforts on the following Members of Congress.  However, please note that it is best if Members are contacted by their own constituents, NOT citizens from other parts of the country. 

Undecided — no public position for or against the Senate bill based on abortion language: Altmire (PA), Bocceri (OH), Boyd (FL), Carney (PA), Ellsworth (IN), Hill (IN), Kanjorski  (PA), Mollohan (WV), Ortiz (TX), Pomeroy (NC), Rahall (WV)

Public opposition to the Senate bill based on abortion language: Berry (AR), Costello (IL), Dahlkemper (PA), Donnelly  (IN), Driehaus  (OH), Cao (LA), Kaptur (OH), Lipinski (IL), Stupak (MI)

You may also be aware that Rep. Kildee (MI), Wilson (OH) and Perriello (VA) have endorsed the Senate abortion language, and Rep. Oberstar (MN) has also indicated he supports the Senate bill policies on abortion funding.

On behalf of the sanctity of life and in the defense of our faith, SMS prayerfully requests that you call these targets if you live in their Districts or States and we ask that you pray for defeat of any health care legislation that does not preserve the sanctity of life.

House of Representatives — 202-225-3121

Senate — 202-224-3121

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Catholic or Lobbyist First

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You have undoubtly heard the sad news of so called Catholic organizations supporting the current healthcare bill that funds abortions.  Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has done great work the expose the true motives of these organizations.  He is also urging his flock to contact key members of Congress this week asking them to vote ‘no’ on the pro-abortion Senate Health Care Reform bill.  His advice is sound for all of us.

You can read the Archbishop’s letter here. Here are the key contact numbers for interested Catholics:

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