Action Alert: Email HHS to Oppose "Preventative Services" Mandate | Sept 30 deadline

From the Michigan Catholic Conference website (scroll down) .... this must be done no later than September 30. 

Click here to go to an e-form to send a letter.

On August 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an interim rule that mandates almost all private health plans to cover contraception and sterilization as “preventive services,” and allows the department to implement a very narrow and inadequate religious exemption. Please take a moment to send an e-mail message to HHS no later than September 30 urging the department to remove morally unacceptable mandated services. More background information may be found below. Continue reading ACTION ALERT! Email HHS to Oppose “Preventative Services” Mandate…

Additional Information

• MCC Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
• NCHLA Background on HHS Mandate
• USCCB Nationwide Bulletin Insert
• USCCB Nationwide Bulletin Insert (Español)
• USCCB Conscience Protection Web page
• USCCB Commentary “The High Cost of ‘Free’ Birth Control”

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Pelosi and St. Joseph - Doh!

Never a dull moment with dissenting Catholic Nancy Pelosi trying to win-over fellow Catholics to the health care reform which includes the biggest expansion of abortion coverage in history. She invokes "St. Joseph the Worker" on his feast day. I won't be surprised someday to hear her claim that Jesus Himself has endorsed Hell as a great place to go.

There are just a few major problems with what she said:

FACTS ABOUT ST. JOSEPH

1) It was the Solemnity of St. Joseph (March 19), not the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (May 1). Ok, minor mix-up, but "devout Catholic" Italians know the difference.

2) St. Joseph is the patron of the unborn. St. Joseph protected his family, and in particular, the infant Jesus.

3) St. Joseph is the patron of expectant mothers.

4) St. Joseph is the patron of families.

5) St. Joseph is also the patron of people who fight communism (ok, so I'm sure those who fear socialism in the US can also pray to St. Joseph)

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At what cost healthcare? US Bishops React to Nelson's "compromise" with Reid

The price must have been right for Senator Nelson, because the cause of the unborn to not be slaughtered at tax-payer expense was sold for the proverbial thirty pieces of silver. 

From Steven Ertelt at LifeNews:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Senator Ben Nelson announced today that he will become the crucial 60th vote that Democrats need to pass a government-run health care bill. Nelson has been holding out because of the massive abortion funding in the bill, but said today he will give the measure his support.

Nelson outlined his support for the government-run health care bill in a press conference Saturday morning after he reached a deal with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on abortion and other unrelated issues.

Under the compromise, Nelson said it prohibits abortion funding in a way that earns his vote.

"We have an agreement that the plan with not use federal dollars to fund abortions," he said. "I believe we have accomplished that goal. It's clear I wouldn't have voted for this bill without these conditions."

The compromise Nelson agreed to with Reid makes it so states could disallow abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchanges.

Nelson explained that women using government subsidies to purchase health insurance who want to purchase abortions in the states that opt out of the coverage would have to make a separate payment to pay for the abortion. She would pay one payment to the insurer to pay for the policy and a separate payment to pay for abortion coverage.

That would appear to be a far cry from the authentic abortion funding ban pro-life groups sought as states would also be able to cover abortions under the exchange and thereby force taxpayers in those states to pay for abortions under the system.

The deal also appears to fall short of the amendment Nelson sponsored with Republicans to ban abortion funding and it doesn't gel with his prior statements that he would not support a government-run health care bill without a true abortion funding ban.

Family Research Council's Tom McClusky said in response to the new compromise that "Reid's bill would force taxpayers to pay for abortions even if they opt out."

Essentially, the language of the Stupak and Nelson amendments is not included in the final amendment Reid is offering that Nelson agreed to, but it relies on a "segregation of funds" model that pro-life groups have previously rejected.

The Nelson-Reid deal also doesn't appear to address other major abortion and pro-life problems with the bill such as rationing and the promotion of assisted suicide.

Nelson said he would not vote for the bill without the provisions he and Reid agreed to and promised to voted against a final bill that emerges from the conference committee if the abortion funding provisions are removed.

"This cloture vote is based on a full understanding that there will be a limited conference between the Senate and House," he said. "I reserve the right to vote against the next cloture vote if there are material changes to this agreement in the conference report."

Nelson also said that the abortion compromise as presented in the manager's amendment Reid is offering today would include conscience clause language for pro-life medical workers, funding for programs and services to help pregnant women who are carrying to term, and an increase in the adoption credits.

Leading pro-abortion lawmakers have already hailed the compromise and say they can support it -- giving a clear indication that the Nelson-Reid language does not meet the approval of pro-life advocates.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have already analyzed the language and say there is a concern that it will enable abortion funding on Indian reservations.

Because the Nelson-Reid compromise has different language than the Stupak amendment in the House bill, the House and Senate will have to agree to a final wording that will either remove the authentic Stupak abortion funding ban or leave in the compromise.

Rep. Stupak has already said he has enough votes in the House to defeat the bill if the abortion funding ban is removed.

Nelson negotiated the deal with Reid along with pro-abortion Sen. Charles Schumer of New York and members of the administration of pro-abortion President Barack Obama. Reid also shuffled back and forther between his office and that of pro-abortion Sen. Barbara Boxer, who also participated n the negotiations and hailed the final product.

Reports indicate Reid told Boxer, "It's done" after striking the deal with Reid and the two exchanged in an embrace knowing they had 60 votes for the pro-abortion health care bill.

The US Bishops Conference has reacted. Cardinal DiNardo the USCCB Pro-life Chair writes:

ABORTION COMPROMISE’ DOES NOT ADDRESS CORE PROBLEM IN SENATE HEALTH BILL, SAYS CARDINAL DINARDO, BISHOPS’ PRO-LIFE CHAIR

‘Compromise’ would make citizens pay for others’ abortions

Senate should mirror House of Representative’s Hyde amendment language

Bill doesn’t meet goals of affordability, fairness to legal immigrants, protection of life

WASHINGTON—Responding to reports of a new “compromise” proposal on abortion in the U.S. Senate’s health care reform bill, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo today reaffirmed the position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the legislation will be morally unacceptable “unless and until” it complies with longstanding current laws on abortion funding such as the Hyde amendment. Cardinal DiNardo is Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and Chairman of the Conference’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The Cardinal commented on efforts by Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) to improve the Senate bill’s treatment of abortion.

“Senator Casey’s good-faith effort to allow individuals to ‘opt out’ of abortion coverage actually underscores how radically the underlying Senate bill would change abortion policy. Excluding elective abortions from overall health plans is not a privilege that individuals should have to seek as the exception to the norm. In all other federal health programs, excluding abortion coverage is the norm. And numerous opinion polls show that the great majority of Americans do not want abortion coverage.”

“I welcome Senator Casey’s good-faith effort to improve this bill,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “In particular he has sought to improve protection for conscience rights, and to include programs of support for pregnant women and adoptive parents that we favor in their own right. However, these improvements do not change the fundamental problem with the Senate bill: Despite repeated claims to the contrary, it does not comply with longstanding Hyde restrictions on federal funding of elective abortions and health plans that include them.”

Cardinal DiNardo had written to the Senate on December 14, saying that “the Catholic bishops of the United States strongly support authentic reform of our ailing health care system.” His letter cited “three moral criteria for reform: respect for life and conscience; affordability for the poor; and access to much-needed basic health care for immigrants,” noting that so far the Senate bill “has fallen short of the example set by the House version of this legislation in each of these areas.”

On abortion funding, the Cardinal urged the Senate to “incorporate into this bill the longstanding and widely supported policies of current law, acknowledged and reaffirmed by the Senate itself” when it approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act for the new fiscal year on December 13. This Act reaffirmed the Hyde amendment and other laws that exclude elective abortions from health plans receiving federal funds -- including the plans that cover the Senators themselves and all other federal employees. The Senate so far has failed to reflect this same policy in its health care bill as the House has done, he said [see www.usccb.org/healthcare/DiNardo_1214_letter.pdf].

Cardinal DiNardo said December 18: “We continue to oppose and urge others to oppose the Senate bill unless and until this fundamental failure is remedied. And whatever the immediate outcome in the Senate, we will continue to work for health care reform which truly protects the life, dignity, conscience and health of all. As the bishops have said many times, ‘providing affordable and accessible health care that clearly reflects these fundamental principles is a public good, moral imperative and urgent national priority.’ In particular we will work vigorously to ensure that the substance of the House’s provision on abortion funding is included in final legislation. A special debt of gratitude is owed to House and Senate members, especially Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), who have placed their votes and reputation on the line to stand up for unborn children. Making this legislation consistent with longstanding federal law on abortion will not threaten needed authentic reform, but will help ensure its passage.”

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Obama will remove abortion funding ban from health-care bill

Thanks to Steven Ertelt for this report:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Top Obama advisor David Axelrod on Sunday confirmed what pro-life advocates already suspected would happen. He said President Barack Obama will work with congressional Democrats to remove the abortion funding ban the House approved in its version of the government-run health care bill.

Axelrod says that, because the Stupak amendment allegedly goes beyond the status quo under the Hyde amendment (which bans abortion funding under Medicaid), Obama will make sure the amendment is yanked during the conference committee.

That's the part of the legislative process that will occur if and when the Senate approves its own health care bill, which will likely start debate with abortion funding.

"The president has said repeatedly, and he said in his speech to Congress, that he doesn't believe that this bill should change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion," Axelrod said today on CNN's State of the Union program.

"This shouldn't be a debate about abortion. And he's going to work with Senate and the House to try and ensure that at the end of the day, the status quo is not changed," he added. "I believe that there are discussions ongoing to how to adjust it accordingly."

Axelrod said that an agreement with ruling Democrats in Congress to remove the ban on taxpayer funding of abortions "can and will be worked through before it reaches his desk."

Axelrod's comments come after Obama's own remarks which made it appear he would favor removing or weakening the Stupak amendment.

"I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," Obama told ABC News last week. "And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions."

Obama appeared to side with abortion advocates who claim the Stupak amendment in the health care bill somehow changes the current status quo on government abortion funding.

“There needs to be some more work before we get to the point where we're not changing the status quo” on abortion, Obama added. “And that’s the goal.”

Obama also sided with pro-abortion groups in saying he wanted to make sure “we're not restricting women’s insurance choices,” because he had promised that “if you're happy and satisfied with the insurance that you have, it’s not going to change.”

Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, chided Obama for his comments.

"The only thing that will prevent the health care bill from being 'an abortion bill' is precisely the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, as the House of Representatives recognized by a 46-vote margin," he said.

"The phoniness of Obama's claim that he has been trying to preserve the 'status quo' on abortion policy should be evident to any observer by now. In reality, the White House and top Democratic congressional leaders have been working hard to create a national federal government health plan that would fund abortion on demand, just as Obama promised Planned Parenthood," Johnson added.

Further Reading:

• Senate Health Care Bill Will Likely Fund Abortions, Stupak Amdt Would be Killed LifeSite)
• Analysis: The Threats to Pro-Life Values Remaining in the U.S. House Health Care Bill (LSN)
  
• Going to Extremes: Pro-Aborts Argue Pro-Life Health Amendment "Paves the Way to Religious Discrimination" (LSN)
  

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Pelosi-care passes in the House 220-215 with Stupak Amendment in tow....for now

USCCB Advertisement (PDF)

UPDATE 1: Pro-life organizations celebrate Stupak amendment, warns of existing risks on health care bill

While the Stupak Amendment (Bart Stupak, D-Mi), which carried along components of the Hyde Amendment prohibiting government funds in programs for abortions, there is no guarantee that when it reaches the Senate, it will be included. 

This is a complex issue.  LifeSiteNews.com has been doing an excellent job of sifting through all of this complexity, very quickly, even posting this past Saturday when they do not normally do so.  I highly recommend tracking it through them, but there are some other sources to follow, as well.   LifeNews.com is another source worth following.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has been issuing frequent statements.  Here was a message sent to the US House of Representatives on November 6th, ahead of the vote for the Stupak Amendment.  The USCCB also has a webpage dedicated to Health Care Reform.  The conference has explained it's position many times:

• a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity
• access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of immigrants
• pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options
• restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers
  

Tom Peters - the American Papist, has also been blogging on this issue.  In this post, Tom examines how the mainstream media distorted the US Bishop's position, perhaps fooling some into thinking the bishops actually endorsed the healthcare bill itself.  Rather, it was the Stupak Amendment they were backing.

Another site I check daily (and often more than once daily), is NewAdvent.org.  Kevin Knight receives links from people on a variety of hot topics.  If there is breaking news somewhere in the Church, chances are, you will find it at New Advent.



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US Bishop's Conference Blankets Parishes with Inserts Against Expansion of Abortion Through Health Care Reform

From the USCCB website

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Bishops' Conference Blankets Parishes with Inserts Against Expansion of Abortion Through Health Care Reform

Bulletin inserts sent to churches nationwide


Dramatic graphic drives home point that abortion is not health care


Solution: Language to guarantee federal money won’t pay for elective abortions



WASHINGTON—In an extraordinary call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United Sates Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts to almost 19,000 parishes across the country.

"Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them," the insert states. It urges readers to contact Senate leaders so they support efforts to "incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights" in health reform legislation.

"If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed," it adds.

The insert highlights the Stupak Amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) that, it states, "addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights."

"Help ensure that the Rule for the bill allows a vote on the amendment," the insert states. "If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed."

A dramatic ad of a pregnant woman notes that the Hyde Amendment, which passed in 1976, has prevented federal funds from paying for elective abortions, yet healthcare reform bills that are advancing violate this policy. The ad message: "Tell Congress: Remove Abortion Funding and Mandates from Needed Health Care Reform."

The insert also directs readers to www.usccb.org/healthcare.

Bulletin inserts were distributed to dioceses October 29, the day Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) unveiled the House health care reform bill and in expectation that they will show up in parishes in early November. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the USCCB; Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities; Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chair of the Committee on Migration; and Bishop William Murphy of Rockville, Centre, New York, chair of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development urged fellow bishops to promote this campaign in their dioceses.

"The bishops want health care reform, but they recoil at any expansion of abortion," said Helen Osman, USCCB Secretary for Communications, who helped organize the campaign. "Most Americans don’t want to pay for other people’s abortions via health care either. This impasse on the road to reform of health care can be broken if Congress writes in language that assures that the Hyde Amendment law continues to guide U.S. federal spending policy."

The Catholic bishops have a long history of support for health care reform based on its teaching that health care is essential for human life and dignity and on its experience providing health care and assisting those without coverage.





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Stupak (D-Michigan) in a showndown with fellow Dems over abortion in health care bill

From LifeSiteNews:

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi aims to seal the abortion-expanding health care bill in an early November vote, pro-life lawmakers, led by Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, are locked in a dead heat race for votes with Democratic leadership. According to Stupak, the Democratic leadership intends to keep a stranglehold on any pro-life amendment effort, which they acknowledge would likely otherwise succeed.

In an interview with LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today, Rep. Stupak said that he is counting on about 40 fellow Democrats to "take down the rule" - or kill the bill on a procedural vote - if House leadership refuses to allow a floor vote on an amendment that would prevent federal funding of abortion. The procedural "rule" vote would draft rules for debating the bill on the floor, and needs to be passed before the bill can move forward to a floor vote.

With the 40 Democrats, Stupak's vote-gathering efforts tally up to 220, counting the whole GOP - approximately two votes over the absolute minimum needed to succeed.

Stupak said he was "fairly confident" that the Democrat group would hold the line against the bill, "because this is not just an appropriation bill, this is the bill that will set the health care policy for the United States for years to come. This is a little bit more serious than just a rule vote on an appropriation bill."

Continue reading Showdown: Democrat Rep. Stupak Locked in Dead Heat with House Leadership over Pro-Life Health Amendment

This is why the pro-life movement can't afford to be focused on one party. 


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UK Rationed Health Care: Premie refused health care & left to die because he was 2 days shy of govt deadline

Blog this! Twitter this! Facebook-it! Send it to any news sources and news anchors who will talk about it. This is the kind of thing that will be happening in our country if Obama's Health Care head policy advisor, Ezekiel Emanuel has his way.

GORLESTON, UK, September 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A young British mother has criticized medical guidelines that, she said, resulted in doctors refusing treatment and leaving her newborn premature son to die. 23 year-old Sarah Capewell told media that her son Jayden, born at 21 weeks and five days gestation, was refused intensive care because he was two days under the limit set by the British government's National Health Service (NHS) rationing guidelines.

Capewell said that her son Jayden cried and lived for two hours before dying in her arms. During that time, his mother took photos of him and pleaded with doctors that he be admitted to the special baby unit at James Paget University Hospital (JPH). Staff at the hospital, in Gorleston, Norfolk, told her that had Jayden been born two days later they would have helped him.

Since her son's death, Capewell has launched an internet campaign to change the guidelines and says that she has received messages of support from around the world.

Health care rationing guidelines set down by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in 2006 say that intensive care should never be given to babies below 22 weeks gestation, and rarely to those below 23 weeks. In secular bioethics, this is called Futile Care Theory, which holds that in cases where there is no hope for improvement of an incapacitating condition, such as extreme prematurity, no treatment should be offered.

Continue reading at LifeSiteNews.com and read additional links there: British Doctors Left Premie to Die: at 21 Weeks 5 Days, Baby Boy "Just a Fetus"

Again, get the word out on this and storm the news sources until they cannot ignore the story any longer.

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Man with handicapped son threatened after townhall

Certainly, if you watch the news, you have seen the clip of the elderly gentelman confronting John Dingell (D-Michigan) about the new health care reform bill. He was threatened during the night.

Watch this through to the end. It's incredulous that Dingell should tell him that there is an amendment to protect handicapped people. So, the disabled are suppose to hope that they will be protected by some amendment which has not even been written?

If you listen carefully, I think he tries to tell the anchor that his son has cancer. This bill, as written, is a threat to the elderly and disabled who end up with things like cancer. It's no wonder he was so upset, if this is the case.



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