Abortion-tainted health care bill: The die is cast?; 'Heroic Media' campaign; 'Biking for Babies'
Matt C. Abbott
Well, ladies and gentlemen, we'll soon know if we'll have publicly-funded abortions here in the U.S.
I wish I was an optimist, but, alas, I'm not.
If there's any consolation in all of this, it's that there has indeed been a concerted effort on the part of many in the pro-life arena to fight the Obama regime's insidious promotion of abortion.
So what's wrong with the health care bill?
According to the Catholic Medical Association:
As Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, told me via e-mail:
From Heroic Media:
While many college students will be spending their spring break partying in some warm and exotic location — and perhaps destroying a few brain cells in the process — six students will be riding their bicycles 600 miles across Illinois to help raise money for pro-life activities. Check out www.bikingforbabies.com.
I wish I was an optimist, but, alas, I'm not.
If there's any consolation in all of this, it's that there has indeed been a concerted effort on the part of many in the pro-life arena to fight the Obama regime's insidious promotion of abortion.
So what's wrong with the health care bill?
According to the Catholic Medical Association:
- 'Senate bill H.R. 3590 is a substantially flawed and unacceptable piece of legislation. Its policy positions on abortion and conscience rights alone warrant rejecting the entire bill. The evidence is clear that:
- The Stupak amendment is absolutely essential if massive new funding of abortion is to be prevented;
- Governmental subsidies for abortion increase the abortion rate;
- Senate bill H.R. 3590 provides multiple new streams of funding for abortion;
- Key proponents of abortion, including President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Henry Waxman and Kathleen Sebelius, specifically reject the Stupak amendment and understand that Senate bill H.R. 3590 effectively circumvents its provisions;
- Senate bill H.R. 3590 does not include the most fundamental conscience rights protection under current law — the Hyde-Weldon amendment's protection against being coerced to participate in abortion by a governmental entity;
- Senate bill H.R. 3590 requires all enrollees in health insurance plans covering abortion to pay, separately and exclusively, for abortions obtained by other plan participants.
- Senate and House legislation relies heavily on the federal government to dictate solutions for the real problems in U.S. health-care financing and delivery, an approach that is flawed in principle and ineffective, if not dangerous, in practice. Such an approach would violate the principle of subsidiarity and further undermine the physician-patient relationship, and represent a failure to learn from the ongoing systemic problems affecting Medicare and Medicaid.
- Senate bill H.R. 3590 refuses to make any advance in effecting a more just and constructive solution to the health care access challenges faced by immigrants.
- The current legislative approach is unsustainable from an economic standpoint. Enacting it would represent not only poor stewardship, but an injustice to future generations.
'The CMA holds that there are multiple other serious failings in the health-care legislation and legislative process of the last year. To name only three:
As Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, told me via e-mail:
- 'The goal of the pro-abortion movement is to get legalized abortion-on-demand, without limits and paid for with taxpayer money. Public funding means both endorsement and power. It is not enough for them just to have abortion: Mainstreaming it means the total victory of their diabolical worldview. The present denials of Pelosi and Obama that abortion is not included in the health care takeover are just part of the lies that go along with the business of murder.
'The abortion industry will become fabulously rich through public funding if this health care takeover happens, and no Christian should be so naive as to think that they don't have that as their primary agenda.'
From Heroic Media:
- 'Within seven months of opening its Midwest office, Heroic Media has placed television ads and messages on the transit system aimed at assisting women and their babies. Heroic Media is a non-profit organization that places advertisements to help women in crisis pregnancies connect with life-affirming pregnancy resource centers.
''These commercials are presented from a woman's perspective and are highly researched before we produce them,' Midwest director Allen Ptack said. 'That's one of the reasons they are so effective.'
'In markets where Heroic Media commercials have aired regularly, the abortion ratio has dropped 24 percent. In the Chicago media market, the ten-week television campaign will air throughout the month on stations including MTV, TBS, E!, and VH1. The CTA bus signs will also run through March.
'Heroic Media has worked with national leaders including Col. Oliver North, Sen. Zell Miller and Gov. Mike Huckabee to share their mass media messages.'
While many college students will be spending their spring break partying in some warm and exotic location — and perhaps destroying a few brain cells in the process — six students will be riding their bicycles 600 miles across Illinois to help raise money for pro-life activities. Check out www.bikingforbabies.com.
Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic columnist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, Media and Theatre from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management from Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He has worked in the right-to-life movement and is a published writer focused on Catholic and social issues. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com
© Copyright 2010 by Matt C. Abbott
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/100320
