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
Friday, October 23, 2009
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".
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