I know not all of our readers share the Church’s view of abortion, but this story is repulsive.
Lord, have mercy!
Posts Tagged ‘Culture of Death’
“Safe, legal and rare”
January 19th, 2011, Promulgated by NerinaOn Gov. Andrew Cuomo
January 13th, 2011, Promulgated by Dr. KA letter to the editor appeared in this morning’s Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper in which a reader lambastes another reader’s concern that Andrew Cuomo, the New York state governor who resides with his girlfriend, received Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass in Albany. Here is what the letter writer submitted to the paper:
“Writer has no right to judge Cuomo
I’m amazed that anyone can be so judgmental regarding another’s spiritual practice (“The governor is living in sin,” Jan. 9 letter). Who is this letter writer to decide that our newly elected governor is both sinful and insincere in his practices? Gov. Cuomo has just taken upon himself the formidable job of trying to forge a new direction in our state, corral runaway expenditures, and help solve innumerable problems for New York state.
Can it be that he sincerely went before his Lord to ask for the help he needs, with a sincere heart and soul, and belief that receiving the Body and Blood of his Savoir would inspire and help him?
Nobody has the right to question another’s faith, practices and sincerity. Calling upon the Catholic bishops to condemn Cuomo’s faithful actions at such a time is the highest form of judgmentalism.
Remember this quote, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
—MARY ANNE ROUSE
IRONDEQUOIT”
While Ms. Rouse does speak some truth about judging others, the Church is quite clear on matters of public scandal such as Gov. Cuomo’s very public cohabitation with Sara Lee. Prominent Canon Lawyer, Ed Peters, tackled this subject on his website. He cites Canons 915 and 916, which state “Those… who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion” (Canon 915) and “Anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not… receive the Body of the Lord without previously having been to sacramental confession” (Canon 916).
Here is Dr. Peters’ analysis:
Cuomo, on the grounds of his public concubinage alone (and setting aside complications arising from his strong support for legalized abortion, etc.), should not approach Communion per Canon 916; if he does approach, he should be refused the sacrament per Canon 915. Cuomo should still attend Mass, of course (c. 1247), and within one year of his last Confession he should duly receive that sacrament again (c. 989), but he should not be taking Communion while he lives in public concubinage. And if Lee is Catholic, the exact same analysis would apply to her.
Not only is there a clear violation of the Code of Canon Law in the situation of Governor Cuomo receiving Communion, but there is also public disobedience to the word of God as found in the Holy Bible.
1 Corinthians 11:27 says:
“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.”
So while one could accuse the original letter writer of passing judgment, perhaps the writer is honestly concerned about the disrespect being showed for the Body and Blood of our Lord, as well as the public scandal created by Gov. Cuomo parading up the Communion aisle while living in a state of public sin and supporting such evils as abortion “rights” and homosexual marriage.
ACLU v. Morality
December 26th, 2010, Promulgated by GenFrom the National Review:
Ho, ho, ho! Just in time for Christmas, the American Civil Liberties Union has launched a new salvo against people of faith. Even as billions around the world celebrate the birth of Christ, joyless, abortion-obsessed secularists never take a holiday. (This kind of writing is why I’m a registered Conservative.)
On Wednesday, the ACLU sent a letter to federal health officials urging the government to force Catholic hospitals in the U.S. to perform abortions in violation of their core moral commitment to protecting the lives of the unborn. They’re counting on sympathetic Obama rationing czar Donald Berwick — a recess appointee whose radical views on wealth and health redistribution were never vetted by Congress — to dictate which religious principles hospital operators can and cannot follow.
You can read the full piece here.
“Nascent Life Threatened by Adult Selfishness”
November 30th, 2010, Promulgated by GenA beautiful message from the Holy Father.
Sometimes, I am left speechless – UPDATED
November 19th, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaUpdate 11/22/10:
Regular commenter Louis notes that this poll is actually some type of “pro-life” hoax. I’m not sure what the couple hopes to achieve with it, but tireless pro-life advocate Jill Stanek has this to say:
Reading more closely what the couple writes, I’ve come to agree this is a pro-life stunt. A pro-abort, unless a real sicko, would not go into this sort of detail about the development of the 16-wk-old baby she may abort:
… now approximately the size of an avocado with an average crown to rump measurement of 4.6 inches. This week bones are forming in baby’s ears so that they can start to pick up noises outside the womb. The hair, eyebrows, and lashes are filling in and taste buds are forming.
Original post:
In a perverse demonstration of “majority rules,” a couple from Minnesota has sponsored an on-line poll to have the public weigh in on their decision to have an abortion or give birth. The article states:
A suburban Twin Cities couple touched off an Internet frenzy Thursday with their “birth or not” website — an online poll on asking whether the woman, who is 17 weeks pregnant, should have an abortion.
The married couple has apparently endured three miscarriages and is now 17 weeks pregnant. The woman doesn’t know if she’s ready to have a baby right now since she is “living a healthier lifestyle and [had been] losing weight.” Also, they are both software engineers, so it would seem finances are not an issue.
Thankfully, the “public” has voted overwhelmingly in favor of birth. Thank God for small mercies.
Rutgers Prof: Having Lots of Kids is Like Littering
November 18th, 2010, Promulgated by BernieFrom today’s National Catholic Register‘s news feed.
Rutgers University Professor Helen Fisher, of the Center for Human Evolution Studies has written for Oprah Magazine and today was on the Joy Behar show talking about women making the choice to be childless…
Read the brief article here.
Fr. Barron Comments on St. Thomas More and the Bishop of Rome
October 23rd, 2010, Promulgated by GenThis is yet another masterful video produced by Fr. Barron and the Word on Fire Ministries. A Nod of the Miter to them.
Cardinal Arinze on Pro-Choice “Catholics”
October 16th, 2010, Promulgated by GenIn his own words, “You don’t need a cardinal to answer that.”
And just a refresher: comments which show a blatant and zealous disregard for Church teaching will be deleted. If you don’t like that, tough. There’s a difference between celebrating diversity and being just plain argumentative.
Regarding the Rights to Bear Arms and Kill Babies
October 4th, 2010, Promulgated by GenWhen you visualize a typical liberal donning his/her/its war-paint, you think to yourself: pro-choice, pro-gun-control, etc. Well, leave it to a Tennessee abortion-providing doctor to destroy our pre-conceived notions.
CHARLESTON – For the past 11 days, anti-abortion demonstrators have gathered at the Charleston Women’s Medical Center in West Ashley as part of the annual “40 Days for Life” movement against abortion, each of them signing a “statement of peace” before participating.
Police say the protest met a threat Saturday morning when an out-of-state abortion doctor flashed a gun at them.
Police arrested Gary Boyle, 62, a Blountville, Tenn., physician, on charges of pointing a firearm.
Boyle drove into the parking lot of the clinic on Ashley River Road near Fuseler Road at around 8:30 a.m. When three protesters, including a 17-year-old boy, approached him, Boyle brandished a black handgun loaded with 15 rounds, according to a police report. (Now that’s an honest reaction. I know whenever a stranger comes up to me, I greet him with a hearty “hello” and pull a gun on him. Quite logical, really.)
Boyle then stepped out of his SUV and walked into the clinic without further incident, the report says. One of the three protesters, 50-year-old John Karafa, called 911.
“We were like, ‘Well, that was a gun,’ ” Karafa said. “You can’t do that.”
Boyle appeared by video conference at a bond hearing Saturday afternoon dressed in a light yellow button-down shirt. Charleston County Magistrate Priscilla Baldwin set his bail at $25,000, which he posted later Saturday.
Whether Boyle performed abortions locally is not known. He and another physician operate the Bristol Regional Women’s Center near his Tennessee home.
A woman who came to the courtroom on Boyle’s behalf declined to speak during the proceedings and ignored requests for comment after the hearing.
More than a half-dozen anti- abortion demonstrators also attended the proceedings, many wearing light blue “40 Days for Life” wrist bands.
Protesters began gathering outside the West Ashley clinic on Sept. 22 and will hold a prayer vigil against abortion there 24 hours a day, every day, until Oct. 31.
Charleston Women’s Medical Center representatives could not be reached for comment through the after-hours phone line.
Tom Barber, local director of “40 Days for Life,” said Saturday marked the first disturbance in its three-year history locally, which he said includes holding hands and lighting candles but not harassing doctors or patients.
Barber said participants must sign a “statement of peace” before joining. (I’d imagine that doctors must have something like that, something which prevents them from killing their patients, from doing harm against them. I’ve heard stories of a mystical “Hippocratic Oath,” but it’s obvious it’s just a fantasy for many doctors, seeing as how a genuine and competent doctor doesn’t murder his patients. How’s that for a “statement of peace”?)
Barber’s sister, Sandra Rochester, said members of the vigil hand out literature to women who engage them. The pamphlets direct those patients to the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, a Christian organization that counsels women and encourages alternatives to abortion.
“We’ve saved four babies so far,” Rochester said. (And they did that without guns. Just prayer, diligence, and home-made signs.)
Of the three protesters who approached Boyle, only Karafa represented the “40 Days” movement. The Charleston Women’s Medical Center attracts anti-abortion demonstrators every Saturday, and about 15 people had come out to protest when Boyle allegedly brandished the gun.
The incident wasn’t the doctor’s first legal snag. (What a surprise.)
He and his partner operated their clinic without a required certificate of need from the Tennessee Health Department for several years in the 1990s, and the health department tried to shut them down, according to court filings.
The dispute dragged on for years until 2002, when an appeals judge ruled that the state statute requiring the certificate had violated a woman’s right to privacy.
White Robes and Dead Babies
September 24th, 2010, Promulgated by GenI have a story to share with you. Once upon a a time at a parish in Rochester, there was an ordained minister who was asked to preach a sermon. He did, and as he did, he made painfully clear the correlation between Margaret Sanger, the foundress of Planned Parenthood, and the abhorrent nature of abortion. He upheld Church teaching, defended social justice, highlighted the importance of love for even the “least of my brothers and sisters,” and did so in a non-militant, non-judgmental way. In other words, “it is what it is.”
However, he was met with a severe scolding from another, higher-ranking parish minister, also ordained, and essentially told never to mention the matter of abortion again.
For anyone out there that has a hard time linking Planned Parenthood and blatantly evil actions, just spend a moment or two looking at this photo. It’s their foundress, Margaret Sanger, being lauded by the Ku Klux Klan. This is the same group that lynched African Americans for non-existent offenses, that engaged in acts of terrorism against African Americans and Catholics, and has, in all things, done the work of Satan and his minions.
Think of that the next time you say, “I’m Catholic, but . . . ”
Richard McDissident On Today’s Hierarchy
September 8th, 2010, Promulgated by Dr. KFr. Richard “the crybaby” McBrien mouths off against the current Roman Catholic hierarchy in the latest edition of his Essays in Theology, published in the Catholic Courier. As you read his pouting below, notice how he contrasts the wonderful Pope Paul VI/John XXIII hierarchy with the super evil arch-conservative (not my opinion, but it appears to be his) hierarchy of today:
Pope Paul VI understood and embraced the principle of sacramentality. It is high time, some 35 years later, that our bishops did as well.
One of the obstacles is that the U.S. hierarchy has changed so much under Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI.
Some readers might recall the claim that was persuasively made, back in the 1940s and 1950s, that most American bishops came from households where the breadwinner was an ordinary workingman.
This meant that the bishops of those years were more likely to view social and political issues from the viewpoint of those on the lower end of the economic ladder. They were more readily disposed to support the rights of workers than the interests of their corporate employers.
Yesterday’s bishops would have gone to bat, so to speak, for the right of workers — many of who were Catholic — to form labor unions. Some assigned priests in their dioceses to run labor schools to instruct Catholic workers on the church’s social teachings and to identify the rights they possess in the marketplace.
Today’s bishops, however, are not only more theologically conservative [orthodox] than their counterparts in the 1940s and 1950s; they are also more politically conservative.
It is no accident that, in recent presidential elections, many bishops (and cardinals) have clearly sided with the Republican candidates over the Democratic candidates. For such bishops the litmus test is the abortion issue [Not to mention gay marriage, stem-cell research, and a host of other moral and ethical issues that liberals fall on the wrong side of]. They are critical of the late Cardinal Bernardin’s consistent-ethic-of-life approach.
This dramatic change in the composition of the U.S. hierarchy may explain, at least in part, why there is now a critical mass of bishops who take refuge behind their lawyers in opposing efforts by their lay employees in schools and hospitals to form labor unions — just as they took refuge behind their lawyers in fighting settlements of sexual-abuse cases brought against the diocese because of the predatory behavior of some of its priests [Completely ignoring the fact that the most of the notorious offender bishops were of the progressive persuasion].
Fr. McBrien, grow up and stop whining about your superiors. You’re still (sadly) a priest of the Catholic Church. Perhaps you should act the part.
“It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”
August 5th, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaFederal judge overrides the will of the people (again) and rejects Proposition 8 in California.
The homosexual agenda continues to dismantle society’s traditional understanding of sexuality and marriage. What effect will this have on our Church and what She is able to teach? Will the Church be forced to perform “gay weddings”? Will Christians be accused of “hate speech” if we speak out against “homosexual marriage”?
Now is the time to strengthen our resolve with prayer and the Sacraments (and hope this decision is eventually overturned by the Supreme Court).
In His Peace,
Nerina
Friday Night – Lights Out
August 3rd, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaIt will not surprise many of you to know that I severely limit TV consumption in my house. Frankly, there are few shows worth watching and the commercials are problematic (I mean, how do I explain Viagra and Cialis commercials to young children?). I am surprised to find that some of my Christian peers don’t agree. They regularly let their teens watch shows like Survivor, The Office and 30 Rock. For those of you not familiar with current TV fare, let’s just say that shows filled with sexual innuendo and adult themes (e.g. The Office and 30 Rock) or a show about people trying to scheme their way to a million dollars (Survivor) present moral situations that young impressionable teens need not be exposed to without adult guidance and direction. Even with adult supervision, most shows have little redeeming value and work against parents in teaching children Christian values.
Recently, the NBC drama, Friday Night Lights, examined the issue of abortion. Again, I’ve never watched this show in full, but the little I have seen sends up many red flags. The show, set in Texas, focuses on a high school football coach and the pressure placed upon him and his whole to team to win games every Friday night. Of course, coupled with this main premise is a focus on the usual high school drama (we all remember high school, right?).
The episode, which aired on July 9, 2010, featured a high-school aged character deciding to have an abortion and declaring it “the right thing to do.” Come again? The right thing to do? It certainly may have been the convenient thing to do or the economically feasible thing to do or even the difficult thing to do, but the right thing? No, killing an unborn child is never the right thing to do. Ever. What this show does, especially considering its popularity among teenagers, is attempt to normalize abortion and further remove the stigma attached to it (if there is even any left in our culture). What a shame. Because a really courageous story could have had the girl carry the baby to term and choose adoption. It could have been even braver in showing why teen-aged children have NO BUSINESS engaging in sexual activity because of this very consequence. Instead, it took the progressive way out and promoted this girl’s choice as “the right thing.” What a missed opportunity. The full episode can be viewed here and here.
DISCLAIMER: I have not watched this particular episode and only read on-line reviews of it. One reviewer thought the girl did not feel “okay” with her decision even though she said it was the “right thing.” I’d be interested to hear other thoughts if anyone did.
Nod of the miter to Jill Stanek for this story.
Liars, and Tyrants, and Bores, Oh My! – UPDATE
July 15th, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaThere are three very “hot” Catholic issues on the blogs today. One I posted on a few days ago outlining the firing of Dr. Kenneth Howell for teaching Natural Law morality at the University of Illinois, another has to do with abortion funding in Obamacare (a.k.a. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) and the last one has to do with Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
Under the “Liars” category, we have this story about abortion coverage approval by the HHS under “high risk” insurance pools in Pennsylvania (other states have asked for similar approval). Remember President Obama’s pledge to find “common ground” on the abortion issue? The NRLC is on the case and has released this statement. For review, here’s an list of some of President Obama’s “common ground” measures.
Under the “Tyrants” category, we revisit the recent firing of Dr. Kenneth Howell (see here for background). Apprently, many groups are outraged at the firing of Dr. Howell (and not all Catholics, either). You can find detailed information over at the CatholicVoteAction blog here or join the “Save Dr. Ken” page on Facebook. Al Kresta, from “Kresta in the Afternoon” (heard on our local Catholic radio station) interviewed Dr. Howell. The video/audio is available here.
And finally, under the “Bores” category we have the potential disqualification of Elena Kagan as a nominee for the Supreme Court (this is actually a very exciting story, but I had to find some heading to fit with my ode to the “Wizard of Oz”). Jill Stanek (an ardent and tireless pro-life voice) gives the details here. In short, Elena Kagan likely committed perjury when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her role with the ACOG partial-birth abortion scandal. I wrote about this situation before. I will update information as it becomes available.
UPDATE: A press conference originally scheduled for today at 2:30 to propose an investigation into Elena Kagan’s role in the ACOG scandal was postponed due to a Senate Floor vote. See the Americans United for Life website for more details.
In His peace,
Nerina
Rockford Chainsaw Massacre
July 13th, 2010, Promulgated by GenAfter reading this, tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor:
The staff at the Rockford abortion mill, which has been blaring the radio through its speakers to drown out pro-life counselors for several weeks, got an unpleasant surprise Friday morning when a local D.J. found out what his show was being used for.
LifeSiteNews.com has reported numerous times on the bizarre Rockford abortuary, which has taken to taunting pro-life witnesses with signage and other paraphernalia mocking Christianity and Jesus Christ, and even directing personal insults at local pro-lifers.
The facility’s latest form of harassment, blasting a radio talk show through its outdoor speakers to keep women from hearing the message of pro-life counselors gathered outside, backfired when D.J. Doug McDuff’s scheduled talk show guest cancelled, and he opened the phone lines for comment.
Seeing his chance, Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott whipped out his cell phone and was on air within seconds, loud and clear outside the abortion centre where he was standing. Rilott took the opportunity to explain to McDuff and his listeners how the radio station, WNTA, was being used to silence pro-lifers’ attempt to help mothers in need.
McDuff, none too pleased, decided to take matters into his own hands. “God bless pro-lifers! God bless pro-lifers! God bless pro-lifers!” the D.J. shouted.
One of the staff members, who was walking from across the parking lot at that moment, was so aghast, Rilott told LifeSiteNews.com, that “I thought she was going to have a heart attack.”
“The abortion mill nurse who heard this began waving her arms around her head like she couldn’t believe what was being broadcast over the abortion mill public address system,” related Rilott. “The look of almost terror and confusion on her face was priceless as she scrambled into the mill.”
The D.J. then gave Rilott airtime to explain how those who keep vigil outside the Rockford mill come “to offer love, help, and hope to mothers in need,” and to request prayer for mothers in need and an end to abortion.
The landlord of the abortion mill, still determined to drown out both the radio and the pro-lifers, charged outdoors with a chainsaw running. (But, of course, the pro–choice cause is one of level-headed clarity and kindness, all about equal rights and the like.) But even that was not enough to prevent at least one mother from hearing the message and choosing life for her baby.
Rilott said that a woman who had entered the clinic earlier in the morning left after the incident, before the abortionist arrived for the day. “She certainly heard it inside the clinic, and when she left she gave us a big smile and thumbs-up, and she left before the abortionists arrived,” he told LSN. “So it was a good day.”
Why Elena Kagan is Bad News for the Pro-life Cause
June 29th, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaSubtitled: Why Presidential Elections Matter
In spite of President Obama’s rhetorical promises to find “common ground” on the issue of abortion, I’ve never been able to find any evidence to support his claims. In fact, his record indicates that he’s never met a pro-abortion measure he didn’t like. In addition to the fact that as an Illinois state senator he voted twice against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) which sought to protect children born as a result of a failed abortion, we now have to deal with his most recent nominee to the Supreme Court – Elena Kagan. And Elena Kagan, my friends, is bad news for the pro-life cause.
Over at National Review we find this article which details Elena Kagan’s role in formulating language used by opponents of the federal ban of “partial-birth abortion” (PBA). Shannen Coffin, a lawyer charged with defending the PBA ban during the Bush administration explains:
“Kagan’s language was copied verbatim by the ACOG executive board into its final statement, where it then became one of the greatest evidentiary hurdles faced by Justice Department lawyers (of whom I was one) in defending the federal ban. (Kagan’s role was never disclosed to the courts.)”
The “language”( which says that partial-birth abortion “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman.”) is the same language cited by the Supreme Court in striking down Nebraska’s PBA ban. Many believed this language came directly from a panel of ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) experts. Turns out, this language was actually written by Elena Kagan while serving under President Clinton as a policy adviser. ACOG’s own language was distinctly different: [it] “could identify no circumstances under which this procedure . . . would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.” A very different statement, indeed.
It gets worse. Internal memos make clear that Elena Kagan was aware that ACOG’s position “would be a disaster” for PBA proponents and that the official ACOG position was “in the vast majority of cases, selection of the partial birth procedure is not necessary to avert serious adverse consequences to a woman’s health.” She got to work solving the problem by writing new language and suggesting that ACOG include it in their statement regarding PBA. ACOG complied with her wishes and the rest is judicial history. Thankfully, the PBA ban was eventually enacted under the Bush administration, but Elena Kagan did everthing in her power to prevent it.
St. Thomas More pray for us as Congress considers this Supreme Court candidate.
In His Peace,
Nerina
**If you want to see political machinations up close, take time to read the above linked documents. Scary stuff.
Louis, call your office – UPDATED
June 25th, 2010, Promulgated by NerinaIn the “Legislative Alert” thread (found here), Louis and I engage in a discussion about assigning different moral values to human life along the life spectrum. Louis asserts that, once born, a human being becomes a person and not before and therefore, at birth, that person deserves the protections and rights that we all enjoy. In Louis’ words: “Until the life is not part of another’s life it must not be treated as having distinct rights.That is justice.” I countered that because he and others are willing to diminish the moral value of “embryos, zygotes, blastulas and morulas” (words Louis used constantly to refer to life in the womb – and I actually know what they mean, Louis, thanks to several biology and A&P courses), society already does, or will use a similar argument against those living outside of the womb (e.g. in euthanasia, assisted suicide, sanctioned infanticide). He disagreed noting again that, “I believe that the problem comes precisely from pretending being born does not raise you far far above the level of an embryo.I do not accept any alternative before natural death at the end of life.Physical attachment is of the HIGHEST importance even if you think it doesn’t matter.What makes this person different?,,,HAVING BEEN BORN!”
In our discussion, Louis hit on all the common pro-choice talking points. First he attempts to dehumanize the preborn child by referring to the various stages of development with their scientific labels. Then he asserts that the preborn child is nothing but a parasite since it is completely dependent on the mother for it’s life (he wouldn’t address the impact of having children born prematurely at 21 or 22 weeks on his argument or comment on abortion restrictions based on gestational age). Next he says the embryo has the potential, but is not fully human! Finally he says that preborn human life is of lesser value. Which brings me to this post found on the First Things blog, “Secondhand Smoke.” This post describes exactly my concern about Louis’ take on the situation. We are living in a crazy world.
6/25 at 7:17PM:
I received an e-mail from a concerned reader over what he called “an unnecessary pot shot” regarding my post’s closing sentence. This reader felt I was insulting Louis by calling him crazy. I was not. I don’t know Louis at all so I can’t possibly make that claim. What I can call crazy is the theme of the blog post I linked to which, in essence (for those who did not read it) discussed how some are trying to justify suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia by arguing that human life is not inherently valuable. I stand by my statement – we ARE living in a crazy world. And unfortunately, it’s getting worse.
