Let Lauren Live!

ChristtheKingMaine ^ | May 7, 2008 | Judie Brown

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LAUREN RICHARDSON - YOU CAN HELP!
By Judie Brown

It has been a source of ongoing sadness to read of the difficulties Lauren Richardson’s father has had over the course of the past several months. For those of you who are not familiar with her case, Lauren overdosed on heroin on August 28, 2006. She suffered oxygen deprivation and, as a result of the overdose, is now in a coma and unable to speak out for herself. At the time of the overdose, Lauren was expecting a baby. Her parents honored what they knew would have been her wish and did all they could to keep her healthy and comfortable until the child was born. Today, though Lauren may not be aware of it, she is the mother of Ember Grace, who was born in February 2007.

Since the birth of her daughter, Lauren remains unable to speak of her concerns, but she has a loving father who is doing all he can to protect her from suffering the same fate as Terri Schiavo. However, Lauren’s mother, who has been named her legal guardian, is sadly not of the same opinion and is working with attorneys to pressure the courts to permit Lauren’s starvation.

Lauren’s father has kept hope alive, even at times when there appeared to be no hope in human terms. Lauren’s father is a man of hope in Christ and is dedicated to spending every breath he has on defending Lauren, regardless of what it might cost him in physical exhaustion and worldly goods. The most recent update for those concerned about Lauren tells us the following:

We struggle at times as we seek to share with the public the details of what is happening with Lauren because of the disagreement we have with Lauren’s mother. We cannot understand her reasoning in refusing a path of hope, healing and restoration for Lauren and insisting on causing her death by withholding food and water from her. The issue in Lauren’s case is the eternal truth that all people, no matter what their medical condition, bear the image of God and deserve basic care and an opportunity to be restored to health.

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s brother, has written about Lauren in an editorial earlier this year, "False Compassion," and is working closely with Lauren’s father in order to provide expertise that he is uniquely qualified to share during a trying time like this.

There are many links on the Life for Lauren web site that will assist you in tracking this case and learning who is supporting Lauren’s ongoing care and who is opposing it. More importantly, there is something you can do to express your concerns.

ACTION NEEDED NOW

The governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, is being asked by pro-life Americans across this nation to intervene in this case in order to save Lauren from what many fear is an imminent court order dictating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death. I am asking you to be one of those who communicates your passionate belief that Lauren’s life is sacred and deserves to be protected from those who would order her death. The governor’s e-mail address is governor.minner@state.de.us.

Further, it would mean a great deal to Lauren’s father, Randy, if you sent him a copy of your e-mail to Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Randy’s e-mail address is Lifeforlauren@aol.com. 

During a recent visit to Anchorage, Alaska where Bobby Schindler was invited to speak, he told a reporter from The Catholic Anchor, "Once we accept that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering, we lose any type of parameters. Euthanasia is a form of abandonment. It is not compassion."

Truer words were never spoken. As I frequently tell people who argue that we pro-lifers are being heartless and cruel for fighting to defend the rights of a "hopeless case," "God is the author of every human being’s life, and He has never given permission to a single one of us to arbitrarily rob another human being of life for any reason including disability or illness."

As Flannery O’Connor once wrote on the subject of false compassion, "In the absence of faith, we govern by tenderness. And tenderness leads to the gas chamber."

Lauren Richardson is not terminal – she is severely disabled. Lauren Richardson should not be murdered.

Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

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Professor Pope notes the work of Gil Porat

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Gil Porat, a practicing hospitalist physician in Colorado, has just published a new novel titled The Other Face of Murder. "The story is about a young doctor, Jerry Weissman, who is devastated after he discovers one of his friends dead in his kitchen following a dinner party. As he investigates the complex methods and motives for her death, his long-held views about the dying process are challenged."

In an interview with his local paper, Porat explains that he hopes his book will prompt people to ask the questions we should be asking:

• Are we using too many resources to prolong life a few more days, when those resources could possibly be shifted to prevention or early treatment?
  
• Are we serving the patient or the family members' sense of obligation?
  
• Should we be dying in sterile institutions or at home?
• Should we - brace yourself - ration end-of-life care to avoid the looming health care crisis?
  
• Or is the greater risk that we'll allow doctors to play God?"

Porat says, "I want to start the debate that no one's talking about."

Posted by Thaddeus Mason Pope at 1:20 PM

New book: The Other Face of Murder

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More from The Passionate Prolifer...

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WEITZ EXEC FLEES FROM TRUTH!

Today the Collaborators Project conducted
another Holiday Home Visit at the residence of Gary Meggison, in Lakewood, Colorado.

About 20 protestors of the Planned Parenthood Super Baby Death Camp, being built by Weitz
in a minority neighborhood at Stapleton, gathered, sang songs and preached God's word to Mr. Meggison and his neighbors.



Cal Zastrow brought a strong message, begging Gary and his neighbors' hearts to break for the
4,000 innocent pre-born babies who are murdered by Planned Parenthood and America's abortionists, daily.







Lakewood Police were called and asked us to keep the preaching level down. As the Christians continued with songs, Meggison left home to flee from the truth he was forced to confront.

Posted by Leslie at 2:42 PM 0 comments

WEITZ EXEC FLEES FROM TRUTH!

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From Wesley J. Smith, (via email, thanks, Leslie...)

By Bobby Schindler

Here is more on California Bill AB 2747 by disability rights advocate Marilyn Golden. Thankfully, this bill, which is being sponsored by California Assemblymembers Patty Berg and Lloyd Levine is being exposed for what it really is, a backdoor attempt to legalize physician assisted suicide. From the article:

"This bill represents a change in strategy by Compassion and Choices after three years of defeat. Every year since 2005, the group tried to legalize assisted suicide in California. Each year, strong bi-partisan opposition defeated that legislation. On a new tack, this bill would pave the way for their hoped-for future legalization of assisted suicide."

Wesley has also written about the potential dangers of this bill and here Marilyn Golden does the same.

"AB 2747 would mandate that doctors discuss with patients still a year from death, unusual end-of-life courses of action including voluntarily starving and dehydrating themselves, which is not even a medical treatment."

This bill would also define terminal illness as one year to live.

"To mandate this discussion a year in advance of death is shockingly early. It is not unusual for a 'terminal' patient to dramatically outlive her terminal prognosis by many years. To force such a discussion on a patient at that time is not fair to the patient. One must ask what end is served by this timing."

Hopefully, this bill will fail for what it is - a cowardly and dishonest attempt to legalize doctor assisted suicide.

posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 6:25 AM

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If Frist jumps into the race, the libs will try to tie Terri's Legacy to him, using the old lie that most decent Americans wanted to see innocent Terri killed by the State, and abhor any who would save her.

On the Republican side, everybody is waiting for Frist to make up his mind. The heart surgeon is rich and powerful, and his name recognition is high across the state.

But he brings some baggage on the gubernatorial flight: He was tightly aligned with the George W. Bush administration, not a popular thing these days. He drew national rebukes for weighing in with a medical opinion in the case of Terri Schiavo, based only on a videotape and the political winds. And in an early autobiography, Frist confessed to adopting cats from animal shelters and experimenting on them as part of his medical training.......

Governor's race could be ladies' affair

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Do-Not-Regurgitate... This comes from OpEdNews aka Opposite of Edification.

........Is this still a "Brave New World?" In reality, questions of our mortality have always been with us, and are “only new to thee.” This year, in the wake of Schiavo, and in the turbine of other medical reforms, we need to continue the discussion that was begun 30 years ago, in the case of Dinnerstein.....

Do-not-resuscitate: A Revolution Now 30 years old

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What our world is coming to, if we not remain vigilant...

Thread by wagglebee.

A former SS doctor accused of sending 900 sick children to their deaths under the Nazi euthanasia programme has been awarded a German medical association's highest honour...........

Germans give former SS doctor accused of killing 900 children a medal

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"We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will give you no rest."

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As we say often enough, words are tools of the dark side, not for their intrinsic meaning as decent folk understand, but for their effect. Meaning of the word is irrelevant, only its effect in use.

Thread by wagglebee

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LifeNews.com Note: Ken Connor is the chairman of the Center for a Just Society in Washington and a leading pro-life attorney who helped Terri Schiavo's family try to save her life. He is a former president of the Family Research Council.

Even the most despicable ideas can be made palatable when euphemisms are used to spin them. That's why abortion advocates call themselves "pro-choice" rather than "pro abortion." It's also why they talk about "terminating a pregnancy" rather than "killing a baby." Controlling the language not only controls the argument, it often determines the outcome of the argument...........

Promoting Death: Analyzing the Language of Euthanasia, Suicide Advocates

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This thread is from Free ThinkerNY with thanks to wagglebee for the ping.

Goes to show you...Her family said goodbye and doctors removed all the tubes.

However, Thomas was kept on a ventilator a little while longer as an organ donor issue was discussed.............

Woman Wakes Up After Family Says Goodbye, Tubes Pulled

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[wagglebee]

Wow!

Talk about a chilling image. Wonderful work Phil.

[floriduh voter]

One year to live is the new means testing for the death care system? The human body doesn’t run on a timeline.

[Dante3]

Good questions.

[floriduh voter]

Nice work, phildragoo.

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Salvation has a thread going on Fr. Euteneuer's observations and perceptions of Teddy Bare Kennedy. Father is charitable, more so than I could be, and understands Teddy from the core.

Sen. John McCain responded to the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s brain tumor saying that Ted Kennedy was the “last lion of the Senate.” Nice words, but hollow. Clearly Kennedy has been a forty-year force to reckon with in the US Senate, but lionizing him for his headstrong political partisanship over four decades is a little like saying that sticking around for a long time and being opinionated qualifies as a “legacy.” That very record of anti-life advocacy is the measure by which his soul will be judged.

While I pray for Sen. Kennedy’s recovery from a brain tumor, I pray more for his recovery from the cancerous metastasis of abortion ideology in his soul. Ironically, in the same years in which abortion has become less and less acceptable to the American public, it has become more and more of an obsession for Sen. Kennedy. Prior to Roe v. Wade, Sen. Kennedy had actually held a pro-life view of the sanctity of life. In a letter to a constituent he said,.................

The “Last Lion” of Abortion [Senator Edward Kennedy] [Open]

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Sometimes as I wander into news topics in the morning, I do so before breakfast with not so much danger of gagging, but sometimes it is difficult. Here, we see of the three Marx brothers, Grouchy, Harpie, and Karl, Grouchy is chirping once again about a VP and still has Tinker Bell on his short list.

I mean what could be more uhhh, modern than a barbecue at the New Age Vortex Center of Sedona? I envision unicorns and crystal balls.

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PRO: Likeable, telegenic and young enough (he turns 52 a few weeks before the GOP convention) to provide the ticket with a much-needed spark of youthfulness. His popularity in Florida would help put that key state safely in the Republican column. His Greek Cypriot background (the original family name was Christodoulou) and Pennsylvania birth might help him connect with ethnic, blue collar voters in key states. As Florida Attorney General and a member of the state senate he earned an admirable tough-on-crime reputation and the nickname “Chain Gang Charlie” for his advocacy of chain gangs for prison inmates.

CON: Crist might be a tough sell to Christian conservatives who will play an essential role in any McCain victory. He drew criticism for his lack of toughness in approaching the Terri Schiavo controversy when he was Attorney General. More importantly, he’s been single since his divorce in 1980 (after a marriage that lasted only a year). He’s been linked to various glamorous women, but also drawn nasty rumors of possible gay activity. In 2007, the press recycled old reports about a young woman who claimed that he had fathered her out-of-wedlock child in 1989. Such reports, of course, would receive lavish and detailed press coverage the moment Crist appeared on a ticket with a very real chance that stories about his dating life over the last 28 years would drown out serious discussion of his accomplishments.

CHARLIE CRIST:

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Others say it nicer than I would....

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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Leading pro-life advocates say one of the top considerations for John McCain for a vice-presidential running mate should be left off of his short list. They're concerned Florida Gov. Charlie Crist isn't sufficiently pro-life and would not motivate the base of the Republican Party in the way McCain needs to win.

Crist, the governor of the presidential battleground state with the most electoral votes, would be a natural pick for a GOP candidate on that basis alone.

The governor endorsed McCain during the primary and his victory in the Sunshine State was seen as confirmation that he had emerged as the likely Republican nominee.

With both points in mind, McCain may select Governor Crist as his vice-presidential running mate. Yet, some pro-life advocates hope that doesn't happen.

Connie Mackay, a senior vice president at the Family Research Council told CBN news her group has concerns about Crist.

"While he claims to be pro-life he has not been an advocate…We would not be supportive of his candidacy for Vice-President…I think it would not help him," she explained.

"McCain needs to continue to try and energize the base. I think that would certainly not energize the base and I think I could go one step further and say it would de-energize the base," Mackay added........

Pro-Life Leaders Say John McCain Shouldn't Pick Charlie Crist for VP

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What? Pro-life? (sounds of sputtering.....)

I am obliged but to excerpt from TheAtlantic.com blog, yet it affords us another view should we dare look at the Ridge in between.

Now I am battling image-wise with the use of Crist and skirt in the same sentence.

ANALYSIS: Citing Crist's reluctance to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case, mainly, Brody's unnamed respondents skirt over another real reason why so many social conservatives think they have a problem with Crist. It's that they believe the gay rumors -- rumors that Crist publicly acknowledged and publicly denied, apparently to the satisfaction of real voters, during the 2006 election campaign. (Ooh, but he's soft-spoken and supports civil unions... well, so is -- and does -- President Bush.) Crist's office doesn't like when reporters bring up the gay rumors, and that's understandable; they were, after all, litigated in the past. But reality is reality -- many alpha dog social conservatives don't trust Crist because they don't believe him...........

Worry About McCain-Ridge, Not McCain-Crist

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Today is indeed one for gag notices. We watch "Justice" growing into its own oxymoron.

A fox discusses henhouse security.

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EDMOND — In a recent biography of Federal District Judge Lee West, the jurist is quoted as citing with approval, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s observation that a conversation with a clever man always is worthwhile.

~Snip~

But West also spoke about several instances in recent years that constituted attacks on the independence of the judiciary in this country.

He detailed the political posturing that occurred over the sad case of Terri Schiavo in which the U.S. Congress and the Bush White House sought to negate a ruling by a state court in Florida that allowed Schiavo’s husband to have her feeding tube removed because she had been comatose for more than eight years and that he believed she would not have wished to be kept alive in that state.

Schiavo’s parents had contested their son-in-law’s request in the Florida state court, but their objections had been overruled.

The enactment of the U.S. Congress purported to nullify the state court decisions that had authorized her husband to have her feeding tubes removed.

West praised the federal court in Florida and the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals that refused to hear the case brought by Schiavo’s parents on the grounds that it was an issue that was within the jurisdiction of the state courts of Florida that already had ruled on the matter..........

U.S. justice system the best yet devised by man

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Tickled pink...

I proffer one more peek and John and Charlie considering becoming partners.

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The Brody File has been talking with pro-family leaders and activists and they all agree that if John McCain picks Florida Governor Charlie Crist as his running mate, there will be MAJOR dissatisfaction among social conservatives. Jim Backlin, a conservative activist with a hefty email list, told me:

Pro-Family Leaders Raise Red Flag on Charlie Crist VP Talk

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[Dante3]

I find it odd that Teddy is described as “lion.” McCain and others are pushing that label. After what he did to Mary Jo, I can think of better names for him.