Cardinal Rigali and the Freedom of Choice Act

Yesterday, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Pro-Life released a statement made by Philadelphia's Cardinal Rigali, USCCB Committee on Pro-life Activities Chairman. The statement was written to mark this weekend's Respect Life Sunday.

There was one portion I think needs highlighting:

We face the threat of a federal bill that, if enacted,would obliterate virtually all the gains of the past 35 years and cause the abortion rate to skyrocket. The "Freedom of Choice Act" ("FOCA") has many Congressional sponsors, some of whom have pledged to act swiftly to help enact this proposed legislation when Congress reconvenes in January.

FOCA establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and forbids any law or policy that could "interfere"with that right or "discriminate" against it in public funding and programs. If FOCA became law, hundreds of reasonable, widely supported, and constitutionally sound abortion regulations now in place would be invalidated. Gone would be laws providing for informed consent, and parental consent or notification in the case of minors. Laws protecting women from unsafe abortion clinics and from abortion practitioners who are not physicians would be overridden. Restrictions on partial-birth and other late-term abortions would be eliminated. FOCA would knock down laws protecting the conscience rights of nurses, doctors, and hospitals with moral objections to abortion, and force taxpayers to fund abortions throughout the United States.

We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot tolerate an even greater loss of innocent human lives. We cannot subject more women and men to the post-abortion grief and suffering that our counselors and priests encounter daily in Project Rachel programs across America.

For twenty-four years, the Catholic Church has provided free,confidential counseling to individuals seeking emotional and spiritual healing after an abortion, whether their own or a loved one's. We look forward to the day when these counseling services are no longer needed,when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. If FOCA is enacted, however, that day may recede into the very distant future.

Something Cardinal Rigali doesn't say about the Freedom of Choice Act is that presidential candidate Barack Obama has said that he looks forward to this being the first piece of legislation he signs into law.

Please contact your Representatives and Senators in Congress to express how you feel they ought vote on this matter. The Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121 - an operator will then direct your call to either one of your Senators or Representatives. TTY (hearing impaired) calls may be placed to (202) 225-1904

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Eugenics on the Bayou

Louisiana State House of Representative member John LaBruzzo last week suggested that it might be a good idea to pay poor people $1000 each if they sterilize themselves. Taking the matter even a step further, LaBruzzo suggested that tax incentives could encourage the more affluent members of society to reproduce more.

So, one group of people has a greater value than another - one should be eliminated, the other fostered.

It is disturbing that people have such ideas. It is more disturbing that a person who thinks this way is a legislator. Even more disturbing is that LaBruzzo thinks this mindset is noteworthy enough to share not only with others, but with society at large. Most disturbing of all is that this man is the Vice Chairperson of the Louisiana House's Health and Welfare Committee.

You would think that no one would want to align themselves with such thinking, but that isn't the case. National animal organization PETA yesterday issued a news release related to matter. It said in part:

PETA dispatched a letter to Louisiana State Rep. John LaBruzzo urging him to introduce a spay-and-neuter bill that would help low-income families spay and neuter their dogs and cats. LaBruzzo recently set off a firestorm of controversy when he proposed providing financial incentives for low-income residents to stop having babies. PETA believes that everyone should consider the impact of population growth on the Earth, animals, and our limited resources. The group points out that Louisiana could save a fortune by preventing the births of thousands of homeless cats and dogs who must be collected, transported, and fed--and who, in most cases, end up being put to death in Louisiana animal shelters.

ICCKKKK!!!!!

Pelosi Says Denial of Eucharist Would be "Severe Blow"

Pelosi’s church has not withheld communion
By Bob Cusack

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she, unlike other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, has not clashed with her church about receiving communion.

In an interview on C-SPAN that aired on Sunday, Pelosi was asked about how some church officials have raised objections about whether former presidential contenders -- such as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) -- should receive communion.

Pelosi, a Roman Catholic whose district includes most of San Francisco, said she has not encountered such difficulties in her church.

“I think some of it is regional,” she said, “It depends on the bishop of a certain region and fortunately for me, communion has not been withheld and I’m a regular communicant so that would be a severe blow to me if that were the case.” Complete article.

Right there is the greatest reason pro-abortion politicians should be denied communion. I equate it with dishing out a bit of tough love to a child to wake them up when all else has failed to turn them from a destructive behavior.

Oh, there is one other thing which I think should be mentioned:
Throughout history there have been regional atrosities of one nature or another - that doesn't mean they were ever right, proper or good. I'm just saying...