During his State of the Union address this week, President Barack Obama defended his pro-abortion health care reform plan:
“Here’s what I ask of Congress, though: Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people,” Obama said.
But, in giving the Republican response, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell made it clear: a pro-life stance is pro-American:
“America must always be a land where liberty and property are valued and respected, and innocent human life is protected,” he said.
You can see more contrasts between President Obama’s speech and McDonnell’s response in the LifeNews.com article at http://lifenews.com/nat5936.html .
A blog post on the National Catholic Register website points out the fact that it is far too early to declare a pro-life victory on the health care reform front:
“Pro-life interests still are at great peril. The White House and the top congressional leadership are not giving up. They will try as hard as they can to get a pro-abortion health-care bill to the president’s desk,” predicted Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee.
Please call your Congressional Representative today and urge him or her to oppose any health care reform bill that does not include the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which would bar federal funding of abortion. You can reach your Representative through the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. Also, consider sending a message to your Representative through National Right to Life’s Legislative Action Center at http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
Pro-abortion groups are trying to censor a TV ad, to be run during the Super Bowl, featuring football star Tim Tebow. Tebow’s mother chose life for her son, despite pressure from doctors to abort him. Here’s Tim Tebow’s response to the controversy, as reported by LifeNews.com :
“I know some people won’t agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe,” Tebow said. “I’ve always been very convicted of it (his views on abortion) because that’s the reason I’m here, because my mom was a very courageous woman. So any way that I could help, I would do it.”
And here’s the response from the producer of the ad, Focus on the Family, in the LifeNews.com report :
Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, told AP that officials with the pro-life group “were a little surprised” by the opposition to the life-affirming ad.
“There’s nothing political and controversial about it,” he said. “When the day arrives, and you sit down to watch the game on TV, those who oppose it will be quite surprised at what the ad is all about.”
National Right to Life reports that abortion funding in health care reform remains a threat:
The Obama White House and top Democratic congressional leaders, although shaken by the January 19 election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate seat previously held by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), nevertheless are making plans to try to push broad health care legislation through Congress within a matter of weeks — meaning that pro-life interests remain in grave jeopardy.
Please call your Congressional Representative now and urge him or her to vote against the Senate health care reform plan because of its abortion mandates and subsidies. You can reach your Representative through the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121.
For further updates, please go to the National Right to Life Legislative Action Center at http://www.nrlactioncenter.com/ .
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation would like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of Pennsylvanians who sacrificed their time and treasure to march for life in Washington, D.C. The turnout was huge, the crowd peaceful, and the message clear–that Americans don’t want their tax money to pay for abortions. You can read Education Director Maria Vitale’s comments on exactly what we’re up against here.
Colleges will play a pivotal role in the 2010 March for Life, as reported by LifeNews.com:
Below are summaries of pro-life activities that many of the Newman Guide colleges have planned for this week.
Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, FL) – Students from Ave Maria will travel overnight to D.C. where they plan to attend the Solemn Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Friday morning they will attend Mass with their bishop, Bishop Frank Dewane of the Diocese of Venice. Later that day the students will participate in the March.
Aquinas College (Nashville, TN) – Students from Aquinas held a successful silent auction to raise funds to attend the March for Life. The students will join the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in D.C. for the March. On January 16, Aquinas students teamed with Tennessee Right to Life to erect an annual “Cemetery of the Innocents,” placing hundreds of crosses on a campus lawn visible to a busy urban roadway. In conjunction, Masses for the healing of those impacted by abortion are offered on campus.
Belmont Abbey College (Belmont, NC) – Students from Belmont Abbey College will be attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Benedictine College (Atchison, KS) – Students from Benedictine College will be attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.) – Catholic University will greet and host approximately 1,800 pilgrims in the Nation’s Capitol for the March for Life. On Thursday, the University will co-sponsor the National Prayer Vigil for Life with the USCCB and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. On Friday, hundreds of students from Catholic University will join in the March for Life
Christendom College (Front Royal, VA) – The College will continue its annual tradition and close its doors for a day so that the entire student body may participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Christendom students have carried the lead banner for the March in past years.
Franciscan University of Steubenville (Steubenville, OH) – Every year, Franciscan University declares an academic holiday to enable students to attend the March for Life. The University will hold a prayer vigil on campus before students depart for the March on Thursday evening. They will travel through the night and attend a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception when they arrive. Some students will stay in Washington until Saturday in order to attend a Students for Life conference.
Magdalen College (Warner, NH) – The entire student body will travel to the March in D.C. as they have done for the past 3 years. On January 16, students also attended their local pro-life march in Concord, NH.
Mount St. Mary’s University (Emmitsburg, MD) – The largest ever contingent of students and seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s will travel to Washington to participate in the March for Life. In conjunction with plans to attend the March, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist from Ann Arbor, MI, will speak to the students on the connection between the Eucharist and promoting the Culture of Life. The University has become a “spiritual gathering place” for schools and parishes en route to the March as many groups are making Emmitsburg, which features a Lourdes Grotto, a part of their pilgrimage on the way to Washington.
Our Lady of Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, TX) – Students will be participating in the Texas March for Life in Austin on January 23.
Redeemer Pacific College (Langley, British Colombia) – Each spring, Redeemer Pacific students attend the annual March for Life which takes place in Victoria, British Colombia, in Canada.
Southern Catholic College (Dawsonville, GA) – A small group of students are traveling to Washington for the March for Life while the majority of the student body will participate in a pro-life March and Mass in Atlanta.
St. Gregory’s University (Shawnee, OK) – In addition to some students attending the March for Life, students on campus will participate in a Rosary and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the special intention of respect for life. The time of prayer will continue through the afternoon on Friday until an evening Mass is celebrated by Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B.
Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, CA) – Students will continue an annual College tradition on January 23 and participate in the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. TAC students led the Walk in 2009. Prior to the event, students will be praying the Rosary and participating in an all-night Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, NH) – Several carloads of students will be making the trip down to the March. The College is arranging for the rest of the student body to attend the March for Life in Boston. The College plans to start the day with Mass.
Who could not have been moved by the sight of Haitian orphan children arriving in Pittsburgh this week? As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:
Adoption is a beautiful alternative to abortion. Let’s hope that efforts continue to improve the process, so that children everywhere find the love they deserve.
The coalition known as Stop the Abortion Mandate has produced an inspirational video, inviting pro-lifers from across the country to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Friday, January 22nd. The video also offers helpful tips for stopping abortion funding in health care. You can view the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i5AaQry2W8 . Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a bus to the march from Pennsylvania, please e-mail us at lifelines@paprolife.org .
Harrisburg,
“President Barack Obama has pursued a scorched-earth policy that threatens to lead to the expansion of abortion,” said Maria Vitale, Education Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the state affiliate of National Right to Life. “He supported health care plans guaranteeing government funding of abortion, funded organizations that perform and promote abortions overseas, and appointed pro-abortion zealots to high office. The only way to describe Obama’s record on the life issues is radically pro-abortion,” Vitale added.
The President has pursued public funding of abortion, even though national public opinion polls have consistently shown that the vast majority of Americans oppose such a policy. The President’s pro-abortion agenda is also a slap in the face to women who believe they were exploited by the abortion industry and have suffered serious physical and or emotional effects as a result.
“Research also shows that more than 60 percent of abortions are coerced, meaning that women are being pressured by boyfriends, husbands, parents, and others to have abortions. This means that most women are having abortions they don’t even want,” Vitale added.
This year’s march promises to be one of the largest ever, given the strength of public opposition to the President’s pro-abortion policies. People of all ages from
Note to Editors: If you’re interested in taking photos or video footage of people boarding buses for the March for Life, contact Maria Vitale at 717-541-0034.
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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 . There, you’ll find the latest urgent update on health care reform…the Palins’ pro-life cover story…and info on our essay & oratory contests for students. Happy reading!
Former Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, her daughter Bristol, and their babies are on the cover of In Touch Weekly magazine, boldly proclaiming, “We’re Glad We Chose Life.” The story chronicles both the joys and the challenges of motherhood. It is a powerful witness to the sanctity of human life and the courage of two women who bucked the culture of death and embraced life, despite its hardships. You can read a summary of the story here.
If you’re a Pennsylvanian who is pro-life, it’s important that you become a member of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. There is strength in numbers, and the more members we have, the greater our clout at the state Capitol and on Capitol Hill. As a member, you’ll also receive timely updates about the latest pro-life issues and about the life-saving work of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. Becoming a member is easy–just go to www.paprolife.org/donate . We’re looking forward to having you on our team!
National Right to Life reports that the Obama White House and Congressional leaders are meeting behind closed doors to hammer out a health care reform plan. The House and Senate versions of reform have to be merged into a single bill, but there are numerous differences between the two plans:
The pro-life Susan B. Anthony list is conducting a media tour of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The hope is to send a clear message that abortion is not health care, and to urge members of the Congressional delegations in those states to oppose any health care reform bill that does not specifically exclude abortion. During the Pittsburgh leg of the tour, Pennsylvanian Georgette Forney of the post-abortive group Silent No More talked about the devastating effects of abortion on women. You can learn more about the tour at http://www.sba-list.org/ .
LifeNews.com is running a fascinating column by Mychal Massie, chairman of the black leadership network Project 21. In the piece, Massie notes that a baby may be the best economic stimulus package:
Forget TARP and the Keynesian spending schemes promoted by the Obama Administration. A baby necessitates diapers, toys, food, books, clothing and more. Meeting those needs creates jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors. Children also create jobs in the medical and educational sectors.
When they grow up, babies supplement the labor force - promoting the “circle of life.” At a time when our nation relies on an influx of legal and illegal immigrants, it’s illogical to promote population control.
You can read the rest of the column at http://www.lifenews.com/nat5855.html
Greg Barton’s “Spotlight” radio program this Saturday, January 9, 2010 will feature Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. Listeners in the Lancaster County area should tune in from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. on WDAC-FM 94.5. Listeners in the Berks County area should tune in on the same day from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. on WBYN-FM 107.5. Anyone with Internet can listen to the full interview from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. at www.wdac.com on the same day. Topics will include a pro-life look back at 2009 and prospects for 2010, the annual March for Life on January 22 in Washington and the 2010 Celebrate Life Banquet featuring former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum on October 19th in Harrisburg.
The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission reports that pro-life activists were the targets of both violence and discrimination in the year just past. As reported on LifeNews.com:
“It is arguable that anti-Christian hatred has spilled over into material forms of persecution in 2009,” said Dr. Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission.
“Christians were killed and bullied for their witness, ministers and churches threatened with violence and vandalized,” Cass told LifeNews.com on Tuesday. If these are not bona fide examples of persecution, than I wonder what more it might take?”
Among the most egregious instances of violence was the murder of pro-life advocate James Pouillon, who was shot while holding a sign outside a school.
You can read more about pro-abortion violence in 2009 here.
Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak says he’s prepared for a tough round of negotiations to keep abortion funding out of health care reform. As LifeNews.com reports:
“We’re in a holding pattern right now,” Stupak told the Bay City Times last week. “We go back Jan. 10 and I’m sure heavy negotiations will take place.”
The report adds:
Stupak told the newspaper his goal is to make sure the health care bill doesn’t deviate from the Hyde amendment, which has been used for over 30 years to prevent direct federal funding of abortions.
“It’s current law and we want to keep it that way,” he said.
You can read more about Stupak at http://www.lifenews.com/nat5836.html .
In the meantime, please call your Congressional Representative and Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter and let them know you oppose the pro-abortion Senate health care reform bill. You can reach your Representative through the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. Senator Casey’s number is 202-224-6324. Senator Specter’s number is 202-224-4254.
The latest edition of Pennsylvania’s premiere pro-life news source, the PA Pro-Life Online News, is up and ready for viewing at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html . There, you’ll find articles on what you can do to stop pro-abortion health care reform…Attorney General Tom Corbett’s objection to the Senate health care reform bill…and chapter information from around the state. If you’d like to subscribe to the Online News, please send an e-mail with the word “subscribe” in the subject line to lifelines@paprolife.org.