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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Wouldn't Hitler's team be proud of this? Thread by wagglebee on the budding snuffer who found more to life death than squishing mice with her heel. Now she finds true love with assorted vampires and gremlins.

New Haven, CT (LifeNews.com) -- The Yale University art student who caused a national uproar by supposedly making a senior art project showing her having repeated abortions is slated to unveil a new work in England. London's Tate Modern museum invited Aliza Shvarts to debut a new art project concerning culture and technology.

The student, who graduated in May, supposedly repeatedly artificially inseminated herself multiple times over a nine month period and used medicinal herbs to cause early abortions.

Shvarts supposedly created an art project consisting of the videos of the abortions and plastic sheets covered in her blood....

Yale Student Who Made "Abortion Art" to Debut New Work at London Museum

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As the "choose" crowd seeks compassion in all the wrong places, they may have a grim surprise with no fair Sheikh from this baby killer. Name sounds familiar. Wonder if he was trained by Saddam's cronies in the art of death. Don't we know of a few others with a moniker including Hussain? Thread by wagglebee.

Lexington, KY (LifeNews.com) -- More details have been revealed in the case of Kentucky abortion practitioner Hamid Sheikh, who recently had his medical license suspended after the state medical board found a host of problems. The investigation of his abortion center came after he was accused of Medicaid fraud on wrongly billing abortions.

Hamid Hussain Sheikh pleaded not guilty in November to charges that he wrongly billed the state for abortions at his business....

More Details Revealed in Case of Kentucky Abortion Practitioner's Malpractice

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[floriduh voter]

George W. Bush pandered to Terri’s supporters to get their votes in 2004 and then, he flip flopped on her life. Ask Al Gonzalez, back in Texas where he can’t torture any more Amerikans.

[floriduh voter]

DIANE COLEMAN, Esq. informally debated GEORGE FELOS and she trounced him. (Tiger Bay Club - Terri was still alive and not yet tortured & killed).

[floriduh voter]

Now that Laura Ingraham is on Fox News every day and now that Ray Arroyo from EWTN moved to DC, Ray’s a frequent guest on “Just In”. It’s nice to see morality back on the news instead of just the same old politics.

[Dante3]

I heard Laura will have the show only for five weeks.

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Samuel Golubchuk, R.I.P. per Professor Pope...

Thanks, Leslie, for the tip.

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There are many reasons that providers resists some treatment requests by surrogates. They distrust the surrogate is acting in accordance with the patient's wishes or best interests. They think the requested treatment will cause suffering. They think that providing the requested treatment violates their professional or personal ethics. Or they might think that providing the requested treatment is a waste of hard or soft resources.

The Golubchuk dispute was framed as a dispute over whether providers had to provide treatment that they felt was inconsistent with their roles as medical professionals. Grace Hospital and the critical care providers were basically saying, "Dear family of Sam Golubchuk, you are asking we medical professionals to do something that we just don't do. It's just not part of the services that we offer or provide."

The providers were not saying that Golubchuk ought not be able to receive the treatment his family requested. They did not want to criminalize it (like laetrile or like abortion in the 1960s). They just did not want to be involved. One might say that it is like ordering osso bucco in a vegetarian restaurant. There is nothing wriong with cooking, ordering, or eating osso bucco. But that does not mean a customer should sit down at a table in a vegetarian restaurant and order it. Not only is osso bucco not on the menu but serving it is inconsistent with the very mission of the restaurant.

Posted by Thaddeus Mason Pope at 1:47 PM

Futile Treatment Disputes Like Ordering Off the Menu

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Haleigh Poutre echoes in a new case...

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WORCESTER— A 2-month-old girl remains on life support in the hospital after her father apparently rolled over on her while they were sleeping in the same bed in their city apartment two weeks ago.

The incident, which is still under investigation by police and the district attorney’s office, occurred June 10 at an apartment at 208 Pilgrim Ave., in the Grafton Hill neighborhood, that the father, David Letourneau, shares with Sara Elliott and their two young children.

The girl, suffering from diminished brain function, was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus after the 5:40 p.m. incident.

“She’s in very grave, very grave condition,” Lt. William O’Connor, head of the police special crimes unit, said yesterday after a meeting of investigators who have been working on the case.

Lt. O’Connor said police investigators have been consulting with the state Department of Social Services, the district attorney’s office, and the hospital. No charges have been filed.

The DSS has taken custody of the girl and her 1-year-old brother.

Alison R. Goodwin, a DSS spokeswoman, said any decisions about whether the girl should be kept on life support will be made in juvenile court, and a court hearing will be held soon to determine if she is to be kept alive by extraordinary means.

“This is absolutely the court’s decision,” she said.

The DSS came under criticism in 2006 for seeking to remove life support from Haleigh Poutre, a 10-year-old girl who lapsed into a coma and was being kept alive by artificial means in a Springfield hospital after allegedly being beaten by her adoptive mother and stepfather.

The DSS, which had custody of the girl, eventually won court approval to withdraw life support, but Haleigh soon began to breathe on her own and displayed signs of responsiveness. Her condition later stabilized to some extent.

A message left at the home of Ms. Elliott and Mr. Letourneau was not returned.

Ms. Goodwin characterized the Worcester episode as “an incident of co-sleeping,” or bed-sharing between adults and children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted reports of infants being suffocated by adults lying over them, particularly when the adult is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

At least one study cited by the academy showed that bed-sharing with multiple family members in an adult bed can be hazardous for an infant.

Contact Shaun Sutner by e-mail at ssutner@telegram.com.

Father rolls on girl, 2 months, in bed sharing... Child remains on life support

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Killer proposal in Washington State resisted.

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With next week's petition deadline just around the corner, backers of an initiative that would allow a lethal drug overdose as a medical treatment option are increasing their signature-gathering efforts around the state, including Central Washington.

At the same time, Yakima Valley churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, are countering the campaign with their own education and awareness crusades.

"Initiative 1000 is an attack on our most fundamental beliefs and teaching, and placing it on the November ballot would contradict our proclamation of the gospel of life," the Most Rev. Carlos Sevilla, bishop of the Diocese of Yakima, said in a recent memo.

~Snip~

The initiative comes two years after the death of Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle. Doctors removed a feeding tube that had sustained Schiavo for more than a decade over the objections of her family, who had tried to get the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the action. Schiavo's husband was her guardian and maintained she would not have wanted to continue in a "persistent vegetative state."

I-1000 is closely modeled after an Oregon law that was approved by voters in 1994 and took effect in 1997. Washington's proposal would let doctors prescribe lethal doses of narcotics to terminally ill patients who ask to end their own lives. Patients would self-administer the drugs........

Churches speak out about assisted suicide bill... 'Pain and suffering and illness are important parts of our faith experience'

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Oboy, can hardly wait to read all the stale mantras and warmed over platitudes. Well, just maybe I will.

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Six-term U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, congressman in District 19, which includes portions of South County, has released his new book, “Fire-Breathing Liberal.”

It is subtitled: “How I Learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress.”

Wexler offers frank view of a number of issues, from the butterfly ballot of the 2000 presidential election to the Terri Schiavo case to what he calls “FEMA’s incompetence in dealing with hurricane damage.”

The congressman is a member of the House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs and Finance Services Committees. He was named “Most Valuable Congressman” by “The Nation” in 2007, and one of the “50 Most Effective Legislators in Congress” by “Congressional Quarterly.” The book was co-written by David Fisher, an author and journalist who recently co-authored William Shatner’s memoir, “Up Till Now.”

Wexler’s book hits the ...

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Obamunists can focus on this...

Video at the link.

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Earlier this week, Focus on the Family’s James Dobson went after Barack Obama with a vengeance. Today, the Family Research Council, which Dobson helped form, goes after Obama on abortion.

The ad, which will reportedly begin airing today in Cincinnati, Dallas, and Atlanta, features Obama telling a church congregation, “We need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn’t just end at conception.”

FRC President Tony Perkins is then shown, baby on his knee, thanking Obama for “promoting fatherhood,” before asking, “If, as you say, fatherhood begins at conception, when does life begin?” Or more to the point, “If I became a father at conception, when did Samuel here become my son?”

Just how nervous is the religious right over Obama?

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Following on to the Jesse Ramirez update just upthread...

Thanks, Leslie, for the tip.

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PHOENIX, AZ, June 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Tuesday, the State of Arizona passed a bill known as "Jesse's Law", which will help protect incapacitated patients from being euthanized.  The new law, inspired by the ordeal of Jesse Ramirez, closed a loophole in the decision-making process for patients who are physically unable to communicate their wishes regarding medical care.

House Bill 2823 establishes a court process to obtain an emergency order to prevent a surrogate decision-maker from withdrawing the administration of food or fluid from an incapacitated patient.

Jesse Ramirez was seriously injured in a May 30, 2007, car accident. Barely 10 days after the accident, Jesse's food, water, and antibiotics were withdrawn. He was then transferred to hospice where he would have died. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys, however, were successful in restoring food, water, and treatment to the young Gulf War veteran.

"Human life is valuable in its own right, and everyone deserves the chance to recover," said ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb. "This law ensures that seriously injured patients will not suffer the consequences of a hasty decision that could result in death by starvation or dehydration."

Ramirez, who was eventually transferred from hospice care to a rehabilitation facility, walked out of the facility in October 2007, and continues his remarkable recovery at home.

The Center for Arizona Policy promoted the H.B. 2823. The full text of the bill is available at http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/HB2823.pdf.

Arizona Law Forbids Easy Withdrawal of Food and Fluids from Patients

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A bit more on the Jesse Ramirez law...

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Christian legal and pro-life groups celebrated the decision of the Arizona legislature to make into law a measure that would prohibit surrogate decision makers from denying food and fluids to an incapacitated patient.

The new measure, dubbed “Jesse’s Law” after the man from whom the bill took its inspiration, was passed Tuesday after Arizona state courts found themselves tied in a case last year not unlike the Terri Schiavo controversy that ripped across the nation three years ago.

After Jesse Ramirez, a postal worker and Gulf War veteran, awoke suddenly from a coma only weeks after he was injured in a car accident, lawmakers said that it was necessary to pass a law that would prohibit patients in comas from being denied food and water without a court ordered process.

In the case, Ramirez’s sisters had battled in court to keep their brother alive after his wife moved on her own to disengage her husband’s feeding tube.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, commended the new measure as a victory for life everywhere.

“This law ensures that seriously injured patients will not suffer the consequences of a hasty decision that could result in death by starvation or dehydration,” said ADF Senior Counsel Gary McCaleb in a statement.

“Human life is valuable in its own right, and everyone deserves the chance to recover,” he explained.

Pro-Life Groups Praise Enactment of 'Jesse's Law'

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Quince....Being there...

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TALLAHASSEE - In the ornate chambers of the Florida Supreme Court, Peggy Quince today will move to the chief justice's center seat. And history will be made.

Quince, 60, will become the first black woman to lead the state's court system -- or any branch of government in Florida. The soft-spoken mother of two knows she's a role model.

"One of the ways you give back to your community is by being there and being visible," Quince said. "Young people find it's not all about whether you are a rap star or a baseball player or any of those kinds of careers. But there are also other careers available that can make a difference.............

New Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince makes history

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Oergon, my alma mater....

Thread by mondorob with thanks to wagglebee for ping on predictable outcome of Oregon fumbling.

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The Reality of When the Government Runs Health Care

"Elect me and your health care problems will all be over."

The people of Oregon fell for that line almost 20 years ago. Expecting Utopia, what they got was a reality check: long lines for a lottery to pick who's covered and suicide coverage--instead of cancer drugs.

In 1989. Oregon became the second State, after Hawaii, to attempt complete medical coverage of it's citizens.........

Oregon Health Care: Suicide is Painless–and Cheaper

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Mondoreb, Apologies for spelling your name wrong..

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To tell the truth...

Thread by wagglebee.

AMARILLO, Texas, June 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, said today that this morning's Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling lifting an injunction against South Dakota's informed consent for abortion law is a victory for basic truth.

"The court held that the law's requirement that a woman be told that an abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being 'generates little dispute,'" said Fr. Pavone. "Many within the abortion industry have actually admitted this for a long time. It's good that the courts are catching up.".....

Fr. Pavone on Abortion Ruling: Now the Truth Can be Told in South Dakota

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[Lesforlife]

Make sure to read it carefully. I didn’t have time to
and one of our board members found potential problems.

[floriduh voter]

five weeks? Why such a short show? Is it ratings? She’s better than John Gibson used to be.

[floriduh voter]

Over a BILLION DOLLARS. Thanks Charlie and lots of small towns will be shuttered up ghosttowns but that’s how the greens want it: a people-free planet except they can stay. Crist’s a fool and I don’t see how he’ll ever get re-elected. (unless he cheats like his friend Judge Greer cheated). www.judgegeorgegreer.com