EVADING THE QUESTION

WHAT IS THE MORAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT KERMIT GOSNELL DID AND WHAT TAKES PLACE IN A “LATE” ABORTION?

 By Dave Andrusko

 NRL News Today paid a great deal of attention last week to Texas’ HB 2, which among other important provisions would provide protection for unborn children who are capable of feeling pain, beginning at 20 weeks fetal age (equivalent to 22 “weeks of pregnancy”), the beginning of the sixth month.

I got behind and am only now returning to an important post written by the Weekly Standard’s John McCormack: “Cecile Richards Can’t Explain Difference Between Gosnell Killings and Elective Late-Term Abortions.” The two topics go hand in hand.

Richards, of course, is the president of PPFA and the daughter of Anne Richards, who was the pro-abortion governor of Texas before losing to pro-life George W. Bush in 1994.

The context for McCormack’s post was a small rally held last Thursday at the U.S. Capitol to lament pro-life legislation, including most specifically bills such as Texas HB 2, which has passed the Texas House and Senate, and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 1797) which passed the United States House of Representatives last month.

continue reading at http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org

Awesome: Hobby Lobby's Religious Victory Over Obamacare

Not all the pro-life victories are coming from Texas. Friday in Oklahoma City, a federal judge awarded the Christian-owned arts and crafts retail chain Hobby Lobby an exemption from the Obamacare abortion pill mandate, which would require the company to violate its religious faith by offering its employees contraceptives.

U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton issued the preliminary injunction for Hobby Lobby and its sister company, the Mardel Christian bookstore chain, and granted the case a stay until October 1, giving the federal government time to mull over an appeal. The judge’s decision comes just a month after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the companies were likely to prevail.

PHILA. MEDICAL EXAMINER LOCKS OUT PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS DEMANDING BODIES OF GOSNELL VICTIMS FOR BURIAL

Fr. Frank speaking at the prayer vigil.  Bryan Kemper, Director Youth Outreach to his left.

PHILADELPHIA, July 19, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A group of pro-life activists who were prevented from delivering a letter to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office this morning demanding the release of the bodies of Kermit Gosnell’s victims for burial, say they are now prepared to engage in civil disobedience to ensure that the babies killed by Gosnell are treated with dignity.

 

Despite warning the Medical Examiner ahead of time that they were planning on delivering the letter, when the pro-life activists approached the door, staff in the building locked the door, and called the police.

 

Now Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries and Priests for Life tells LifeSiteNews.com that he and several other pro-life leaders are planning a rally and prayer vigil, called The Cry for Dignity, on Sunday, August 25, followed by peaceful civil disobedience the following morning.

According to Kemper, at least 25 activists will kneel down in front of the doors of the Medical Examiner’s building on the Monday morning, each holding a sign with the name of one of Gosnell’s victims. 

“We will not leave, until they release them, or arrest us,” he said. 

When investigators raided Gosnell’s “House of Horrors” clinic in 2010, they were shocked to find the mangled bodies of babies frozen and stored in a variety of containers, including milk jugs, cat food cans, and even a cherry lime-ade container.

continue reading athttps://www.priestsforlife.org

Petition to Cardinal Dolan to Remove the Designation “Catholic” from the Catholic Health Association of the USA

The Petition

As per Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,"the Administration issued its final rule regarding the HHS mandate, which requires healthcare coverage for sterilization, contraception, and drugs and devices that may cause abortions....the statement United for Religious Freedom—issued by the U.S. bishops' Administrative Committee in March 2012, and affirmed by the entire body of bishops in June 2012—provides the framework for examining the final form of the HHS mandate.  That document identified three categories of religious freedom problems in the mandate—in short, problems with the 'religious employer' exemption; problems with the 'accommodation' for employers deemed not 'religious enough' for the exemption; and problems with the lack of any exemption or 'accommodation' for individuals and for-profit businesses.That is, we are concerned as pastors with the freedom of the Church as a whole—not just for the full range of its institutional forms, but also for the faithful in their daily lives—to carry out the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ....At this point,...our study has not discovered any new change that eliminates the need to continue defending our rights in Congress and the courts."

In defiance of the USCCB, Sister Carol Keehan's Catholic Health Association of the USA has proceeded with an "approval" of the mandate, effectively "throwing under the bus" any who struggle to be
faithful witnesses in the face of open assaults on conscience (See http://www.chausa.org/newsroom/women's-preventive-health-services-final-rule.).

Sign the petition here at http://www.ipetitions.com

"If we are to save truly Catholic healthcare in this country, we must amputate the rotting limbs immediately or risk losing the patient" (Pat Archbold, National Catholic Register, 7/12/13)

HISTORIC ABORTION CENTER CLOSURE ANNOUNCED

PRESS RELEASE

From David Bereit, National Director

40 Days for Life

Bryan/College Station, Texas -- The most significant abortion center closure -- in the 40 years of legalized abortion since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision

-- was made public today when Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Inc. announced that it was shutting down its abortion facility in Bryan/College Station, Texas after

fifteen tumultuous years in business.

In 2003, on the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, ABC's Nightline spotlighted pro-life efforts in Bryan/College Station and said the community was "shaping the abortion debate" in America. Since that time, the local Planned Parenthood abortion facility gained worldwide notoriety as:

* Site of the first-ever 40 Days for Life campaign in 2004, an effort that has since grown into a worldwide pro-life mobilization of 575,000 volunteers in 501 cities around the globe; saving 7,536 babies from abortion, closing 37 abortion centers, and helping 83 workers to quit their jobs in the abortion industry

* Place where former abortion center director and Planned Parenthood employee of the year Abby Johnson experienced a conversion, quit her job, and became an outspoken pro-life advocate, going on to found And Then There Were None, a new ministry which has since helped 60 other workers to leave the abortion industry over the last year

* Home of the Coalition for Life, the grassroots organization which Planned Parenthood credited for making the community "the most anti-choice place in the nation" in which Planned Parenthood experienced its "most consistent and active" opposition in the nation

David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life, said: "This is epic news fifteen years in the making! Thousands of dedicated community members have faithfully

prayed and held peaceful vigils outside this abortion center, offered hope and alternatives to turn away prospective Planned Parenthood customers, and educated

the community about the harm of Planned Parenthood. These efforts, combined with the decisive action of the Texas legislature, have finally brought about this

closure that is an answer to prayer."

Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life campaign director, said: "As the birthplace of 40 Days for Life and the place where Abby Johnson resigned after eight years working for America's largest abortion chain, this is a huge victory for the entire pro life movement! Peaceful and prayerful local opposition to abortion is ending

abortion from the grassroots up."

Bobby Reynoso, executive director of the Coalition for Life, said: "I was surprised when Abby Johnson walked through our doors back in 2009, but today I am not.

Victories like these should be expected when a community of faith stands up against the greatest injustice of the day. How little was my faith then, but today I'm reminded once again of how great a God we serve."

Abby Johnson, former Bryan/College Station Planned Parenthood abortion center director and founder of AndThen There Were None, said: "This is what grace truly

looks like. Knowing that the former abortion clinic I once ran is now closing is the biggest personal victory of my life. From running that facility, to then advocating

for its closure, and now celebrating that dream ... it shows that my life has indeed come full circle. I am honored to have worked with so many who helped with my

conversion and the closure of this facility. We will continue to fight until every abortion clinic in this country has shut its doors."

This news was also accompanied by announcements of closures of two other Texas Planned Parenthood centers -- in Huntsville and Lufkin -- both of which were sites

of 40 Days for Life campaigns.

God is AMAZING!!

OHIO GOVERNOR KASICH SIGNS 5 PRO-LIFE PROVISIONS INTO LAW

Governor Kasich deserves a lot of credit, along with Speaker Batchelder and Senate President Keith Faber and other members of the Ohio General Assembly who enacted 5 historical pro-life provisions in the 130th General Assembly Biennium Budget.

OCA President Chris Long made the following statement, "We commend Governor Kasich and members of the Ohio General Assembly for their leadership and initiative to enact these pro-life provisions. OCA has been surveying candidates for over two decades as to their position on the life issue. We specifically survey regarding the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and we are pleased to see meaningful legislation enacted that will restrict funding to the nation's number one abortion provider - Planned Parenthood.

The ultrasound provision along with the new health regulations for abortion clinics will go a long way to saving unborn innocent life in Ohio. Studies have shown that when women hear the heartbeat of their unborn child, they are more likely to carry the baby to term. Let us pray that these provisions have a strong impact to protect innocent human unborn life."

Here are the 5 pro-life provisions in the State of Ohio 2013 Biennium Budget:

 1. Defunding of Planned Parenthood. (OCA has surveyed candidates for years on the defunding of Planned Parenthood)

2.  New funding for crisis pregnancy centers. (Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Support Act)

3. Additional safety regulations for abortion facilities.

4. Public hospital ban on transfer agreements with abortion facilities.

5. Heartbeat informed consent requirement. Requires that all women must have an ultrasound detecting the unborn baby’s heartbeat.

 Ohio Christian Alliance is a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting Judeo-Christian values in American government. Ohio Christian Alliance does not endorse any particular candidate or political party. OCA provides educational materials, including voter guides and scorecards.

learn more about the Ohio Christian Alliance at http://ohioca.org/ 

Priests for Life asks Legal Group to Pose Questions to Medical Examiner re Gosnell Babies

Press Release from Father Frank Pavone

Philadelphia, PA -- In anticipation of the public prayer vigil that Priests for Life will hold in front of the Medical Examiner's office tomorrow morning, a letter is being sent this morning to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner by an attorney representing the Alliance Defending Freedom. The letter, sent at the request of Priests for Life and other leaders who have joined this effort, demands that the Medical Examiner's office tell the public what is being done with the bodies of the children discovered in Kermit Gosnell's clinic, and that the Medical Examiner release the bodies for a proper burial.

"We have made our request very public over the last few months; now we want public answers," explained Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, who had a widely-publicized service in May during which the babies were given names. "We intend to have a public funeral for these babies, and thousands of people have likewise expressed to the Medical Examiner their desire to see this happen. And they do not understand the reason for the delay."

The letter from Alliance Defending Freedom states in part:

"[T]he public must be told where the bodies currently are. This is particularly relevant where the unclaimed victims are related to such a public, notorious criminal prosecution, followed closely by the media in all respects….

"Proper burial is the right thing to do, for the human dignity of the babies themselves, for the healing of post-abortive women, and for the future and conscience of Philadelphia and the nation….This is what a civilized society does with its dead."

The letter has been sent also on behalf of the ministries that Priests for Life operates for the healing of those who have experienced abortion, that is, Rachel's Vineyard and the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. The letter goes on to state:

"Post-abortive women are often left with intense, unresolved grief even decades after their abortion. Just as anyone who has experienced a pregnancy loss, what little comfort is available often comes in the form of a memorial. Memorials following pregnancy loss are supported by the Obama Administration, the Mayo Clinic, and the March of Dimes, among others. Whole ministries are devoted to providing post-abortive women, men, and families with the memorial – and healing – they never had, and affirming their grief; these include Signatories Silent No More Awareness and Rachel’s Vineyard."

Tomorrow morning (Friday, July 19), a prayer vigil will be held in front of the Medical Examiner's office at 321 University Ave from 10 to 11am Eastern Time. The public is invited to participate. Connect with the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/566133280094581/. For additional information, and to pray in union with this event, see www.GosnellBabies.com.