It is a scene that will be played out over and over with the new Congress. Democrats are using rules to prohibit any amendments, including right-to-life amendments, from being offered or debated to the various dizzying spending bills they are steamrollering through Congress. With Obama’s blessings, of course.
The newest spending bonanza is the so-called omnibus bill that just passed in the House of Representatives. Democratic party leaders restored and increased funding to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), an organization that advocates for abortion and has been involved in China’s population control program which uses forced abortions to achieve its goals.
Right-to-life hero and champion, Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, wanted to offer an amendment to restore previous policy which prohibits giving taxpayer dollars to groups that back forced abortions. Smith also wanted to offer an amendment to restore the Mexico City Policy which Obama just overturned by Executive Order.
We live in a democracy — right. Or, so we thought. The House Rules Committee would not allow Smith to introduce his amendments and prohibited debate on Smith’s proposals.
So, taxpayers of America, if the Senate approves the omnibus bill with this language and Obama signs it into law (does anyone realistically believe this won’t happen?), you will be complicit in forced abortions, the performance of abortions, promotion of legalizing abortions in countries that don’t want them, and any horrendous act that international pro-abortion groups want to carry out.
But, this is just a warm-up. The annual federal appropriations process begins in March. On the table are the Hyde Amendment and many other provisions that protect you from having to pay for abortions in the USA.
Over 180 Members of Congress, including our own Wisconsin Congressmen Ryan, Sensenbrenner and Petri, have signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging that the Hyde Amendment and other right-to-life provisions be included in the appropriations bills to preserve policies that a majority of Americans want. The members ask for debate and a vote on any provisions which might be rescinded in the appropriations committee.
Many babies’ lives are at risk. Planned Parenthood’s own research arm estimates that the Hyde Amendment alone has resulted in reducing the number of abortions by as much as 18-38%.
If you haven’t already done so, you MUST be a voice for the unborn and join our E-Voice network. This allows you to easily contact your elected officials. You will never have more power to stop the slaughter of unborn babies as you do now — if you only exercise it. To join E-Voice, click here.
The recent birth of octuplets has generated a feeding frenzy, not just from the media but with the public. Ordinary conversations turn to discussions about the mother of the octuplets. Everyone has an opinion and most are brutally negative. Even her parents have turned on her.
Raising all of these children will certainly be very difficult. But, one thing is certain. The mother is ardently pro-life. She refused to have her embryos destroyed and refused to have “selective reduction,” meaning that doctors would choose which babies in her womb to inject with a lethal substance and which ones they would let live.
Why are people obsessed with this event to the point of hysteria? I don’t know all of the rationale but detect a pattern here. Remember the disdain and outright cruelty that Sarah Palin faced because she had the audacity to give birth to a baby she knew to have Down syndrome? And the disgusting way daughter Bristol was treated for deciding to carry her child to term?
There is no privacy here with talking heads blathering for hours about lives that are not theirs. They claim the octuplets should not suffer because of the acts of their mother. Well, how is it helpful to the children if the mother is constantly under attack and people openly discuss the government taking her children away?
I feel empathy for the octuplet mother. If I lived in her community, I would be preparing meals and signing up to help feed, diaper and hold babies. What do you think?
Archbishop Timothy Dolan quickly established himself as a strong advocate of the sanctity of Life in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. For the past six years, Archbishop Dolan served as a Trustee of Wisconsin Right to Life’s Veritas Society mass media program which airs television ads to touch hearts and minds to value human life and to reduce the number of Wisconsin abortions. Archbishop Dolan also promoted the Veritas Society program through his appearance as a featured speaker at fundraising events.
Our hearts are saddened by the loss of his tremendous and inspirational leadership in Wisconsin for the cause of life. We rejoice that he will bring those same dynamic qualities to a national audience as Archbishop of New York City.
Legislation, ballot questions and court rulings dealing with the legalization of assisted suicide are gathering steam across the country. In some ways, this is a routine occurrence as a new legislative session begins in the various states. But, fueled by the successful ballot initiative in Washington state and the dangerous court decision in Montana, there is a flurry of activity.
Washington
The Washington law allowing assisted suicide takes effect on March 4, 2009. The rules adopted by the state are nearly identical to ones in effect in Oregon for the past ten years.
Montana
A state court judge in Montana ruled that assisted suicide is legal under her interpretation of the Montana State Constitution. The ruling took effect immediately after her December 5, 2008 ruling but is being appealed to the Montana State Supreme Court. A bill has been introduced to establish rules and regulations for carrying out assisted suicide.
New Hampshire
Legislation to legalize assisted suicide had a public hearing in February.
New Mexico and Massachusetts
Bills have been introduced to legalize assisted suicide.
Hawaii
A bill to legalize assisted suicide was introduced but apparently will receive no action.
Arizona and Maryland
Bills have been introduced in these states patterned after the successful California law to make it easier to legalize assisted suicide in the future and to give credibility to pro-euthanasia groups as ones to consult for end-of-life decision making.
Gianna Mia Rose Nevsimal is a miracle baby. Some might not think so because she has Down syndrome. Yet, she has been blessed with marvelous birth parents and incredibly loving adoptive parents.
Fredricka and Mark Manning have five sons, one with a severe disability. When Fredricka was pregnant with Gianna, they learned she had Down syndrome. Confronted with the reality of a second child with a disability, they began to consider adoption.
Enter Archbishop Timothy Dolan from whom the Mannings sought advice. Fredricka asked Dolan if it would be sinful to place the baby for adoption. “No, no, no,” responded Dolan. He said it was their obligation to have the baby and then do what was best for their family.
As so often happens in these types of situations, Fredrika was advised to abort the child. The high-risk pregnancy physician she consulted said: “I see your doctor has written across your chart ‘no termination’ … Now would be the time to reverse that decision.”
Enter Charles and Deb Nevsimal who were despertately trying to have a child. As friends of Archbishop Dolan, they told him they were now turning to adoption. Dolan informed them about the Manning child. After several visits between the Mannings and Nevsimals, it was decided that precious Gianna Mia Rose, whom they have all dubbed a miracle child, would spend her life as the daughter of the Nevsimals.
Charles summed up the situation with this poignant statement: “It’s the most ideal situation I could ever imagine. Two Catholic families now connected by this little miracle girl who was given life because her mom, her birth mother, refused to listen to her doctor. She’s going to be living proof of what God’s gift of life is forever.”
Charles and Deb have been active in the Wisconsin Right to Life Next Gen organization. We are thrilled for them and, especially, for Gianna who has been given the most important gift she will ever receive — the gift of life.
An email exchange that went on for months between abortionist Caryn Dutton of Madison, abortionist Fredrik Broekhuizen of Milwaukee, and officials at UW Hospital in Madison are incredibly revealing about the motivation and internal politics surrounding the venture to perform late-term abortions at the Madison Surgery Center. It was all about money, folks, and the politics of trying to make late-term abortions “mainstream” by forcing them into a surgery center where people go for routine outpatient procedures.
This morning, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published my op ed piece which exposed all of the gritty details in the email correspondence. It is a must read!
“There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.” Who said this? Ronald Reagan? George W. Bush?
Incredibly, it was President Obama at the recent National Prayer Breakfast. Was he referring to the 50 million “innocent” unborn children slaughtered by abortion? Not a chance. Yet, those who cling to the notion that somehow Obama is “pro-life” must have been thrilled. Because, as with other things Obama has said, they can read into it whatever they want.
Is Obama sly or ignorant? I believe the former. He has shown time and again that he is loose with language that doesn’t match his true positions. In actions, Obama continues his assault on “innocent” human life by putting a pen to Executive Orders which undermine years of pro-life policies. And, it is heavily reported that the next Order will be to overturn the 2001 Bush policy to prohibit the use of federal tax dollars for the destruction of living human embryos.
Hooray for the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops! Not only are they mobilizing Catholic churches in opposition to the unconscionable FOCA, but they are prepared to defy it should it become law.
Under FOCA, all state and federal right to life laws and regulations would be wiped away. Among those provisions that could be overturned under FOCA would be protections for hospitals and medical professionals from being forced to perform or participate in abortions. Catholic officials had previously said that Catholic hospitals would be forced to close if FOCA became law because they would not participate in abortion-related activities that violate their consciences. But now, it appears they are willing to defy FOCA should it become law.
In a Catholic News Service interview with Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Bishop Lynch said that rather than close, Catholic hospitals would defy FOCA! He said, “Catholic hospitals will not allow abortions to be performed in their facilities” and they will not comply with forced abortion laws “even if our actions constitute civil disobedience.”
He went on to say, “No Catholic institution or employee of an institution can or will be made to violate the dictates of their conscience resulting from federal or state legislative action.” He went on to say “we will not close” either because Catholic hospitals have an obligation to serve patients for non-abortion activities.
Imagine news reports of doctors and nurses being hauled away in handcuffs because they refused to participate in the taking of human life! What a public relations disaster that would be for the radically pro-abortion Obama Administration! The bishops are highly principled, indeed … and they are very smart!
The importance of who sits on the State Supreme Court cannot be overstated. The judicial philosophy of any given justice determines whether that individual sees their role on the court as interpreting the law or making new law.
In considering its endorsement decision in the race between the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, Shirley Abrahamson and Jefferson County Circuit Judge Randy Koschnick, our political action committee (the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC) viewed judicial philosophy as a key factor.
The WRTL/PAC endorsement went to Judge Koschnick - hands down - because of his firm belief that the proper role of justices is to interpret the law and not make up new law. Judge Koschnick is also very well qualified to serve on our state’s highest court with over 25 years of legal experience. He is currently serving as Presiding Judge of the Jefferson County Circuit Court and Deputy Chief Judge of Wisconsin’s Third Judicial District. Judge Koschnick received the Wisconsin Law Journal’s 2008 Leaders in the Law Award.
Hope you’ll remember this and get out to vote in the spring elections. The primary is February 17 and the general election is April 7.
Sue Armacost
Authorized and paid for by the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC, Richard Fox, Treasurer.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s agent or committee.
![[Email]](http://www.wrtl.org/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.wrtl.org/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.wrtl.org/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.wrtl.org/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
