Omaha, Neb., Oct 31, 2009 / 02:49 pm (CNA).- During a recent trip to Nigeria and Poland, a local doctor witnessed enthusiasm for the natural reproductive technology he created in Omaha. Dr. Thomas Hilgers, an obstetrician/gynecologist and director of the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, traveled to Lagos, Africa, and Lublin, Poland, in September to finish training more than a dozen physicians and medical professionals in NaProTECHNOLOGY. NaproTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology) is a women's health science that monitors and maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health.
Seven physicians in Lagos and eight in Lublin are now certified to serve as natural family planning medical consultants using the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, which was developed at the Pope Paul VI Institute.
It was the first time the institute took its medical consultant training beyond the U.S. border, although 97 practitioners are active in several foreign countries. These practitioners, however, all traveled to the United States to receive their training.
To date, the institute has trained more than 400 active FertilityCare practitioners.
NaProTECHNOLOGY provides medical and surgical treatments that works completely with the reproductive system.
"There was a lot of enthusiasm in both places," Hilgers said. "The doctors that we graduated in Africa and Poland are so excited about their new training and what they can do with NaProTECHNOLOGY."
The trip was part of an outreach to medical professionals in parts of the world that haven't been exposed to the institute's work. For years, the institute has trained educators from other parts of the world to adopt and teach its programs, including the Creighton Model FertilityCare education programs.
"We embarked on this recent trip because of the inability of doctors in Lagos and Lublin to come to the United States for training," Hilgers said.
The women's science uses the FertilityCare System to monitor the occurrence of hormonal events during the menstrual cycle, and provides information that can be interpreted by a woman and physicians specifically trained in the system.
The science works with the procreative and gynecologic systems. When these systems function abnormally, NaProTECHNOLOGY identifies the problems and works with the menstrual and fertility cycles that correct the condition and sustain the procreative potential.
Hilgers said the visit to Poland was timely because of a debate in the Polish Parliament to make in vitro fertilization illegal. His science is being held as the alternative to the in vitro fertilization program, he said.
"IVF doesn't care what's wrong with you, but NaProTECHNOLOGY does," Hilgers said. "Although there is no cure for infertility yet, there can be a cure and it's important that we find one. The only way we're going to get there is through NaProTECHNOLOGY because we look at the underlying problems and we treat those."
In vitro fertilization is "one great big human experiment" that's been going on for 30 years, said Hilgers, a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Creighton University School of Medicine.
"We've had defective babies born as a result of it. We've had millions of embryos destroyed or lost as a result of it, and we have between 4,000 and 5,000 embryos stored in freezers because of it. There's also this move to do embryonic stem cell research and cloning because of it," he said. "We've never had a national debate over it, and I think that's pretty sad."
NaProTECHNOLOGY provides a different way of approaching things, and with it comes a different level of respect, he said.
"There needs to be a national debate on these issues because there are ways to do this that are more effective," Hilgers said. "With NaProTECHNOLOGY, the underlying causes get treated or at least the ones we know about, and that's really important."
This can be found at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17516
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Cardinal Cipriani reminds State of duty to protect life from moment of conception
The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, reminded the Peruvian State this week of its duty to protect human life, "because the human person is the center of all of society." During Mass celebrating the solemnity of the Lord of Miracles, Cardinal Cipriani reaffirmed that all life "is sacred from the first moment of conception" and that no person is the result of chance, but rather "the fruit of a thought of God." "Nobody has been born by chance," he exclaimed, "each one of us is the result of God's love."
Amidst debate in Peru on the legalization of abortion in cases of rape and fetal deformation as well as the morning-after pill, the cardinal said that the Peruvian people are "noble" and that the unborn do not deserve to be in danger in the womb, which ought to be a place of "warmth, tenderness, care and love."
Cardinal Cipriani urged Peruvians to draw close to the Lord and to leave behind the corruption and abuse of today's society. "the Holy Father Benedict XVI reminds us- following the example of John Paul II- that he who allows Christ in loses nothings, nothing that makes life free and beautiful. A friendship with the Lord of Miracles opens the doors of life," he said
The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, reminded the Peruvian State this week of it.
This can be found at Http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17528
Amidst debate in Peru on the legalization of abortion in cases of rape and fetal deformation as well as the morning-after pill, the cardinal said that the Peruvian people are "noble" and that the unborn do not deserve to be in danger in the womb, which ought to be a place of "warmth, tenderness, care and love."
Cardinal Cipriani urged Peruvians to draw close to the Lord and to leave behind the corruption and abuse of today's society. "the Holy Father Benedict XVI reminds us- following the example of John Paul II- that he who allows Christ in loses nothings, nothing that makes life free and beautiful. A friendship with the Lord of Miracles opens the doors of life," he said
The Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, reminded the Peruvian State this week of it.
This can be found at Http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17528
Monday, October 26, 2009
African Synod concludes discussion, endorses 57 propositions
The Synod of Bishops for Africa concluded its deliberations on Saturday, October 24, voting to approve 57 propositions to be presented to Pope Benedict XVI as the basis for an apostolic exhortation.
At the final meeting of the Synod assembly, Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal, speaking for the Synod members, thanked the Pontiff for his "paternal concern, respect and diligence." Pope Benedict in turn praised the Synod delegates for rising to the challenge posed by their topic. He observed that in discussing the often difficult conditions facing the peoples of Africa, "the temptation could have been to politicize the them, to speak less as pastors and more as politicians, and thus in a sphere which is not our own." A companion danger, he added, was "precisely in order to escape this temptation, we should retreat into a purely spiritual world, an abstract, beautiful but unrealistic world."
On Sunday, Pope Benedict presided at a Mass in St. Peter's basilica to mark the form closing of the Synod. In his homily the Pontiff said: "The reconciled Church is a powerful leaven of reconciliation in single countries and in the whole African continent." He exhorted the African bishops who had participated in the assembly: "Start down the road of new evangelization with the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit."
Among the propositions endorsed by the assembly, the Synod issued:
- a "heartfelt appeal to all those who are at war" to stop the bloodshed, and to those responsible to stop all activities that destabilize the societies of Africa;
- a clear rejection of the "unacceptable" Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol, which "trivializes the seriousness of the crime of abortion and devalues the role of childbearing," and a plea to the people of Africa generally to protect marriage, the family, and life against "the ideology of divorce and a new relativistic ethic;"
- a statement of concern for the 15 million migrants living in Africa-- some in their own countries, others in new lands;
- a condemnation of "all acts of violence against women, such as the battering of wives, the disinheritance of daughters, the oppression of widows in the name of tradition, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and several other abuses such as sex slavery and sex tourism;"
- a call for justice and fair treatment for those afflicted with AIDS, an end to discrimination against AIDS victims, and the provision of medicines that are available in the Western world.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4411
At the final meeting of the Synod assembly, Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal, speaking for the Synod members, thanked the Pontiff for his "paternal concern, respect and diligence." Pope Benedict in turn praised the Synod delegates for rising to the challenge posed by their topic. He observed that in discussing the often difficult conditions facing the peoples of Africa, "the temptation could have been to politicize the them, to speak less as pastors and more as politicians, and thus in a sphere which is not our own." A companion danger, he added, was "precisely in order to escape this temptation, we should retreat into a purely spiritual world, an abstract, beautiful but unrealistic world."
On Sunday, Pope Benedict presided at a Mass in St. Peter's basilica to mark the form closing of the Synod. In his homily the Pontiff said: "The reconciled Church is a powerful leaven of reconciliation in single countries and in the whole African continent." He exhorted the African bishops who had participated in the assembly: "Start down the road of new evangelization with the courage that comes from the Holy Spirit."
Among the propositions endorsed by the assembly, the Synod issued:
- a "heartfelt appeal to all those who are at war" to stop the bloodshed, and to those responsible to stop all activities that destabilize the societies of Africa;
- a clear rejection of the "unacceptable" Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol, which "trivializes the seriousness of the crime of abortion and devalues the role of childbearing," and a plea to the people of Africa generally to protect marriage, the family, and life against "the ideology of divorce and a new relativistic ethic;"
- a statement of concern for the 15 million migrants living in Africa-- some in their own countries, others in new lands;
- a condemnation of "all acts of violence against women, such as the battering of wives, the disinheritance of daughters, the oppression of widows in the name of tradition, forced marriages, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and several other abuses such as sex slavery and sex tourism;"
- a call for justice and fair treatment for those afflicted with AIDS, an end to discrimination against AIDS victims, and the provision of medicines that are available in the Western world.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4411
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Constitutional Court in Peru admits abortifacient effect of morning-after pill
Lima, Peru, Oct 23, 2009 / 11:22 pm (CNA).- Peru’s Constitutional Court has ruled against the distribution of the “morning-after pill” at public health care facilities because the abortifacient effect of the drug has not been ruled out.
According to the public relations office of the Court, the justices hold that “the inexistence of the abortifacient effect, the inhibition of the implantation of the fertilized ovum in the endometrium, has not been demonstrated.”
The court accepted the arguments of various NGOs after evaluating the arguments presented by national and international institutions and found that supporters of the pill could not prove that it does not affect the right to life of the unborn, which is protected by the Peruvian Constitution.
The court's ruling bans the free distribution of the morning-after pill in public health care facilities, however the drug can still be sold in pharmacies as long as consumers are provided with information on the drug’s potential abortifacient nature.
According to Carlos Polo, director of the Office for Latin America of the Population Research Institute (PRI), the court “has acted correctly because it put things into proper perspective. The promoters and sellers of the pill needed to show that the anti-implantation effect did not exist and they could not do so.”
PRI is one the organizations cited in the court’s ruling.
“The ruling reproduces the complete texts of the literature that accompanies the drug in various countries where the anti-implantation effect is accepted. It cites the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is a point of reference for pharmacology worldwide. This simple affirmation is something the previous Ministers of Health simply refused to accept—starting with Pilar Mazzetti—for obvious ideological reasons and for the benefit of the pharmaceutical laboratory that owns the brand Postinor,” Polo said.
The ruling coincides with similar rulings in Ecuador, Argentina and recently in Chile,” he added
This can be found at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17478
According to the public relations office of the Court, the justices hold that “the inexistence of the abortifacient effect, the inhibition of the implantation of the fertilized ovum in the endometrium, has not been demonstrated.”
The court accepted the arguments of various NGOs after evaluating the arguments presented by national and international institutions and found that supporters of the pill could not prove that it does not affect the right to life of the unborn, which is protected by the Peruvian Constitution.
The court's ruling bans the free distribution of the morning-after pill in public health care facilities, however the drug can still be sold in pharmacies as long as consumers are provided with information on the drug’s potential abortifacient nature.
According to Carlos Polo, director of the Office for Latin America of the Population Research Institute (PRI), the court “has acted correctly because it put things into proper perspective. The promoters and sellers of the pill needed to show that the anti-implantation effect did not exist and they could not do so.”
PRI is one the organizations cited in the court’s ruling.
“The ruling reproduces the complete texts of the literature that accompanies the drug in various countries where the anti-implantation effect is accepted. It cites the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is a point of reference for pharmacology worldwide. This simple affirmation is something the previous Ministers of Health simply refused to accept—starting with Pilar Mazzetti—for obvious ideological reasons and for the benefit of the pharmaceutical laboratory that owns the brand Postinor,” Polo said.
The ruling coincides with similar rulings in Ecuador, Argentina and recently in Chile,” he added
This can be found at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17478
Friday, October 23, 2009
Clergy warn against human rights charter
Sydney's Cardinal George Pell led a delegation of about 20 church leaders to Canberra to raise concerns about a national charter of human rights, warning the Rudd government it could curtail religious freedoms and give judges the power to shape laws on issues such as gay marriage, said The Australian.
The leaders, representing major churches including the Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist and Pentecostal, warned that a charter of rights could restrict the ability to hire people of faith in churches, schools and welfare bodies.
Cardinal Pell said a charter of rights would be used against religious schools, hospitals and charities by other people who did not like religious freedom and thought it should not be a human right.
"If these protections are to be revised, it should be done by MPs answerable to the people, not by judges or human rights commissars," Cardinal Pell writes in The Australian today.
Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen did not attend the meeting with Attorney-General Robert McClelland on Wednesday because of a synod meeting but said he staunchly backed the delegation's views.
"We strongly support human rights, but we don't think a charter such as this is necessary or even effective in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable people in our community. It may in all likelihood make things worse, particularly in the area of religious freedom," he said.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis warned if rights such as the right to found a family were enshrined in a charter, as recommended, it could allow the courts to shape laws on issues such as gay marriage and adoption.
This can be found at: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=17249
The leaders, representing major churches including the Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist and Pentecostal, warned that a charter of rights could restrict the ability to hire people of faith in churches, schools and welfare bodies.
Cardinal Pell said a charter of rights would be used against religious schools, hospitals and charities by other people who did not like religious freedom and thought it should not be a human right.
"If these protections are to be revised, it should be done by MPs answerable to the people, not by judges or human rights commissars," Cardinal Pell writes in The Australian today.
Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen did not attend the meeting with Attorney-General Robert McClelland on Wednesday because of a synod meeting but said he staunchly backed the delegation's views.
"We strongly support human rights, but we don't think a charter such as this is necessary or even effective in protecting the rights of the most vulnerable people in our community. It may in all likelihood make things worse, particularly in the area of religious freedom," he said.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis warned if rights such as the right to found a family were enshrined in a charter, as recommended, it could allow the courts to shape laws on issues such as gay marriage and adoption.
This can be found at: http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=17249
The racial aspect of abortion
When we look at abortion and its statiscis, abortion is a racist institution. That's not to say that all of those who support abortion are racists. Looking at many of the founders and locations of where abortions take place there is a racial motive. It has everything to do with the simple, undeniable reality that in the United States, abortion kills minority children at more than 3 times the rate of non-Hispanic, white children.
According to the most recent census data, black women make up 12.3% of the female population in America, but account for 35% of all U.S. abortions – that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Guttmacher Institute (AGI) puts the percentage of black abortions at 37% of the U.S. total. Similarly, AGI tells us that Hispanic women account for 22% of all U.S. abortions, though they make up just 12.5% of the female population. Compare those numbers to non-Hispanic, white women, who make up 62.6% of America's female population, but account for only 34% of all U.S. abortions.
Looking at the location of the majority of Planned Parenthood's abortion clinics, they are located in communities with minority populations that exceed the city or state averages. This can merely be seen as an extension of the eugenic principles that seem to have driven Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, a founder who is documented as saying, "We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population." This statement, was written in a 1939 letter to a colleague. The facts of what abortion has done and how it is being used as a racial weapon is seen in its Statistics and what it has done to the culture.
According to the most recent census data, black women make up 12.3% of the female population in America, but account for 35% of all U.S. abortions – that according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The Guttmacher Institute (AGI) puts the percentage of black abortions at 37% of the U.S. total. Similarly, AGI tells us that Hispanic women account for 22% of all U.S. abortions, though they make up just 12.5% of the female population. Compare those numbers to non-Hispanic, white women, who make up 62.6% of America's female population, but account for only 34% of all U.S. abortions.
Looking at the location of the majority of Planned Parenthood's abortion clinics, they are located in communities with minority populations that exceed the city or state averages. This can merely be seen as an extension of the eugenic principles that seem to have driven Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, a founder who is documented as saying, "We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population." This statement, was written in a 1939 letter to a colleague. The facts of what abortion has done and how it is being used as a racial weapon is seen in its Statistics and what it has done to the culture.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Bill on 'hate crimes' ignores hatred towards traditional marriage backers, Tony Perkins says
Washington D.C., Oct 22, 2009 / 06:15 pm (CNA).- The advance of a bill that would create penalties to punish “hate crimes” comes at a time of increasing intolerance towards those who support the traditional definition of marriage and reject homosexual activism, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins noted on Wednesday, causing him to ask, “Where's the protection for them?”
In his e-mail newsletter, Perkins urged his readers to voice opposition to the hate crimes bill currently under consideration in the Senate, saying it was “not an inconsequential vote.”
“Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock-step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists,” he wrote, predicting that its backers will then turn to the Employment Non-discrimination Act, the repeal of the ban on open homosexuality in the military and the Defense of Marriage Act.
He reported that more than 100,000 people have signed a petition opposing the hate crimes measure as a violation of the First Amendment. The measure is attached to a military spending bill.
Perkins noted the threats and harassment supporters of traditional marriage face.
“We get reports almost daily from donors who have given to pro-marriage campaigns in the states and are being awakened in the middle of the night by harassing phone calls and death threats. Where's the protection for them? Where are those blowing the trumpet of tolerance?"
He recounted that Family Research Council Senior Vice President Tom McClusky recently received a threatening voicemail from someone complaining about “homophobic comments” and saying that being an “intolerant bigot” would cause a reaction.
“You reap what you sow and when you start spreadin' hate against other people, that's exactly what you're gonna get back. And, you know, who knows what effect that could have on you, or your family, or your office, you know, on G Street?” the caller continued, naming the Washington, D.C. street on which the Family Research Council’s offices are located.
“Uh, just a bit of advice for ya. You should really learn, really-stop bein' such a redneck piece of s**t,” the caller’s voicemail continued, according to Perkins.
“While Congress is busy giving preferential treatment to homosexuals, maybe it's time to point out the kind of calls we receive from the side of 'tolerance,'” Perkins said
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17470
In his e-mail newsletter, Perkins urged his readers to voice opposition to the hate crimes bill currently under consideration in the Senate, saying it was “not an inconsequential vote.”
“Expanding hate crimes puts America in lock-step with the stated agenda of homosexual activists,” he wrote, predicting that its backers will then turn to the Employment Non-discrimination Act, the repeal of the ban on open homosexuality in the military and the Defense of Marriage Act.
He reported that more than 100,000 people have signed a petition opposing the hate crimes measure as a violation of the First Amendment. The measure is attached to a military spending bill.
Perkins noted the threats and harassment supporters of traditional marriage face.
“We get reports almost daily from donors who have given to pro-marriage campaigns in the states and are being awakened in the middle of the night by harassing phone calls and death threats. Where's the protection for them? Where are those blowing the trumpet of tolerance?"
He recounted that Family Research Council Senior Vice President Tom McClusky recently received a threatening voicemail from someone complaining about “homophobic comments” and saying that being an “intolerant bigot” would cause a reaction.
“You reap what you sow and when you start spreadin' hate against other people, that's exactly what you're gonna get back. And, you know, who knows what effect that could have on you, or your family, or your office, you know, on G Street?” the caller continued, naming the Washington, D.C. street on which the Family Research Council’s offices are located.
“Uh, just a bit of advice for ya. You should really learn, really-stop bein' such a redneck piece of s**t,” the caller’s voicemail continued, according to Perkins.
“While Congress is busy giving preferential treatment to homosexuals, maybe it's time to point out the kind of calls we receive from the side of 'tolerance,'” Perkins said
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17470
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Archdiocese laments feminist praise for 30,000 legal abortions performed in Mexico City
Mexico City, Mexico, Oct 21, 2009 / 03:47 pm (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Mexico City has criticized the so-called “success” celebrated by abortion supporters in the country after it was announced that 30,000 abortions have been performed in the capital since the practice was legalized.
The archdiocesan newspaper, “Desde la Fe,” published the statistics that were released by the Mexico City Institute of Women.
“These figures were presented as a triumph for the rights of women against the ‘shadowy interests’ of ‘the right and of conservatives,” the newspaper said.
“What are these people celebrating this as a triumph?” the article questioned. “Nothing less than the annihilation of more than 30,000 human lives, with the medical, technical, legal and economic support of the Federal District’s government, where not only the Legislative Assembly, but also the head of the government and supposed defender of Human Rights have actively intervened to carry out this massacre, an embarrassment for our times.”
The newspaper also pointed out that “behind abortion there is a human tragedy that ought to concern us all. Behind abortion there is a true human problem that we must confront as a society and seek out humanitarian solutions, and not laws that take us back to the era of the caveman and promote social irresponsibility.”
A poll carried out by the Population Council reveals that the number of people who support the legalization of abortion has almost doubled. Six out of ten support it, while 83 percent said they thought the Mexico City law should be extended to the rest of the country
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17453
The archdiocesan newspaper, “Desde la Fe,” published the statistics that were released by the Mexico City Institute of Women.
“These figures were presented as a triumph for the rights of women against the ‘shadowy interests’ of ‘the right and of conservatives,” the newspaper said.
“What are these people celebrating this as a triumph?” the article questioned. “Nothing less than the annihilation of more than 30,000 human lives, with the medical, technical, legal and economic support of the Federal District’s government, where not only the Legislative Assembly, but also the head of the government and supposed defender of Human Rights have actively intervened to carry out this massacre, an embarrassment for our times.”
The newspaper also pointed out that “behind abortion there is a human tragedy that ought to concern us all. Behind abortion there is a true human problem that we must confront as a society and seek out humanitarian solutions, and not laws that take us back to the era of the caveman and promote social irresponsibility.”
A poll carried out by the Population Council reveals that the number of people who support the legalization of abortion has almost doubled. Six out of ten support it, while 83 percent said they thought the Mexico City law should be extended to the rest of the country
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17453
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Contraception question
Question: I know that the Church teaches that contraception is sinful, but surely abortion is a much worse sin, since it cuts off the life of a human being which has already been created by God. Should we not support contraception because it cuts down on abortion?
Answer: The idea that contraception helps cut down on abortion is promoted by every pro-abortion and population control group in the world. This is a concept that seems to make sense, since contraception is indeed designed to prevent pregnancies.
Of course, contraception would cut down on abortions if only two conditions were met — if the contraception worked perfectly, and if human beings were perfect as well.
These conditions will never be met considering the state of science and human nature.
When contraceptive manufacturers and promoters talk about their products, they always refer to the "method effectiveness rate," which is how well contraception works if it is used perfectly every time by perfectly healthy and perfectly attentive men and women. A more useful and honest measure is the "user effectiveness rate," sometimes called the "real-world effectiveness rate," which includes human error.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) does more than any other organization to spread abortion and contraception around the world. Its first Medical Director, Malcolm Potts, said that
As has been pointed out, those who use contraceptives are more likely than those who do not to resort to induced abortion. ... The epidemiological evidence that has been surveyed in this and preceding chapters points to the fact that induced abortion services are most needed by those adopting any form of fertility regulation. ... No developed country has brought down its birth rate without a considerable recourse to abortion and it appears unlikely that developing countries can ever hope to see any decline in their fertility without a massive resort to induced abortion — legal or illegal.1
As contraception use goes up, so does the demand for abortion, since contraception fails so often. In the United States, where all forms of modern contraception have been widely available for nearly half a century, nearly two-thirds of women obtaining abortions were using contraception when they became pregnant.2
It is also interesting to note that more than one hundred nations have legalized abortion to one extent or another — and every single one of them first legalized contraception, because the "family planners" and population controllers know full well that contraception use and failure will lead to demands for legalized abortion.
Perhaps the most direct way that contraception leads to abortion is that, when couples use it, they are consciously and deliberately closing themselves off to the gift of life. When their contraceptive method fails, as it so often does, they see the resulting child not as a gift from God, but as a "mistake," and thus feel that technology has let them down. They feel entitled to an abortion, since they had already made an effort to avoid having a child.
During this kind of discussion, we must absolutely not lose sight of the fact that the Catholic Church has always taught that the use of contraception is mortally sinful. Indeed, those couples who use it are generally unhappier than those couples who use natural family planning (NFP) and suffer a much higher divorce rate.3
As it has been said so often, "God always forgives, man sometimes forgives, but nature never forgives."
1. Malcolm Potts, Peter Diggory, and John Peel. Abortion [Cambridge University Press, 1977], pages 491, 496, 498 and 526.
2. Stanley K. Henshaw and Jennifer Van Vort. "Abortion Patients 1994 1995: Characteristics and Contraceptive Use." Family Planning Perspectives, July/August 1996, pages 140 to 143; Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Stanley K. Henshaw. "Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Women Having Abortions in 2000 2001." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, November/December 2002, pages 294 to 303.
3. The United States divorce rate among married couples using contraception is almost fifty percent. Several studies of NFP users show a divorce rate of anywhere from one percent to six percent [author's personal survey of fourteen large NFP teaching groups and leaders in the United States].
See Chapter 21 in The Facts of Life on Human Life International's Library Compact Disc, "Contraception," for a more detailed scientific explanation of the various types of contraception, and for the history of the Catholic Church's teachings on it.
This can be found in the Seminarian Black Book by HLI
Answer: The idea that contraception helps cut down on abortion is promoted by every pro-abortion and population control group in the world. This is a concept that seems to make sense, since contraception is indeed designed to prevent pregnancies.
Of course, contraception would cut down on abortions if only two conditions were met — if the contraception worked perfectly, and if human beings were perfect as well.
These conditions will never be met considering the state of science and human nature.
When contraceptive manufacturers and promoters talk about their products, they always refer to the "method effectiveness rate," which is how well contraception works if it is used perfectly every time by perfectly healthy and perfectly attentive men and women. A more useful and honest measure is the "user effectiveness rate," sometimes called the "real-world effectiveness rate," which includes human error.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) does more than any other organization to spread abortion and contraception around the world. Its first Medical Director, Malcolm Potts, said that
As has been pointed out, those who use contraceptives are more likely than those who do not to resort to induced abortion. ... The epidemiological evidence that has been surveyed in this and preceding chapters points to the fact that induced abortion services are most needed by those adopting any form of fertility regulation. ... No developed country has brought down its birth rate without a considerable recourse to abortion and it appears unlikely that developing countries can ever hope to see any decline in their fertility without a massive resort to induced abortion — legal or illegal.1
As contraception use goes up, so does the demand for abortion, since contraception fails so often. In the United States, where all forms of modern contraception have been widely available for nearly half a century, nearly two-thirds of women obtaining abortions were using contraception when they became pregnant.2
It is also interesting to note that more than one hundred nations have legalized abortion to one extent or another — and every single one of them first legalized contraception, because the "family planners" and population controllers know full well that contraception use and failure will lead to demands for legalized abortion.
Perhaps the most direct way that contraception leads to abortion is that, when couples use it, they are consciously and deliberately closing themselves off to the gift of life. When their contraceptive method fails, as it so often does, they see the resulting child not as a gift from God, but as a "mistake," and thus feel that technology has let them down. They feel entitled to an abortion, since they had already made an effort to avoid having a child.
During this kind of discussion, we must absolutely not lose sight of the fact that the Catholic Church has always taught that the use of contraception is mortally sinful. Indeed, those couples who use it are generally unhappier than those couples who use natural family planning (NFP) and suffer a much higher divorce rate.3
As it has been said so often, "God always forgives, man sometimes forgives, but nature never forgives."
1. Malcolm Potts, Peter Diggory, and John Peel. Abortion [Cambridge University Press, 1977], pages 491, 496, 498 and 526.
2. Stanley K. Henshaw and Jennifer Van Vort. "Abortion Patients 1994 1995: Characteristics and Contraceptive Use." Family Planning Perspectives, July/August 1996, pages 140 to 143; Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch and Stanley K. Henshaw. "Contraceptive Use Among U.S. Women Having Abortions in 2000 2001." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, November/December 2002, pages 294 to 303.
3. The United States divorce rate among married couples using contraception is almost fifty percent. Several studies of NFP users show a divorce rate of anywhere from one percent to six percent [author's personal survey of fourteen large NFP teaching groups and leaders in the United States].
See Chapter 21 in The Facts of Life on Human Life International's Library Compact Disc, "Contraception," for a more detailed scientific explanation of the various types of contraception, and for the history of the Catholic Church's teachings on it.
This can be found in the Seminarian Black Book by HLI
Monday, October 19, 2009
Argentineans reject pro-abortion farce in Tucuman and say yes to life
Tucuman, Argentina, Oct 19, 2009 / 08:06 pm (CNA).- The self-titled “National Meeting of Women,” which recently took place in Tucuman, Argentina, was not the exclusive domain of pro-abortion propaganda as in recent years, but this year was attended by a well-prepared group of women who spoke up in defense of life and against abortion.
In a report issued by the Christian Family Movement, analyst Eduardo Zavalia said the feminists who organized this event were shocked, as they had been accustomed to “doing and saying whatever they wanted and telling others what to say.” This year, he recounted, they were met with a group of women “firm in their values and large enough in numbers to be a majority in most of the workshops.”
“In some workshops, overcome by mere reason, abortion activists resorted to physically removing those who defended life,” the report said.
Even the usual violent and anti-Catholic march organized by abortion supporters was detoured this year in order to avoid passing in front of the cathedral where they usually harassed the faithful.
Zavalia also noted that abortion supporters failed in their bid to have Buenos Aires chosen as the site of the next gathering, as pro-lifers were able to persuade organizers to hold next year’s meeting in the city of Parana.
The final statement of this year’s meeting, which appeared to have been drafted ahead of time, was also extensively modified by pro-life attendees.
“They had everything arranged so that only the pro-abortion conclusions would be read, as they had decided to ‘remove’ opposing conclusions. Moreover, and unfortunately of course, many conclusions appeared to have been written beforehand,” Zavalia explained.
The Christian Family Movement said that the pro-abortion feminists also failed in their attempts to control the final statement “because the courageous women from Tucuman had photocopies. Then they tried to use the childish tactic of controlling the PA system, shutting off the mics when convenient. But this was quickly overcome.”
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17428
In a report issued by the Christian Family Movement, analyst Eduardo Zavalia said the feminists who organized this event were shocked, as they had been accustomed to “doing and saying whatever they wanted and telling others what to say.” This year, he recounted, they were met with a group of women “firm in their values and large enough in numbers to be a majority in most of the workshops.”
“In some workshops, overcome by mere reason, abortion activists resorted to physically removing those who defended life,” the report said.
Even the usual violent and anti-Catholic march organized by abortion supporters was detoured this year in order to avoid passing in front of the cathedral where they usually harassed the faithful.
Zavalia also noted that abortion supporters failed in their bid to have Buenos Aires chosen as the site of the next gathering, as pro-lifers were able to persuade organizers to hold next year’s meeting in the city of Parana.
The final statement of this year’s meeting, which appeared to have been drafted ahead of time, was also extensively modified by pro-life attendees.
“They had everything arranged so that only the pro-abortion conclusions would be read, as they had decided to ‘remove’ opposing conclusions. Moreover, and unfortunately of course, many conclusions appeared to have been written beforehand,” Zavalia explained.
The Christian Family Movement said that the pro-abortion feminists also failed in their attempts to control the final statement “because the courageous women from Tucuman had photocopies. Then they tried to use the childish tactic of controlling the PA system, shutting off the mics when convenient. But this was quickly overcome.”
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17428
Pope: Christian Values Should Mould European Civilization
VATICAN CITY (VIS) - Monday morning the Holy Father received the Letters of Credence of Yves Gazzo, head of the delegation to the Holy See of the Commission of the European Communities.
In his address, the Pope referred to the values of the European Union which, he said, "are the fruit of a long and complex history in which, it cannot be denied, Christianity has played a primordial role. The equal dignity of all human beings, the freedom of expression of faith as the basis of all other civil liberties, peace as a decisive element of the common good, human development (intellectual, social and economic) as a divine vocation and the sense of history deriving therefrom, are all central elements of the Christian revelation that continues to mould European
civilisation".
"When the Church mentions the Christian roots of Europe", the Holy Father went on, "she does not seek a privileged status for herself. She wishes to enact historical memory, first and foremost by recalling a truth which is suffering ever greater neglect: the decisively Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the European Union".
Furthermore, "she wishes to make it clear that the legacy of values comes chiefly from Christian heritage, which continues to nourish Europe today"."These values are not some anarchic or random assembly, rather they form a coherent whole which is historically ordered and regimented on the basis of a precise view of mankind".
The Holy Father then went on to highlight the risk of such values being "manipulated by individuals and pressure groups who seek to make their particular interests prevail to the detriment of an ambitious collective project, which is what Europeans hope to see and which aims at the common good of all inhabitants of the continent, and of the whole world".
"It is important", he went on, "that Europe does not allow her model of civilisation to fray, thread by thread. Her generosity must not be stifled by individualism or utilitarianism. The immense intellectual, cultural, economic riches of the continent will continue to bear fruit so long as they are nourished by a transcendental view of human beings, which is the greatest treasure of European heritage".
"This mainly involves the search for a just and delicate balance between economic efficiency and social needs, the protection of the environment and, above all, the indispensable and necessary support for human life from conception to natural death, and for the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman".
Europe will not truly be itself, said the Holy Father, "if she does not conserve the originality which constitutes her greatness and which tomorrow may make her one of the main players in promoting the integral development of peoples, something the Catholic Church considers as being the only possible way to remedy the imbalances of our world".
Benedict XVI assured the new head of delegation that the Holy See "follows the activities of European institutions with great respect and attention,and hopes that, with their work and creativity, they may honour Europe which, more than a continent, is a 'spiritual home'".
"The Church", he concluded, "wishes to 'accompany' the construction of European unity. For this reason she takes the liberty of recalling the fundamental and constituent values of European society, that they may be promoted for the good of everyone".
In his address, the Pope referred to the values of the European Union which, he said, "are the fruit of a long and complex history in which, it cannot be denied, Christianity has played a primordial role. The equal dignity of all human beings, the freedom of expression of faith as the basis of all other civil liberties, peace as a decisive element of the common good, human development (intellectual, social and economic) as a divine vocation and the sense of history deriving therefrom, are all central elements of the Christian revelation that continues to mould European
civilisation".
"When the Church mentions the Christian roots of Europe", the Holy Father went on, "she does not seek a privileged status for herself. She wishes to enact historical memory, first and foremost by recalling a truth which is suffering ever greater neglect: the decisively Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the European Union".
Furthermore, "she wishes to make it clear that the legacy of values comes chiefly from Christian heritage, which continues to nourish Europe today"."These values are not some anarchic or random assembly, rather they form a coherent whole which is historically ordered and regimented on the basis of a precise view of mankind".
The Holy Father then went on to highlight the risk of such values being "manipulated by individuals and pressure groups who seek to make their particular interests prevail to the detriment of an ambitious collective project, which is what Europeans hope to see and which aims at the common good of all inhabitants of the continent, and of the whole world".
"It is important", he went on, "that Europe does not allow her model of civilisation to fray, thread by thread. Her generosity must not be stifled by individualism or utilitarianism. The immense intellectual, cultural, economic riches of the continent will continue to bear fruit so long as they are nourished by a transcendental view of human beings, which is the greatest treasure of European heritage".
"This mainly involves the search for a just and delicate balance between economic efficiency and social needs, the protection of the environment and, above all, the indispensable and necessary support for human life from conception to natural death, and for the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman".
Europe will not truly be itself, said the Holy Father, "if she does not conserve the originality which constitutes her greatness and which tomorrow may make her one of the main players in promoting the integral development of peoples, something the Catholic Church considers as being the only possible way to remedy the imbalances of our world".
Benedict XVI assured the new head of delegation that the Holy See "follows the activities of European institutions with great respect and attention,and hopes that, with their work and creativity, they may honour Europe which, more than a continent, is a 'spiritual home'".
"The Church", he concluded, "wishes to 'accompany' the construction of European unity. For this reason she takes the liberty of recalling the fundamental and constituent values of European society, that they may be promoted for the good of everyone".
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Archbishop Chaput: God will ‘demand an accounting’ from those who neglect the unwanted
Phoenix, Ariz., Oct 16, 2009 / 09:20 pm (CNA).- God will “demand an accounting” from Catholics and from societies who fail to welcome the poor, the weak and the unwanted unborn, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput told a Catholic doctors’ group in Phoenix on Friday. Each of these people is “an icon of God’s face and a vessel of his love,” he said.
The Archbishop of Denver urged the Phoenix Catholic Physicians’ Guild not to be among those who refuse to defend the sanctity of life or those who abuse the freedoms given to them by God and their forerunners. He illustrated his concerns with a lengthy discussion about American society’s treatment of the physically disabled, especially those with Down syndrome.
“Currently about 5,000 children with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year,” the archbishop said. “They join a national Down syndrome population of roughly 400,000 persons. But that population may soon dwindle.”
He lamented the use of prenatal testing to encourage women to abort children whose tests show an increased likelihood of genetic disorders. He quoted a British medical school professor who noted the risk of false positives in such tests and blamed them for “causing the death of normal babies.”
“Those words sound almost humane – until we realize that, at least for the med school professor, killing ‘abnormal’ babies like those with Down syndrome is perfectly acceptable,” Archbishop Chaput commented.
He also described how his friends who are parents of the seriously disabled have responded to their children.
“None of my friends who has a daughter or son with a serious disability is melodramatic, or self-conscious, or even especially pious about it,” he added, explaining that they speak about their child with an “unsentimental realism” that flows out of real love.
This love is “the kind that courses its way through fear and suffering to a decision, finally, to surround the child with their heart and trust in the goodness of God. And that decision to trust, of course, demands not just real love, but also real courage.”
The archbishop suggested that such love, or its lack, proves the true nature of individuals and the true state of society.
“Every child with Down syndrome, every adult with special needs; in fact, every unwanted unborn child, every person who is poor, weak, abandoned or homeless – each one of these persons is an icon of God’s face and a vessel of his love. How we treat these persons – whether we revere them and welcome them, or throw them away in distaste – shows what we really believe about human dignity, both as individuals and as a nation.”
Because God will “demand an accounting,” Archbishop Chaput warned, Catholic public officials cannot support laws that attack human dignity without lying to themselves, misleading others, and “abusing the faith” of Catholics. Doctors who are Catholic cannot support procedures or policies that attack the sanctity of the unborn or the elderly or that undermine the dignity of human sexuality and the family.
Further, Catholic citizens “cannot claim to love their Church, and then ignore her counsel on vital public issues that shape our nation’s life,” the Archbishop of Denver said.
Archbishop Chaput also criticized the “compulsively” misleading nature of marketing and entertainment, which misrepresents the sustainability of youth, the indignity of old age, the avoidance of suffering, the denial of death, the impermanence of human life, the dysfunctions of family, and the place of virtue and religious faith.
“It’s a culture of fantasy, selfishness and illness that we’ve brought upon ourselves. And we’ve done it by misusing the freedom that other -- and greater -- generations than our own worked for, bled for and bequeathed to our safe-keeping.
“What have we done with that freedom? In whose service do we use it now?” he asked.
The archbishop noted the dependence of the United States upon a moral people shaped by their religious, particularly Christian faith.
“Without that living faith, animating its people and informing its public life, America becomes something alien and hostile to the very ideals it was founded on,” he warned.
He praised the Phoenix Catholic Physicians’ Guild members for serving the “sacred vocation” of the medical profession.
“That vocation of healing comes from Jesus Christ himself. I don’t mean just curing people’s aches and pains, although physical healing is so very important. I mean the kind of healing that comes when a suffering person is understood and loved, and knows that she’s understood and loved.”
“The task you need to take home with you tonight is this. Be the best doctors, nurses and medical professionals you can be. Your skill gives glory to God. But be the best Catholics you can be first. Pour your love for Jesus Christ into the healing you do for every person you serve.”
He encouraged his audience to love the Church and defend her teachings while trusting in God, believing the Gospel, and refusing to be afraid.
“Changing the course of American culture seems like such a huge task; so far beyond the reach of this little gathering tonight. But St. Paul felt exactly the same way.
“Redeeming and converting a civilization has already been done once. It can be done again. But we need to understand that God is calling you and me to do it. He chose us. He calls us. He’s waiting, and now we need to answer him,” Archbishop Chaput emphasized, bringing his address to a close.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17422
The Archbishop of Denver urged the Phoenix Catholic Physicians’ Guild not to be among those who refuse to defend the sanctity of life or those who abuse the freedoms given to them by God and their forerunners. He illustrated his concerns with a lengthy discussion about American society’s treatment of the physically disabled, especially those with Down syndrome.
“Currently about 5,000 children with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year,” the archbishop said. “They join a national Down syndrome population of roughly 400,000 persons. But that population may soon dwindle.”
He lamented the use of prenatal testing to encourage women to abort children whose tests show an increased likelihood of genetic disorders. He quoted a British medical school professor who noted the risk of false positives in such tests and blamed them for “causing the death of normal babies.”
“Those words sound almost humane – until we realize that, at least for the med school professor, killing ‘abnormal’ babies like those with Down syndrome is perfectly acceptable,” Archbishop Chaput commented.
He also described how his friends who are parents of the seriously disabled have responded to their children.
“None of my friends who has a daughter or son with a serious disability is melodramatic, or self-conscious, or even especially pious about it,” he added, explaining that they speak about their child with an “unsentimental realism” that flows out of real love.
This love is “the kind that courses its way through fear and suffering to a decision, finally, to surround the child with their heart and trust in the goodness of God. And that decision to trust, of course, demands not just real love, but also real courage.”
The archbishop suggested that such love, or its lack, proves the true nature of individuals and the true state of society.
“Every child with Down syndrome, every adult with special needs; in fact, every unwanted unborn child, every person who is poor, weak, abandoned or homeless – each one of these persons is an icon of God’s face and a vessel of his love. How we treat these persons – whether we revere them and welcome them, or throw them away in distaste – shows what we really believe about human dignity, both as individuals and as a nation.”
Because God will “demand an accounting,” Archbishop Chaput warned, Catholic public officials cannot support laws that attack human dignity without lying to themselves, misleading others, and “abusing the faith” of Catholics. Doctors who are Catholic cannot support procedures or policies that attack the sanctity of the unborn or the elderly or that undermine the dignity of human sexuality and the family.
Further, Catholic citizens “cannot claim to love their Church, and then ignore her counsel on vital public issues that shape our nation’s life,” the Archbishop of Denver said.
Archbishop Chaput also criticized the “compulsively” misleading nature of marketing and entertainment, which misrepresents the sustainability of youth, the indignity of old age, the avoidance of suffering, the denial of death, the impermanence of human life, the dysfunctions of family, and the place of virtue and religious faith.
“It’s a culture of fantasy, selfishness and illness that we’ve brought upon ourselves. And we’ve done it by misusing the freedom that other -- and greater -- generations than our own worked for, bled for and bequeathed to our safe-keeping.
“What have we done with that freedom? In whose service do we use it now?” he asked.
The archbishop noted the dependence of the United States upon a moral people shaped by their religious, particularly Christian faith.
“Without that living faith, animating its people and informing its public life, America becomes something alien and hostile to the very ideals it was founded on,” he warned.
He praised the Phoenix Catholic Physicians’ Guild members for serving the “sacred vocation” of the medical profession.
“That vocation of healing comes from Jesus Christ himself. I don’t mean just curing people’s aches and pains, although physical healing is so very important. I mean the kind of healing that comes when a suffering person is understood and loved, and knows that she’s understood and loved.”
“The task you need to take home with you tonight is this. Be the best doctors, nurses and medical professionals you can be. Your skill gives glory to God. But be the best Catholics you can be first. Pour your love for Jesus Christ into the healing you do for every person you serve.”
He encouraged his audience to love the Church and defend her teachings while trusting in God, believing the Gospel, and refusing to be afraid.
“Changing the course of American culture seems like such a huge task; so far beyond the reach of this little gathering tonight. But St. Paul felt exactly the same way.
“Redeeming and converting a civilization has already been done once. It can be done again. But we need to understand that God is calling you and me to do it. He chose us. He calls us. He’s waiting, and now we need to answer him,” Archbishop Chaput emphasized, bringing his address to a close.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17422
Friday, October 16, 2009
Bishop: Europe Terminally ill because of Abortion
With the legalization of abortion,'a true ecological disaster' has been unleashed in Europe and will turn it into 'a continent of death.'
Madrid, Spain (CNA) - Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Tarazona, Spain voiced his support this week for the October 17 March for Life in Madrid and warned that with the legalization of abortion, “a true ecological disaster” has been unleashed in Europe and will turn it into “a continent of death.”
“This is a true ecological disaster, which affects the unborn child, the mother who has conceived him, the different people involved in the issue (the baby’s father, the grandparents, health care workers, etc.) and all of society that will suffer from the negative impact of this ecological disaster,” the bishop said in a pastoral letter.
He pointed out that since the legalization of abortion, “some 50 million children were not born, who would today be 50 million young people,” which Europe needs desperately as the population “is prematurely aging and is dying of sadness and despair.”
The bishop warned that the Spanish government’s new law on abortion would “multiply the number of those who are not going to be born,” since it would make abortion a right protected by a false freedom and would lead to women doing “violence against their own bodies.”
“Psychologically, each one of these mothers will be wounded for life. They will succeed in removing ‘something’ from their wombs that today they find bothersome, but will not remove the crime they commit from their minds and hearts. I know many women who cannot forgive themselves for having committed such an atrocity in their lives and who need to be consoled with the mercy of God,” Bishop Fernandez said.
He warned that with the new law women would pay the price for situations in which perhaps they are the least to blame. “Once again, the feminist cry for freedom for the dignity of women is drowned out by dispositions to turn them into simple objects of passing and irresponsible pleasure.”
For this reason, the bishop encouraged Spaniards to participate in the October 17 march for life. “Let us fight for life. Life is the future of man, never death. Let us support women in difficulty, giving them the means to assume the precious task of new motherhood,” he said.
This can be found at: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=34646&wf=rsscol
Madrid, Spain (CNA) - Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Tarazona, Spain voiced his support this week for the October 17 March for Life in Madrid and warned that with the legalization of abortion, “a true ecological disaster” has been unleashed in Europe and will turn it into “a continent of death.”
“This is a true ecological disaster, which affects the unborn child, the mother who has conceived him, the different people involved in the issue (the baby’s father, the grandparents, health care workers, etc.) and all of society that will suffer from the negative impact of this ecological disaster,” the bishop said in a pastoral letter.
He pointed out that since the legalization of abortion, “some 50 million children were not born, who would today be 50 million young people,” which Europe needs desperately as the population “is prematurely aging and is dying of sadness and despair.”
The bishop warned that the Spanish government’s new law on abortion would “multiply the number of those who are not going to be born,” since it would make abortion a right protected by a false freedom and would lead to women doing “violence against their own bodies.”
“Psychologically, each one of these mothers will be wounded for life. They will succeed in removing ‘something’ from their wombs that today they find bothersome, but will not remove the crime they commit from their minds and hearts. I know many women who cannot forgive themselves for having committed such an atrocity in their lives and who need to be consoled with the mercy of God,” Bishop Fernandez said.
He warned that with the new law women would pay the price for situations in which perhaps they are the least to blame. “Once again, the feminist cry for freedom for the dignity of women is drowned out by dispositions to turn them into simple objects of passing and irresponsible pleasure.”
For this reason, the bishop encouraged Spaniards to participate in the October 17 march for life. “Let us fight for life. Life is the future of man, never death. Let us support women in difficulty, giving them the means to assume the precious task of new motherhood,” he said.
This can be found at: http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=34646&wf=rsscol
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Former Minister of Health rebuffs feminist arguments for abortion in Peru
Lima, Peru, Oct 15, 2009 / 05:15 pm (CNA).- Peru’s former Minister of Health, Luis Solari, last week rebuffed the arguments of feminist organizations that are pushing for the legalization of abortion in the country. In his response, Solari lamented that these groups are encouraging women, whom they supposedly defend, “to kill their own children.”
During a televised debate on October 11, Solari confronted Gina Yanez, director of the Manuela Ramos feminist group, which is pushing for the legalization of abortion in Peru.
He explained that many of these organizations are receiving foreign money in order to promote abortion in the South American country, and that the feminists' claims that 400,000 clandestine abortions took place in the country last year are false.
Solari said that in 1994, reports showed that “there were 54,000 abortions in Peru, and they multiplied that by five, and in 2006 they multiplied it by seven. On the basis of what?” he asked.
“I was Minister of Health and I looked up these figures. The figures that appear in this official deception do not exist anywhere in the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Referring later to eugenic abortion, Solari explained that in other countries this is the pretext used to detect the presence of Down’s Syndrome in babies in order to have them aborted.
Addressing Yanez, Solari pointed out that she has publicly stated that introducing abortion in cases of rape or deformation “is the first step towards decriminalizing abortion because that is what this woman’s organization sponsors all over the place.”
After noting that it is immoral to promote the death of an unborn child, Solari reminded Yanez that her organization “receives foreign aid,” from countries that do not ascribe to all of the laws in Peru that defend the unborn. Yanez responded by saying, “That has nothing to do with it!”
“It has everything to do with it,” Solari countered, “because your organization is receiving money from countries that do not have these laws. Why are these countries encouraging us to abort our people? Let them keep aborting in their own countries, although I am against that as well,” he said.
“We must be clear. Peru belongs to the Peruvians. The rights of women contain duties, all rights have duties. The right of a mother includes the duty to defend the life of her child,” Solari said.
“I cannot comprehend how there can be women (like those of the Manuela Ramos organization) who encourage other women to kill their own children,” he added
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17403
During a televised debate on October 11, Solari confronted Gina Yanez, director of the Manuela Ramos feminist group, which is pushing for the legalization of abortion in Peru.
He explained that many of these organizations are receiving foreign money in order to promote abortion in the South American country, and that the feminists' claims that 400,000 clandestine abortions took place in the country last year are false.
Solari said that in 1994, reports showed that “there were 54,000 abortions in Peru, and they multiplied that by five, and in 2006 they multiplied it by seven. On the basis of what?” he asked.
“I was Minister of Health and I looked up these figures. The figures that appear in this official deception do not exist anywhere in the Ministry of Health,” he said.
Referring later to eugenic abortion, Solari explained that in other countries this is the pretext used to detect the presence of Down’s Syndrome in babies in order to have them aborted.
Addressing Yanez, Solari pointed out that she has publicly stated that introducing abortion in cases of rape or deformation “is the first step towards decriminalizing abortion because that is what this woman’s organization sponsors all over the place.”
After noting that it is immoral to promote the death of an unborn child, Solari reminded Yanez that her organization “receives foreign aid,” from countries that do not ascribe to all of the laws in Peru that defend the unborn. Yanez responded by saying, “That has nothing to do with it!”
“It has everything to do with it,” Solari countered, “because your organization is receiving money from countries that do not have these laws. Why are these countries encouraging us to abort our people? Let them keep aborting in their own countries, although I am against that as well,” he said.
“We must be clear. Peru belongs to the Peruvians. The rights of women contain duties, all rights have duties. The right of a mother includes the duty to defend the life of her child,” Solari said.
“I cannot comprehend how there can be women (like those of the Manuela Ramos organization) who encourage other women to kill their own children,” he added
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17403
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Finland's New Catholic Bishop Warns of Rift if Finnish Lutherans Bless Same-Sex Unions
HELSINKI, Finland, October 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Finland's Catholic Bishop, Teemu Sippo, has warned that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) would risk hurting their relationship with the country's Catholic Church should they choose to bless same-sex marriages, reports the Finnish broadcasting company YLE.
Bishop Sippo, 62, a member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, was ordained Bishop of Helsinki in September and is the first Finnish-born Catholic bishop since the Reformation. The entire country comprises one diocese, with about 10,000 Catholics. Approximately 80% of the estimated 5.3 million residents are classified as Lutheran.
While the ELCF currently does not allow the blessing of same-sex unions, Bishop Sippo is worried that they will follow the practice of the Swedish Lutheran Church, which already blesses same-sex "marriages" and is now considering celebrating "weddings."
In March, the ELCF Bishops' Conference's working group on same-sex "marriage" issued their report, which recommended against a ceremonial rite for blessing state-registered same-sex unions. At the same time, they recommended that a blessing could be implemented akin to the blessing of a home.
"The Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex couples," said Bishop Sippo, affirming the Church's teaching that marriage is a sacrament. "It doesn't view it as morally acceptable. ... Everything that happens in Sweden usually reaches Finland sooner or later."
The Bishop also spoke out, says YLE, against the practice of passing out free condoms to youth. "Handing out condoms is like telling people to use them," he said. "I believe youths should instead be encouraged to practice abstinence."
This can be found at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101314.html
Bishop Sippo, 62, a member of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, was ordained Bishop of Helsinki in September and is the first Finnish-born Catholic bishop since the Reformation. The entire country comprises one diocese, with about 10,000 Catholics. Approximately 80% of the estimated 5.3 million residents are classified as Lutheran.
While the ELCF currently does not allow the blessing of same-sex unions, Bishop Sippo is worried that they will follow the practice of the Swedish Lutheran Church, which already blesses same-sex "marriages" and is now considering celebrating "weddings."
In March, the ELCF Bishops' Conference's working group on same-sex "marriage" issued their report, which recommended against a ceremonial rite for blessing state-registered same-sex unions. At the same time, they recommended that a blessing could be implemented akin to the blessing of a home.
"The Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex couples," said Bishop Sippo, affirming the Church's teaching that marriage is a sacrament. "It doesn't view it as morally acceptable. ... Everything that happens in Sweden usually reaches Finland sooner or later."
The Bishop also spoke out, says YLE, against the practice of passing out free condoms to youth. "Handing out condoms is like telling people to use them," he said. "I believe youths should instead be encouraged to practice abstinence."
This can be found at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101314.html
Monday, October 12, 2009
Vatican paper calls Nobel Prize for Obama 'premature,' highlights his abortion stance
ROME, (CNA) - The semi-official Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, has called the decision to award President Obama with the Nobel Peace Prize premature and more of an invitation to choose peace through politics. The award is also questionable because of his position on various bio-ethics issues, especially abortion.
The article points out that “the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama has taken everyone somewhat by surprise, first and foremost the U.S. president himself.”
“During the last 90 years,” L'Osservatore noted, “the prize has never been awarded to a sitting U.S. president—when it was awarded to Jimmy Carter in 2002 he had been out of office already for some time—[but was] involved in politics and susceptible, therefore, to making a range of decisions related to peace.”
Perhaps for this reason, the newspaper said, “Analysts have almost unanimously interpreted his selection as a way of pressuring Obama to make pacifist choices as his administration continues forward.”
L'Osservatore also questioned the administratoion's actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that the decisions seem aimed at trying to find a middle way between “fidelity to the pacifist statements made during the campaign season and a more realistic policy, which some have defined as a continuation of that of the ‘warmonger’ Bush.”
This back-and-forth policy, the paper observed, is very similar to the approach that Obama has taken to “the great bioethics issues, with abortion being first and foremost.” His way of doing things has generated great controversy among Catholics in the country, the daily added.
The Vatican newspaper also brought to mind Mother Teresa being honored with the Peace Prize in 1979, and said, “Obama ought to recall that in 1979 he was preceded by Mother Teresa, who had the courage to state in her acceptance speech that the harshest war with the greatest number of ‘fallen’ is the practice of abortion, legalized and facilitated as well by the international structures.”
Pointing out an inconsistency, L'Osservatore noted that Pope John Paul II was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for year but was never chosen for the award, not even in 2003 “after his condemnation of the war in Iraq.”
“Pope Wojtyla was considered by the members of the committee as too ‘conservative’ in other areas, and they feared that awarding it to him would been seen as favoring the Catholic Church over other religions. Their fears were evidently overcome in the much more controversial case of the selection of Obama,” the Vatican daily said, noting that the selection process has become mired in being politically correct.
Nevertheless, the article concluded, “at the same time, as the director of the Holy See’s Press Office has stated, we cannot help but rejoice at the recognition of President Obama’s efforts at nuclear disarmament and his personal disposition towards a policy that seeks peace more than the affirmation of U.S. power in the world.”
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17363
The article points out that “the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama has taken everyone somewhat by surprise, first and foremost the U.S. president himself.”
“During the last 90 years,” L'Osservatore noted, “the prize has never been awarded to a sitting U.S. president—when it was awarded to Jimmy Carter in 2002 he had been out of office already for some time—[but was] involved in politics and susceptible, therefore, to making a range of decisions related to peace.”
Perhaps for this reason, the newspaper said, “Analysts have almost unanimously interpreted his selection as a way of pressuring Obama to make pacifist choices as his administration continues forward.”
L'Osservatore also questioned the administratoion's actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that the decisions seem aimed at trying to find a middle way between “fidelity to the pacifist statements made during the campaign season and a more realistic policy, which some have defined as a continuation of that of the ‘warmonger’ Bush.”
This back-and-forth policy, the paper observed, is very similar to the approach that Obama has taken to “the great bioethics issues, with abortion being first and foremost.” His way of doing things has generated great controversy among Catholics in the country, the daily added.
The Vatican newspaper also brought to mind Mother Teresa being honored with the Peace Prize in 1979, and said, “Obama ought to recall that in 1979 he was preceded by Mother Teresa, who had the courage to state in her acceptance speech that the harshest war with the greatest number of ‘fallen’ is the practice of abortion, legalized and facilitated as well by the international structures.”
Pointing out an inconsistency, L'Osservatore noted that Pope John Paul II was a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for year but was never chosen for the award, not even in 2003 “after his condemnation of the war in Iraq.”
“Pope Wojtyla was considered by the members of the committee as too ‘conservative’ in other areas, and they feared that awarding it to him would been seen as favoring the Catholic Church over other religions. Their fears were evidently overcome in the much more controversial case of the selection of Obama,” the Vatican daily said, noting that the selection process has become mired in being politically correct.
Nevertheless, the article concluded, “at the same time, as the director of the Holy See’s Press Office has stated, we cannot help but rejoice at the recognition of President Obama’s efforts at nuclear disarmament and his personal disposition towards a policy that seeks peace more than the affirmation of U.S. power in the world.”
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17363
Obama: Defenders of traditional marriage ‘would enshrine discrimination into our Constitution’
Taking aim at supporters of a federal marriage amendment, President Barack Obama told the gay-activist Human Rights Campaign on October 10 that defenders of traditional marriage “would enshrine discrimination into our Constitution.” While the president granted that defenders of traditional marriage might be “good and decent people,” he charged that they “hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes,” “fail to see your families like their families,” and “would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted.”
Comparing the goals of the gay community to African-Americans’ struggle for equality, the president added:
My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians-- whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. You will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union-- a union in which gay Americans are an important part. I am committed to these goals. And my administration will continue fighting to achieve them.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4290
Comparing the goals of the gay community to African-Americans’ struggle for equality, the president added:
My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians-- whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. You will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union-- a union in which gay Americans are an important part. I am committed to these goals. And my administration will continue fighting to achieve them.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4290
Sunday, October 11, 2009
AFRICA: Pope Seeks Deeper Evangelization at Launch of Synod
VATICAN CITY, October 6, 2009 (CISA) - Pope Benedict XVI opened the second Africa Synod of bishops on Monday, describing the continent as a spiritual “lung” for a humanity that appears to be in a crisis of faith and hope, but also warning that African Catholics were threatened by ‘spiritual waste’ pouring in especially from the West.
Some 400 delegates are attending the synod until October 25. Its theme is: The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace ‘You are the salt of the earth... You are the Light of the world’” (Mt 5:13-14).
“When we speak of the treasures of Africa, our thoughts immediately turn to the resources its land is rich in and that, unfortunately, have become and often continue to be a reason for exploitation, conflict and corruption,” said the Pope.
He expressed his fears that materialism, combined with relativist and nihilist thinking was falling over the continent.
The pope said the so called, “First” World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, in particular those of Africa.”
He pointed out that religious fundamentalism, mixed with political and economic interests could hit Africa unless the church took steps to counter it.
The pope said, “Groups who follow various religious creeds are spreading throughout the continent of Africa “in God’s name,” teaching and practicing not love and respect for freedom, but intolerance and violence.”
He was however hopeful that with its work of evangelization and human promotion, the Church can give Africa which experiences poverty, injustice, violence and wars, a great contribution.
This can be found at: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4171
Some 400 delegates are attending the synod until October 25. Its theme is: The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace ‘You are the salt of the earth... You are the Light of the world’” (Mt 5:13-14).
“When we speak of the treasures of Africa, our thoughts immediately turn to the resources its land is rich in and that, unfortunately, have become and often continue to be a reason for exploitation, conflict and corruption,” said the Pope.
He expressed his fears that materialism, combined with relativist and nihilist thinking was falling over the continent.
The pope said the so called, “First” World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, in particular those of Africa.”
He pointed out that religious fundamentalism, mixed with political and economic interests could hit Africa unless the church took steps to counter it.
The pope said, “Groups who follow various religious creeds are spreading throughout the continent of Africa “in God’s name,” teaching and practicing not love and respect for freedom, but intolerance and violence.”
He was however hopeful that with its work of evangelization and human promotion, the Church can give Africa which experiences poverty, injustice, violence and wars, a great contribution.
This can be found at: http://www.cisanewsafrica.org/story.asp?ID=4171
Friday, October 9, 2009
French Abortions Rise despite Increase in Contraception: Study
France, October 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to a new study by the French National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED), although the number of unplanned pregnancies in France has fallen, the number of abortions in such cases has increased, reports the Monde Actu 24h/24.
Unplanned pregnancies fell from 46% to 33% from 1975 to 2004, ostensibly due to use of contraceptives, according to the study, but the number of abortions of such pregnancies increased from 40% to 60% over the same period.
Over 40% of French women have an abortion at least once in their life.
The study says that women using contraception have a greater desire to control their fertility and thus are more likely to abort a child who is not consistent with their plans.
The study also examined other statistics regarding abortion.
From August 1973 to January 1976, during which period abortion was legalized, French fertility rates fell from 2.36 to 1.8 children per woman, a loss of 24%. France's average fertility rate is currently approximately 2.02, which many attribute to the French government's attempts to encourage childbirth through various incentives.
Unsurprisingly, the study found that the desire to have a child has also decreased. According to Chantal Blayot, a professor of demography at Montesquieu-Bordeau IV, this trend is supported by "a strong social pressure to abort." The social context is not conducive to large families said Blayot: "At first birth, we congratulate the parents; on the third, they are asked if they have considered well what they are doing."
this can be found at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09100805.html
Unplanned pregnancies fell from 46% to 33% from 1975 to 2004, ostensibly due to use of contraceptives, according to the study, but the number of abortions of such pregnancies increased from 40% to 60% over the same period.
Over 40% of French women have an abortion at least once in their life.
The study says that women using contraception have a greater desire to control their fertility and thus are more likely to abort a child who is not consistent with their plans.
The study also examined other statistics regarding abortion.
From August 1973 to January 1976, during which period abortion was legalized, French fertility rates fell from 2.36 to 1.8 children per woman, a loss of 24%. France's average fertility rate is currently approximately 2.02, which many attribute to the French government's attempts to encourage childbirth through various incentives.
Unsurprisingly, the study found that the desire to have a child has also decreased. According to Chantal Blayot, a professor of demography at Montesquieu-Bordeau IV, this trend is supported by "a strong social pressure to abort." The social context is not conducive to large families said Blayot: "At first birth, we congratulate the parents; on the third, they are asked if they have considered well what they are doing."
this can be found at: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09100805.html
Hyde Amendment does not apply to present health care bills, pro-life group says
Washington D.C., Oct 9, 2009 / 03:22 am (CNA).- White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is erroneously claiming that the Hyde Amendment which restricts federal funding for abortions will apply to federal health care reform legislation, the National Right to Life Committee has charged.
At a Wednesday press briefing at the White House, Cybercast News Service reporter Fred Lucas asked Gibbs whether a letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was right to say that health care reform proposals have not met the president’s promise to bar the use of federal funds for abortion.
“Well, I don't want to get me in trouble at church, but I would mention there's a law that precludes the use of federal funds for abortion that isn't going to be changed in these health care bills,” Gibbs responded.
Lucas noted several proposed amendments that would explicitly bar abortions, to which Gibbs replied:
“Again, there’s a fairly well documented federal law that prevents it.”
Commenting in a press release, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) called Gibbs’ statement “highly misleading.”
The NRLC, presuming that Gibbs referred to the Hyde Amendment, said the provision applies only to funds appropriated through the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill.
“Neither the Hyde Amendment nor any other existing restriction will govern the provisions of the pending health care bills that are the focus of the abortion-related concerns,” the NRLC reported.
The proposed bills contain a nationwide government-run insurance program and premium subsidy programs to help tens of millions of Americans purchase health coverage.
None of the funds for the public plan and spent by the premium subsidy programs would be appropriated through the annual appropriations bill and would therefore be outside the scope of the Hyde Amendment. The NRLC said this analysis has been confirmed by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
According to the NRLC, under the Capps Amendment to H.R. 3200 the public plan would be explicitly authorized to cover elective abortions.
The NRLC described the suggestion that the public plan could pay for abortions with private funds as “a myth” and ‘a political hoax.”
“As a matter of law, all of the funds that would be spent by the public plan, on abortions and everything else, would be federal funds,” the pro-life group said. “In other words, the public plan would engage in direct federal funding of elective abortion.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17348
At a Wednesday press briefing at the White House, Cybercast News Service reporter Fred Lucas asked Gibbs whether a letter from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was right to say that health care reform proposals have not met the president’s promise to bar the use of federal funds for abortion.
“Well, I don't want to get me in trouble at church, but I would mention there's a law that precludes the use of federal funds for abortion that isn't going to be changed in these health care bills,” Gibbs responded.
Lucas noted several proposed amendments that would explicitly bar abortions, to which Gibbs replied:
“Again, there’s a fairly well documented federal law that prevents it.”
Commenting in a press release, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) called Gibbs’ statement “highly misleading.”
The NRLC, presuming that Gibbs referred to the Hyde Amendment, said the provision applies only to funds appropriated through the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill.
“Neither the Hyde Amendment nor any other existing restriction will govern the provisions of the pending health care bills that are the focus of the abortion-related concerns,” the NRLC reported.
The proposed bills contain a nationwide government-run insurance program and premium subsidy programs to help tens of millions of Americans purchase health coverage.
None of the funds for the public plan and spent by the premium subsidy programs would be appropriated through the annual appropriations bill and would therefore be outside the scope of the Hyde Amendment. The NRLC said this analysis has been confirmed by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.
According to the NRLC, under the Capps Amendment to H.R. 3200 the public plan would be explicitly authorized to cover elective abortions.
The NRLC described the suggestion that the public plan could pay for abortions with private funds as “a myth” and ‘a political hoax.”
“As a matter of law, all of the funds that would be spent by the public plan, on abortions and everything else, would be federal funds,” the pro-life group said. “In other words, the public plan would engage in direct federal funding of elective abortion.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17348
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Chicago City Council OKs Abortion Bubble Zone Law Limiting Pro-Life Free Speech
Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved a bubble zone law that makes it harder for pro-life advocates to offer women alternatives outside an abortion center. The law is so onerous that the pro-abortion ACLU joined pro-life advocates in condemning it.
Despite strong objection, members of the council voted 27-11 for the ordinance.
Alderman Vi Daley of the 43rd district sponsored the measure that she said would bring the city in line with many other cities and states across the nation. The law would establish a 50-foot buffer outside the entrances of abortion centers and, within that zone, no one can come within an 8-foot zone to distribute literature, counsel or display a sign.
"Women seeking any kind of medical service are routinely harassed," Daley claimed. "They are photographed, and they are followed."
The law would subject pro-life advocates to a $500 fine for merely talking to women considering abortion outside an abortion facility.
Planned Parenthood spearheaded and supported the proposal and said after the vote that it is a "huge step forward for us and our patients."
Outside the city council chambers, pro-life advocates protested and said the new law was driven by money, because Planned Parenthood loses money when women are given non-abortion options.
Peter Breen, the director of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, a pro-life legal group, says the tide would turn against free speech if Chicago’s leaders target pro-life advocates with a municipal ordinance that would restrict their speech rights and prevent them from helping women.
“This sort of peaceful and lawful conduct on public sidewalks in front of abortion clinics is protected by the First Amendment," Breen told LifeNews.com previously.
Breen has promised a lawsuit if the city goes through with the ordinance.
"This is not about safety," he said. "It's about shutting down a means of protest. We don't want to sue our hometown, but we will if this measure is passed."
The ACLU of Illinois issued a statement that makes clear that the Chicago Council "must honor the Constitution and tolerate the widest amount of free speech in public ways."
Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League tells LifeNews.com that the measure would be "devastating to our pro-life efforts, including sidewalk counseling."
"Chicago abortionists -- led by Planned Parenthood -- are pushing the Chicago City Council to adopt," the ordinance, he said. "The bubble zone would make sidewalk counseling nearly impossible within the city limits. Such a chilling attack on free speech could even halt the 40 Days for Life campaign going on right now."
This story can be found at: http://www.lifenews.com/state4489.html
Despite strong objection, members of the council voted 27-11 for the ordinance.
Alderman Vi Daley of the 43rd district sponsored the measure that she said would bring the city in line with many other cities and states across the nation. The law would establish a 50-foot buffer outside the entrances of abortion centers and, within that zone, no one can come within an 8-foot zone to distribute literature, counsel or display a sign.
"Women seeking any kind of medical service are routinely harassed," Daley claimed. "They are photographed, and they are followed."
The law would subject pro-life advocates to a $500 fine for merely talking to women considering abortion outside an abortion facility.
Planned Parenthood spearheaded and supported the proposal and said after the vote that it is a "huge step forward for us and our patients."
Outside the city council chambers, pro-life advocates protested and said the new law was driven by money, because Planned Parenthood loses money when women are given non-abortion options.
Peter Breen, the director of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, a pro-life legal group, says the tide would turn against free speech if Chicago’s leaders target pro-life advocates with a municipal ordinance that would restrict their speech rights and prevent them from helping women.
“This sort of peaceful and lawful conduct on public sidewalks in front of abortion clinics is protected by the First Amendment," Breen told LifeNews.com previously.
Breen has promised a lawsuit if the city goes through with the ordinance.
"This is not about safety," he said. "It's about shutting down a means of protest. We don't want to sue our hometown, but we will if this measure is passed."
The ACLU of Illinois issued a statement that makes clear that the Chicago Council "must honor the Constitution and tolerate the widest amount of free speech in public ways."
Eric Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League tells LifeNews.com that the measure would be "devastating to our pro-life efforts, including sidewalk counseling."
"Chicago abortionists -- led by Planned Parenthood -- are pushing the Chicago City Council to adopt," the ordinance, he said. "The bubble zone would make sidewalk counseling nearly impossible within the city limits. Such a chilling attack on free speech could even halt the 40 Days for Life campaign going on right now."
This story can be found at: http://www.lifenews.com/state4489.html
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Pope says West's 'toxic materialism' is blighting Africa
Pope Benedict XVI has denounced the West's materialism and lack of moral values and said they were contaminating Africa like "toxic waste".
Published: 5:39PM BST 04 Oct 2009
The Pope compared the world's poorest continent, which he visited earlier this year, to a spiritual "lung" at risk of being attacked by what he called the viruses of materialism and religious fundamentalism, as he opened a synod of Roman Catholic bishops on Africa.
"There is absolutely no doubt that the so-called 'First' World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, particularly those of Africa," he said.
"In this sense colonialism, which is over at a political level, has never really entirely come to an end."
Lamenting the exploitation of Africa's vast resources, the Pope also spoke out against religious fundamentalism, which he said was mixed with political and economic interests.
"Groups who follow various religious creeds are spreading throughout the continent of Africa ... teaching and practicing not love and respect for freedom, but intolerance and violence."
In the 20th century, Africa's Catholic population shot up from about 2 million in 1900 to about 140 million in 2000, making the continent ever more important to the Vatican as the number of practicing Catholics in the developed world declines.
Published: 5:39PM BST 04 Oct 2009
The Pope compared the world's poorest continent, which he visited earlier this year, to a spiritual "lung" at risk of being attacked by what he called the viruses of materialism and religious fundamentalism, as he opened a synod of Roman Catholic bishops on Africa.
"There is absolutely no doubt that the so-called 'First' World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, particularly those of Africa," he said.
"In this sense colonialism, which is over at a political level, has never really entirely come to an end."
Lamenting the exploitation of Africa's vast resources, the Pope also spoke out against religious fundamentalism, which he said was mixed with political and economic interests.
"Groups who follow various religious creeds are spreading throughout the continent of Africa ... teaching and practicing not love and respect for freedom, but intolerance and violence."
In the 20th century, Africa's Catholic population shot up from about 2 million in 1900 to about 140 million in 2000, making the continent ever more important to the Vatican as the number of practicing Catholics in the developed world declines.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Cardinal Asks Justices to Protect the Unborn at Red Mass
Six Supreme Court justices, Vice President Joe Biden, and two Cabinet members were among the dozens of other judges and Washington public officials at yesterday’s Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.
During Galveston-Houston, Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo’s homily, he called for lawyers to be a voice for all of their clients, including those not yet born.
“They are poor and wealthy, confused and lucid, polite and impolited,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “In some cases, the clients are voiceless, for they lack influence; in others they are literally voiceless, not yet with tongues and even without names, and require our most careful attention and radical support.”
Among the attendees were Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s newest member, Sonia Sotomayor. The two Cabinet members attending were Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Pro-life advocates stood outside the cathedral protesting. Among them was Randall Terry who asked, “How dare you present yourself for Communion with the blood of babies on your hands?” through a bullhorn. Terry said he was directing his comments to Vice President Biden and members of Congress and the judiciary who had, in their official duties, lent any kind of policy or legal support to abortion.
Concelebrating along with Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl were Archbishop of the Military Services Tim Broglio, Arlington, Va., Bishop Paul Loverde and others.
Held the first Sunday before the court’s term begins on the first Monday in October, the Red Mass has been held since 1953 by the John Carroll Society, an organization of Washington professionals who are Catholic. The name of the service dates to the 13th century and comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants. The Mass is conducted to ask for divine guidance for those who seek justice.
Cardinals wear red, it should be noted, because the color represents blood and it demonstrates their willingness to shed their blood in defense of the faith.
During Galveston-Houston, Texas, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo’s homily, he called for lawyers to be a voice for all of their clients, including those not yet born.
“They are poor and wealthy, confused and lucid, polite and impolited,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “In some cases, the clients are voiceless, for they lack influence; in others they are literally voiceless, not yet with tongues and even without names, and require our most careful attention and radical support.”
Among the attendees were Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s newest member, Sonia Sotomayor. The two Cabinet members attending were Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Pro-life advocates stood outside the cathedral protesting. Among them was Randall Terry who asked, “How dare you present yourself for Communion with the blood of babies on your hands?” through a bullhorn. Terry said he was directing his comments to Vice President Biden and members of Congress and the judiciary who had, in their official duties, lent any kind of policy or legal support to abortion.
Concelebrating along with Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl were Archbishop of the Military Services Tim Broglio, Arlington, Va., Bishop Paul Loverde and others.
Held the first Sunday before the court’s term begins on the first Monday in October, the Red Mass has been held since 1953 by the John Carroll Society, an organization of Washington professionals who are Catholic. The name of the service dates to the 13th century and comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants. The Mass is conducted to ask for divine guidance for those who seek justice.
Cardinals wear red, it should be noted, because the color represents blood and it demonstrates their willingness to shed their blood in defense of the faith.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Pope calls for respect for life and protection of consciences in the U.S
Vatican City, Oct 2, 2009 / 10:59 am (CNA).- This morning at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI received the letters of accreditation from the new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Dr. Miguel H. Diaz. The Pope took the time during their meeting to weigh-in on issues being considered in the American health care debate, namely, respect for all human life and the protection of health care workers' right to conscientious objection.
As is customary, the audience began with Miguel Diaz presenting his letters of accreditation from President Obama to the Holy Father, followed by a speech by the new ambassador.
In his speech, Ambassador Diaz praised Pope Benedict's humanitarian efforts, his efforts at promoting “inter-religious dialogue for the sake of peace,” and his encouragement of “authentic stewardship of God’s creation in order to combat climate change and ensure food security.”
The newly minted ambassador brought his speech to a close, saying, “my nation looks forward to working with the Holy See to ensure that the old and the young may embrace the audacity to hope, celebrate in the fruition of justice, and work together to defend fundamental human rights, economic opportunity for all, peace in our world, and respect for the dignity of all human persons. As I take up my position as the ninth United States Ambassador to the Holy See, I promise to serve as a bridge-builder between the United States and the Holy See.”
Pope Benedict began his address to Dr. Diaz by saying that he was pleased to accept his letters of credence and asked him to return his greeting to President Obama.
Highlighting part of Ambassador Diaz's speech, the Pope said he appreciated the “acknowledgment of the need for a greater spirit of solidarity and multilateral engagement in approaching the urgent problems facing our planet.”
“The continuing international economic crisis clearly calls for a revision of present political, economic and financial structures in the light of the ethical imperative of ensuring the integral development of all people. What is needed, in effect, is a model of globalization inspired by an authentic humanism, in which the world’s peoples are seen not merely as neighbors but as brothers and sisters,” the Pope said, echoing themes from his encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.”
Cooperation between nations should stretch across the spectrum of issues from caring for the family, to health care, to immigration, to the elimination of nuclear weapons, to “climate control and care for the environment,” Pope Benedict said, notably refraining from using the term “climate change.”
Recalling his visit to the United States last April, the Holy Father said he was pleased to find a “vibrant democracy” at work.
In order for democracies to function properly, the Pope emphasized that religious groups should not be excluded from public debates, since their contributions “enrich political and ethical discourse.”
“Allow me, Mr. Ambassador, to reaffirm a conviction which I expressed at the outset of my Apostolic Journey to the United States. Freedom – the freedom which Americans rightly hold dear – 'is not only a gift but also a summons to personal responsibility;' it is 'a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over to the cause of good,'” Benedict XVI said, quoting from his address at the White House last April.
Saying that many modern democracies find themselves in crisis, the Holy Father urged them to redouble their commitment to “reasoned dialogue in the discernment of wise and just policies respectful of human nature and human dignity.”
“The Church in the United States,” the Pontiff pointed out, “contributes to this discernment particularly through the formation of consciences and her educational apostolate, by which she makes a significant and positive contribution to American civic life and public discourse.”
One area that the Pope highlighted as in need of “clear discernment” was that of “issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care workers, and indeed all citizens.”
Pope Benedict concluded his speech by quoting from the “prophetic words of the late Pope John Paul II” to insist upon the “unbreakable link between an ethics of life and every other aspect of social ethics.”
Quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI said, 'a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.'
The audience came to a close with the Holy Father invoking “God’s blessings of wisdom, strength and peace” upon Ambassador Diaz, his family and “all the beloved American people.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17290
As is customary, the audience began with Miguel Diaz presenting his letters of accreditation from President Obama to the Holy Father, followed by a speech by the new ambassador.
In his speech, Ambassador Diaz praised Pope Benedict's humanitarian efforts, his efforts at promoting “inter-religious dialogue for the sake of peace,” and his encouragement of “authentic stewardship of God’s creation in order to combat climate change and ensure food security.”
The newly minted ambassador brought his speech to a close, saying, “my nation looks forward to working with the Holy See to ensure that the old and the young may embrace the audacity to hope, celebrate in the fruition of justice, and work together to defend fundamental human rights, economic opportunity for all, peace in our world, and respect for the dignity of all human persons. As I take up my position as the ninth United States Ambassador to the Holy See, I promise to serve as a bridge-builder between the United States and the Holy See.”
Pope Benedict began his address to Dr. Diaz by saying that he was pleased to accept his letters of credence and asked him to return his greeting to President Obama.
Highlighting part of Ambassador Diaz's speech, the Pope said he appreciated the “acknowledgment of the need for a greater spirit of solidarity and multilateral engagement in approaching the urgent problems facing our planet.”
“The continuing international economic crisis clearly calls for a revision of present political, economic and financial structures in the light of the ethical imperative of ensuring the integral development of all people. What is needed, in effect, is a model of globalization inspired by an authentic humanism, in which the world’s peoples are seen not merely as neighbors but as brothers and sisters,” the Pope said, echoing themes from his encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.”
Cooperation between nations should stretch across the spectrum of issues from caring for the family, to health care, to immigration, to the elimination of nuclear weapons, to “climate control and care for the environment,” Pope Benedict said, notably refraining from using the term “climate change.”
Recalling his visit to the United States last April, the Holy Father said he was pleased to find a “vibrant democracy” at work.
In order for democracies to function properly, the Pope emphasized that religious groups should not be excluded from public debates, since their contributions “enrich political and ethical discourse.”
“Allow me, Mr. Ambassador, to reaffirm a conviction which I expressed at the outset of my Apostolic Journey to the United States. Freedom – the freedom which Americans rightly hold dear – 'is not only a gift but also a summons to personal responsibility;' it is 'a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over to the cause of good,'” Benedict XVI said, quoting from his address at the White House last April.
Saying that many modern democracies find themselves in crisis, the Holy Father urged them to redouble their commitment to “reasoned dialogue in the discernment of wise and just policies respectful of human nature and human dignity.”
“The Church in the United States,” the Pontiff pointed out, “contributes to this discernment particularly through the formation of consciences and her educational apostolate, by which she makes a significant and positive contribution to American civic life and public discourse.”
One area that the Pope highlighted as in need of “clear discernment” was that of “issues touching the protection of human dignity and respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death, as well as the protection of the right to conscientious objection on the part of health care workers, and indeed all citizens.”
Pope Benedict concluded his speech by quoting from the “prophetic words of the late Pope John Paul II” to insist upon the “unbreakable link between an ethics of life and every other aspect of social ethics.”
Quoting his predecessor Benedict XVI said, 'a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.'
The audience came to a close with the Holy Father invoking “God’s blessings of wisdom, strength and peace” upon Ambassador Diaz, his family and “all the beloved American people.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17290
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Council of Europe Pushes Abortion as Part of Cairo Conference Anniversary
(NEW YORK – C-FAM) This week, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will vote on a resolution that calls on European states to achieve "universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services" including "safe abortion" by 2015.
The report, "Fifteen Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action (ICPD)," was prepared by UK parliamentarian and longtime abortion rights advocate, Christine McCafferty, who called for increased funding for "sexual and reproductive rights." According to the summary of the report, this should include "a range of family planning, including emergency contraceptives, safe abortion, skilled birth attendants and obstetric emergency care" which "must be accessible, affordable, appropriate and acceptable to all, irrespective of age, community or country."
The resolution contains a number of other recommended actions including: providing "sexuality and relationship information and education" in schools, ensuring access to a variety of "modern methods of family planning services," ensuring that European donor countries allocate 10% of their development assistance to "population/sexual and reproductive health and rights" and to start developing a European convention on sexual and reproductive health.
A major theme of the accompanying explanatory memorandum is the need to reduce maternal mortality as part of the development agenda, particularly by reducing unsafe abortion. While the report pays lip-service to state sovereignty by mentioning that the legality of abortion remains in the hands of national governments, it also attempts to make the case that "restrictive abortion laws” increase the incidence of unsafe abortion.
The report fails to mention that the two countries in the EU with the most restrictive laws on abortion – Ireland and Malta - are also two of the countries with the lowest maternal mortality in the world, not just in Europe. Conversely, the report cites Moldova as a country where maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion is high. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Moldova is listed a country with one of the most liberalized laws in the world.
The European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has released a memo blasting the draft recommendation and report. The ECLJ flatly states that the Council of Europe has "no authority or competency to promote abortion." The group is "extremely concerned about the promotion of population control in general and abortion as a means of family planning and population control in particular.”
According to the ECLJ, the recommendation and its explanatory memorandum go much further than a previous PACE resolution on Access to Safe and Legal Abortion in Europe, which acknowledged "that abortion can in no circumstances be regarded as a family planning method" that "must, as far as possible, be avoided."
The Council of Europe is set to take action on the report this Friday, as part of the preparation for the upcoming International Parliamentary Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Program of Action meeting, according to the ECLJ. The meeting is being organized by the United Nations Population Fund and will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the end of October
this can be found at: http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.1438/pub_detail.asp
The report, "Fifteen Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action (ICPD)," was prepared by UK parliamentarian and longtime abortion rights advocate, Christine McCafferty, who called for increased funding for "sexual and reproductive rights." According to the summary of the report, this should include "a range of family planning, including emergency contraceptives, safe abortion, skilled birth attendants and obstetric emergency care" which "must be accessible, affordable, appropriate and acceptable to all, irrespective of age, community or country."
The resolution contains a number of other recommended actions including: providing "sexuality and relationship information and education" in schools, ensuring access to a variety of "modern methods of family planning services," ensuring that European donor countries allocate 10% of their development assistance to "population/sexual and reproductive health and rights" and to start developing a European convention on sexual and reproductive health.
A major theme of the accompanying explanatory memorandum is the need to reduce maternal mortality as part of the development agenda, particularly by reducing unsafe abortion. While the report pays lip-service to state sovereignty by mentioning that the legality of abortion remains in the hands of national governments, it also attempts to make the case that "restrictive abortion laws” increase the incidence of unsafe abortion.
The report fails to mention that the two countries in the EU with the most restrictive laws on abortion – Ireland and Malta - are also two of the countries with the lowest maternal mortality in the world, not just in Europe. Conversely, the report cites Moldova as a country where maternal mortality due to unsafe abortion is high. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, Moldova is listed a country with one of the most liberalized laws in the world.
The European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) has released a memo blasting the draft recommendation and report. The ECLJ flatly states that the Council of Europe has "no authority or competency to promote abortion." The group is "extremely concerned about the promotion of population control in general and abortion as a means of family planning and population control in particular.”
According to the ECLJ, the recommendation and its explanatory memorandum go much further than a previous PACE resolution on Access to Safe and Legal Abortion in Europe, which acknowledged "that abortion can in no circumstances be regarded as a family planning method" that "must, as far as possible, be avoided."
The Council of Europe is set to take action on the report this Friday, as part of the preparation for the upcoming International Parliamentary Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Program of Action meeting, according to the ECLJ. The meeting is being organized by the United Nations Population Fund and will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the end of October
this can be found at: http://www.c-fam.org/publications/id.1438/pub_detail.asp
Widespread distribution of morning-after pill fits into Spanish government’s agenda
Madrid, Spain, Sep 30, 2009 / 11:04 pm (CNA).- The organizations Professionals for Ethics and Responsible Pharmacies Network are criticizing the decision by the Spanish government to allow the morning-after pill to be distributed in pharmacies without a prescription or an age restriction.
Fabian Fernandez de Alarcon, general secretary for Professionals for Ethics, said the measure is a manifestation of the government’s ideological agenda, which he said is taking precedence over the public’s health and the best interests of Spaniards.
It is an attempt to “banalize sexual relations and turn them into a game deprived of any humanity and responsibility,” he said. Furthermore, he said, the ruling separates “children from their parents when it comes to important decisions,” and makes abortion, “which can now be carried out by simply taking a pill, something trivial.”
Alarcon noted that the pill often thwarts implantation “and thus has an abortifacient effect. The woman who ingests this pill can suffer an abortion without even realizing it,” apart from all of the problematic side effects, he commented.
He called the measure another step towards “the total liberalization of abortion,” which is just as dangerous when done medically as when done surgically.
Alarcon said distributing the pill to minors was “contrary to all logic” and to “health care norms, which prohibit minors from purchasing drugs that are much less harmful than this pill.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17270
Fabian Fernandez de Alarcon, general secretary for Professionals for Ethics, said the measure is a manifestation of the government’s ideological agenda, which he said is taking precedence over the public’s health and the best interests of Spaniards.
It is an attempt to “banalize sexual relations and turn them into a game deprived of any humanity and responsibility,” he said. Furthermore, he said, the ruling separates “children from their parents when it comes to important decisions,” and makes abortion, “which can now be carried out by simply taking a pill, something trivial.”
Alarcon noted that the pill often thwarts implantation “and thus has an abortifacient effect. The woman who ingests this pill can suffer an abortion without even realizing it,” apart from all of the problematic side effects, he commented.
He called the measure another step towards “the total liberalization of abortion,” which is just as dangerous when done medically as when done surgically.
Alarcon said distributing the pill to minors was “contrary to all logic” and to “health care norms, which prohibit minors from purchasing drugs that are much less harmful than this pill.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17270
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