Tag Archives: government
More than $1 Billion of Your Money Spent on Abortion
LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that Rep. Pete Olson (R-Tex.) has exposed that taxpayers have funded pro-abortion groups for years.
At a press conference on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., members of Congress and pro-life advocates unveiled the GAO findings. According to the report, Advocates for Youth received a total of $8.7 million (2002-2009); the Guttmacher Institute, $12.7 million (2002-2008); International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), $93.8 million (2002-2009); Planned Parenthood Federation of America, $657.1 million (2002-2008); Population Council of the United States, $284.3 million (2002-2008); Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), $1.6 million (2002-2009).
See the full story here:
See the full story here.
Bart Stupak’s Betrayal
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:
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.
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.
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.
…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.
More Polling in Key Districts Show Majorities Oppose Gov-Funded Abortion, Healthcare Reform
Whip counts are changing every five minutes it seems. For those of you not bogged down in Washington lingo, a whip count is the number of Members of Congress who are voting for/against a certain bill. In this case, the whip count on the healthcare bill is all anyone is talking about, as they should be. Pelosi needs 216 votes and counts are anywhere from 190 up to 204 for the bill.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Not only is this healthcare bill a complete disaster for the US economy if it passes but it will force all taxpayers for fund abortion on demand.
“We will do what is necessary to pass this healthcare bill” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, March 16, 2010
And the Democrats are trying to do just that with the possibility of the “Slaughter Solution”, which would, in essence, “deem” the Senate bill passed by the House without an actual vote. No joke.
Anyway, don’t stop contacting your Member of Congress, especially if you live in any of the districts below – it’s believed that these Members are on the fence. Specific polling was done in these districts and its clear that people oppose government funding of abortion and that it would be political suicide for elected officials to vote for the healthcare reform bill.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Here’s the polling summary from the Susan B. Anthony List:
AR-04 Mike Ross
72% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (68% strongly oppose)
84% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (73% strongly oppose)
73% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (61% strongly agree)
65% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Ross if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (53% would be much less likely)
FL-02 Allen Boyd
73% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (60% strongly oppose)
75% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (61% strongly oppose)
63% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (52% strongly agree)
60% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Boyd if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (44% would be much less likely)
GA-12 John Barrow
78% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (59% strongly oppose)
76% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (58% strongly oppose)
64% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (53% strongly agree)
53% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Barrow if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (38% would be much less likely)
IN-02 Joe Donnelly
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (66% strongly oppose)
78% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (66% strongly oppose)
70% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (58% strongly agree)
60% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Donnelly if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (47% would be much less likely)
IN-08 Brad Ellsworth
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (69% strongly oppose)
81% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (71% strongly oppose)
72% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (60% strongly agree)
65% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Ellsworth if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (53% would be much less likely)
IN-09 Baron Hill
77% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (67% strongly oppose)
75% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (66% strongly oppose)
72% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (61% strongly agree)
61% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Hill if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (51% would be much less likely)
MA-02 Richard Neal
63% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (46% strongly oppose)
62% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (48% strongly oppose)
56% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (43% strongly agree)
47% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Neal if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (31% would be much less likely)
MI-05 Dale Kildee
75% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (57% strongly oppose)
75% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (57% strongly oppose)
65% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (53% strongly agree)
56% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Kildee if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (37% would be much less likely)
MN-08 Jim Oberstar
73% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (61% strongly oppose)
74% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (60% strongly oppose)
68% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (54% strongly agree)
56% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Oberstar if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (36% would be much less likely)
ND-AL Earl Pomeroy
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (62% strongly oppose)
79% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (62% strongly oppose)
73% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (58% strongly agree)
57% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Pomeroy if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (42% would be much less likely)
OH-01 Steve Driehaus
73% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (61% strongly oppose)
72% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (62% strongly oppose)
64% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (52% strongly agree)
55% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Driehaus if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (45% would be much less likely)
OH-06 Charlie Wilson
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (65% strongly oppose)
79% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (66% strongly oppose)
74% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (61% strongly agree)
64% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Wilson if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (51% would be much less likely)
OH-09 Marcy Kaptur
67% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (52% strongly oppose)
66% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (52% strongly oppose)
61% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (45% strongly agree)
47% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congresswoman Kaptur if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (38% would be much less likely)
OH-16 John Boccieri
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (67% strongly oppose)
79% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (67% strongly oppose)
71% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (60% strongly agree)
62% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Boccieri if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (50% would be much less likely)
PA-03 Kathy Dahlkemper
79% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (64% strongly oppose)
78% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (64% strongly oppose)
69% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (58% strongly agree)
65% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (50% would be much less likely)
PA-04 Jason Altmire
76% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (61% strongly oppose)
74% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (63% strongly oppose)
64% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (54% strongly agree)
58% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Altmire if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (46% would be much less likely)
PA-11 Paul Kanjorski
71% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (55% strongly oppose)
68% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (55% strongly oppose)
62% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (46% strongly agree)
53% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Kanjorski if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (39% would be much less likely)
PA-14 Mike Doyle
65% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (46% strongly oppose)
63% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (48% strongly oppose)
52% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (40% strongly agree)
44% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Doyle if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (27% would be much less likely)
RI-02 James Langevin
80% oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions (66% strongly oppose)
78% oppose taxpayer funding of abortions as part of healthcare reform (66% strongly oppose)
53% agree that abortion and abortion funding have no place in healthcare legislation (38% strongly agree)
45% would be less likely to vote to re-elect Congressman Langevin if he votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion (34% would be much less likely)
Sebelius Doubletalk; Stupak Not Backing Down
Headlines like this don’t get old -“Could Issue of Abortion Derail Health Care Bill?”
And neither does Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), a pro-life Catholic Democrat who, over and over again has said he (and many of his colleagues) will not vote for any bill that funds abortion with government dollars.
President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Planned Parenthood, et al must be fuming. President Obama completely ignored Minority Leader John Boehner’s concern about this during last week’s healthcare summit and Nancy Pelosi is back to her talking points that the bill doesn’t change the status quo on abortion funding.
On Good Morning America this morning, Dept. of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (remember her? – she and the late late-term abortionist George Tiller were very close) said that the bill doesn’t change the status quo on abortion.
However, on Dec. 22, 2009 Sebelius specifically said that the Senate bill is an “accounting procedure” and that everyone would pay into the abortion fund:
SEBELIUS: “That would be an accounting procedure, but everybody in the exchange would do the same thing, whether you’re male or female, whether you’re 75 or 25, you would all set aside a portion of your premium that would go into a fund, and it would not be earmarked for anything, it would be a separate account that everyone in the exchange would pay.”
Stupak followed Sebelius this morning on Good Morning America and said he and his pro-life colleagues cannot vote for a bill that contains language that funds abortion. But then he took it even farther:
STEPHANOPOULOS: “Let me be clear here. If the president doesn’t change the language, if your language is not accepted, you and your 11 colleagues who voted yes the last time will vote no this time. Does that mean you’re prepared to take responsibility for bringing down this whole bill?”
STUPAK: “Yes, we’re prepared to take responsibility. I mean, I’ve been catching it ever since last fall. Let’s face it, I want to see health care. But we’re not going to bypass some principles and beliefs that we feel strongly about.”
See the whole GMA segment here: http://bit.ly/aDJoOk
As readers of this blog know, the Senate bill, which is the one Obama’s new bill mirrors, absolutely and without a doubt funds abortion with government money. There is even an “abortion fee” levied through that bill that goes to the abortion fund Sebelius was talking about. We don’t know how Pelosi, Obama and their allies say that it doesn’t fund abortion.
Obama has made it clear he wants Congress to use the tricky procedure of reconciliation to pass/ram through his unpopular healthcare reform (he’s been playing close attention to recent elections as you can tell). The power lies in the House -the bill HAS to pass the House of Representatives before it can go to Obama for his signature and then to the Senate for a majority vote.
You know what you have to do. This is it. The endgame has arrived – don’t let up in contacting your elected officials and tell them you’re not fooled by Obama’s rhetoric. You know abortion funding is in the bill and you don’t want it.
And pray for Rep. Stupak and his allies. No doubt he has the weight of the most powerful people in the world upon his shoulders and they want him to cave to their demands.
—————————————————————————————————
Richard Doerflinger, the associate director of the pro-life office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops put Pelosi’s myth to bed.
“We do not know how anyone who has spoken to the bishops could conclude that the Senate health care bill does not fund abortions. As the bishops have said in their letters to Congress, abortion problems in the Senate bill are so serious that, despite our strong support for expanding access to health care, we will have to oppose the bill unless they are resolved,” he said.
“While the Senate bill includes some language limiting the direct use of tax credits to subsidize abortion coverage, it still violates longstanding federal precedent on abortion funding in two ways,” Doerflinger explained.
“First, the Senate’s abortion language limits only use of tax credits for abortion in qualified health plans, not other funding in the bill. For example, the bill authorizes and appropriates $7 billion for services at community health centers (increased to $11 billion in the President’s new proposal). The Hyde amendment does not prevent direct use of these billions of dollars for elective abortions (because the funds are not provided through the appropriations bill governed by Hyde); nor does any provision in the Senate bill,” the pro-life Catholic leader said.
“Second, the Senate’s language on tax credits still allows subsidies for overall health plans that cover elective abortions, against the policy of the Hyde amendment and other longstanding federal laws. The bill requires each American purchasing such a plan to make a separate payment to the insurer every month, solely to pay for other people’s abortions. This is an enormous imposition on the consciences of the millions of Americans who oppose abortion,” Doerflinger concluded in his statement.
Rep. Mike Pence: Harry Knox Termination Long-over Due
CNSNews is reporting that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is calling on President Obama to fire Harry Knox from his position on the White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
“Harry Knox’s repeated, intolerant statements about the Catholic Church and Catholic teachings make it totally inappropriate for him to serve on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships,” Pence told CNSNews.com in an interview Friday. ”Harry Knox’s termination from the president’s Faith-Based Advisory Council is long-over due. And we would renew our call for Harry Knox to be removed from that position by the president.”
Saint Michael Society has gathered more than 9,500 petition signatures asking Harry Knox to resign.
Representative Pence and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are reacting to a statement made by Harry Knox that Pope Benedict XVI ”is hurting people in the name of Jesus.” Karen Schuberg of CNSNews reports all the background information and here is a segment by Megyn Kelly with Laura Ingraham.
Sign the St Michael Society Petition:
Big Week in Healthcare Coming Up
A lot will be happening on healthcare next week. Not satisfied that the American people have soundly rejected their healthcare plans, that includes government-funding of abortion, President Obama, Harry Reid & Nancy Pelosi are back to pushing their own agenda hard.
President Obama is meeting with GOP leaders next Thursday, Feb. 25th, which will be aired live, to talk about coming up with a bi-partisan healthcare plan. But before that he will be releasing his own reconciliation healthcare bill and posting it online either late this weekend or Monday morning. The President wants this bill to be the starting point of negotiations during the GOP healthcare meeting.
Has Obama mentioned abortion? Of course he hasn’t. But here’s the thing. Abortion HAS to be addressed somehow in the healthcare bill. If there is no specific exclusion of abortion written into the bill, like the Stupak Amendment did, then you and I will be funding abortion through healthcare. Period.
Obama knows it. Pelosi knows it. Reid knows it. And Americans know it too. We’ve written on several national polls showing that Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of government-funding of abortion.
Thanks to the heroic efforts of Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), Nancy Pelosi is going to have a heck of a hard time passing a healthcare bill in the House that doesn’t include his amendment.
Be vigilant. Read the new bill. And contact your legislators. Like we have said, healthcare reform isn’t over yet. Obama and his allies are desperate for a healthcare bill and they are desperate to pay back all the support they have received from the abortion industry. And from the looks for it, they will do anything whatsoever to get it.
Lessons from the Lectionary
I am not for a moment about to suggest that this is the way God intended us to interpret this, but for those who happened to attend daily Mass on the Friday before the MA special election and the anniversary of Obama’s inauguration, you were treated to this story about how the people complained against Samuel and demanded that they be given a king to rule over them as other nations have.
God, through Samuel, warned the people that if this were to happen, the king would quickly use his authority to tax them, take their property, oppress them with labor, and make their lives generally miserable, and that eventually they would complain to God to remove the king, and God would not listen to their complaints.
But, the people would not listen and insisted that they be given a king. And so, God told Samuel to give them exactly what they want. And wouldn’t you know – eventually they complained to God about the king. Funny how that happens.
And it is also funny how history just keeps repeating itself even into our day – when even in our free republic we get caught up in the moment and cry out for a king of sorts; someone to rule over us in a way where we don’t have to worry about anything. He will provide everything for us. And before we know it we get exactly what we wished for only to regret that moment of weakness.
If you ask me, that reading just happened to be in the right place at the right time for Americans to reflect on the choices we make through our voting, and the discernment we should take when deciding.
In fact, that whole series of readings was interesting given the events of the world. On Wednesday, January 20 – the anniversary of Obama’s inauguration – daily Mass-goers woke up to the news that MA had elected a republican senator, and were then treated to the story of David and Goliath for the first reading.
Just sayin’….
Sen. Casey Called Out at Press Conference: “You betrayed the pro-life movement”
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a Catholic, got Joe Wilson’d yesterday at a press conference when a few brave pro-lifers called him out for voting to fund abortion in the healthcare bills.
“You betrayed the pro-life movement”
“You are a pro-life hypocrite”
“You continually vote against life”
…were just some of the accusations against the self-proclaimed pro-life Democrat.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has the story but it’s nothing compared to watching the video. One of the pro-lifers invokes Mother Teresa’s famous words that the “unborn are the poorest of the poor.”
David Brody at CBN relayed the story from The Hill:
Other protesters outside lambasted the senator for “selling out” both his pro-life constituents and their Catholic faith, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“He votes the pro-abortion agenda,” one protester, who was not removed from the event, told the newspaper. “He’s a disgrace to his church.”
Currently both the Senate and the House healthcare bills have to be reconciled into one big bill to be voted on by both houses. The House bill contains the Stupak amendment, which prohibits the government from funding abortion, while the Senate version, the one Casey voted “YES” on, allows government funding of abortion. The National Right to Life Committee has more detailed information on the Senate abortion funding provisions in their latest letter here.
Do you live in Pennsylvania and want to tell Senator Casey what you think of his vote to allow the government, and your taxes, to fund abortion? Call him at (202) 224-6324.
Pro Life Hero Defies Party and Vows to Continue Fight
The New York Times today has a fascinating profile of Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan. Most readers of St. Michael Society are aware that Rep. Stupak is a pro-life hero, especially during the healthcare debate. His principled stand in the House of Representatives resulted in the passage of a truly pro-life amendment, which is attached to the House healthcare bill. The profile details the many attacks, some personal, hurled at Rep. Stupak.
Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. – Matthew 5:11-12
Now the House and Senate will attempt to reconcile the two bills passed in each chamber. Rep. Stupak claims he has 10 or 11 other pro-life Democrats willing to stand with him to ensure that if any legislation passes it will be pro-life. Look for the attacks and pressure to escalate from pro-abortion forces. Leadership will attempt to pry away votes with bribes, threats and attacks. Projects and funding will be dangled in front of their noses. Others will be threatened with removal of key committee assignments.
For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? – Matthew 16:26
But for the special few, among them Rep. Stupak, the personal attacks will come. Let’s pray for them. Pray that they remain strong and courageous in this fight.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
