Now If She Had Had An Abortion Instead. . . .

then the father would have had no legal standing at all. This story, & how it was written shows not only what is wrong with our legal system, it also shows how they are trying to avoid admitting what they really are admitting in this ruling. & that is that a person was killed in the accident & the father of that child has certain legal rights.

Like I said, if the woman had opted to have an abortion there is nothing the father could have done to stop it, the law says he has no rights. On the other hand, the same law that says he has no right to stop an abortion also says that he has the responsibility to pay child support after birth. While I agree that he should pay to support the child, logically, with the way things are, why should he have any responsibilities after birth when our system says he has no right to stop or force an abortion before birth?

But here the court is saying the father of the unborn child does have rights. & that the mother had a responsibility to protect the life of that child. Having an abortion & killing the child is OK however. Our current law says the child is protected only under certain circumstances.

I would like to know if the term "would-be child" was actually used in the lawsuit or if it is how the pro-abort press describes the child to avoid admiting it is a child & thus undermining the "culture of death" this is just a "piece of tissue" claim. I suspect the use of the term is the media's phrase of choice. I say that because of an article I found on the JustLaw website uses the term "unborn child" as well as "fetus" & doesn't use the "would-be child" term.

Even the use of the term fetus, while technically correct, serves to dehumanize the unborn child to some extent.

It is interesting that the article uses the term "slippery slope" to describe concerns about where this case could lead. That term has usually been used by the Pro-life movement to talk about where abortion would lead. I find it ironic that now the other side is using it. It also talks about viability which was also supposed to be a factor in regulating abortion that was proven to be a myth as well. I found the use of the phrase "invasive expansion of the law into a mother's womb" ironic as well since it is another favorite of the pro-abort crowd.

The fact that the father does have some rights here means that those same rights should extend to his being able to protect that same child from being murdered via abortion. The fact that he would also have had some responsibility to support that child after birth says he should have rights before birth.

This schizophrenic approach to an unborn child will only disppear when we finally admit the fact that the child is a human being with the same right to life as any other human being. & that neither the father or mother has the right to kill that child via abortion. There are no circumstances that justify let alone allow that child to be killed.

Wisconsin: Court: Father can sue over death of fetus
Wisconsin man claims a former girlfriend's negligence led to his unborn child's death.
BY RYAN J. FOLEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin man can sue a former girlfriend's insurer for the wrongful death of their fetus, which was stillborn after the woman was in a car accident, a court ruled Thursday.
Shannon Tesar, the father of the fetus, claims the woman's negligent driving was partly to blame for the 2003 accident in Wisconsin Rapids. He has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for his pain and suffering for the loss of his would-be child against the woman's auto insurer, American Family Mutual Insurance Co.
An American Family spokesman said the company was reviewing its options, which include asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review the decision.
The company's lawyers had warned that allowing the lawsuit would let fathers sue mothers for a range of acts that harm fetuses during pregnancy, like eating poorly, smoking and failing to exercise. In one legal brief, they warned of "an unprecedented and invasive expansion of the law into a mother's womb."
District 4 Court of Appeals' Judge Charles Dykman disagreed.
He wrote that it is routine for insurance companies to be held liable when a driver's negligence injures or kills a family member, and the death of a fetus should be treated the same way. Dykman added the opinion should be seen as limited to the facts of the specific case.
"We emphasize that no reader of this opinion should surmise that we are weighing in on whether women should be held liable for other negligent acts that harm fetuses," he wrote.

The Cancer That Is ObamaCare

Long ago when the debate was still going on in Congress the Republicans in the House came out with this chart to help us see the bureaucratic mess ObamaCare would be:

In retrospect, that chart seems like child's play when compared to this chart recently released by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) Republicans that shows the actual fallout from the passage of ObamaCare earlier this year:

REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING?

How about this????? (Actually, this rat's nest makes a little more sense to me than the above chart. & I say that because this mess probably actually accomplishes something good.)

& any bets that this chart understates the direction our insurance premiums will go?

Source: ObamaCare Metastasizes

Be Careful What You Accuse Pro-lifers Of, It Just Might Come About

This is 1 of those stories that I absolutely love. A pro-abort attempts to cause trouble for a group of Pro-lifers by calling the police & telling them to expect trouble because they would be picketting the local Planned Parenthood. The problem was, the group didn't even know there was a PP in town & thus had no plans to do anything. But once they found out there was a PP clinic they went into action & held a prayer vigil in front of the clinic.

Stand True Mission Trip Update and Photos – 7-28-2010 – Someone Called The Police To Warn Them We Are In Colorado

28 07 2010
Dear friends and Stand True supporters,

I am grateful to be inside after 9 straight days of camping or sleeping in the van and no real showers. The journey to Creation Festival NW was long, smelly, and tiresome; but well worth it. After setting up camp and spending an afternoon in Seattle watching fish being thrown around at Pikes Place Market, we got to work on the booth. We were excited to be setting up a booth indoors instead of under a circus tent in the mud, that was a nice change.
Creation Fest moved this year to Enumclaw, WA from the Gorge; most people were not sure how they felt about the move. I should not have been so shocked by all the opposition we faced, but it honestly was the most we have ever seen at a Christian music festival. Thank God the staff at Creation Festival is so supportive and encouraging as well as the amazing friends we have at booths like To Write Love on Her Arms, Simpson University, and Soul Dog; they helped kept our spirits up. Pastor Harry, the founder of Creation Festival came to the booth a couple of times showing people our stuff and encouraging us, he is truly a great man.
Even with the name calling, spiteful comments, and even a physical attack on one of our girls, we had some wonderful ministry and talked to thousands of people. One of the highlights of the festival for all of us was meeting Hannah from Canada and seeing God move with her as she got so excited about getting involved with Stand True. God touched her heart and we know she is going to be a mighty warrior for the babies as we build our relationship with her.
The last day of Creation Festival was amazing; I don’t think we have had a busier day at the literature and ministry side of the booth all summer. I was so thankful to see what seemed to be such an apathetic crowd to be drawn all day to the fetal models, the graphic photo books and the literature. We also met a lady that day who was so thankful to see us as she had gone through two abortions many years ago. She was happy to see us there so others might not have to experience the pain she did. She was such a joyful woman and radiated God’s love, hope, and forgiveness; it was such a blessing to meet her. She is also planning on hosting us at her home next year so we don’t have to sleep outside with no showers, Praise God!
We left Creation and drove through the night on Saturday to make it to Boise, ID the next day. The most amazing part of this drive was going over the Mt Rainier Pass and having a snowball fight at 1:00 in the morning. After a day of rest in Boise, our friend Brandi Swindell of Generation Life gave us a tour of the pregnancy resource center she runs. Brandi founded Stanton Health Care and is planning on starting a mobile unit in the next year; we will be praying for her efforts in that. Brandi then joined us for a prayer vigil at the Boise Planned Parenthood before we left town for Colorado.
We are currently in Castle Rock, Colorado getting prepared for Heaven Festival this weekend in Longmont. I was woken up this morning by a call from the Longmont Police Department asking me if we were planning a protest at the Longmont Planned Parenthood while we are in town. The great thing about this call is that we had no idea there was a Planned Parenthood in Longmont and were not planning anything – that quickly changed. We don’t have to set up at the festival until 1:00 on Friday, so we will spend the morning praying at Planned Parenthood. It seems someone called the police to warn them about us, and really warned us about Planned Parenthood instead. Praise God.
We will be leaving Colorado on Saturday night and driving to St. Louis for a meal with Lerryn Kidd and her family before driving back to Troy, OH to see my family for a few hours. We will be leaving my house a few hours after we get there for the long track to New hampshire and Soul Fest.
Please partner with us in prayer as we continue to fulfill the mission God has given us this summer. Please let us know that you are praying for us, we would also love to pray for you.

H/T: Jill Stanek Pro-abort prank call to police results in pro-life picket at Planned Parenthood

Caution: Praying Rosary Now Seen As Disorderly Conduct

Chicago’s ‘Bubble Zone’ Lands Praying Pro-Lifer in Court

By Peter J. Smith
CHICAGO, July 29, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-life protestor, arrested while praying his rosary in front of a Chicago Planned Parenthood, is pleading “not guilty” to charges that he violated Chicago’s “bubble zone” ordinance which protects abortion clinics.
Joseph Holland, a Northwestern University graduate student, was arrested by police on a charge of disorderly conduct on July 3. Staff at Planned Parenthood Near North’s abortion clinic called police, alleging that Holland was violating a city ordinance passed late 2009, which prohibits individuals in the 50 foot radius of an abortion clinic from approaching within eight feet of its clients, without consent, “for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling.”
Holland is represented by the Thomas More Society (TMS), a public advocacy group. On Wednesday, TMS attorney Peter Breen entered a “not guilty” plea to the charges on Holland’s behalf.

TMS argues that Holland was engaged solely in prayer activity, standing next to the entrance of the Planned Parenthood clinic, and that both witnesses and available video attest (video below as well) to that. Holland’s attorneys have also served Planned Parenthood a subpoena demanding security footage proving the pro-life advocate’s alleged crime, and also subpoenaed the City of Chicago for the recording of Planned Parenthood’s 911 call.

“This arrest was about one thing: trying to scare pro-life people away from Planned Parenthood,” said Peter Breen, TMS executive director and legal counsel. “Joe Holland did nothing wrong – his only ‘crime’ was having the temerity to exercise his First Amendment rights on a public sidewalk. We look forward to defending Joe and others like him against the City of Chicago’s false charges.”
Breen and TMS have argued that the “Bubble Zone” ordinance is unconstitutional, and have even gained the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on that issue.
According to pro-life advocates with the Pro-Life Action League, police have previously misinterpreted the ordinance, getting their interpretation of the law from Planned Parenthood employees. In January, an officer told pro-life counselors that they could not come within eight feet of the Planned Parenthood doorway.
Again, in February one officer told sidewalk counselors not to come "within ten feet of the doorway ... that's panhandling."
Pro-Life Action League's projects coordinator, Corrina Gura, previously described the situation, saying that Planned Parenthood gives “the officers their version of what they wish the law said, then they ask the police to enforce their imaginary law."
Holland will next appear in court August 3. Another pro-life advocate, David Avignone, also arrested under the “Bubble Zone” ordinance, is being represented by TMS and has a court date of August 30.
See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:
Pro-Lifers Burst Planned Parenthood’s Inflated Version of Bubble Zone Law

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10063003.html
Rockford Pro-Lifers Fight 'Bubble Zone' Law Protecting Notorious Abortion Facility

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10012713.html
Deluge of Pro-Life Protest after Chicago Bubble Zone Law Passes

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09100910.html
Bursting the Bubble: Pro-life Advocates Fight Chicago Law Aimed to Kill 40 Days for Life Vigil

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09100705.html

Obama - The Most Racially Divisive President in Recent History

President Obama, you are No Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.
By Agnes Cross-White

In 2008, this country elected Barack Obama as its 44th president. I didn’t vote for him because I didn’t like the policies that he espoused or his platitudinous rhetoric. I thought then as I do now, that his inexperience and the policies that he espoused would be detrimental to the country and blacks in particular. Many blacks voted for him because he was “black, “and they wanted to see a black person in the office of the presidency. They did not consider who he was, what he was, and most importantly what he stood for. For many millions of Americans, they only considered the color of his skin.

Never in my wildest dream would I have thought that black people or a black man would issue in an era filled with divisiveness, mistrust, and increased hatred among black and white Americans. Even in the turbulence of the 1960s, when the nation for the first time confronted raw hatred and evil perpetrated against us, did we ever see the black rage and rhetoric to the extent we see it today from the White House, to the NAACP, to the streets.

The civil rights era was characterized by peaceful marchers, singing and praying while they were attacked with guns and dogs while venomous and vile speech spewed from the lips of George Wallace, Bull Connor and others.

Little, innocent girls were killed while attending church. We saw a little girl, about 6 years old wearing a white dress with white ribbons in her hair, being forced to walk between lines of National Guardsmen who were protecting her as she walked into a school house. She never flinched or lowered her head as epithets and taunts were hurled at her but she maintained her dignity and composure.

For many millions of black Americans, these events are not just an historical event, but one that represents what it really had been like for many generations. But through it all, we had maintained dignity and resoluteness. Our forefathers did not strike back in the expected manner; nor did they in most cases inflict violence and retribution on our oppressors.

Although we had more than enough provocation from slavery through Jim Crow, our people did not HATE and when the time came for us to fight back against our oppressors; we were sent an apostle of love, forgiveness and non-violence-Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.

President Obama during his political career has held himself up as a model of a post racial era. He has tried to convince us that his election demonstrates the irrelevance of race to the political process.

However he has not governed as a post racial president. He has become the most racially divisive president in recent history. He has allowed himself and those in his administration to show preference for one group over another; allowed himself to become a black president rather than an American president. He took the side of a black professor against a white policeman, rather than remaining neutral and recognizing there were mistakes made on both sides. He automatically drew a conclusion without knowing all the facts. It was not his job to mediate the situation and use the power of the White House to pressure anyone.

He has allowed his Attorney General, Eric Holder to engage in selective prosecution, choosing not to prosecute members of the New Black Panther Party for voter intimidation and hate speech at the Philadelphia polling places in 2008. He has sent a message to his supporters that he supports these black radical activists.

J. Christian Adams, an attorney in the Justice Department’s civil rights division resigned over the Holder decision saying Holder’s decision to drop the case after the government had already won it was motivated by race.

“There is a pervasive hostility within the civil rights division at the Justice Department toward these sorts of cases,” Adams told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly.

Adams has said that this decision is a symptom of the Obama administration’s reverse racism and “that the Justice Department will not pursue voting rights cases against white victims.”

What is the difference between what was done to us and today’s ignoring of the rights of white voters?

Obama is increasingly polarizing the country racially, reigniting old feelings and fueling old prejudices and bigotry. He is playing the race card, revving up his base in order to keep control of Congress and win re-election.

As black Americans, we have all been aware of the importance of being “the best” Walter Williams, Political and Economics professor at George Mason University said, “For the nation and for black people, the first black president should be the caliber of a Jackie Robinson and Barack Obama is not. Barack Obama has charisma and charm but in terms of character, values and understanding, he is no Jackie Robinson.”

Unfortunately, the Obama presidency will probably be a failed presidency like that of Jimmy Carter. His policies will be destructive for the nation and may take decades to reverse, but it will be devastating to the black community.

Let’s face it, no future white president will have to carry Carter’s baggage for being a poor president. But unfortunately, a future black presidential candidate will have to carry Obama’s baggage.

Obama has forgotten or never understood the African-American experience in this country. He has an African and a radical white American experience. He is an “academic African-American,” an adoptee. He is not a child of slavery and Jim Crow. African-Americans have overcome oppression with nobility, purposefulness, and dedication to principles, not promoting divisiveness, hatred and polarization.

We are the progeny of Fredrick Douglas who said, “In regard to the colored people, there is always more that is benevolent, I perceive, than just, manifested towards us. What I ask for the Negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice. The American people have always been anxious to know what they shall do with us…. I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are worm-eaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! … And if the Negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone! … Your interference is doing him positive injury.”.

We followed Dr. Martin L. King who taught love, forgiveness and reconciliation, not retribution and violence and hatred.

Dr. King said, “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. “

Our experience as African-Americans led us to follow Dr. King and not Stokely Carmichael. King said, “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

In your quest President Obama to acquire power for yourself, you have sacrificed decades of black American history and achievement and you have impeded the progress of future generations.

“If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control. “

President Obama, you are no Frederick Douglas, no Jackie Robinson and no, Dr. Martin L. King, Jr and the futures of black Americans will suffer for it.

___________________
Agnes Cross-White lives near the beach in Daytona Beach, Florida where she writes editorials about the human condition, the cultural wars, politics and their effect on the black community.

1 Free, 1 to Go

While details are scarce, it looks like 1 of the 2 Canadian women arrested for sidewalk counseling that I have posted about has been sent free. Unfortunately, Linda Gibbons is still in jail for violating a temporary injunction from 1994. 16 years later that "temporary" injuction is still in effect.

Woman Jailed for Abortion Counseling in Toronto Acquitted, Set Free
By John Jalsevac

July 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Mary Wagner, the young woman who was jailed earlier this year for entering an abortion clinic and counseling women and abortion workers, has been acquitted of all charges and freed from jail.

Mary Wagner’s mother, Jane Wagner, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that she received a call from Mary this morning saying that she had been acquitted, but was unable to provide specific details about the judge’s decision. Attempts to contact Mary have been unsuccessful.

At a hearing earlier this month, the presiding judge in the case had said that Mary could be let out of jail immediately if she agreed to three conditions, one of which was not to stand on the sidewalk in front of the Choice in Health abortion facility, or to enter the building. The young pro-life activist, however, said that she could not agree to this condition, and so was returned to jail pending a further hearing.

While that hearing was originally not set to happen until September, Jane Wagner told LSN that earlier this week Mary’s lawyers told her that the judge had had a “change of heart,” and would hear her case today.

Mary’s path to becoming a prisoner of conscience began on Monday, March 29, during Holy Week, when she entered the "Woman's Care" abortion facility. At that time she said she was able to "speak to a few grieving Dads, whose partners had already gone in for their abortions, and let them know about project Rachael, a support system for post abortion parents."

After about 45 minutes the police arrived and escorted her away from the facility.

On Tuesday, March 30, Mary again went to witness to life, this time to the "Choice in Health" abortion center, where she said she was able to counsel women, abortion workers, and the police for nearly 45 minutes before she was carried away by officers and put in jail.

The Vortex Is Coming to DBQ

Well actually Michael Voris, S.T.B. who hosts The Vortex for Real Catholic TV will be in DBQ on 11 September 2010 for the 6th Annual Spirit & Truth Conference. He will be giving 3 talks at the general sessions: 12 Catholic Myths, Catholics & Protestants & How to Avoid Heresy by Living in Love. In addition he will give a Teen Talk: Catholicism: More than Sunday Mass.

The conference will be held on Saturday, 11 September 2010 from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm at the Marie Graber Ballroom in the Alumni Campus Center, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa. The cost is $28 for adults, $20 for religious & $15 for full time students. They are asking that you register by 5 Sept 2010. However, you can register the day of the event for an additional $10.

For more info or to print out a brochure or flyer with the registration form follow the Conference link above.

_______________
The conference is being held at Loras, but Loras is NOT sponsoring it, so as 1 of those who often has to answer the phone with questions about things we are only providing the site for, please don't call Loras, follow the link as I said.

& while the conference is not providing meals, there are 2 sites in the building where you can get a meal, the Cafe & the Pub.

Documentary Telling the Truth About Egg Donation Dangers Coming Out Soon

The 42nd Anniversary of the release of Humanae Vitae was just a few days ago. & here we are seeing more evidence how prophetic it was to warn of the dangers of running contrary to God's plan in the area of sex & reproduction.

'Eggsploitation' Documentary Reveals Secrets of Infertility Industry

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- A new documentary, "Eggsploitation," just released by The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network (CBCN) reveals shocking information about the infertility industry.
The documentary exposes what the makers of the film label the "deceptive advertising, large monetary incentives and appeals to altruism" that are used by the infertility industry to entice college women to engage in human egg donation, a practice that the CBCN claims exploits them and puts them at "considerable" health risk.
While the documentary is available now, its official debut will be August 9 at The Little Theatre in Rochester, N.Y.
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Director and Senior Fellow of Concerned Women for America's (CWA) Beverly LaHaye Institute, applauded CBCN for exposing the infertility industry's blatant exploitation of women. "Today's college coeds are told that the procedure is safe, when the reality is decidedly unsafe. No young woman should be used in procedures that jeopardize her own fertility - indeed her own life - in order to line the pockets of those who promote the infertility industry's human egg trade," she said.
The Eggsploitation documentary spotlights three women who went through the egg donation process - including high doses of fertility drugs and egg retrieval surgery. The young women's stories, according to CBCN, are a "wake-up call" for those who are unaware of the complications that can result from the "highly unregulated, multi-billion-dollar" infertility industry.
All three of the women in the documentary nearly died from the "complications associated with their egg donation." One suffered a stroke that left her brain damaged; another developed breast cancer, and the other developed a health problem associated with ovarian hyper-stimulation.
Crouse said, "The human egg donation industry is shameless in claiming safety for the procedure as they solicit young college women through appeals to their vanity, claiming that the girls' attractiveness, IQ, or genetic traits warrant a high payment for participation in what they call a 'humanitarian' act. CWA appeals to the public to protect the nation's young women from such exploitation."
For further information, visit http://www.eggsploitation.com/.

Bishop Soto Criticises Poor Catholic Catechisis About Marriage/Sexuality

Yes, he is at it again. This is the same Bishop Soto who had the courage 2 years ago when, as Coadjutor Bishop of Sacramento, he spoke to a meeting of the National Association of Diocesan Gay and Lesbian Ministries at Long Beach, CA. & had the courage to uphold Catholic teaching to a group that did anything but uphold it. (Bishop Jaime Soto “It is sinful”) He spoke up in support of marriage as being only between a man & woman as well as calling for people to live out the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality. He made it clear that homosexuals must live chaste & celebate lives. 5 people walked out because he dared to speak the truth. He also spoke out against abortion & artificial contraception in that talk.

Bishop Soto is also a strong supporter of the Pro-life movement & crisis pregnancy centers. On Saturday, 14 August 2010 (Eve of the Feast of the Assumption/Dormition of Mary) The Sacramento Helpers of God’s Precious Infants will hold a prayer vigil for life beginning at 8 a.m. at St. Mary Church, located at 1333 58th St. in Sacramento. Bishop Soto will celebrate Mass, followed by benediction, and then lead a Helpers’ rosary procession to a nearby abortion center. Participants will pray the rosary with Bishop Soto for an end to abortion and the spiritual salvation of the nation. Bishop Soto has even taped a video invite to the prayer vigil (both English & Spanish) that you can see here at the Helpers website. He has also posted the invite on the Diocesan website.

Given how many Bishops prefer silence to standing up for the unborn & Catholic Church teaching it is refreshing to be able to post 2 stories about Bishops who are standing up for Catholic teachings like I have today.

Sacramento Bishop: Catholics Must Realize Church Teaching on Marriage Benefits Society

By Kathleen Gilbert
SACRAMENTO, California, July 27, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In light of a poll showing more California Catholics supporting same-sex "marriage" than opposing it, one California bishop has faulted a political climate that suppresses support for true marriage in the state, and a lack of fervor among nominal Catholics.

Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento also said that there is a need for the Catholic Church to correct the pervasive "confusion about sexuality in general" in order to rekindle an appreciation of true marriage as a positive message for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
A Public Religion Research Institute Poll conducted in June found that, among 3,000 Californians, 37% of white Catholics and 44% of Latino Catholics supported same-sex "marriage," while only 22% and 23% respectively supported same-sex couples having no legal recognition. Forty-one percent of white Catholics, and 28% of Latino Catholics, supported homosexual civil unions.
In contrast, only 17% of white Evangelical Protestants supported same-sex "marriage," as did 18% of Latino Protestants.
Bishop Jaime Soto of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento responded to the news by pointing out that many who self-identify as Catholics "are more affected by the trends or the mentality of the prevailing culture than they are by Catholic culture." The survey did not distinguish between Catholics who attend Sunday Mass and those who do not.
Soto also speculated that many respondents may not have answered with their true feelings on the issue - a phenomenon that has been shown to occur frequently in polling questions regarding same-sex "marriage."
"Many people are going to, how should I say, simply lie about what their true thinking is on [marriage] because they don't want to be labeled as a bigot or intolerant," said Soto in a telephone interview with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) Tuesday.
"Particularly in the environment that we're in right now, the proponents of same-sex marriage have been vociferous in terms of labeling anyone who supports traditional marriage as a bigot or as intolerant, or as unreasonable," he noted. He added that "many people are quite frankly intimidated by the anger that has come out after a majority of California voters supported traditional marriage."
Soto has been an outspoken advocate of the Church's teaching supporting marriage between a man and a woman in his diocese. In 2008, Soto, then coadjutor bishop, shocked an audience at a National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries dinner, where he delivered a keynote address confirming the sinfulness of homosexual conduct and encouraging chastity outside of marriage.
The bishop told LSN that he and other bishops "are concerned about particularly the young Catholic voter" who does not understand marriage, and thus cannot grasp why the Church opposes homosexual "marriage."
"The common perception of marriage is adrift," said Soto. "The murky confusion about sexuality in general is what has placed the question of marriage and what a marriage is into doubt, and so I feel as a pastor that we have to really focus on the broader question of how to clarify the dignity of human sexuality overall."
One important solution, he said, was to bring nominal Catholics not only to a deeper participation in the sacraments, but a greater appreciation for and pride in their own faith identity. Soto noted that the Catholics Come Home advertisement campaign, which prompted a large number of Catholics to return to practicing the faith in his diocese, also caused them to feel more affirmed in their Catholic faith - something the bishop considers vital to the moral issues besetting California.
"Catholics need to have a certain sense of confidence that their beliefs are not just religious preference, but that in fact serve the common good," said Soto.
"And that's an important disposition for Catholics to have: to realize that their faith is not an imposition either on themselves or on others, but that their faith is a gift, and that it makes common sense and serves the common good. So I think that's a message that has to be repeated over and over again."
Soto said it was "heartening" that, of the diocese's 20 counties, 19 voted in favor of Proposition 8 - something he said "spoke to this not just being just a religious disposition, but that people did have a sense that marriage as we have traditionally understood makes common sense."
Nonetheless, he said, Catholics often "get caught in the polemic trap" of being called discriminatory against homosexuals, and the Church's teaching on marriage becomes portrayed as a mere negative - when in fact the opposite is true.
"In my efforts to speak about this, [I] speak of the Catholic faith as a 'yes,' as an affirmation about what is good and what is hopeful about human nature and about humanity," said Soto. "I'm sure that there are people that may disagree with me, but it's hard to disagree with a hopeful message.
"Oftentimes as Catholic, we get caught in the polemic trap that we're against same-sex unions, or that we're discriminating, rather than saying: no, we're holding for the position that California law always had, and to speak about the beauty of marriage and what marriage is meant to be," he said.
"Generally, I think people appreciate that, and even opponents get thrown off by that - in some sense, I'm not playing by the rules," he noted. "I'm supposed to be the 'no' church. But we're the 'yes' church. We say yes to the culture of life, yes to human dignity, and that's what we promote."

Archbishop Lucas Throws Out A Challenge to Fight Planned Parenthood

The infamous Planned Parenthood-Heartland is threatening to add another site to the 2 they already have in Omaha. This time the site will offer abortions. Currently they refer people to their Council Bluffs location accross the river in Iowa. No info on whether they will be surgical, or if they will be expanding their telemed scheme. If it is telemed then it raises the question of what does Nebraska law require & will having the doctor in Iowa be acceptable. Something tells me though that PPH doesn't care 1 way or the other.

1 of the local news stories focuses in on a neighbor's objection. She is not objecting to PP & what it stands for. She is concerned about the pro-life protestors but because she has bought into the lie about the protestors being violent. & of course, the TV station doesn't question PP's lie, it just reports PP is putting in safety protocols. In other words, it is aiding & abetting PP's smear tactics.

Bravo to Archbishop Lucas for issuing the challenge to pray & protest. & esp for issuing it to all, not just Catholics.

Archbishop Urges All to Oppose Opening of New Planned Parenthood

By James Tillman
OMAHA, Nebraska, July 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- Archbishop George Joseph Lucas of Omaha has released a statement asking "Catholics and all women and men of good will ... to oppose the opening" of a new Planned Parenthood facility in Omaha both by prayer and by petitioning their elected officials. It would be the first Omaha Planned Parenthood to provide abortion.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) has announced plans to open an abortuary at 3105 N. 93rd Street in Omaha, the archbishop explained, which "will include among its services the killing of unborn children through abortion."
The archbishop invited people to sign a petition, made by Nebraskans for Life and distributed to all Omaha parishes, expressing opposition to the new facility. Nebraskans for Life hopes to use the petition to demonstrate the need for City Council members and state lawmakers to intervene.
He also invited people to join him in prayer at the location of the planned abortuary on Saturday, July 31, 2010, at 1 p.m.
"Make your voice heard in opposition to the efforts of Planned Parenthood to expand the culture of violence and death in Omaha," he said.
"Please pray for a greater respect for all human life, from conception to natural death."
Jill June, CEO of PPH, responded to the archbishop’s words, saying that his statement contained some "very harsh rhetoric" and that they would continue to build the "beautiful Planned Parenthood clinic.”
"It is important that women have access to safe and legal abortions," she continued, "because when they do not, they suffer and die from illegal and unsafe abortions."
PPH has previously been criticized for conducting profitable "telemed" abortions, in which a doctor at a remote location conducts patient consultations over the internet before the patient receives the RU-486 abortion pill from a remotely unlocked drawer.
The RU-486 abortion pill has been responsible for the deaths of at least six women in the United States, and the law requires that a doctor administer it.
PPH has been investigated for conducting such “telemed” abortions without a physician present and has had a criminal complaint filed against it by Operation Rescue.
"Women and their unborn children deserve better than to suffer the violence of abortion," Archbishop Lucas said in his statement.
He went on to recommended to any woman considering abortion a number of pro-life crisis pregnancy centers: Catholic Charities, Essential Pregnancy Services, A Woman’s Touch, AAA Crisis Pregnancy Center, Bethlehem House and Gabriel’s Corner.
Archbishop George Lucas was appointed the archbishop of Omaha in 2009 after Archbishop Elden Curtiss resigned. He was previously Bishop of Springfield, Illinois.

More: Iowa Planned Parenthood Will Expand Abortion Into Omaha

When All Else Fails, Resort to Namecalling

Saving Lives In California 1 Ultrasound at a Time

I have often talked about the importance of ultrasounds in saving unborn children from being aborted. Depending on the source they are 80-92% effective in convincing women to opt for an alternative. & that is why the abortion industry is so opposed to them being required before an abortion. It is also part of what they claim is the "false information" crisis pregnancy centers give out.

Support of this & other ultrasound projects is very important. They are a powerful weapon in the battle to end the "culture of death".

Knights of Columbus and Birth Choice Team Up to Save Lives with Ultrasound

ORANGE COUNTY, Clifornia, June 27, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an effort to help unborn children at risk for abortion in their area, four Knights of Columbus councils in South Orange County, California are holding a charitable drive that will help bring life-saving ultrasound technology to mothers who need it most.
Working together, the Knights of Columbus councils from St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Dana Point, Mission Basilica Parish in San Juan Capistrano, St. Timothy Parin Laguna Niguel, and Our Lady of Fatima Parish in San Clemente, have so far raised more than $100,000 in support of Birth Choice Health Clinics. The funds collected by these councils are being matched by the Knights’ Supreme Council in Connecticut to purchase new 4-D ultrasound machines for the clinics.
Birth Choice will use these ultrasound machines in five clinics and in their mobile clinic to enhance the level of counseling. According to Birth Choice and the KofC councils, women who are at risk for abortion and who receive counseling that involves viewing an ultrasound of their baby are twice as likely to choose life as women who receive counseling alone.
Thus far two machines have been funded and approved, and funding is now available for two additional machines. Now the Knights are steadfastly working to raise the funds needed to purchase a fifth machine.
“The Ultrasound project saves lives,” said Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson in his report to the 2009 Supreme Convention in Phoenix.
Birth Choice Clinic director Jenifer Borba said that, thanks to the Knights' generosity, the center volunteers "will be introducing our clients to their unborn child in a powerful way." The very first 4D ultrasound was delivered to the Long Beach Clinic earlier this month.
"We had been praying for the Lord to deliver the donations to equip all six of our medical clinics with this new generation of ultrasounds," said Borba. "The Knights of Columbus answered this call and have generously gifted us with the funds necessary to bring Birth Choice Health Clinics to that next level.”
She continued: “In the past, we have used the 2D ultrasounds to show our clients the beating hearts of the babies growing inside of them. With the introduction of the 4D, we will be able to show these young women a life-like image of their child. The technological advancements of the 4D are so dramatic that the images obtained show an uncanny resemblance to the child after they are born."
Launched Jan. 22, 2009, the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative matches funds raised by local and state councils with a contribution from the Supreme Council’s Culture of Life Fund to purchase ultrasound equipment. So far, 25 pregnancy centers have benefited, including the Birth Choice Health Clinics in California.
Birth Choice founder and CEO Kathleen Eaton noted that ultrasound technology results in 74% of Birth Choice clients deciding to choose life - up from just 14 percent when the clinics could only counsel young women. “Ultrasound diagnostics has been the linchpin in the success Birth Choice has enjoyed since becoming fully licensed health clinics," said Eaton.
Starting as a small call-in pregnancy resource center in 1981, Birth Choice has grown into six licensed community health clinics serving thousands of young women annually in Southern California, providing pro-life medical services, education and support.
Other state and local councils that want to participate in the initiative should refer to the Ultrasound Initiative Guidelines and program requirements found here.

Meet a Real Survivor of the Abortion Holocaust

Gianna Jessen - žena koja je preživjela pobačaj - 1. dio from Ivica Stepic on Vimeo.

Gianna Jessen - žena koja je preživjela pobačaj - 2. dio from Ivica Stepic on Vimeo.

Text of her speech here

Source: Testimony of a woman who survived being aborted

Modern Day Singing Nuns

Secluded order of nuns signs record deal behind closed doors
Contract with Lady Gaga's label is slipped through grille to singing sisters who have no TV or radio

By Clare Kane

Members of an order of nuns so secluded they are rarely seen in the outside world have found a new vocation as recording artists with the record label of Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Eminem.

The Benedictine nuns of Abbaye Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, near Avignon, France, signed a "major deal" for an album of their songs, and did so in a fittingly modest fashion. Since no visitors are permitted to enter the convent, the sisters had to be passed the contract through a grille, through which they posted it back signed.

The Benedictine order dates back to the sixth century and is traditionally self-sufficient. The 40 or so nuns of Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation count a plumber, an electrician, an engineer and a dental nurse among their number. Their seclusion means they will have to shoot their album cover and accompanying TV advert themselves. The Reverend Mother Abbess said: "At first we were worried it would affect our cloistered life, so we asked St Joseph in prayer. Our prayers were answered, and we thought that this album would be a good thing if it touches people's lives and helps them find peace."

The nuns' new career originated in Decca's search to find the world's best female singers of Gregorian chant after a company executive was charmed by an old recording he discovered of nuns singing. The Avignon nuns, who sing together eight times a day, beat off competition from more than 70 convents worldwide. Tim Lewis, head of A&R at Decca, said: "When you hear them chanting, it's like an immediate escape from the stresses, noise and pace of modern living."

The album, called Voice: Chant from Avignon, will be released on 8 November. The nuns, who have no access to newspapers, TV or radio, now have their own Facebook page and feature in several YouTube videos.

Decca is hoping to repeat the success found when it signed the Cistercian monks of Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Austria, in 2008. The monks, who won the deal to record an album after uploading a video of their singing to YouTube, sold a million copies of Chant: Music for Paradise.

Singing monks and nuns are nothing new – in the Sixties a Belgian nun known as Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile) found international fame with her single "Dominique", and a group of Spanish Benedictine monks sold 16m copies of their album Chant in the 1990s.

More Evidence of the Real Reason the Abortion Industry Hates Crisis Pregnancy Centers

As I have said before, that reason is simple, they save lives & take business away from the abortion industry, by presenting the truth not the abortion industry's lies.

Moms Take Babies Saved from Abortion by Pregnancy Help Centers to Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Women who rejected the “choice” to abort their babies will be bringing their children to Washington D.C. this week to tell Congress how thankful they are for the life-saving work of pregnancy help centers.

Babies Go to Congress, a Heartbeat International project, provides an opportunity for women to speak publicly, on Capitol Hill, about their gratitude for the support they received when faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Heartbeat International, founded in 1971, is a Christ-centered association of more than 1,100 pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, non-profit adoption agencies, pregnancy help medical clinics and abortion recovery programs in 50 countries.

One of the testifying moms, Danica Fountain of Arizona, says she felt pressured to abort her baby before she arrived at the Women’s Center of Tucson, a local pregnancy resource center. “I was absolutely shocked to see that this so called ‘blob of tissue,’ the term I so commonly heard people use when referencing a pregnancy this early on, was in fact a fully formed baby! She had a head, arms and legs," says Fountain.

“When I saw my baby’s heart beating I knew I would do anything to protect my child."

Fountain is scheduled to meet with members of Congress this week. “The emotional support I received from the pregnancy center helped me realize that I could succeed as a single mom," she said. "So I continued in my full time position at the bank, knowing they were there if I needed more encouragement or practical help. I can never thank the Women’s Center of Tucson enough.”

The visits will occur only weeks after news broke earlier this month that U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) would introduce a bill, known as the "Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act," to restrict the activities of pregnancy resource centers. The measure aims to force such centers to loudly advertise their lack of abortion services, and is strongly supported by NARAL and Planned Parenthood, who have complained of the centers' siphoning off customers from "legitimate reproductive health care centers."

“Congress needs to hear from the women served by nonprofit pregnancy centers,” said Heartbeat President Peggy Hartshorn. Praising the moms for sacrificing their time for the campaign, Hartshorn added, “This is a testament to the fact that our elected officials need to support public policy that preserves the bond between mother and child.”

“These moms and babies put real faces on the abortion issue as they testify to the fact that pregnancy help centers are serving communities by uniting thousands of individuals passionate about life,” said Heartbeat Director of Public Policy/PR Virginia Cline.

Cline pointed out that pregnancy resource centers affiliated with Heartbeat “provide options and resources for pregnant women who are not satisfied with the choice to abort a child." "Our families and the future of our country are strengthened by the life affirming work of pregnancy help ministries," she said.

Another mom heading to Congress, Terrie Thompson, said the volunteers at her local center "have been my rock" as she struggled to raise her daughter.

"When I lost my apartment, they helped me find shelter. When I couldn’t work, they supported me financially, and when I needed support, they were there for me emotionally. They listen with an open ear and heart, and always help me find solutions," she said. "For that, I thank them.”

With this trip, Heartbeat’s Babies Go to Congress will have brought the stories of real-life moms and their pregnancy resource centers to 125 congressional offices.

Heartbeat affiliates provide the emotional support and practical help needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy. Without any financial gain, Heartbeat’s network provides the information that it says women need to make an informed decision, including the facts that abortion providers often leave out.

Utilizing more than 25,000 volunteers, Heartbeat says its network saves about 2,000 babies a week from abortion. The organization notes that doctors, lawyers, nurses, social workers, educators and other professionals are pregnancy center volunteers, many of whom have had a personal experience with an unexpected pregnancy.

New Jersey Governor Says No to Subsidizing Planned Parenthood

& given all the questions of how PP has used or not used money given to it across the USA & where that money has actually gone, IMHO this should be the start of a nation-wide trend.

New Jersey Gov. Christie Vetoes Millions to Planned Parenthood

By Peter J. Smith

TRENTON, New Jersey, July 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie continues to fulfill a campaign pledge to restore state government to fiscal sanity, he has vetoed a bill that would have dedicated $7.5 million in state to “family planning” clinics, most of which are run by Planned Parenthood.

New Jersey’s Star Ledger reported that Christie in his veto message said that “the state simply cannot fund every worthy program” and would not restore $7.5 million for family planning clinics that he had cut from the state’s budget for fiscal year 2011.

Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, praised Christie for standing by his decision to cut funds for Planned Parenthood.

“The taxpayers of New Jersey are under no obligation to fund the radical and failed social agenda of Planned Parenthood,’’ said Marie Tasy, according to the Star-Ledger. “We commend Governor Christie for his steadfast opposition to restoring these funds.”

Christie issued the veto along with vetoes of two bills that would have established a $100 million tax credit program for new homebuyers, and redirected government funds to enroll 39,000 low-income individuals in the state’s subsidized health insurance program.

"State spending has been reset to levels the taxpayers can afford,” said Christie in a stern message to the legislature. “Supplemental spending that would return to the unchecked spending and out of control budget shortfalls of the past will not make it past the Governor's desk."

Reports indicate that the Democrat-controlled Legislature may seek to mount a veto-override.

Pro-Abortion Violence You Don't Hear About

European Court of Human Wrongs

Unfortunately, the original ECHR ruling was actually in line with the mentality of much of the EC ruling elite that we saw a few years ago in the Constitution controversy. Paganism, OK, Christianity, NO! The dirty secret that people don't like to admit is that it is Catholicism that saved & made Europe after the fall of Rome & the so-called Dark Ages. I've mentioned it before & I will mention it again, the best overview of the truth is found in "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" by Thomas E. Woods Jr. He also did a series on EWTN based on the book.

The point is simple, we are seeing an attempt to rewrite history to eliminate any refernces to Christianity, Catholicism in particular & all God accomplished through it (esp our salvation). This is a revisionism of history that would make Stalin proud. In the end he failed. & the same will be true in the end about any attempts to destroy the Catholic Church.

Nearly Half of European Council Countries Support Italy in Crucifix Case

By Hilary White
ROME, July 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – To date, 20 European countries have declared their support for Italy’s religious freedom in the case of Lautsi v. Italy, known around the world as “the Crucifix case.” This number, made up mostly of Eastern European and former Soviet bloc countries, comprises nearly half of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states.
The case, in which the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Italy must remove all crucifixes from public schools and offices, has resulted in widespread protests in Italy and around Europe.
The governments of Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Romania, the Russia Federation, and San Marino, have submitted formal briefs to the court. The governments of Albania, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine have openly criticized the initial judgment.
Support for Italy’s Catholic heritage has also come from non-Catholics. Patriarch Cyril of Moscow and all Russia has spoken of the case as “unifying the Christian Churches” against the advance of secularism, while the Metropolitan (Bishop) Hilarion Alfeyev has proposed a Constitution “of a strategic alliance between Catholic and Orthodox,” aimed at defending the Christian tradition “against the secularism, liberalism, and relativism that is prevalent in modern Europe.”
The case was brought by Soile Lautsi, a naturalized Italian citizen of Finnish origin, who objected to the presence of crucifixes in her children’s classrooms. She complained, and the court agreed in November last year that the presence of a crucifix where her children could see them was a violation of their religious freedom. She was awarded €5000 (about US $7200) compensation.
The ruling said, “The compulsory display of a symbol of a given confession in premises used by the public authorities ... restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions.”
The Italian government is appealing the ruling, arguing that it violates the provisions in the Italian constitution that specify the special status of Catholicism in the country. The ECHR heard oral arguments in the appeal on June 30, 2010 and a judgment is expected in November. The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), a Strasbourg-based NGO that campaigns for freedom of religion and expression, has been granted intervener status by the Court. In a media release, the group said that the case is symbolic of a greater struggle that is ongoing in Europe over the region’s cultural and spiritual identity; on the one side are proponents of the total secularization of Europe, and on the other are those who “desire an open Europe, one that is faithful to its identity and historical roots.”
“Confronted with this attempt at a complete de-Christianization of Europe, 20 European countries joined in an unprecedented approach to reaffirm the legitimacy of Christianity in Europe,” said the ECLJ.
Before the Lautsi ruling, the ECHR considered matters like the public display of religious symbols in public classrooms to fall under the sovereignty of the member States. Under its own rules, the court is required to respect the culture and traditions of each particular member state, intervening only in cases of what it considered indoctrination or abusive proselytism.
But the Lautsi ruling, the ECLJ maintains, marks a paradigm shift in which the ECHR has declared that the Convention on Human Rights requires European member states to be “areligious.” In other words, ECLJ director Gregor Puppinck, said, “in order for a state to be democratic, it must renounce its religious identity: this is pure secularization.”
The message sent by nearly half the member states of the Council of Europe to the Court and the forces of secularization is clearly one affirming the “social legitimacy of Christianity in European society.”
“Behind the legal arguments made in the defence of identities, cultures, and Christian national traditions, these 20 countries have publicly affirmed and defended their faithfulness to Christ himself, reminding Europe that the presence of Christ in society is of great benefit to all,” the ECLJ release said.
Read related LSN coverage:
Italian High Court Defends Crucifixes, National Sovereignty against European Human Rights Court

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10010604.html
Ten States and 12 NGOs Sign on to Support Italy in Crucifix Case

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10060405.html

Attacking Pro-Aborts Tissue of Lies

This ad was run by Paul McDonnel in his college paper. He is offering a challenge to other students to do something similar this year at their colleges. In fact he has even said "Please feel free to use that ad that I used in my school’s paper!"

Source: How I Impacted My Campus for Life

Iowa Values from an Iowa Boy

The Real Victims Are the Unborn Children She Murdered

Nor is she a "Catholic" as she claims. & once again we see how the once proud New York Times is willing to trade being the "newspaper of record" for being the newspaper promoting the agnda of the "culture of death".

& given how easy the claims of her harrassment can be refuted you would think the NYT would want to avoid another scandal like so many others they have had in recent years with reporters being shown to have make things up.

Of course the claims of victimhood aren't the only lies & falsehhods in the article. For instance the line " SINCE BEFORE THE days of Roe v. Wade, a small number of doctors have quietly provided abortions in their offices (often only for patients with health insurance or who pay out of pocket)." They reality is quite diffferent the the NYT knows it. They ignore the reality of the reason behind the term "back alley abortion". Yes, the doctors were quiet about it, but that was because it was illegal to do what they were doing. & since it was illegal more often than not, insurance wouldn't cover it & the women paid out of pocket. & those back alley abortions at the doctors' offices were where most of the deaths from botched abortions came from as well.

Then there is this: "After Roe, the shadow of the greedy, butchering “abortionist” continued to hover, and many doctors didn’t want to stand in it." The facts are simple, the shadow hovered because as has been proven so many times, that shadow reflected reality. (I've covered that fact so often I won't go into it here.)

Another bit from the article shows the NYT's attempt to attack the Catholic Church as well. It is interesting to see that except for Godfrey & a nurse named Ann the religion of the people involved in the abortion industry isn't mentioned. Ann is a nurse for an abortionist who also claims to be Catholic. "Ann (her middle name) is a Catholic grandmother who celebrates Mass every Sunday. She was adamantly opposed to abortion." The article goes on to tell how she compromised her faith. She may claim to be a good Catholic, but the fact that she is willing to work for an abortionist as well the fact that she praises him for being so good shows me that she sold her soul for a few dollars of pay. & makes her claim she opposes abortion suspect as well.

& of course the article attacks Crisis Pregnancy Centers as well by spreading the lie that they give "out wrong information like tying abortion to breast cancer or infertility or mental illness." The fact that study after study has proven all 3 to be true is conveniently ignored. & the article also misrepresents the 2006 Congressional investigation it refers to as backing up the lies. That investigation was done at the request of Rep Henry Waxman who is a pro-abortion Democrat. In addition, the Dems were the minority party back then. Also, it was done with a political agenda, to undermine Pres. Bush's funding of CPCs. FYI Waxman has gotten money as well as endorsements from Planned Parenthood's PACs. So his pushing this study was done as a quid pro quo for Planned Parenthood. That the CDC & other groups are pro-abort & have ignored/denied the data as well forms the basis for the report claiming what it does.

The NYT article is a prime example of its anti-Catholic, anti-life, pro-"culture of death" agenda that permeated not only the NYT but the Main Stream Media for the most part as well. In the short run, they may sell a few people the lies they are peddling. But in the end, they will find out that they have ended up on the wrong side of history, just like so many others who choose evil over God.

Abortionist from Notorious Rockford Abortion Facility Claims Victimhood in NYT Article

By Kathleen Gilbert and John Jalsevac
NEW YORK, July 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The author of a recent New York Times article on modern abortion providers may have made a strategic misstep in the abortionist that she chose to feature, if her intent was to paint a sympathetic picture of abortion practitioners. The lengthy article shines the spotlight on abortionist Emily Godfrey, who worked for several years at what may be the United States' most bizarre abortion clinic - the Northern Illinois Women's Center (NIWC) in Rockford, Illinois.
While Godfrey attempted to paint a grim picture of a threatening crowd of pro-lifers who allegedly “surrounded” her as she walked to and from the notorious Rockford abortion facility, one of the leaders in the Rockford pro-life movement has countered that the claim is demonstrably baseless. Kevin Rilott has pointed out that pro-lifers are not even allowed on the property of NIWC, let alone able to approach anywhere near the abortionists.
LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) has frequently reported on NIWC's use of vicious, threatening and blasphemous messages, evidently meant to intimidate the pro-life protesters outside. The abortuary was only recently in the news, after a staff member emerged from the building wielding a running chainsaw, with which he attempted to drown out the voices of pro-life counselors.
On another occasion the owner, Wayne Webster, was caught on camera communicating over the clinic’s outdoor PA system with an enraged local pro-abort with a pit-bull in tow, who was confronting the pro-life protesters. After the antagonist, by the name of Keith Sterkeson, had called the pro-lifer who was videotaping the encounter a "ni**er" 19 times, shouted the word "f**k" at him 36 times, and called him a "degenerate" 16 times, Webster warned Sterkeson that he had heard over his police scanner that the police were on their way. He also assured Sterkeson that he was acting no crazier than these “a**holes” (the pro-lifers).
In the recent NYT article, however, abortionist Emily Godfrey complained to the author, Emily Bazelon, about the pressure caused by the presence of the pro-life witnesses when she worked at NIWC.
“I’m a Catholic girl from the suburbs. I’m a yoga student. I like calm and serenity," Godfrey said.
Throughout the time Godfrey was working there, NIWC was undoubtedly anything but "calm and serene." In addition to the two encountes mentioned above, the chilling displays erected in the windows of the building, which continue to grow, include a nun in a coffin, a crucified rubber chicken, and rubber chickens hanging from nooses. Another sign in the window of the facility suggests that the abortionists have conducted "50,000" abortions while Jesus Christ (presumably through the actions of the pro-life counselors) has saved only "50" children; other signs direct personal insults at individual pro-lifers.
Bazelon, describing Godfrey's account of life at NIWC, wrote that, "Protesters surrounded her when she walked into the clinic." "One day, a clinic resident left his lunch in the car and said he’d rather be hungry than go back to get it," wrote Bazelon.
Godfrey left the mill in 2008 to work at the University of Illinois: "By taking jobs on university faculties, the young doctors avoid walking to work through a scrum of screaming demonstrators," Bazelon explained.
However, Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott said that the crowd of pro-life witnesses that have kept vigil outside the bizarre abortuary for years are peaceful and, since they unable even to enter the clinic parking lot, can do nothing but pray and offer help from a distance to women entering the clinic.
"As any of you know who have prayed at Rockford's abortion mill, the Christians who stand on the sidewalks at this mill literally can not get within 200 feet of a person who is walking into the building," wrote Rilott on his blog.
"Abortionist Godfrey parked in the back of the mill lot so pro-lifers could hardly even see her, let alone 'surround her,'" he added.
Rilott also took issue with Godfrey's account of her disappointment at the number of living children she delivered to poor women in Chicago – an experience that she says prompted her to pursue a career killing the unborn.
"Bringing so many unwanted children into the world, or children who wouldn’t be readily provided for because their mothers were on drugs or who were taken away at birth — well, that just solidified my feeling that I wanted to provide abortions,” Godfrey told Bazelon. She said she had tried, but failed, to stem the problem by giving poor women IUDs just after delivery - and was only thwarted by Medicaid's refusal to cover the second procedure.
"Considering that she was working in Rockford at an abortion mill that hung rubber chickens by nooses that offended African Americans," said Rilott, "this seems like another statement from a eugenics-minded person whose answer to African Americans living in poverty was not to eliminate the poverty, but to eliminate the African Americans."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Abortion Clinic Owner Responds with Chainsaw as Radio Blares: 'God Bless Pro-Lifers!'

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jul/10071201.html

Entertainment or Promoting the Occult

Fr. Euteneuer makes some points that are well worth paying attention to. I will admit that I am a fan of the old fashioned vampire movies like Dracula & even the old TV series "Dark Shadows" But the show had Barnabas Collins hating the fact that he was a vampire. Vampirism & being made a werewolf (Quentin) were considered a curse.* The movie version made it even clearer. The movie Barnabas was wholely evil & had to be defeated. The Crucifix was clearly used to repel the evil vampire.

But as I said, it was clear in the old movies that vampirism was a bad thing. In Francis Ford Coppola's version Dracula becomes a vampire after rejecting God.

I also will not deny that in my younger days, I didn't fully understand the dangers of the occult & found some things interesting. But as I learned the truth, I turned away. Unfortunately, these days we have ill prepared most of our childrent o even see anything wrong with the occult. & in our relativistic society, everything is fine as look as it is used for good. Or what the culture defines as good.

Vampires & werewolves are a prime example of the "culture of death" & how it destroys life. Yet today they are presented as 'angels of light". They are called good, just like abortion & euthanasia. It is time we get back to the truth. Some things are intrinsicly evil no matter how much we pretty them up.

Vampire Logic

With the issuing of the third movie in the Twilight series I have to speak out about our culture's twisted fascination with vampires. I don't hesitate to tell people that I am totally disgusted with the new fad sweeping over our youth culture these days. It is not just kids that are taken up with the wiles of the dark world either: many moms of teens are swooning for them too. I think that these seductive creatures are simply the spawn of the Harry Potter culture that has for over a decade now been indoctrinating kids to think that the occult world is normal and that all this evil messaging is harmless when dressed up as entertainment. That's vampire logic - and just what the devil wants us to think.

Gone are the days of Bella Lugosi's Dracula (1931) where good was good and evil was evil. A crucifix would drive Dracula away and then he had to go into his infernal coffin when the first streaks of dawn appeared. He was in every way presented as a creature of evil, dark of heart and dread to encounter. He drank human blood too, a feature that was supposed to strike terror in every person who valued his life's essence. The image of a blood-sucking creature who lives in slime and darkness and will pounce on you to drain out your very essence should terrorize every decent person. This is because vampires used to be images of demons. That's what demons are all about: the vanquishing of all human decency and life. They represent the spiritual vortexes of the demon world that drag down to the depths of hell all who fall prey to their wiles.

But, my, how vampires have come up in the world these days.

Nowadays vampires are divided into good and bad - no longer intrinsically evil. The good ones rescue vulnerable women instead of biting them and, allegedly, drink only animal blood (well, we haven't seen the last Twilight movie yet...). And crucifixes? Don't think you'll see any of those driving away bad guys in these movies. The heroes are the "good" vampires, not the Church or religious faith in Christ.

These super-star vampires also walk around in sunlight and, as a matter of fact, their skin just happens to glisten like diamonds when exposed to direct sunlight. Isn't that wonderful? The glam vamps are gentlemen, chaste and well-intentioned, yet they are always hovering around the edge of "falling" and in seductive situations which cause young people to think that they are capable, like their hero vampire, Edward Cullen, of going just so far and pulling back, out of self-control. That's teaching them to play with fire, not a real chastity message for kids.

The worst part of this fascination with vampires from a faith point of view, however, is its blasphemy of the Eucharist. "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you," said our Blessed Lord in Chapter 6 of John's Gospel. He is the One who offers His flesh and blood for the life of the world. The vampires eat (bite) the flesh and drink the blood of victims rather than give their own to redeem others. Their bites corrupt and transform their victims into vampires like themselves. They have no life in them. They are the "living dead" by their own estimate.

How sad that this generation has been so taken in by those who represent the very antithesis of the core reality of our Faith - the Eucharist. Vampire logic is anti-Eucharistic logic, and it's very dangerous for our kids. In their obsessive fascination with such darkness, kids (and adults) turn their backs on the One who actually died for them.

To those who say, "Oh, Father, it's only harmless entertainment," I say simply: You've been warned.

Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International

* This isn't to say that things were always clearly delineated on the series. Sometimes occult practices like I-Ching were shown in a positive light. & the few Christians were not shown in the best light either. But even so, things like witchcraft & satanism were not shown as a good thing.

Also, as I said above, I am a fan of a good vampire/werewolf story. But from the 1st the Twilight series necer appealed to me as it was clear how far they drifted from the right way of showing vampires.

Obama - Thou Shalt Not Trust Him When It Comes to Not Funding Abortion

Richard Doerflinger reminds us why we must maintain continuous watch on the Obama administration when it comes to abortion & health care. & while he says the new HHS rules are "more welcome response" the best response would be a complete ban on paying for abortions. the loophole "danger to the mother’s life" leaves things way too wide open. & "rape & incest" never justify abortion.

In the end, even if the loopholes that we were told didn't exixt do get closed, as long as abortion is legal we will have to keep worrying about it being included down the road. As has been proven time after time, nothing is ever permanant in DC, esp a permanant ban.

DON'T TRUST OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO KEEP ABORTION FUNDING OUT OF HEALTH CARE

by Richard M. Doerflinger (Associate Director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)

Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in March, amidst an unresolved debate about the legislation's impact on abortion and conscience protection.
As president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George explained then that the bishops had to oppose the final bill despite their strong support for health care reform, because (among other things) it “appropriates billions of dollars in new funding without explicitly prohibiting the use of these funds for abortion.” Others dismissed this charge, saying that legislative intent and a last-minute executive order from President Obama prevented abortion funding.

Fast-forward to July, when one of those PPACA provisions appropriating billions of dollars was about to take effect. Section 1101 of the Act provides $5 billion for “high-risk insurance pools,” providing much-needed health coverage for people with “pre-existing conditions” who cannot otherwise get coverage.'

This program ends in January 2014, when these patients can join others in purchasing qualified health plans on the new state insurance exchanges. State governments can propose the benefits list and other details for covering their residents in these pools, but the federal government makes final decisions and provides all government funds for subsidizing this coverage.
Pro-life groups found that several states – beginning with Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Maryland – had announced on their web sites that their statewide plans would include elective abortions. (New Mexico used the phrase openly; Pennsylvania said its plan would not cover “elective abortions,” but would cover abortions that are legal under the Supreme Court’s decisions – meaning any abortion an abortionist sees as needed for a woman’s social or emotional “well-being.”) These plans were described as already approved, and New Mexico had already begun signing up enrollees.
Public criticism of this development prompted immediate denials and evasive responses. An initial response from the Department of Health and Human Services insisted that “federal funds” would not cover these abortions – leaving open the prospect that everyone who enrolls could be forced to fund other people’s abortions with their premium dollars.

Late on July 14, however, HHS issued a new and more welcome response, saying that abortions simply “will not be covered” in these plans except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother’s life, as has long been true in federally subsidized health plans for federal employees.
Now pro-abortion groups are crying foul, with the interesting complaint that this pro-life outcome goes beyond anything in PPACA or the executive order. In other words, they are saying the bishops’ analysis of loopholes in these documents is right.
The high-risk pool program is just one funding stream left open to abortion by PPACA. For now it seems pro-life forces have won the first round, through careful research and a prompt public response. But PPACA needs a legislative fix to close such loopholes once and for all. That fix is offered by the “Protect Life Act” (H.R. 5111) sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and 115 other House members, including 13 Democrats. Whether these or other billions of dollars in taxpayers’ funds are used to help kill unborn children is not a matter we should leave to shifting politics or to chance.