Pro-life Democrat group claims 40 lawmakers will vote against health care bill

Since Bart Stupak has admitted that he'll support pro-abortion healthcare anyway, let's pray that Kristen Day and Democrats for Life are more successful in getting CINO Pelosi and the party leadership to allow a vote on excluding abortion from government-run healthcare.

Democrats for Life of America claims to have 40 congressmen who will vote against the House health care reform legislation if taxpayer funded abortion language is not removed from the bill, the organization announced on Thursday.

The 40 vote coalition concerns the refusal of the House leadership to include language that would prevent abortions from being paid for in any new health care reform scheme. If Hyde Amendment-type language were inserted into the bill, Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) says, taxpayer funded abortions in appropriations bills would be prevented.

Several attempts to insert such language have been unsuccessful in committee.

"I want to be clear, pro-life Democrats want to help pass health care reform but our coalition can in no- way support reform that includes tax payer funded abortions. If the leadership will remove that language, we feel confident that we can deliver enough votes to help put this much needed reform over the top in the House," Kristen Day, DFLA Executive Director, said in a statement.

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cross-posted from A Catholic View

Senate Health Care Bill Could Make Planned Parenthood a Quasi-Government Entity

 Via Susan Brinkman, OCDS, at Living His Life Abundantly, Inc.:

The current version of the Senate’s health care reform bill may allow Planned Parenthood to become a quasi-government entity for sex education.


The American Life League is reporting that in Section 1803 of the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009, which is the Senate’s version of health care reform, a National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Resource Center is created.

According to the language of the bill, “The Secretary shall award a grant to a nationally recognized, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that meets the requirements described in clause (ii) to establish and operate a national teen pregnancy prevention resource center (in this subparagraph referred to as the ‘Resource Center’) to carry out the purpose and activities described in clause (iii). (emphasis added)

Read the rest of the story here.

Bishops Call for Unprecedented, Massive Catholic Opposition to Abortion in Current Health Care Reform

Excellent news: 40 years after being silenced by Vatican II, some of our Bishops are finally starting to speak up and lead their flocks in the faith.

An E-mail directive has been sent from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-Life Activities Secretariat mobilizing every parish in the United States of America. It contains an urgent message which is to be distributed in every parish this weekend and announced at every single Mass. This massive and urgent appeal may be unprecedented in our history as Catholics in America. It is an effort to mobilize the Catholic faithful on an urgent matter of public policy concerning the fundamental and foundational human right to life.

The E-Mail specifically asks that no parish opt out of this initiative.

story here

cross-posted from A Catholic View

How Pro-Life is Stupak?

Was it too good to be true?
A pro-life Democrat?
Stupak has been battling to keep abortion out of government-run healthcare, even threatening CINO Pelosi that he has enough votes to hold it up, and asking Obama to keep his promise and keep it out. Now, Stupak admits that he'll still vote for Obamacare.
It seems it was too good to be true.

A video released by the Heritage Foundation blog appears to show Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, whose efforts against the health care bill's abortion expansion had emerged as the pro-life community's primary strategy in the House, admitting that he would ultimately vote for the health bill even with government-funded abortion if it otherwise met his standards.


story here

cross-posted from A Catholic View

Louisiana bishops join health care debate, with warning on protecting human life

Health care is a basic right and its proposed reform must provide access for all while also excluding abortion funding and protecting the consciences of health care providers, a Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops statement says.

In its Oct. 26 statement, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops (LCCB) noted that Pope John XXIII’s encyclical Pacem in Terris taught of “universal and inviolable” rights that include the right to medical care and to be looked after in times of ill health. There is also an “apostolic duty” to heal the sick while proclaiming the Gospel, they said.

“For centuries, Catholic hospitals have served and ministered to the sick and the dying. Other Catholic institutions have welcomed and served the elderly, handicapped, expectant mothers, newborns, and others with physical, emotional or spiritual needs,” the Louisiana bishops wrote. “This is an important expression of our respect for the innate dignity that lies within every human being, regardless of race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or social class.”
 
This respect for life, the LCCB said, motivates Catholics to ask Congress to support reforms that exclude public health care funds for abortion, prohibit any form of euthanasia, protect conscience rights for health care professionals and institutions, and respect the right of a physician and a patient to decide on healing treatment without interference.

Click here to read the entire story.

All of the Bishops Reject Health Care Bill: It Fails To Protect Human Life

CNA reported this today:

All of the Catholic bishops in Texas released a statement on health care reform on Tuesday, warning that the legislation currently under consideration does not adequately ensure the protection of all human life.

The statement issued by the Texas Catholic Conference, which represents all 15 dioceses in Texas, said that the bishops “hope that our national leaders will work together to bring about genuine life-affirming reform to our nation’s health care system.” 


“Our Catholic moral tradition teaches that every human being, from the moment of conception to natural death, has an innate dignity that entitles him or her to certain rights and protections, including the fundamental right to life and the right to affordable health care, which flows from the right to life,” they stated. However, the bishops of Texas also said that they are concerned that the current proposed reforms do not respect these human rights. They singled out the Capps Amendment for criticism, saying that it “does not adequately ensure the protection of all human life.” 

Last night Marcel at Aggie Catholics shared this story with the blogosphere, and today, Thomas, The American Papist, adds these Bishops to the list he has been compiling for over a month now on U.S. Bishops who vigorously oppose the current health care reform proposals being debated in Congress. I agree with the point Thomas makes there -- that the message they are sending out is very clear -- it is against Catholic teaching to support the health care bill as it currently exists based on the above statement -- in short, it does not adequately protect all human life  -- from the moment of conception to natural death. 

The Bishops want "genuine life-affirming reform" not this phony and deceptive bill the Obama admisnistration is attempting to force upon us. The advocates and creators of this bill want us to believe that abortion isn't going to be covered (at the tax-payers expense) and  that there will not be rationing for the elderly and disabled and that this will all be done without massive tax increases. They are trying to make us believe that it is wise for us to give up our privacy and control (individual decision making) and let the government control this aspect of our lives. We'll be so much better off that way, they claim. These culture of death advocates think we can't see through their trickery, but God has gifted us with His wisdom and discernment so that we will remain faithful and obedient to His laws and His commands, not those of our secular society. I am grateful to these Bishops who have spoken out -- for, we as Catholics, look to the leadership of  the Church to shepherd us and to point us to the truth.

Rep. Stupak calls on President Obama to support abortion funding restrictions

A reasonable request, considering that CINO Pelosi is so determined to include abortion (she doesn't even want to allow a vote on whether to include it) and also that Barry himself promised that abortion would not be funded (see video below).

Pro-life Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) has called on President Obama to back up his stated support for the exclusion of abortion funding from health care legislation. Recounting how congressional leaders are opposing funding restrictions, Stupak warned that action is needed as “crunch time” arrives.

Rep. Stupak, who is advocating the inclusion of a Hyde Amendment provision that would bar federal abortion funding from proposed health care reform, spoke about his health care conversation with President Obama in an interview with CNSNews.com.

On Sept. 9 President Obama had told a joint session of Congress: “Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions.”

story here

cross-posted from A Catholic View