Free Republic

With a single phrase of compassion for immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Jeb Bush has prompted questions about his viability as a potential presidential contender and underscored how divisive the immigration issue remains for the Republican Party. The former Florida governor sparked a conservative furor this week when he described illegal immigration in an interview as an “act of love” by people trying to provide for their families. Backing Bush are some of the GOP’s most powerful insiders and financiers, who are hoping the party can woo Hispanic voters and rebound from Mitt Romney’s damaging “self-deportation” rhetoric in 2012. “The...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says illegal immigrants endure “heartbreaking” conditions, but wouldn’t agree with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush that they aren’t committing a felony. “We’re a nation of immigrants, we need to celebrate that, but at the same time, rule of law matters,” Cruz said Monday on CNN’s “The Lead.”

Hundreds of thousands of people will be marching around the country today to protest the wholesale slaughter of life in the womb. Catholics and others have kept that fight alive, to good effect, for decades. But as a faith that values both faith and reason, Catholicism makes careful distinctions on other life issues as well.Most people, for instance, are not familiar with what, specifically, constitutes brain death. It is not the most pleasant of topics to ponder. And, thank God, few of us have a pressing reason to do so. But the tragic case of a 13-year-old Oakland girl, Jahi...

For nearly a decade I wandered in a spiritual wasteland trying to find God, but looking for him everywhere but in Christianity. I looked for him in New Age occult practices, in Buddhism, and the world’s other non-Christian organized religions. One day, while living deep in the Bible Belt, I came across a Chick tract, which insisted that Catholics were Satanists who worshipped something he called a “Death Cookie.” The tract was so jarringly abrasive, I felt indignant on behalf of Catholics. In an attempt to disprove the wild accusations of Jack Chick, I found myself researching Catholicism for the...

Jeb Bush will present Hillary Clinton with the 2013 Liberty Medal this fall in Philadelphia. It could be an awkward encounter for the two, both of whom are mentioned as 2016 presidential nominees for their respective parties. Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, is chairman of the National Constitution Center, which is giving Clinton the award in honor of her career in public service and her advocacy efforts on behalf of women. The former secretary of State is considered the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the next presidential election, but has made no political moves since leaving the...

In an exclusive sit-down interview with The Brody File, Jeb Bush began to sketch out his case for President of the United States if he decides to run next year. “It will be based on my record. And that record was one of solving problems from completely from a conservative perspective. I cut taxes every year, I shrunk the size of government,” Jeb Bush tells The Brody File. And as for his critics who say he’s too mainstream establishment he offers this: “I will be able to, I think, manage my way through all the chirpers out there.” We sat...

On Friday night in Philadelphia, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin keynoted an event designed to honor Terri Schiavo and defend life, delivering a heartfelt speech at the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network's Award Gala in front of a packed ballroom of supporters in which she declared that nothing was more "important than defending the right to life." The former Republican vice presidential nominee has been on the front lines defending the unborn as well as those in a persistent vegetative state. Terri Schiavo's case captured the nation's attention in 2005 when, despite the best efforts of her family, she...

Friday night in Philadelphia, Governor Sarah Palin proved what we already expected. She was the perfect choice to keynote an event designed to honor Terri Schiavo and defend life. Palin delivered a heartfelt speech at the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network’s Award Gala in front of a packed ballroom of supporters. “Her plight, her journey, taught Americans who we are and what we can be,” Palin said speaking about Schiavo. “Her story is certainly not over.” Governor Palin referred to Schiavo as a beautiful young woman with unquenchable spirit. She assured the crowd that Terri continues to teach with...

Governor Sarah Palin will headline a dinner recalling the life and painful euthanasia death of Terri Schiavo, who was subjected to two weeks of starvation and dehydration by a husband who no longer wanted to care of her. Though the events surrounding her death were very difficult for Terri and her family, the foundation that bears her name is turning a negative into a positive. The national controversy that erupted over the court-ordered decision that ended Terri Schiavo’s life by removing her feeding tube in 2005 has been channeled into a positive effort of awareness, education and advocacy through the...

REMEMBRANCE of EASTER 2005 Crowd my eyes, you bevies of daffodils, And you forsythias in throngs of cheer, Dandelion galaxies and fountains of trees. Fill my mouth with the breath of hyacinths, you purple air And you roistering breeze. And you quince-buds so eager, you swelling seeds, You squirrels running stitches across the loom Of woven grasses, inflorescent weeds; Jasmine-bush, loop me with your lariats of perfume. Fill me, small birds, with your versicles, And chuckled replies. She is bleeding from the mouth and eyes. Sate me then, Sun, all dapple and spangle Crowd out all else Lade me and...

For members of any family, an order of execution issued by a judge for a loved one is devastating news – it’s catastrophic to learn that someone you have known all your life is going to be killed by the state. That’s what happened to my family when, on March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo died as a result of Florida probate judge George W. Greer’s ruling to sentence my sister to death. Her crime? She was profoundly brain injured, could not speak or fend for herself and had a loving family that wanted, more than anything, to just bring her...

Terri Schiavo Dies After Enduring 13 Day Court-Ordered Starvation by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor March 31, 2005 Pinellas Park, FL (LifeNews.com) — Terri Schiavo has passed away after enduring 13 days of a painful starvation and dehydration death that six state and federal courts declined to prevent. While her family will remember a loving daughter and sister, her death will be the beginning of a renewed debate about euthanasia and end of life issues. Terri died Thursday morning at Woodside Hospice, and Paul O’Donnell, a Franciscan monk who has been a spokesman for the Schindlers during the last two weeks,...

The court-ordered starvation and dehydration death of Terri Schindler Schiavo eight years ago marked a watershed moment in our nation’s history. Millions of people both here and around the world became suddenly faced the reality that our society is not only willing, but seemingly eager, to treat those with disabilities as if they are expendable. Among the many commentaries and reflections published in the wake of Terri’s death was a series of analyses in the pro-life publication Human Life Review. Yesterday we began discussing one of those articles written by columnist Nat Hentoff. In it, Nat wrote about society’s progression...

Nat Hentoff is no stranger to the pro-life movement and his defense of life in the face of overwhelming opposition is noteworthy. For many, many years, Nat was a columnist for the New York City paper, The Village Voice — a paper so liberal that the New York Times almost appears mainstream in comparison. Nestled away in its pages, however, was columnist Nat Hentoff. Nat’s advocacy for life knows no boundaries. Shortly after the death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, the pro-life quarterly journal, Human Life Review, ran a series of articles analyzing the impact of Terri’s tragic death. Among the...

As Holy Week begins and we reflect on the passion of Jesus Christ, it is especially appropriate to remember another person who eight years ago at this time was subjected to a tortuous, brutal and heinous death – one whose anniversary falls this year on Easter Sunday: Terri Schindler-Schiavo. And just as the Church now ushers in our new Pope Francis, I am reminded how two days after Terri’s death we also lost our Holy Father. As Pope John Paul II lay dying at the Vatican his aides would later tell the Schindlers that when he learned of Terri’s death,...

As Holy Week begins and we reflect on the passion of Jesus Christ, it is especially appropriate to remember another person who eight years ago at this time was subjected to a tortuous, brutal and heinous death – one whose anniversary falls this year on Easter Sunday: Terri Schindler-Schiavo. And just as the Church now ushers in our new Pope Francis, I am reminded how two days after Terri’s death we also lost our Holy Father. As Pope John Paul II lay dying at the Vatican his aides would later tell the Schindlers that when he learned of Terri’s death,...

by Cathy Cleaver Ruse March 24, 2005 LifeNews.com Note: Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq., is the Director of Planning and Information for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. The following editorial originally appeared in Newsday. TERRI SCHIAVO is at the heart of a human tragedy being played out in our nation, and watched by the world. Her husband wants to remove her feeding tube, saying this is her wish, while her parents and siblings vigorously disagree that she would have wanted to die. Since last Friday, Schiavo has faced each new day without food or water, by...

The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network is delighted to announce that Moe & Sana Maraachli will receive the 2013 Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Award at the first Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network Award Gala on Friday, April 5, in Philadelphia. In 2011, an international controversy erupted over Joseph Maraachli (Baby Joseph) after Canadian physicians refused to perform a tracheotomy, calling the procedure invasive and futile. This would have ultimately led to Joseph’s imposed death. The Maraachlis courageously fought to have Joseph, who was diagnosed with a neurologic disorder called Leigh’s disease, transferred to the United States, contending...

Sick children are being discharged from NHS hospitals to die at home or in hospices on controversial ‘death pathways’. Until now, end of life regime the Liverpool Care Pathway was thought to have involved only elderly and terminally-ill adults. But the Mail can reveal the practice of withdrawing food and fluid by tube is being used on young patients as well as severely disabled newborn babies.

Dehydrate dementia patients to death to save money: British Medical Journal editorial by Hilary White, Rome CorrespondentMon Jul 16, 2012 15:38 EST July 16, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The courts should not interfere with doctors who want to dehydrate to death incapacitated patients who are a drain on scarce financial resources, according to an editorial in this week’s edition of the prestigious British Medical Journal. Raanan Gillon, emeritus professor of medical ethics and former chairman of the Institute of Medical Ethics governing body, wrote that a ruling last year by the High Court against dehydrating an incapacitated patient to death was...