Archbishop Chaput: health care bill doesn’t meet minimum moral standards

Denver, Colo., Mar 15, 2010 / 06:18 am (CNA).- In his weekly column on the Denver Catholic Register, the Archbishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., says the health-care bill does not meet minimum moral standards and therefore, doesn’t have the support of the Catholic bishops.

“The Senate version of health-care reform currently being forced ahead by congressional leaders and the White House is a bad bill that will result in bad law,”  says the Archbishop in his column  titled “Catholics, health care  and the Senate’s bad bill,” published this Monday in the Archdiocese’s  website

“As I write this column on March 14, the Senate bill remains gravely flawed.  It does not meet minimum moral standards in at least three important areas: the exclusion of abortion funding and services; adequate conscience protections for health-care professionals and institutions; and the inclusion of immigrants,” Chaput writes.

In reference to pro-Obama Catholic organizations who have been claiming that the bill is “sufficiently” pro-life, the Archbishop of Denver argues that “groups, trade associations and publications describing themselves as ‘Catholic’ or ‘prolife’ that endorse the Senate version – whatever their intentions – are doing a serious disservice to the nation and to the Church, undermining the witness of the Catholic community; and ensuring the failure of genuine, ethical health-care reform.” 

Such groups, Archbishop Chaput explains “create confusion at exactly the moment Catholics need to think clearly about the remaining issues in the health-care debate.  They also provide the illusion of moral cover for an unethical piece of legislation.”

The Archbishop then reminds “a few simple facts.”

First, the Catholic bishops of the United States began pressing for real national health-care reform “long before either political party or the public media found it convenient.”  Second, the bishops have tried earnestly to craft a consensus “that would serve all Americans;” but the failure of their effort has one source:  “It comes entirely from the stubbornness and evasions of certain key congressional leaders, and the unwillingness of the White House to honor promises made by the president last September.”

Third, “the health-care reform debate has never been merely a matter of party politics.  Nor is it now.” In this regard, Archbishop Chaput praises  Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak and “a number of his Democratic colleagues” for showing  “extraordinary character in pushing for good health-care reform while resisting attempts to poison it with abortion-related entitlements and other bad ideas that have nothing to do with real health care.” 

“To put it another way,” the Archbishop explains, “few persons seriously oppose making adequate health services available for all Americans.  But God, or the devil, is in the details — and by that measure, the current Senate version of health-care reform is not merely defective, but also a dangerous mistake.”

Nevertheless, Archbishop Chaput says that the “most painful feature” in the last weeks of the debate, “has been those ‘Catholic’ groups that by their eagerness for some kind of deal undercut the witness of the Catholic community and help advance a bad bill into a bad law. Their flawed judgment could now have damaging consequences for all of us.”

The Archbishop of Denver reminds that the bill “does not deserve, nor does it have, the support of the Catholic bishops in our country, who speak for the believing Catholic community.” 

“Catholics and other persons of good will concerned about the foundations of human dignity should oppose it,” he says on ending.

Planned Parenthood distributes sexually explicit brochures at Girl Scout meeting

New York City, N.Y., Mar 14, 2010 / 05:47 pm (CNA).- Early this week, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts hosted a panel in which Planned Parenthood was allowed to distribute brochures containing sexually explicit material to the young girls. The panel served as part of the annual U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), the brochures titled, “Happy, Healthy and Hot,” are aimed at young people with HIV and give graphic details on sex, encouraging a casual approach to sexual experimentation. The brightly colored pamphlets feature silhouettes of  young people and state, “Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse… But, there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex. There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!”

The pamphlet continues by encouraging adolescents to “Improve your sex life by getting to know your own body. Play with yourself! Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating. Mix things up by using different kinds of touch from very soft to hard. Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to (your sexual partner).”

C-FAM also reports that the CSW event also held a young women’s caucus that was co-moderated by the Girl Scouts and the YMCA. Part of the caucus included an “Intergenerational conversation” that addressed “reproductive health” as well as a recent Girl Scout project aimed “at securing the right of women, men and adolescents aged between ten and twenty-five, to better reproductive and sexual health.”??

Several leaders of U.N. organizations also released a joint statement at the CSW this week called the “U.N. Adolescent Girls Task Force” which encourages U.N. agencies to support initiatives “that empower … adolescent girls, particularly those aged 10 to 14 years.”  One aspect of this “empowerment” is providing these young girls with “life-skills based sexuality education, HIV prevention, and sexual and reproductive health.”

According to C-FAM’s Friday Fax, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women of America argued that Planned Parenthood’s initiatives are motivated with the intent of increasing their revenue. “Governments and NGOs should be aware of Planned Parenthood’s insidious plan to work with U.N. agencies and girls’ organizations in order to profit from encouraging kids to be sexually active,” Wright stated.

Project Rachel Founder to speak in Fond du Lac about The Biochemistry of Attraction

FOND du LAC, WI (MetroCatholic) – Vicki Thorn, the Executive Director of the National office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing in Milwaukee, comes to Fond du Lac April 18 and 19 at 7pm for two evenings of provacative discussion on “The Biochemistry of Attraction”, and “Healing our Wounds”, at Holy Family Church, 271 Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac.

The first evening Vicki will speak about the biochemistry of sex, the problems of the sexual revolution and the fascinating science of attraction. Through scientific studies, Vicki shows how men and women are inherently different, yet built to complement each other. Speaking from a medical perspective, Vicki emphasizes that Church teaching on sexual morality is not outdated, but has significant benefits for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.

The theme of night two is “Healing Our Wounds” where Vicki will unfold the sociological changes that have happened since the 1960s that have left indelible marks on the hearts and souls of many born since then. This night will also include a talk by Gina Loehr, author of “Real Women, Real Saints: Friends for Your Spiritual Journey.” Gina will introduce Natural Family Planning (NFP) – Take Time Out for Your Marriage.

“As a mom, I was impressed by Vicki Thorn’s talk. She is every mother’s dream come true. She has the information we as parents in today’s society need to teach and educate our kids about valuing their sexuality as creatures of God. I wish I would have learned this when I was young.” – Mary Moul, mother of 9, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

“Vicki Thorn is widely recognized and respected for her postabortion healing ministry. She raises intriguing questions and concerns about the potential effects of oral contraceptives on sexual attraction which deserve further study.” Christine Zainer, M.D. Milwaukee

“It would have been so helpful if I had access to this kind of information as I taught and watched kids growing into their puberty back in the 70’s and 80’s. I believe it would have helped me to understand them. Maybe it’s not too late if teachers get this valuable information.” – Gail Welter, junior high teacher of religion and science for 30 years, Johnsburg, Wisconsin

The event at Holy Family Catholic Church is appropriate for young and old, singles, and couples. Teens welcome if accompanied by parent. In lieu of admission, attendees are asked to bring a baby item to be donated to New Beginnings Pregnancy Care Center, Christ Child Society, Family Resource Center, and Solutions Center. To learn more about Project Rachel and the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing visit http://www.noparh.org/ .

Attorney General Now Claims Illinois Constitution Contains Right to Abortion, Thomas More Society Responds by Seeking Leave of Court to Defend Parental Notice

CHICAGO, IL (MetroCatholic) –  Reacting to the recent claim by the Attorney General that the Illinois Constitution contains a right to abortion, attorneys from the Thomas More Society will appear in Cook County court on Monday, March 15, again seeking to intervene in the latest American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit, challenging the Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act of 1995.

In Hope Clinic, et al., v. Brent Adams et al. (No. 09 CH 38661), Thomas More Society attorneys are representing Illinois State’s Attorneys Stu Umholtz (R-Tazewell), Ed Deters (D-Effingham) and Ray Cavanaugh (R-Henderson), and maintain that because there is no right to abortion in the Illinois Constitution, the ACLU’s latest challenge to parental notice is baseless. The Attorney General, representing various Illinois officials who are named as defendants, has moved to dismiss the case on other grounds.

“Because the ACLU has already lost in federal court, its lawyers must prove in state court that the Illinois Constitution of 1970 guaranteed a right to abortion that was even stronger than the federal abortion right upheld in Roe v. Wade, handed down in 1973. This is an utter falsehood plainly belied by the historical record. Yet, instead of defending the Illinois Constitution, whose Framers clearly left the issue of abortion to the legislature, the Attorney General has tossed the Constitution aside and conceded to the ACLU on this key issue,” stated Thomas Brejcha, President & Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Society. “Illinois parents have a right to know before their kids are taken for abortions. If the Attorney General won’t defend the parental notice law vigorously, we will do so, until the day when there are no more secret abortions performed on Illinois children.”

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act requires a child under age 18 to notify a parent, grandparent or step-parent in the home, or to go before a judge to get a waiver, prior to undergoing an abortion. The Act was prevented from going into effect in June 1995, by an injunction issued by the federal district court in Chicago. Fourteen years later, in August of 2009, the federal appeals court lifted the injunction. However, before the Act could go into effect, the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board imposed a 90-day grace period on enforcement. On the day that grace period ended, November 4, the law was in effect for only a few hours before Judge Daniel Riley of the Cook County circuit court granted a temporary restraining order, again halting enforcement of the Act.

Judge Riley has granted Thomas More Society attorneys a special setting for their motion to intervene, at 10 a.m. on Monday. At 10:30 a.m., the court will hear the Attorney General’s motion to dismiss the ACLU’s case. Thomas More Society attorneys will be available for comment following the hearing.

About the Thomas More Society
Founded in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a not-for-profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago and dedicated to fighting for the rights and dignity of all human beings, from conception until natural death. The Society vigorously defends clients in state and federal courtrooms around the country, addressing vital issues across the pro-life spectrum, including pregnancy discrimination, end-of-life health care, the right of conscientious objection for medical workers, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and peaceable nonviolent protest.

As a public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, supported solely by private donations. Visit www.thomasmoresociety.org for more information.

Los Angeles March for Life Hosts Five National Pro-Life Leaders at this Year’s Event

VAN NUYS, Calif. (MetroCatholic) The 7th annual Los Angeles March for Life will be held Saturday, March 13th from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church, 15520 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA. Participants will walk two miles on Ventura Boulevard to raise awareness of the plight of preborn children and the sanctity of all living. The Los Angeles March for Life is a non-denominational gathering expressing concern for the Civil Rights of the preborn and all life, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, Van Nuys Council 3148. This year’s march includes speeches from national pro-life leaders: Lila Rose, UCLA Live Action (Los Angeles, CA); Fr. Peter West, Priests for Life (NY); Guyla Mills, Silent No More; Joel Tolck and Joe Langfeld, Human Life Alliance (MN); Cheryl Conrad, Survivors (Riverside, CA); and Rev. Walter Hoye, The Issues4Life Foundation, (Oakland, CA). Rev. Walter Hoye was was arrested for holding a sign in front of an Oakland abortion clinic, May 13, 2008.

The march happens during a related pro-life event: The San Fernando Valley 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil led by Fr. Peter West, who has given over 1000 pro-life homilies coast-to-coast, along with Patti Flores, February 17th - March 28th, 2010.

All donations to the 7th Annual Los Angeles March for Life are distributed to organizations supporting women in crisis pregnancies. For more information about the Los Angeles March for Life, please visit: www.lamarchforlife.org

About Priests for Life
Priests for Life is an association of Catholic Clergy who give special emphasis to the Church’s pro-life teachings. www.priestsforlife.org

About Human Life Alliance
Human Life Alliance is an international pro-life agency with a strong history of advocacy for women and their preborn children. www.humanlife.org

About Survivors
Survivors is a national pro-life organization recognizing that anyone born after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision is a Survivor of the Abortion Holocaust. The Survivors bring the truth about abortion to high school and college campuses and public squares nationwide through literature distribution, displays, and dialog. www.survivors.la

About Van Nuys Council 3148
Established in 1949 to serve the San Fernando Valley, the Knights of Columbus Van Nuys Council is a pillar of the community. Their core values of Charity, Fraternity, Unity and Patriotism are exemplified by thousands of hours and countless dollars spent to better the community through service in the name of Jesus. www.vannuyskofc.org

About the Knights of Columbus
Established in 1882 by parish priest Fr. Michael J. McGiveny, the Knights of Columbus has grown to more than 12,000 councils and 1.7 million members and is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. www.kofc.org

Nearly one million in Spain march for life, protest new abortion law

Madrid, Spain, Mar 10, 2010 / 12:51 am (CNA).- Nearly one million Spaniards marched in cities across the country on March 7 defending the right to life of the unborn and demanding that the government revoke Spain’s new law on abortion recently passed by the Senate and signed by King Juan Carlos.

Over 300 pro-life organizations collaborated in the “International March for Life 2010,” which was held last Sunday in numerous cities across Spain.

The largest march took place in Madrid, where 600,000 people, including many families, dressed in red t-shirts and carried signs and banners. The protesters marched from Cibeles Plaza to the Gate of the Sun.

The event in Madrid concluded with the reading of a manifesto by journalist Sonsoles Calavera demanding the government revoke the new law on abortion—now the most liberal in all of Europe.

In other cities such as Burgos, 5,000 people took part in the march, while 7,000 took to the streets of Seville.

Archbishop Chaput suggests ‘Dos and Don’ts’ for pro-life advocates

Cleveland, Ohio, Mar 9, 2010 / 10:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Calling pro-life advocates and all Christians to courage and virtue, Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput provided a list of “dos and don’ts” for the pro-life movement on Tuesday evening. He urged an end to divisions and false oppositions, encouraging pro-lifers to be joyous and hopeful witnesses through public action and new technologies.

Delivering the keynote speech for Cleveland Right to Life’s symposium “Bringing America Back to Life” on March 9, the archbishop said pro-life unity is a sign of God’s Spirit, while division is the sign of “Someone very different.”

“As a bishop, I’ve been baffled by the energy wasted on internal pro-life bickering. We can never allow our differences to become personal.”

“Don’t create or accept false oppositions,” he added, criticizing efforts to drop the legal fight to end abortion by seeking “common ground.”

In his view, Americans have not taken such gradualist approaches to reducing injustices such as racism or sexual assault.

“We make sexual assault illegal — even though we know it will sometimes still tragically occur — because it’s gravely evil. It’s an act of violence, and the law should proscribe it.”

If abortion is really an “intimate act of violence,” an end to it is necessary through law. Pro-lifers cannot be satisfied with “mere ‘reductions’ in the body count,” he continued, adding that a legal approach combined with support for pregnant women is needed.

“Don’t hate the adversary,” Archbishop Chaput reminded his audience, saying that few supporters of abortion understand the “full gravity” of the act.

“Our enemy is the Evil One, not other human beings,” he explained. “We need to trust in the power of love; the true power of God.”

As positive advice, he urged his audience to become “martyrs,” that is, witnesses about human dignity in their daily actions.

“But public witness can be costly. We need to be ready to pay a price for our convictions. We may never be asked to bleed for what we believe. But we do see character assassination, contempt and calumny against good people every day in our public media. We need to prepare for that. Nothing, not even our good name, should stop us from doing what we know to be right.”

The Archbishop of Denver likened simplistic political slogans to viruses transmitted so quickly a person cannot respond to them intelligently.

He criticized a common complaint against those who “impose” their morals on others, explaining that all law is the public expression of moral conviction. The central question in public debate is which moral convictions of which people shall guide the laws.

“If you and I as citizens don’t do the shaping, then somebody else will,” he cautioned. “That’s the nature of a democracy.”

Citizens who fail to bring their moral beliefs into the public conversation and work for their advancement help ensure the defeat of those beliefs.

Efforts to wall off religious beliefs from political behavior are illogical and encourage self-deceit, the archbishop warned.

“God sees that our duplicity is really a kind of cowardice; and that our lack of courage does a lot more damage than simply compromising our own integrity. It also undermines the courage of other good people who really do try to publicly witness to what they believe. And that compounds a sin of dishonesty with a sin of injustice.”

“We can’t build a just society, and at the same time legally sanctify the destruction of generations of unborn human life. The rights of the poor and the rights of the unborn child flow from exactly the same human dignity guaranteed by the God who created us.”

“Do keep hope alive,” he continued, explaining that joy is not self-deception but the acknowledgment that God truly is on the side of “human life and dignity.”

“Nothing is more inspiring than happy warriors,” Archbishop Chaput commented. “I’ve never in my life seen a joy-filled pro-abortion event. And I’ve always found that instructive.”

He also encouraged the use of the “best means” for the pro-life message, especially new technologies.

“Many of the traditional, mainline media are losing influence. But blogs, social networks, and YouTube channels are thriving. They offer huge pro-life opportunities.”

His final exhortation reiterated that cultural renewal, not grasping power, is the real goal.

“Culture can be changed in small but powerful ways. But achieving that change demands from each of us a lifelong commitment to education; to studying and really understanding the issues that face us in science, medicine, technology and law; to deepening the character formation of our children and ourselves; and ultimately, to personal action and personal witness in the public square. Nobody will do these things for us.”

No defense of the human person, no matter how small, is “unfruitful or forgotten,” he commented. God loves the “ordinary, simple, everyday people” who keep His Word and are faithful to His commandments in leavening the world with goodness.

“If you speak up for the unborn child in this life, someone will speak up for you in the next, when we meet God face to face.”

He closed his comments by quoting an “unofficial motto” of the Texas Rangers: “No man in the wrong can stand up against a fella that’s in the right, and keeps a-comin.”

“Courage and humility, justice and perseverance, do have power. Good does win. And the sanctity of human life will endure,” Archbishop Chaput said.

If people remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only son, he noted, “then the odds look pretty good, and it’s worth fighting for what’s right.”

Obama’s Abortion Mandate in Healthcare Would Increase Breast Cancer Deaths, Premature Births

Hoffman Estates, IL (MetroCatholic) –  The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer today sharply rebuked President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi and others in Congress for aggressively pursuing an effort to include an abortion mandate in healthcare reform, despite having been informed of overwhelming evidence showing the U.S. National Cancer Institute deliberately misled women with its 2003 workshop that purported to conduct a “comprehensive review” of  an abortion-breast cancer (ABC) link. [1]  On January 20, 2010, the Coalition sent a letter to Obama and members of Congress which notified them of the NCI’s misconduct and called for a Congressional investigation of the agency. [2]

“It is despicable that Obama and others in Congress are striving to force taxpayers to pay for abortions, even though an abortion mandate would result in more breast cancer deaths and premature births among women with abortions,” said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition. “Obviously, they don’t care if women die and babies develop cerebral palsy.

“The NCI has declared the ABC link ‘non-existent,’ but research last year by NCI branch chief Louise Brinton revealed that she and her colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center are convinced the link exists (and they found that women using oral contraceptives have a four-fold increased risk of the deadly triple-negative breast cancer). [5] Three studies last year (and dozens of studies since 1957) reported an ABC link. [3-5] Additionally, medical texts admit that childbearing sharply reduces breast cancer risk. No one can deny that abortion causes women to lose that protective effect.

“Three systematic reviews and meta-analyses last year confirmed a link between abortion and premature birth. [6-8] The Institute of Medicine identifies abortion as a risk factor for premature birth. [9] Premature birth puts babies at risk for neonatal death, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy and difficulties walking, seeing and hearing.”

“Why do Obama, Reid and Pelosi hate women and children? Terrorists have not caused as many injuries and deaths among the American people, as have abortion enthusiasts in our government and the abortion industry,” charged Malec.

The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women’s organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.

References available at: www.abortionbreastcancer.com/press_releases/100309/index.htm

World Congress of Families Letter of Solidarity Read at Huge Pro-Life Rally in Madrid

Abortionfest at USF

Abortion providers, facilitators, defenders to speak at Jesuit university’s ‘Women’s Rights Forum’
By Gibbons J. Cooney
Special to California Catholic Daily

The University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution, will host the “Global Women’s Rights Forum” from today through Thursday, March 11. The forum is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, the Sociology Colloquium, the School of Nursing, the Politics Department, the Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, and curiously, the Theology and Religious Studies Department.{more}

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