Posted on 01/23/2009 8:28:01 PM PST by markomalley
As one inauguration ends, another begins. Yesterday's March for Life in Washington inaugurated a rebirth of the abortion debate, thanks in large part to the election of President Barack Obama.
The media traditionally ignore or minimize the annual march, despite its large numbers, because it's viewed as a rehash of Roe v. Wade. But this year is different, because many pro-lifers view Obama as militantly pro-abortion rights.
For starters, on the campaign trail he told Planned Parenthood supporters of his desire to sign into law, as quickly as possible, the pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act. Versions of FOCA have been introduced in Congress since 1989. But FOCA isn't the whole story.
Internet blogs that cover faith and religion report that the president is on the verge of reversing a federal policy that prohibits international nongovernmental agencies from using U.S. funds to finance abortion and birth control. Also under threat is a rule, signed by George W. Bush last month and put into effect just last week, that allows medical personnel to withhold service or treatment they deem a violation of conscience.
This rule obviously targets abortion. Obama has promised to rescind the regulation, according to Slate.com's Melinda Henneberger.
Traditionally, Protestant Christian evangelicals have been at the forefront of the pro-life movement, and overturning Roe has been their major objective. But increasingly, young Catholic bishops, like Raleigh's Rev. Michael Burbidge, are assuming leadership roles in the fight. That's a significant development, because these bishops have more in their arsenals than homilies and busloads of pro-life parishioners.
The bishops have health care -- an issue Obama has said will be central to his presidency.
Catholic hospitals are a very large component of the nation's health care delivery system. They provide approximately 15 percent of U.S. hospital beds. North Carolina is one of the few states not served by a Catholic hospital, but in 21 states and the District of Columbia, they account for at least 20 percent of admissions, according to the American Hospital Association.
But there's more to this issue than numbers. Catholic medical facilities often specialize in services and specialties more beneficial to the public good than to the bottom line. Among them are key services such as social workers, nutrition programs and inner-city emergency rooms. And, of course, there's old-fashioned charity. For tens of thousands of poor U.S. citizens, their medical safety net is strung up at a Catholic health care facility.
This is the chip some Catholic bishops have threatened to pull off the table if FOCA is signed into law. They act not out of spite, but as a matter of belief. Should FOCA prevail, or if legislation passes that would invalidate the conscience rule or similar state laws, some bishops have said they would close their hospitals rather than be forced to perform abortions. (Catholic hospitals are under federal jurisdiction because they accept Medicare and Medicaid patients and could not survive without those reimbursements.)
Some think the bishops are bluffing. They aren't, because they can't. A Catholic hospital could no more perform an abortion than it could carry out an execution. Count on the bishops' ensuring that parishioners understand that a vote for FOCA is a vote to close Catholic, community-based health care.
While the bishops fight FOCA, some Catholics are going after abortion itself. CatholicVote.com (a project of the 501(c)3 Fidelis Center for Law and Policy) launched an anti-abortion advertising campaign on Inauguration Day with a pointed -- and ironic -- tribute to our new president that aired on Black Entertainment Television. Violins played as a series of ultrasound images of a fetus were accompanied by these words:
"The child's future is a broken home ... he will be abandoned by his father ... his single mother will struggle to raise him ... despite the hardships he will endure ... this child will become ... the first African-American president."
The ad ends with a favorable portrait of Obama beside the campaign's central theme: "Life -- Imagine the Potential ."
These developments are just a few of the signs of a reinvigorated pro-life movement. They should alert the Obama administration that should it choose to make it easier to abort an unborn child, the president will have a tough -- and sophisticated -- holy war on his hands.
It isn’t a “holy war” he has on his hands...it’s the blood of innocents. May God deal with him accordingly, and soon.
Just as Saint Paul persecuting the people of Christ,I pray Mr. Obama may receive the same avenue of conversion. Yea gotta admit conversion of Obama would make the hard left to commit suicide. But then the Lord has a way with the powerful especially those who are the weakness. Prayer and fasting.
You have the right attitude. I pray daily for his religious awakening. I pray, that while he is in office, that he will see the light and be born again in the likeness of Jesus. Amen.
The money to pay for nationalized healthcare is our tax dollars, so you know it’s going to cover abortion. I expect that Tom Daschle is working on the Catholic hospital angle for socialized medicine. No doubt they will find an escape clause for those hospitals. Nothing is going to stop Obama and his pals from seeing to it that babies are are tortured and killed.
Thanks for posting.
Just forwarded the link to all on my list who “overlooked” this issue in the election.
I add my prayer to yours. I don’t see FOCA getting passed without enough exceptions to make it a drop in the abortion ocean. His black fanbase is mostly pro-life, and sadly ignorant or lackadaisical about Obama’s stance (I know this from lots of anecdotal and statistical evidence). Plus he knows how tenuous his hold on the White House was. After choosing Palin, McCain was riding high in the polls. It took a major economic crisis to scare enough voters away towards the “change guy.” I think he’ll have a harder time hanging onto the WH in 2012 than many people think, and that his honeymoon period outside the media and black voters will end sometime this year.
ON RESTORING CONFIDENCE TO THE BANKING SYSTEM
“ Let them (the financials) go broke. Let’s have confidence by letting the incompetent companies fail. We can have confidence in the new companies that emerge to take their place. Entrenching these incompetent managers does nothing to restore confidence.“
ON OBAMA SPEECH ABOUT SHARED SACRIFICE AND ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES
“ You know he talks about shared sacrifice, rolling up our sleeves and getting back to work, but the meat of his economic program is to give more credit to consumers so they can borrow and spend more money. How is that sacrifice? How is going to the mall and buying more stuff you can’t afford asking for sacrifice ? “(Sickoflibs quiz : Have we seen this before? More of the same but worse? )
WILL THE STIMULUS PLAN WORK?
“ The economy is not going to improve because of this plan. We might dig ourselves into a deeper hole but that’s it. It might look like things are getting better as we spend ourselves into a bigger bankruptcy. This is all an illusion and you don’t solve economic problems by printing money. You solve those problems by working hard, saving, producing, and the exact opposite of what we are trying to do.“
ON WHERE AMERICA AND ENGLAND ARE HEADED
“ The free market is the problem, greed and capitalism is the problem, government oversight, government control of the economy, bureaucrats are the answers to our problems. It’s the exact opposite (of reality.)“
ENTIRE SEGMENT AT : Peter Schiff 1/20/09 - CNBC Kudlow & Company [Part 1] and Peter Schiff 1/20/09 - CNBC Kudlow & Company [Part 2]
Wow, I am rebuked. My attitude has been ‘I refuse to pray for a usurper. The only prayers he’s getting is for God to remove him from office ASAP’.
Now I can see while I certainly won’t pray for his success in destroying our nation, I can pray for his conversion and possibly have a hand in saving our nation.
Thanks for your post.
Proverbs 24:10-12:
If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will He not repay man according to his work?
http://asianyouthforlife.blogspot.com/2008/04/pro-life-bible-verses-compilation.html
Yes,it is a good article. Just my 2 cents worth on the issue, I think Protestants and Catholics should work together on this. Come out as a united front. It could help make our resources go further as well. I don’t think our differences are so great that we can’t come together on this. I see evidence that this may be starting to happen on a local level.Besides, with God, all things are possible.
FYI, I am a protestant,and I pray every day this evil ends. It grieves my heart.
I hope I don’t come across as a loon, but I have deep passionate feelings about this issue, and I feel compelled to speak up.
Obviously he's had a "change of heart" and now believes that not only should everyone embrace abortion but that Catholic/Evangelical hospitals, doctors, medical practitioners and pharmacists offer abortion services.
Bob Casey (PA) also calls himself pro-life. My Church bulletin mentioned about how we should be thankful for this. Apparently the Pastor didn’t do his research though becuase Casey only has 65% pro-life voting record.
“abortion; obamas holy war.”
one would guess that someone has to take herod’s place.
IMHO
Focus on the Family has been on a fundraising campaign, buying ultra sound machines and placing them in crisis pregnancy centers. When a woman is making the decision they encourage her to have an ultra sound and there, for all to see, is the fully formed heart beating fast and clear about the time they even know they are pregnant.
Obama is apparently doing a lot of projection with his campaign to encourage abortions.he said something about young women being “cursed” with babies out of wedlock.His mother had him young and I think before she married his father-and she seemed to treat him like an inconvenience to her life as a perpetual student-pawning him off on her parents.I wonder if this has something to do with his insane love for abortion,even at the latest term.he is more extreme than even Barbara Boxer,who is a demonic little pro-abortion bitch.
Obama is apparently doing a lot of projection with his campaign to encourage abortions.he said something about young women being “cursed” with babies out of wedlock.His mother had him young and I think before she married his father-and she seemed to treat him like an inconvenience to her life as a perpetual student-pawning him off on her parents.I wonder if this has something to do with his insane love for abortion,even at the latest term.he is more extreme than even Barbara Boxer,who is a demonic little pro-abortion bitch.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.