Friday, September 30, 2011

Opposing the Obama Administration's "Interim Final Rules"

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Civil Rights Attorneys File Comments Opposing Government Rules Mandating Insurance Coverage of Abortifacient Drugs Never Intended to be Covered by Obamacare
Attorneys ask HHS to either exclude from their list of "preventative services" any drug that may in any case cause a medical abortion or broaden the exemption to allow all organizations and individuals to continue the current practice of being able to offer sponsor and obtain health coverage that does not violate their moral and religious convictions.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today attorneys with the Jubilee Campaign's LAW OF LIFE PROJECT timely filed its agency commentsopposing the Obama Administration's "Interim Final Rules" that arbitrarily exempt some, but not all, healthcare plans and health insurance issuers who conscientiously oppose coverage of so-called "preventative services" under Obamacare* that unlawfully include abortifacient methods of contraception that effectively terminate a pregnancy after it begins. The Project's General Counsel, Samuel Casey said: "Unless these rules (and the 'Guidelines' promulgated pursuant to these rules) are immediately changed, or the exemption from these rules is substantially broadened, as we suggest in our comments filed today, we are looking at a double-barreled lie by Senator Mikulski (D-MD) who told us that by adding coverage of 'preventative services' to Obamacare we would not be covering abortion in the first place and by President Obama who promised us in his March 29, 2010 Executive Order 13535 that Obamacare would not force health plans and individual health insurers to cover abortion."

As many other concerned Americans have noted, the religious exemption allowed by the interim final rule is not only extremely narrow, but unprecedented in federal law. It covers only a "religious employer" that has "the inculcation of religious values" as its purpose, "primarily employs and serves person who share its religious tenets," and is a church organization under two narrow provisions of the tax code. Group health plans offered by a great many religious organizations, including Catholic colleges and universities, as well as hospitals and charitable institutions that serve the general public, would be ineligible under this narrow exemption. Individuals and health insurance companies do not quality at all for this exemption.

Casey said, "Most importantly, unless broadened to include every group health plan or health insurance issuer who conscientiously opposes abortion as a matter of 'sincerely held religious belief,' the application of the government's 'interim final rule' to such entities should be deemed a 'substantial burden' upon such entities' 'free exercise of religion' in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act('RFRA', 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000bb et seq.). Since Obamacare already includes some religious exemptions and many organizations for political reasons have already been 'grandfathered' out of compliance, the government will be hard pressed under RFRA to bear their heavy burden of justifying their overly narrow definition of 'religious employer' on the grounds that a broader definition more in keeping with federal law is somehow barred by some non-existent 'compelling state interest' that cannot otherwise be achieved in some 'less restrictive' fashion. As Thomas Jefferson declared to New London Methodists in 1809, '[n]o provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.' Jefferson's statement expresses a long-held conviction of respect for the free exercise of conscience that is deeply embedded in the history and traditions of our Nation and codified in numerous State and Federal laws, including laws on health care."

Casey concluded, "Unless the rules are changed or the exemption from compliance with it broadened, only legal action challenging the rules as they may be unlawfully applied to a non-exempt group health plan or individual health insurance issuer; or, alternatively, the enactment of H.R.1179, THE RESPECT FOR RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE ACT OF 2011, currently pending in the 112th Congress, can remedy the lies Americans opposed to mandated abortion coverage have apparently been told by Obamacare proponents."

* THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, Public Law 111-148 was enacted on March 23, 2010; THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT. PUBLIC LAW 111-152 was enacted on March 30, 2010 (collectively and popularly known as the "Obamacare" or the "Affordable Care Act"). Section 2713 of the Public Health Act, as added by the Affordable Care Act specifies that a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage provide benefits for and prohibit the imposition of cost-sharing with respect to women, With respect to women, "evidence-informed preventive care and screening provided for in comprehensive guidelines supported by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration." (75 FR 41728)

JUBILEE CAMPAIGN'S LAW OF LIFE PROJECT IS A PUBLIC INTEREST LEGAL ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO LEGALLY DEFENDING THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN BEING FROM BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTION UNTIL NATURAL DEATH IN ALL MATTERS WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING THE HEALTHCARE RIGHT OF CONSCIENCE WHEREVER SUCH A DEFENSE IS REQUIRED. JUBILEE CAMPAIGN IS AN INTERNATIONAL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO BE A "VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS" PROMOTING THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF ALL, PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF ANY AGE IN COUNTRIES WHICH IMPRISON, TERRORIZE OR OTHERWISE OPPRESS THEM

 
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LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report 9/30/11

LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report
Friday, September 30, 2011

For pro-life news updated throughout the day, visit LifeNews.com.

Current Headlines

Top Stories
• New Hampshire Fights Obama on Planned Parenthood Funding

• Baby Saved From Abortion in First Hour of 40 Days for Life

Kermit Gosnell Abortion Staff, Family to Stand Trial With Him
• Attorney: Probe Planned Parenthood Over Tax-Funding, Fraud

More Pro-Life News
• Obama Admin Anti-Conscience Mandate Threatens Health Care
• Obama s CDC Stops Bad Fruit, Ignores Abortion Drug Deaths
• End the Link Between Labor Unions and Pro-Abortion Candidates
• United Nations Considers Euthanasia and New Treaty on Aging
• Obama Abortion-Sterilization Mandate Violates Religious Freedom
• Ohio Abortion Numbers Decline for 10th Year, Hit Record Low
• Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Second State Abortion Ban Law

---> Please help us with our fundraising campaign to raise $5,000 to support pro-life news and information from LifeNews.com. Donate here.

New Hampshire Fights Obama on Planned Parenthood Funding
The New Hampshire Executive Council is not giving up its fight to revoke taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood and members of the council, which voted to revoke a $1.8 million contract, are fighting back against an Obama decision to force the state to fund the abortion business.

The council has filed a formal protest with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Government Accountability Office following the Obama Administration s award of a non-competitive $1 million dollar contract with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The Obama administration s decision bypassed the state s decision to reject taxpayer funding of the abortion giant.

Three members of the Council, as represented by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund, requested that HHS declare the grant void. In their complaint, they say the Grant by HHS was improper, irregular, unnecessary, in contravention of the authority of the Executive Council and its duly elected members, and in disregard for the sovereignty of the State of New Hampshire.

The letter also criticizes the Obama administration for a lack of transparency, saying the HHS has treated its requests for more information about the grant Obama officials forced New Hampshire to make with Planned Parenthood were treated as formal Freedom of Information requests that take some time to process. As a result, New Hampshire officials say they have not been able to get information they need to respond.

In stark contrast to HHS unannounced process leading up to [the award], the letter reads, all aspects of the Executive Council s decision were and are matters of public record and were and are well-known to HHS. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/new-hampshire-fights-obama-on-planned-parenthood-funding/

Baby Saved From Abortion in First Hour of 40 Days for Life
Reports of saved babies are starting to pour in! Yesterday as I was traveling to the 40 Days for Life campaign in Helena, Montana, I got an e-mail that really caught my eye.

It was from Lisa in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The subject line read: 40 Days for Life baby saved!

Alison, one of our core team members, said this save took place in the very first hour the abortion clinic was open after our campaign began, Lisa said. This is the fifth 40 Days for Life vigil at this location.

Lisa also sent along a photo of an art class project at a local Christian school. Each student created an individual panel that helped build a room-sized, heart-shaped display all in keeping with the theme of praying for an end to abortion during 40 Days for Life. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/baby-saved-from-abortion-in-first-hour-of-40-days-for-life/

Kermit Gosnell Abortion Staff, Family to Stand Trial With Him
A trial court judge ruled today that the family members and former staffers of abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell, who faces eight charges for killing a patient in a botched abortion and killing unborn children in brutal abortion-infanticides, must stand trial with him.

Gosnell faces multiple murder charges for killing a woman in a failed abortion and seven unborn children after purposefully inducing birth so he could take their lives in a ghastly abortion-infanticide procedure. His wife, who worked at the Women s Medical Society abortion business with him, and staffers also face charges ranging from murder to obstructing justice to practicing medicine without a license.

Judge Benjamin Lerner ruled today that the family and staff must strand trial with Gosnell even if they are not also charged in connection with the murder of a woman in a failed legal abortion or the charges of murder related to the illegal late-term abortions.

Lerner agreed with defense attorneys who are concerned about the emotional intensity of the testimony of witnesses in the courtroom during the trial. But, according to a WPVI report, he said the daughter of the woman who died in the botched abortion and other witnesses who were injured in abortions at Gosnell s abortion facility should not have to be forced to give the same testimony twice if the trials were split up. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/kermit-gosnell-abortion-staff-family-to-stand-trial-with-him/

Attorney: Probe Planned Parenthood Over Tax-Funding, Fraud
A leading pro-life attorney who has experience battling Planned Parenthood over taxpayer funding and Medicaid fraud says those are two great issues that should compel Congress to move ahead with the investigation a congressman has announced.

Jay Sallow, the chief attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), says For years, we have been pursuing Planned Parenthood challenging them in court, and he finds it encouraging that Congress is now taking a close look at the nation s largest abortion provider, with an eye toward investigating how Planned Parenthood spends federal taxpayer funds.

In a September 15 letter LifeNews.com obtained, Rep. Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican who is the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Investigations, writes to Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood.

The letter requests any information related to improper billing related to federally-funded programs, proof that federal funds are not being improperly used to pay for abortions by PPFA or its affiliates, audits by state agencies of any Planned Parenthood affiliate, and documentation of how many affiliates currently receive Title X family planning funding. The Stearns letter also requests documents on standards and practices related to billing issues, written policies and procedures, and it requests information on how the abortion giant keeps its family planning abortion monies separate and segregated.

We re delighted the Congress wants to take a closer look, Sekulow says. After all, Planned Parenthood received more than $363 million dollars from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009 from federal, state or local grants and contracts. That represented about one-third of the organization s total revenue of more than $ 1 billion during that period. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/attorney-probe-planned-parenthood-over-tax-funding-fraud/

Announcing: National Association of Pro-life Nurses announces its 2011-2012 scholarship for student nurses. Scholarship application deadline is Feb. 15, 2012. Application can be found online at http://www.nursesforlife.org

Obama Admin Anti-Conscience Mandate Threatens Health Care
A recent rule issued by the Obama administration threatens our nation s healthcare by attacking the consciences of our nation s healthcare providers.

The Witherspoon Institute s Task Force on Conscience Protection recently reviewed and will submit comments on the interim final rule jointly issued by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury on preventive services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We present our findings here. First, we treat the mandate that all health plans provide both contraceptives and certain abortifacients. Second, we comment upon the narrow religious freedom exemption in the rule. Third, we address the mandate in light of current social circumstances concerning sexual freedom and sexual restraint. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/obama-admin-anti-conscience-mandate-threatens-health-care/

Obama s CDC Stops Bad Fruit, Ignores Abortion Drug Deaths
Recently there has been a major food-borne illness outbreak in the United States. The Center for Disease Control has traced the outbreak of listeria, an often fatal bacterial contagion, to cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms in Colorado. So far at least 13 people have died and 72 have been sickened from eating the tainted fruit.

Authorities have asked that grocery stores pull the Jensen Farms cantaloupes from the shelf. They warn people that if they are not sure where their cantaloupes came from, they should throw them away.

Honestly, as a nurse, I would tell people don t eat the cantaloupe until this thing resolves itself, said Laura Anderko, a Georgetown University public health expert. This stuff happens because our system is not as tight as it needs to be.

Contrast the cantaloupe hysteria with the lack of concern over a similar number of deaths caused by the RU-486 abortion pill. The Federal Food and Drug Administration reported in July that 14 U.S. women have died after taking RU-486 and a total of 2,207 reported adverse effects after using the drug. That makes the abortion pill more dangerous than tainted cantaloupes.

But the official response to these deaths has been to call the drug safe and promote it on the market. It seems that the deaths of over a dozen people are only a problem when abortion is not involved. When it is, then the deaths become an acceptable risk. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/obamas-cdc-stops-bad-fruit-ignores-abortion-drug-deaths/

End the Link Between Labor Unions and Pro-Abortion Candidates
Growing up in a blue-collar, steel mill town, many of my family were union members. They were and are hardworking people, and were just trying to support their families. Unions once played an important role in our nation, having given employees the opportunity to negotiate fair wages and provide safe work environments.

But these goals are long gone and instead unions have become long arms of the Democratic Party, bullying those they disagree with and contributing significant dollars for liberal candidates, most who are far to the left of the country s majority conservative social viewpoints.

Union PACs are clearly in the pockets of Democrats. Last year during the 2010 election cycle, 93% of all union PAC money almost $60 million was given unapologetically to Democratic candidates, almost all of them staunch advocates of abortion. But this is merely union PAC money. If all big labor spending is taken into account, that number tops over $1.4 billion dollars during the 2010 elections, a non-presidential year cycle.

Abortion is a sacred cow for the social Left. Federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation s largest abortion chain, tops $350 million a year. President Obama, who was elected with the help of significant union money, was prepared to shut down the federal government this year rather than defund Planned Parenthood. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/end-the-link-between-labor-unions-and-pro-abortion-candidates/

United Nations Considers Euthanasia and New Treaty on Aging
The Holy See condemned attempts to inject euthanasia into the right to health and Latin American and Caribbean delegations called for a new UN treaty at two recent UN meetings on the rights of the elderly. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/united-nations-considers-euthanasia-and-new-treaty-on-aging/

Obama Abortion-Sterilization Mandate Violates Religious Freedom
On Thursday September 29, 2011, the Alliance Defense Fund submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pointing out the illegal character of HHS s proposal to mandate that the vast majority of religious entities, individuals, and insurance plans must cover abortifacients, contraceptive and sterilizing drugs, devices and information. ADF submitted its comments on behalf of The Cardinal Newman Society s Center for the Advancement Catholic Higher Education and multiple Catholic Colleges and Universities. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/obama-abortion-sterilization-mandate-violates-religious-freedom/

Ohio Abortion Numbers Decline for 10th Year, Hit Record Low
New statistics from the state of Ohio show the number of abortions there have declined for the 10th straight year showing the combination of effective pro-life education, legislation and help for pregnant women works. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/ohio-abortion-numbers-decline-for-10th-year-hit-record-low/

Texas Abortion-Ultrasound Law Blocked While Lawsuit Continues
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Texas can t enforce a pro-life law allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound before an abortion while the lawsuit abortion backers filed against it continues in court. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/29/texas-abortion-ultrasound-law-blocked-while-lawsuit-continues/

Advertisement

Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Second State Abortion Ban Law
The Mexico Supreme Court has delivered a second victory for pro-life advocates there just one day after upholding a first state law protecting unborn children from abortions by validating a second. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/30/mexico-supreme-court-upholds-second-state-abortion-ban-law/

Assisted Suicide: The Forgotten Pro-Life Battle
As the proponents of assisted suicide strive to legalize it in Massachusetts, we should take another look at their arguments and the deceptions therein. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/09/29/assisted-suicide-the-forgotten-pro-life-battle/


 

Encourage Friends to Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com

Catholic News Roundup 09-30 [Video]

Vortexnews

Today's stories - 
- Terrorism Leader Killed 
- Mexico's Fight for Life 
- Gross Exaggeration 
- Narrowing Freedom 
- Without His Blessing 
- Sweet Freedom
 

The Pope and the Nazis


Vortex

Dear Friend in Christ,

Natural Law clearly points out abortion as evil ... and the travesty of the Culture of Death is leading the world down a more subtle road to a culture endorsing policies reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Please watch this episode of The Vortex and share it with as many friends and family as you can.

GOD Bless you and your loved ones,

Michael Voris
~senior executive producer at RealCatholicTV.com

Over 1500 Cities and Towns in U.S. and Canada will Participate in National Life Chain Sunday 2011 -- October 2

Lifechain_texas_allen_2006-10-

For updates, time, and location in each city, see www.LifeChain.net

Chains in other nations are held at different times of the year

MEDIA ADVISORY, Sept. 30, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- National Life Chain Sunday 2011 confronts an injustice unsurpassed in world history. Year by year, the Abortion Holocaust in America and Canada extends a death toll that reaches far beyond the Nazi killings in Europe. Today, as in Germany, accountability rests heavily with a paralyzed church that has failed to discern and value the victims' humanity and lacks the resolve and passion necessary to end an unspeakable injustice. For many German Christians, bombs and destruction eventually quickened their awareness and compassion, which leads one to ask if most of us today will ever see the current horror and hear the Preborns' silent screams without promptings from a national calamity. 

Author of The Christian Manifesto, theologian Francis Schaeffer advised us that "Every abortion mill should have this sign posted on it: 'This abortion mill is open by permission of the local church.'" On our watch, a child who falls into a well is swiftly and nobly rescued by Christian and pagan alike. Yet with an indifference we do not easily comprehend, we have allowed our preborn neighbors to suffer mutilations by the tens of millions. 

What could so blind the church in the U.S. and Canada? Are not millions of laity and a few hundred thousand pastors "pro-life"? But what does "pro-life" mean in our day? At what level is pro-life's integrity and sense of urgency? How confused is our mindset about Christian values? A remnant of clergy and laity labor devotedly, to be sure, but pro-life's collective save/loss record is tragic in the extreme. For each child saved from surgical abortion, many children die, and the numerous chemical abortions remain chiefly beyond the reach of current pro-life strategies. 

What is pro-life's greatest earthly need? In each community, both urban and rural, pro-life needs the pulpits--their skills, authority, and opportunity to instruct, inspire, and mobilize the church against the grievous mentality of legal abortion and its bonded spiritual forces. Ending the prevailing scourge is a local duty, everywhere. And to succeed, we must move past the "abortion issue" to the Preborns' humanity and provide the children uncompromising protection that can also end the killing. 

Each year, National Life Chain Sunday lines U.S. and Canadian sidewalks with a prayerful and peaceful public witness that is an extension of Sunday morning worship. Christians of all ages are urged to participate, for profound reasons. If instead we choose Sunday afternoon football or like pleasures, we betray desperate Preborns and help sustain the American and Canadian Holocausts. Pastors who prepare their people for earnest intercession and reflection are key to National Life Chain Sunday's success. These pastors proclaim the bloodguilt facing nations that legalize abortion. They proclaim God's eminent regard for helpless and rejected mankind. And they remind us that our nation's wellbeing and security are only as strong as our obedience to a just and sovereign God. Please, Pastors of America and Canada, lead your fellow worshippers to the nearest Life Chain, to stand humbly yet boldly for Life. Let us provide a witness God can anoint and use greatly.

 

Praying with 40 Days for Life London for an end to abortion

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3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street
London, SE11 4AB, United Kingdom
Telephone: (020) 7091 7091
Email: information@spuc.org.uk
http://www.spuc.org.uk
2
 

3
John Smeaton, SPUC director

Friday, 30 September 2011

Praying with 40 Days for Life London for an end to abortion

I have said before how blessed we are in London to have such a fantastic pro-life initiative in 40 Days for Life London. This is the third time that the forty day vigil has been run in this city and the driving force behind it has been committed young pro-lifers. They are giving up much to run such a worthy campaign, not least their time.

This morning I joined them for the first time since the vigil was launched on Tuesday evening and began proper on Wednesday morning outside of the BPAS abortion facility in Bedford Square.

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Here I am praying with Beata, one of the 40 Days for Life London organising team.

I was also very happy to be attending the vigil with my son Paul.


The the 40 Days for Life vigil itself is an event open to people of all faiths and none. Paul is organising for a group of young Catholics to go together to the vigil tomorrow morning  between 9.30am and 12.30pm and they are going to the 8am Mass at the Brompton Oratory beforehand for anyone wishing to join them. Although the organisation for this is being done by young people all are welcome to join them, as indeed they are for the entire 40 Day campaign.


To receive this news regularly, visit http://www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. © Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 2011


© Society for the Protection of Unborn Children 2011
 

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Created Equal Joins Joe Scheidler and Pro Life Action League on Oct. 8

Created Equal Joins Joe Scheidler and Pro Life Action League on Oct. 8

Scheidler says, "If they're the least bit normal and have a brain stem, they will be against abortion."

Columbus, OH – September 30, 2011 - On Oct. 8, 2011, Created Equal will travel to Cincinnati, OH to partner with Joe Scheidler and the Pro-Life Action League's Face the Truth Tour.  Joe is a good friend of Created Equal and recently endorsed our work. 

Watch Joe's endorsement below:

www.youtube.com/user/createdequalfilms--Q-feature--E-mhee--PND-p/c/73E38E363B..." target="_blank">Joe Scheidler endorses Created Equal

Our "Justice Van” is filling up, but we still have a few more seats available to go to Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati Face the Truth Tour

Who:  Created Equal and Pro-Life Action League

What:  Justice Ride to Cincinnati, OH to spark conversation using prenatal and abortion imagery

When:  October 8, 2011 from 9am-4:30pm

Where:  9-10:30am at Glenway Ave and Boudinot Ave, 11:30-1pm at Kenwood Rd and Galbraith Rd, and 3-4:30pm at Colerain Ave and Springdale Rd.

What:  Created Equal Display and distribution of our NEW student handout

If you want to be part of our outreach to Cincinnati, please email me at mark@createdequal.net.  Created Equal provides travel and food.

Support Created Equal.  Send a check to:

Created Equal

PO Box 360502

Columbus, OH 43230

Or give electronically www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php--Q-giftid--E-89217EA9-AF58-49B1-837B-8CB7CDE..." target="_blank">HERE.

Find us on www.facebook.com/createdequal" target="_blank">Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe on www.youtube.com/createdequalfilms" target="_blank">Youtube.

To subscribe to our SMS alerts, text EQUAL to 292929

What Killer Cantaloupes and Abortion Pills Say About the Value of Life

Media_httpoperationre_eeeie

By Cheryl Sullenger

Recently there has been a major food-borne illness outbreak in the United States. The Center for Disease Control has traced the outbreak of listeria, an often fatal bacterial contagion, to cantaloupes grown at Jensen Farms in Colorado. So far at least 13 people have died and 72 have been sickened from eating the tainted fruit.

Authorities have asked that grocery stores pull the Jensen Farms cantaloupes from the shelf. They warn people that if they are not sure where their cantaloupes came from, they should throw them away.

“Honestly, as a nurse, I would tell people don’t eat the cantaloupe until this thing resolves itself,” said Laura Anderko, a Georgetown University public health expert. “This stuff happens because our system is not as tight as it needs to be.”

Contrast the cantaloupe hysteria with the lack of concern over a similar number of deaths caused by the RU-486 abortion pill.

The Federal Food and Drug Administration reported in July that 14 U.S. women have died after taking RU-486 and a total of 2,207 reported adverse effects after using the drug.

That makes the abortion pill more dangerous than tainted cantaloupes.

But the official response to these deaths has been to call the drug “safe” and promote it on the market. It seems that the deaths of over a dozen people are only a problem when abortion is not involved. When it is, then the deaths become an acceptable risk.

It seems to us that abortion pills should be treated with at least the same precautions to public health as listeria-laden melons. They should be pulled from the shelf. The public should be warned. The fatal pills should be traced back to the distributor, Danco Laboratories, and destroyed.

If they can do that for dangerous fruit, why not for the more dangerous abortion pill?

Instead, we get Jill June of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, dispensing the deadly pills over Internet vending machines without even a physician present and spouting nonsense about the so-called “safety” of the scheme.

“It’s the way medical practice is taking place today,” June told the Lincoln Star in January. “The fact is we are providing a service women are asking us to provide. And it’s been proven to be safe and effective.”

In reality, Jensen Farms cantaloupes have been proven to be safer than the abortion pill. While they have killed a similar number of people, the abortion pill has sickened over 30 times as many people as the melons. People may ask for Jensen Farms cantaloupes at the grocery store, but no reputable grocer would supply them. There would be dire consequences for those that did.

It just goes to show that if a woman is getting an abortion, concerns for her health and safety go out the window. Maybe that is because “our system is not as tight as it needs to be.”

Yet, any attempt to protect women from the irresponsible distribution of abortion pills is met with the harshest criticism and opposition.

Shockingly even Communist China has more sense than this. Known as one of the greatest abusers of human rights in the world through their brutal one-child, forced-abortion policies, they have expressed concern and taken action to protect women from the dangers of RU-486.

“Press reports from Henan province and Chengdu relate cases where women narrowly escaped death when excessive bleeding occurred after taking RU-486 without a physician’s supervision,” according to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. In 2001, China banned all pharmaceutical sales of RU-486 in order “to guarantee patients’ safety and protect their health.”

Right now in our country, the lives of people who eat cantaloupes are considered of more value than those of pregnant women and their pre-born babies. There cannot be such hypocritical and inequitable treatment of life under the same roof. If our nation is truly one where “all men are created equal” then all human life has value and deserves protection, or none of it does.

ALL PRO-LIFE TODAY 9/30/2011

Pro-Life Today Header

Friday, September 30, 2011
  
Will Congress Have the Courage to Expose Planned Parenthood?

Judie BrownAccountability. The word means to accept responsibility for an action or a behavior. We must all be accountable for our individual actions. And every action has a consequence-be it good or bad. Planned Parenthood is no different. For years, there have been outcries regarding its practices and behaviors, yet there has been no accountability-and thus no impetus for change. But recent events may precipitate this change. Read today's commentary for more on this positive turn of events and find out how your voice can make a difference.            

 

[ Read the full article here. ]

                                                                                                                                                     


HEADLINES
Blue Bar
Pelosi: Defunding Planned Parenthood a 'horror'

Life Site News     

Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called cutting Planned Parenthood funding a "horror." When asked by CNS News last week what she would do if Republicans renewed an effort to prohibit federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood as part of a Continuing Resolution, Pelosi refused to speculate.

Dad of 18-year-old who died after RU-486 abortion tackles abortion drug misinformation         

Life Site News 
The father of an 18-year-old casualty of a drug-induced abortion has mourned the 11th anniversary of RU-486 legalization by launching a website and video to help women learn about the health risks of the abortion drug. 
The folly of federal 'safe sex' campaigns

Crisis Magazine   

Earlier this year the Australian federal government unveiled draft legislation to introduce plain packaging laws for cigarettes. Health minister Nicola Roxon was unequivocal in her determination to put the final nail in the coffin of the tobacco industry. 

 

Cardinal DiNardo:Religion and Morality Essential Parts of a Freedom-Loving Society

STATEMENT FOR RESPECT LIFE MONTH

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Chairman,Committee on Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

September 26,2011

This October the Catholic Church throughout the United States will observe Respect Life Month,an annual tradition now in its fortieth year.

Cardinal DiNardo on Respect Life Month

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo Releases Statement for October 2011,Respect Life Month

Beginning on October 2,2011—Respect Life Sunday—Catholics across the nation will join together to witness to the inherent equality and transcendent value of every human being.

In countless liturgies and events we will give thanks to God for the gift of human life,and pray for his guidance and blessings on our efforts to defend the most vulnerable members of the human family.

We will voice our opposition to the injustice and cruelty of abortion on behalf of those victims whose voices have been silenced. At the same time,we will remind the living victims of abortion—the mothers and fathers who grieve the loss of an irreplaceable child—that God’s mercy is greater than any human sin,and that healing and peace can be theirs through the sacrament of reconciliation and the Church’s Project Rachel Ministry.

The theme chosen for this year’s Respect Life Program is I came so that all might have life and have it to the full. In this brief explanation of his mission (cf. John 10:10),Jesus refers both to our hope of eternal life,to be restored through his death and resurrection,and to our life in this world.

By following Jesus’ new Commandment of unselfish love,our lives can be richly fulfilling,and marked by joy and peace. In contrast,treating others as either means or obstacles to one’s self-serving goals,while never learning to love generously,is an impoverished way to live.

Viewing life as a “zero sum” game,in which advancing one’s interests requires putting aside the needs of others,can lead to callous unconcern for anyone who is especially weak,defenseless,and in need of our help. The unborn child,the aging parent who some call a “burden” on our medical system,the allegedly “excess” embryo in the fertility clinic,the person with a disability,the cognitively impaired accident victim who needs assistance in receiving food and water to live—each today is at risk of being dismissed as a “life unworthy of life.”

Jesus’ promise of “life to the full” is especially poignant today,when our culture and sometimes our government promote values inimical to the happiness and true good of individuals and society. We face increasing attempts to expunge God and religious discourse from public life. This promotes the dangerous proposition that human beings enjoy no special status by virtue of their God-given humanity.Some now even seek to eliminate religiously motivated people and organizations from public programs,by forcing them to violate their moral and religious convictions or stop serving the needy.

The same forces,aided by advertising and entertainment media,promote a selfish and demeaning view of human sexuality,by extolling the alleged good of sexual activity without love or commitment. This view of sex as “free” of commitment or consequences has no place for openness to new life. Hence contraceptives are promoted even to young teens as though they were essential to women’s well-being,and abortion defended as the “necessary” back-up plan when contraceptives fail. And fail they do. Studies report that most women seeking abortions were using contraception in the month they became pregnant. Again and again,studies show that increasing access to contraception fails to reduce rates of unplanned pregnancies and abortions.

Both these trends—a distorted view of sexuality and a disdain for the role of religion—are exhibited by the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent decision on the “preventive services” to be mandated in virtually all private health plans under the new health care law. The Department ruled that such mandated services will include surgical sterilization and all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices—including the abortifacient drug “Ella,” a close analogue to the abortion pill RU-486.

The decision is wrong on many levels. Preventive services are aimed at preventing diseases (e.g.,by vaccinations) or detecting them early to aid prompt treatment (e.g.,screening for diabetes or cancer). But pregnancy is not a disease. It is the normal,healthy state by which each of us came into the world. Far from preventing disease,contraceptives can have serious health consequences of their own,for example,increasing the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease,such as AIDS,increasing the risk of breast cancer from excess estrogen,and of blood clots that can lead to stroke from synthetic progestin. Mandating such coverage shows neither respect for women’s health or freedom,nor respect for the consciences of those who do not want to take part in such problematic initiatives.

The “religious employer” exemption offered by the Department is so extremely narrow that it protects almost no one. Catholic institutions providing health care and other services to the needy could be forced to fire their non-Catholic employees and cease serving the poor and vulnerable of other faiths—or stop providing health coverage at all. It has been said that Jesus himself,or the Good Samaritan of his famous parable,would not qualify as “religious enough” for the exemption,since they insisted on helping people who did not share their view of God.

All these misguided efforts to foster false values among our youth,to silence the voice of moral truth in the public domain,and to deprive believers of their constitutionally-protected right to live according to their religious convictions,must be resisted by education,public advocacy,and above all by prayer.

The founders of our nation understood that religion and morality are essential to the survival of a freedom-loving society. John Adams expressed this conviction,stating:

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.

Catholics must not shrink from the obligation to assert the values and principles we hold essential to the common good,beginning with the right to life of every human being and the right of every woman and man to express and live by his or her religious beliefs and well-formed conscience.

As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us last year in one of his Ad Limina addresses to visiting bishops,“a society can be built only by tirelessly respecting,promoting and teaching the transcendent nature of the human person.” That common nature transcends all accidental differences of age,race,strength,or conditions of dependency,preparing us to be one human family under God.

During this Respect Life Month,as we celebrate God’s great gift of life,let us pray and reflect on how each of us might renew our commitment and witness to “respecting,promoting and teaching the transcendent nature of the human person,” thereby shoring up the foundations of a society sorely in need of this guidance.

 

Heroic News: “CA: 11 year-old child undergoes sex change 'therapy'” plus 13 more

Heroicnews


CA: 11 year-old child undergoes sex change 'therapy'

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:33 PM PDT

The lesbian parents of an 11-year-old boy who is undergoing the process of becoming a girl last night defended the decision, claiming it was better for a child to have a 'sex change' when young.

Spanish political party seeks to revise abortion law

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:02 PM PDT

The spokesperson for the congressional caucus of the People’s Party in Spain, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, has said the party is focused on changing parts of country’s new law on abortion.
 

Ohio Senate oks bill to strengthen parental consent laws

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:14 AM PDT

The Ohio state Senate has approved a bill meant to strengthen the parental consent law in place that prohibits teens from getting an abortion without their parents’ consent is moving along in the legislative process.

NY panel wants taxpayers to foot bill for 'gender reassignment' surgery

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:11 AM PDT

A state panel advising New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants taxpayers to foot the bill for transgender residents to get "sexual reassignment surgery," allowing them to change their physical characteristics from a man to a woman or woman to man, The New York Post reported Thursday.

Adult stem cells making news in courts, Congress and on football field

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:45 AM PDT

Stem-cell research is once again making news in Congress and the courts. But this time, it's on the sports pages too.

Judge: 1 trial for Pa. abortion doctor, staffers

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:44 AM PDT

Co-defendants of a Philadelphia abortion doctor charged with murder must stand trial with him, even if they are not charged with performing illegal abortions.

Cross-dressers, 'transgenders' want inclusion in military ranks

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:24 AM PDT

With homosexuals now able to serve openly in the military, the gay rights movement’s next battleground is to persuade the Obama administration to end the armed forces’ ban on “transgenders,” a group that includes transsexuals and cross-dressers.

United Nations considers euthanasia and new treaty on aging

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:24 AM PDT

The Holy See condemned attempts to inject euthanasia into the right to health and Latin American and Caribbean delegations called for a new UN treaty at two recent UN meetings on the rights of the elderly.

Paramedics save unborn baby after pregnant woman shot, killed

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:24 AM PDT

In a miracle operation emergency workers were able to save an unborn baby after a pregnant woman was shot dead in a church.

Mother of 11 fufills dream, attends Harvard

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:23 AM PDT

Years ago, Oklahoma mom Allyson Reneau dropped out of college to raise her 11 children. Now, at age 50 with 7 children still at home, she commutes once a week from Oklahoma City to Harvard University where she is a graduate student.

Military chaplains may perform same sex 'marriages'

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:21 AM PDT

The Pentagon has decided that military chaplains may perform same-sex unions, whether on or off a military installation.

Women's health advocates blast proposed GOP spending bill

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:21 AM PDT

The same week that pro life advocates and Catholic colleges pushed the Obama administration to repeal a recent decision to include contraception in a list of fully-covered preventive health-care services, House Republicans unveiled a proposed spending plan for 2012 that would make massive budget cuts that has abortion activists incensed.

Gingrich: Same-sex 'marriage' is a 'temporary aberration'

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 06:51 AM PDT

Same-sex 'marriage' is a temporary aberration that will dissipate, Newt Gingrich said here today. “I believe that marriage is between a man and woman,” Gingrich said.

Change is possible for those with homosexual inclinations, study finds

Posted: 30 Sep 2011 06:41 AM PDT

Is change possible for homosexuals? Trying to respond to this question, a study published in a scientific journal has claimed that sexual orientation change is definitely possible.

DAY 3: Baby saved in first hour


Dear Deacon,

Reports of saved babies are starting to pour in!

Yesterday as I was traveling to the 40 Days for Life
campaign in Helena, Montana, I got an e-mail that
really caught my eye.

It was from Lisa in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The
subject line read: "40 Days for Life baby saved!"


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GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
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"Alison, one of our core team members, said this save
took place in the very first hour the abortion clinic
was open after our campaign began," Lisa said. This
is the fifth 40 Days for Life vigil at this location.

Lisa also sent along a photo of an art class project
at a local Christian school. Each student created an
individual panel that helped build a room-sized, heart-
shaped display -- all in keeping with the theme of
praying for an end to abortion during 40 Days for Life.

To see the picture of the art project, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2261


-----------------------------------------------------
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
-----------------------------------------------------

"The Body of Christ in action" is Eileen Hartman's
description of 40 Days for Life -- and the assistance
offered by other pro-life ministries in the
Indianapolis area.

"We are blessed in Indianapolis to be able to share
the love of Christ as we help women who have chosen
life under difficult circumstances," she said. "We
don't walk away from these women after they have
given birth. They know they can call on us long
after their baby is born."

40 Days for Life volunteers in Indiana's capital
city are a determined group. They gathered to hear
inspirational speakers at the local kickoff event --
then walked through a heavy rainstorm to pray at
their vigil site outside a Planned Parenthood
abortion facility.

Click this link to see a photo of the rainy
procession to Planned Parenthood:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2261

Fall2011indy1

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STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN
-----------------------------------------------------

Sterling Heights is hosting its seventh 40 Days for
Life campaign. "With each kickoff," said Maribeth,
one of the local leaders, "the Holy Spirit infuses
us with the energy, encouragement and strength to
endure what the next 40 days will bring."

At the Sterling Heights kickoff event, "we asked God
to bless and protect this ground that we will claim
as ours over the next 40 days and we prayed for
protection for all of the prayer warriors who will
come and walk in silent prayer as they lift up their
cries to the Lord for the unborn," said Maribeth.

"We know we will continue to make a difference in
our community," she said, "as we stand together to
proclaim that life is a gift and it needs to be
protected."

To see a photo of the kickoff event in Sterling
Heights, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2261


Here's today's devotional from Dennis DiMauro of
Lutherans for Life...


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DAY 3 INTENTION
-----------------------------------------------------

We pray for God's gift of strength as we strive to
protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.


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SCRIPTURE
-----------------------------------------------------

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

-- Matthew 6:25-26


-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Dennis DiMauro, Lutherans for Life
-----------------------------------------------------

Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet
plans. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying so much
about our bodies, and instead to trust in God's care
for our physical needs.

What would happen if the people who had started on a
low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of
heavenly food? For non-believers that diet would
include trusting in Christ for their salvation, and
for believers it would include a renewed prayer life,
a new Bible study, or even a spiritual fast. This
diet doesn't include giving up on certain kinds of
foods. What this diet includes is giving up on
anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ,
trusting that He will provide.

Such a spiritual diet also frees us from our worries,
and allows us to freely praise Him and serve others.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what
you will wear. Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes? Look at the
birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store
away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

This promised provision teaches us the inestimable
worth of our lives. He will not allow us to go
without. This intimate knowledge and care for human
life on the part of our gracious God is what
motivates us to seek for the preservation of human
life in all its stages.


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PRAYER
-----------------------------------------------------

Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of
all human beings by the way in which you provide for
us. We would ask that you provide also the faith,
grace and courage to enable us to protect that which
is so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.


-----------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
-----------------------------------------------------

To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2011day03print.pdf


For Life,

Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

PS: Please let me know what's new in your local
40 Days for Life campaign! You may leave a comment
at today's blog entry:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2261

40 Days for Life

10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US