The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging all parishes to distribute special bulletin inserts, urging Catholics to tell Congress to remove abortion funding and mandates from health care reform. The ultimate message from the bishops:
The U.S. bishops’ conference has concluded that all committee approved bills are seriously deficient on the issues of abortion and conscience, and do not provide adequate access to health care for immigrants and the poor. The bills will have to change or the bishops have pledged to oppose them.
You can view the bulletin insert here. For more on the bishops’ campaign, see http://catholickey.blogspot.com/2009/10/usccb-requests-nationwide-parish-action.html .
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Political Action Committee has released its voters guide for the Nov. 3rd election. You’ll find the PAC recommendations at http://www.paprolife.org/voterguide09_je.html . Seats on the PA Supreme Court, Superior Court, and Commonwealth Court are up for grabs on Tuesday. We’ll have complete coverage of the results next week.
Please forward this alert to all appropriate lists.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) is planning to try to ram the massive health care bill (HR 3200) through the House on short notice, without allowing consideration of a critical pro-life amendment. The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is urging every pro-life Pennsylvanian to immediately TELEPHONE the office of his or her representative in the U.S. House of Representatives with a clear and firm message urging a NO vote on the so-called “rule,” which is the procedural vote that would allow passage of H.R. 3200 with no amendments allowed, and also to vote against the pro-abortion bill itself.
Even if you have already called and written your representatives in Congress about the health care bills, it is critical that you call again now.
Please call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the office of your Congressional Representative by name. Once you’re connected, please deliver the following message:
“I am strongly opposed to any attempt to pass the health care bill, HR 3200, under a ‘closed rule,’ and I urge the representative to vote ‘no’ on the closed rule. I also urge the Representative to oppose any health care reform bill that does not explicitly exclude abortion.”
Then, ask the person who answers the phone to take down your name and address so that you can receive a written response to your call.
For background information, visit http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/. You can also find the name of your Congressional Representative there, if you click on the Elected Officials tab.
Thank you for making these critical calls! The lives of many preborn children and the health of their mothers depend on what we do today!
If you have any questions, call Legislative/Political Action Committee Director Charlene Bashore at 717-541-0034.
Thanks so much to all of you who attended the 2009 PA Pro-Life Conference in Scranton this past weekend. We learned media do’s and don’ts from Teresa Tomeo and the latest in adult stem cell breakthroughs from Dr. David Prentice. Who could not have been touched by Bobby Schindler’s harrowing account of the last days of his sister, euthanasia victim Terri Schiavo? And former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline gave an impassioned speech about the connection between leadership and suffering.
If you didn’t attend the conference, you can learn more about it at http://www.timesleader.com/news/Activists_gather_to_support_human_life_10-25-2009.html?searchterm=abortion.
Also, please call Senators Casey and Specter and your local Congressman and urge them to vote against any health care reform plan that does not specifically exclude abortion. Casey’s number is 202-224-6324. Specter’s number is 202-224-4254. You can reach your Congressional Representative through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Preparations are feverishly underway for our 2009 Pennsylvania Pro-Life Conference in Scranton on Saturday. Hundreds of people from throughout the Commonwealth are expected to take part in what promises to be the pro-life event of the year. The Scranton Times-Tribune has a preview article here. If you were unable to attend the conference this year, you’ll be able to see the highlights in the next issue of our newspaper, LifeLines. To subscribe, become a member of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation by visiting http://www.paprolife.org/donate .
National Right to Life has sent letters to members of Congress, noting that the pro-life organization is strongly opposed to HR 3200, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act.”
HR 3200 would mean public funding of abortions, which would inevitably lead to more abortions. This dire scenario could be stopped, though, if Congress approved the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which would prevent federal funding of abortion through the proposed public health plan and would prevent federal subsidies of premiums for private abortion coverage.
Much attention has been focused on HR 3200’s Capps-Waxman Amendment, which was billed as a compromise on abortion but actually attempts to establish federal funding of abortion and insurance coverage of abortion through what National Right to Life calls “misleading, contrived terminology.”
National Right to Life will also examine the final version of HR 3200 to see if it would result in denial of life-saving care on the basis of disability or so-called “quality of life” criteria.
To find out what you can do to stop anti-life provisions in health care reform, visit the National Right to Life Action Center at http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek is reporting that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion operation, is recruiting volunteers through the government website http://serve.gov/ .
As Stanek points out, Lisa Stauber of the Houston Conservative Examiner found the following during her surfing through serve.gov:
Typing in the keyword “health” and selecting “Houston” [on the serve.gov site] brought up Planned Parenthood’s need for volunteers to protect clients from the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil participants [currently “C” on page 7 of the AllForGood website, which links back to serve.gov]. Their job? Make sure pro-life protesters don’t speak or give any information to women seeking abortions at the clinic.
This is just another example of the connection between the Obama Administration and the abortion industry. Those who think that the President is steering a moderate course on abortion are greatly deceiving themselves.
Our much-anticipated Pennsylvania Pro-Life Conference takes place on Saturday, October 24th, at the Scranton Hilton & Conference Center. There’s still time to register for this awesome event–but you better hurry! Register now at http://www.paprolife.org/ by following the prompts in the scrolling area of the homepage. With speakers such as anti-euthanasia advocate Bobby Schindler; broadcaster Teresa Tomeo; former Attorney General of Kansas Phill Kline; and Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council, this promises to be the pro-life event of the year in Pennsylvania. We look forward to seeing you in Scranton!
The latest installments of our one-minute radio commentaries, Pro-Life Notes, are posted at http://www.paprolife.org/news/commentaries.html. You’ll find reports on our exciting pro-life conference, the most pro-abortion Administration in U.S. history, and what we must do to stop abortion funding in health care reform. Happy listening!
The latest edition of the PA Pro-Life Online News is up and ready for viewing at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html . This issue features information about Pennsylvania’s pro-life event of the year, an urgent update on abortion in health care reform, and vital information about the November 3rd election. Happy reading!
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he wants a vote on health care reform the week after next. Senators are meeting behind closed doors to combine the Senate Finance Committee bill and the Kennedy bill into a single piece of legislation to take to the Senate floor.
Unfortunately, both bills mean public financing of abortion and abortion mandates.
We must send a strong message to Senators Casey and Specter that they should oppose any health care reform plan that does not specifically exclude abortion. To reach Senator Casey’s office, call 202-224-6324. To reach Senator Specter’s office, call 202-224-4254.
For background information about abortion in health care reform, go to http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
Published reports say Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, a pro-life Democrat, has vowed to stop health care reform unless pro-abortion House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allows a vote to revoke abortion funding in health care reform.
A LifeNews.com report states:
“There are many of us Democrats in the House who are philosophically, legally, and morally opposed to public funding for abortions,” Stupak told CNS News (Monday).
“If our amendment is not made in order we will try to shut down the rule, preventing the health care bill from coming to the floor for a vote,” Stupak added.
The amendment would be similar to the Hyde Amendment, which currently bans taxpayer-funded Medicaid abortions except in rare cases such as rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
For continuing updates on abortion in health care reform, please visit http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/.
There’s still time to register for Pennsylvania’s pro-life event of the year! We’ll be unveiling a new strategy for stopping Washington’s abortion agenda at our October 24th conference in Scranton, so you won’t want to miss it! You’ll also be inspired by talks by Terri Schiavo’s brother, Bobby Schindler; national broadcaster Teresa Tomeo; Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council; and former Attorney General of Kansas, Phill Kline. Special student breakout sessions are also planned. You can register conveniently online at http://www.paprolife.org/. Register today!
Education Director Maria Vitale has written a column for LifeNews.com about pro-abortion President Barack Obama, pro-life heroine Mother Teresa, and the Nobel Prize. While Obama and the revered nun have both been named recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, their philosophies could not be further apart, when it comes to the issue of abortion. You’ll find Maria’s piece at http://www.lifenews.com/int1344.html .
LifeNews.com is reporting that Planned Parenthood used underage girls in clinical trials to push abortion. The news, though, is not surprising, given recent evidence that Planned Parenthood attempts to cover up the sexual abuse of minors. Many Americans do not realize that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion business, and that it routinely fights legal efforts to protect minor girls, such as parental consent for abortion laws. If you’d like to join us in our fight against Planned Parenthood and its anti-life agenda, visit http://www.paprolife.org/donate/index.html .
Education Director Maria Vitale has written a column for LifeNews.com about a Pennsylvania case in which a father is suing a local school district which forced his son to turn his pro-life t-shirt inside out. The father says the school’s censorship violates the student’s constitutional rights–and a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union agrees with him! You can view the column in its entirety at http://www.lifenews.com/state4486.html .
Pennsylvania’s pro-life event of the year is fast approaching! The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Conference will be held October 24th in Scranton. We have an awesome lineup of speakers planned, including national broadcaster Teresa Tomeo, Terri Schiavo’s brother, anti-euthanasia advocate Bobby Schindler, stem cell research expert Dr. David Prentice of the Family Research Council, and former Attorney General of Kansas Phill Kline, who courageously fought Planned Parenthood in the courts. At the conference, we’ll also unveil a new strategy for stopping Washington’s pro-abortion agenda. Please register for the conference today at http://www.paprolife.org/. See you in Scranton!
The latest installments of our 1-minute radio commentaries, Pro-Life Notes, are available here. These newest editions include the countdown to the greatest pro-life event of the year…info on abortion as a problem in health care reform…and ways to protect our seniors from harm. If you’d like Pro-Life Notes to be heard on your local Christian or Catholic radio station, please have the program director e-mail us at lifelines@paprolife.org and we’ll be happy to add the station to our e-mail distribution list.
Despite President Barack Obama’s claim that no federal dollars would be spent for abortion in health care reform, the plans on the table include public funding for abortion:
“Bills currently advancing in Congress would establish direct federal funding of elective abortion, and tax subsidies for private insurance that covers elective abortions — both drastic breaks from longstanding federal policy,” commented Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in all 50 states. “Ongoing events on Capitol Hill demonstrate the hollowness of President Obama’s public assurances that he does not seek government funding of abortion.”
The Senate Finance Committee rejected pro-life amendments which would have banned public funding of abortion in health care reform and would have provided conscience protection to individuals who do not want to be involved in performing abortions.
Please call Senators Casey and Specter and your local Congressional Representative and urge them to oppose any health care reform bill that does not specifically exclude abortion. Senator Casey’s number is 202-224-6324. Senator Specter’s number is 202-224-4254. You can reach your Congressional Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.