George Weigel thanks President Bush

I am not alone in thinking that George Bush may be the most Catholic-friendly president the US will ever have. He may even become a Catholic now, as others have speculated, including myself.
He certainly was a great Christian, unashamed to admit that Jesus was his inspiration and Saviour, despite biting ridicule. Some day he will be repaid by that, and it won't be by Time Magazine.
"I should like to praise him for his steadfast support of the pro-life cause, domestically and internationally. Thanks to President Bush, we have two more Supreme Court justices who likely know that Roe v. Wade was terrible constitutional judging, and dozens more federal district court and appellate court judges with similar convictions. Thanks to President Bush, the U.S. government drew an important moral line in stem cell research, even as the administration accelerated bioethically sound research strategies that have produced real results. Internationally, the Bush administration stood firm against the Gadarene rush to use international law to declare abortion an international human right and a necessary component of the emancipation of women; as one senior Vatican official put it to me, a year ago, “We know we’re never going to have another American administration as supportive of our core issues as the Bush administration has been.”
Read the entire story in the Georgia Bulletin.

Fr Tom Euteneuer about the Inauguration and the March for Life

"Obama v Life"

Dear Friends of Life,
As tens of thousands prepare to gather for the 36th annual March for Life in Washington, DC, we are aware that the March occurs just two days after the most extreme advocate of abortion in our nation's history takes office as our President. It is not an understatement to say that we have our work cut out for us.
In keeping with our mission, Human Life International is making a concerted effort to educate the fawning Obama admirers in other countries about the reality of the all-out assault on life, marriage and family that this man and his administration will perpetrate on our world. Please pray for the success of our endeavors to expose the truth and to wake people up to the true challenges that await us in the next four years.
I include in this week's Spirit and Life our newest project to educate those who love life both in America and abroad: namely, the "Pro-Life Talking Points" series. (See side bar.) The first number of the set, called "Obama v. Life," launches just before the Presidential inauguration next week so that we can let all know, in our modest way, that we will counter the anti-life agenda wherever we can.
In any case, please print out the Talking Points for this week (only two sides, front and back) and pass them on to your friends and any of those "Catholics" who voted for Obama. They may need this sheet more than anyone.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President,
Human Life International

President Bush designates this Sunday "Sanctity of Human Life Day"

As a parting gift to the pro-life movement, our President (yes, he still is our president) has designated Sunday Jan 18 as "Sanctity of Human Life Day". God bless him, so many who are villifying him now will someday realize what a great man and good president he is.
I remember the mockery President Reagan received inthe media, yet when he died, they lionized him in ways I never anticipated. Time will tell us that President Bush was the most pro-life president we have ever had, a good and decent man whose deep Christian faith informed all his decisions.
“The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.” Bush is scheduled to deliver a farewell address Thursday night which White House counselor Ed Gillespie described during the morning briefing as “optimistic and future-oriented.”
Read more from the Politico here.

March for Life Schedule

There are dozens of great prolife events in DC around the March for Life. Life Site News has a schedule so you can get to as many as possible.

I won one of the American Life League Pro-life Blog Awards!

Welcome to Pro-Life Blog Awards, the first and only pro-life blog awards.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Pro-Life Blogs Awards:
Best Overall Pro-Life Blog - Mommy Life
Best News and Reporting - Jivin Jehoshaphat
Pro-Life Unity Award - Causa Nostrae Laetitiae
Pro-Life Whistleblower Award - Catholic Fire
Best Pro-Life Apologetics - Mark's Blog
Pro-Life Instigator Award for Activism - American Papist
Pro-Life Blog Awards promotes, encourages, impassions and rewards pro-life bloggers for excellence in spreading the culture of life.
Bloggers are heralding news and information about the pro-life movement when traditional media have ignored the most pressing crisis of our day - the war on LIFE.
Blogging is an often thankless and solitary job and it's time we recognized pro-life bloggers for their contribution to the pro-life movement and potential to transform the landscape of our common cause to protect and defend the sanctity of each human being's life.

The pro-death agenda of the 111th Congress

from the Family Research Council
On the first day of the 111th Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sent a very clear message about what pro-lifers can expect from the next two years by introducing S. 21, "The Prevention First Act" that would direct hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry, a business that already receives over $286 million each year from federal taxpayers.
It should come as no surprise that Planned Parenthood, the largest supporter of unrestricted abortion, praised the bill. And why not? The abortion merchant will likely be the largest beneficiary of Reid's abortion bailout.
Among other things, the legislation would use taxpayer funds to mislead people about the potential of the "morning after pill" (known as Plan B) to act as an abortifacient. It also encourages the use of Plan B for victims of sexual assault yet has no reporting requirement in place for young girls who may have been victims of abuse and/or rape. When you get right down to it, the bill does nothing to support parental involvement--let alone consent--for dispensing the morning after pill and other "contraception" to minors.
In addition to funding Plan B, the measure would also: subsidize birth control for college and low-income women; expand Title X, the main federal family planning program that requires abortion referrals; expand Planned Parenthood targeting of low-income women through Medicaid; target teens' with "comprehensive" sex education; and spread emergency contraception.

KIDS is on Life Site News

Yesterday, Eileen and I were interviewed by Kathleen Gilbert for this article on Life Site News. Word is spreading that we parents of special needs children are marching as a group in the March for Life.
Leave a comment below or email me marysjoys@yahoo.com if you can join us. We are meeting at the National Right to Life Headquarters at 11:30 AM on 1/22. The address is 512 10th St NW Washington, DC, a couple of blocks from the Mall where the March will be starting. If you are coming by bus you can still make it, no need to make 'reservations' the more the merrier!
Just bring a camera so we can get good press coverage of the event.
After the March, around 2:30 -4:00 we are going to visit our friends Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ) at the Rayburn Building, and Sen Sam Brownback (R-KS) on Capitol Hill, to present them with thank you certificates for the "Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act".

Join us at all of these events and make your voice heard!!

Doug Kmiec rebuffed by Fr Neuhaus

Doug Kmiec is miffed at the Catholic blogosphere for being pro-life, and noticing that he no longer is, by his assocation with and approval of the most pro-abortion man ever to run for office.

But, why waste words explaining why he is wrong, when Fr Neuhaus did so with his customary aplomb, here in the National Catholic Register.

"I do not know what has prompted Mr. Kmiec’s current advocacy, and I take him at his word that he has convinced himself that his position is consonant with being a faithful Catholic.

The fact is, however, that, after all the tortured reasoning and misrepresentation of the positions of others, Doug Kmiec has put himself into the position of supporting for president a candidate whose track record and publicly stated views represent the extreme position of pro-abortion advocacy against the Church’s repeatedly stated teaching, at the highest level of magisterial authority, respecting the moral and political imperative to protect innocent human lives. "

NaPro Technology Seminar offered in CT this weekend

The seminar will introduce the leading "all natural", "all green", Creighton Model FertilityCare system, for the full spectrum of women’s health issues, for doctors and nurses,and all of us, in the Tri-State area, PA and RI.
It isSaturday, Jan 17, 2009 11:30 am to 4:30 pm (Optional Mass at 10:30)
Location: The Villa Maria Guadalupe Retreat Center,
159 Sky Meadow Dr.,
Stamford, CT, 06903

To Register or for questions contact:
Dorothy Dugandzic, CFCP, 914 476-4858.
Fee: $45 Lunch will be offered.

With the explosion of medical data and information on the Internet in the 1990’s,women have become more discriminating in their medical selections. "All natural"“all green” is popular. The FertilityCare all-natural system aligns with these trends and delivers the associated benefits that women seek.
For example:
· The hormones used in treatments are bio-identical and have the same exact chemical formulas as the hormones made by the body. This enables full · cooperation with all of a woman’s reproductive functions.
Whereas hormones· used in the pill are not identical to those produced by a woman’s body and· cause problems.· Biomarkers are used. This enables doctors to customize treatments to the individual woman and to cure causes of problems. Whereas the pill treats symptoms, and masks causes.
· Of the natural family planning systems supported by the Catholic Church, this is the most scientific capable of curing
1) complex conditions with multiple causes such as some cases of infertility and miscarriages
2) sophisticated techniques for early pre-cancer detection and
3) treatments for the widest spectrum of conditions – including: Menstrual Cramp, Premenstrual syndrome, Ovarian cysts, Irregularities, Abnormal bleeding, Polycystic ovarian disease, Hormonal abnormalities, Chronic discharges, Female Libido Wellness, Related Depression.
As a result, the Creighton Model FertilityCare system has a great track record with impressive published success rates such as· 85% for the treatment of chronic infertility is 85% vs 35% for IVF.
For additional information, see http://www.fertilitycare.org/napro/infertility.htm andhttp://www.aafcp.org/infertility.html ·
For pregnancy postponement it offers a very competitive 98.7-99.9% method effectiveness without the risks of the pill – associated with taking the pill’s artificial hormones.

Come and hear Dr. Scanlon and Dr. Watson discuss this system in great detail. Also hear Alexandra and Paul McLaughlin discuss the role of the practitioner followed by a review ofthe NaProTECHNOLOGY textbook by Dr. Scanlon. Dr. Hilgers has done his job for the Church, and it is now our job to spread the word.
Each of usis vital to God's plan.

Perelli the advocate of death

from the Family Research Council
Change Watch: Perrelli Edition
In some of his final Cabinet selections, President-elect Barack Obama dipped into the well of recycled Clinton appointees to help round out his Department of Justice leadership team. Pending their confirmations, four of the top DOJ posts will be filled by attorneys that served the last Democratic president. How's that for "change"? One of those nominees, Thomas Perrelli, is best known as the right-to-kill lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo's husband pro-bono in his suit to euthanize his wife. In a leadership position for the Justice Deparment, Perrelli's anti-life stance could be devastating. As the third in command, he is certain to play a key role in a number of cases, some of which could include end-of-life issues. In an interview with the Washington Times, FRC's Tom McClusky outlined how Perrelli's appointment as associate attorney general was "detrimental" to the pro-life movement. In the media world, however, Perrelli seems to have at least one staunch ally. Wild liberal Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's "Countdown," highlighted Tom's quote on yesterday's show and named him "the worst person in the world" for criticizing Perrelli's nomination.
In my opinion, if you're on Olbermann's hit list, then you must be doing something right. For a balanced take on Perrelli's background, stop by www.frcblog.com for the latest in our "Change Watch" series. On Friday, check back for analysis on Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan.

Tough times ahead in Congress

Did you really expect "hope" and "change" without a total shutdown of the democratic process? Wait till the Obama administration fixes it's eye on the media.
from Focus on the Family
As we expected, congressional Democrats are moving quickly to consolidate their power and silence opposition to president-elect Obama’s agenda.House Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats reinstated an archaic rule that greatly limits the ability of the minority party to amend pending legislation. One congressman said this move “severely limits the democratic process in the House.”Unprecedented time of challenges to faith and familyThis is just the latest sign that we are entering an era that we have not experienced in our lifetimes -- a season of unprecedented challenges to faith and family on so many fronts.
I addressed this rules change and other crucial issues facing our nation right now in the first installment of the Focus Action Update -- a new weekly video feature from our staff here at Focus on the Family Action. Go here to access this special video report.

Christendom College to cancel classes for March for Life

Founded over 30 years ago Christendom College has attended the March for Life as a community every year. Its students are active in pro-life work year round, leading prayerful protests at a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Washington once a week, as well as taking part in sidewalk counseling and other pro-life activities. For more information visit www.christendom.edu.
Now, that's what I call a Catholic college!
We'll be looking for a college like this in three years...one which is entirely committed to the Culture of Life.
Read the entire story on Catholic Online.

Why we March for KIDS at the March for Life

Even the loquaciious Bill O'Reilly is speechless at the horrors described by Jill Stanek. Our beautiful babies are left to suffocate alone.
Join KIDS on January 22 at 11:30 at the National Right to Life Committee Headquarters 512 10th Street NW.

Heisman Trophy Winner could have been aborted

When you have an abortion, you will never know what that child could have been. This brave mother had a baby when the doctor told her he would be seriously handicapped.
He went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
Read the entire story on Life News.com.

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it"

George Weigel recently found that the youth of Poland have forgotten their greatest legacy, Pope John Paul and Lech Walensa's Solidarity Movement. This is shocking considering that they owe their freedom today to their sacrifice and courageous activism.
Read the entire article at Catholic Exchange.
When I went to Poland in 1987, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Gorbachev and Reagan were talking peace. Millions of Poles packed churches spilling out into churchyards, kneeling on the frozen cobblestones, praying. Their churches were festooned in the colors of the Vatican, and the motto "Totus Tuus". They knew the name of their deliverer, and his means, his Marian consecration and the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
Pray for them Black Madonna, that they may remember you before it is too late.

International Down syndrome Coalition for Life

It's time we who love someone with Trisomy 21 which I reluctantly call Down syndrome for clarity, stand up against the culture which rejects our children.
Diane Grover has done that with her new International Down syndrome Coalition for Life.
We are tired of organizations which claim to support our children, and do promote awareness of the quality of life of children with T21, ignore the fact that our children are targeted at a rate of 90%. Join IDSC for Life and fight the national scandal of preborn eugenics which mar this country, and will eventually lead to our downfall.

Supreme Court to decide Obama's eligiblity to become president

If he is not qualified, and this story is true, I cetainly hope that this is decided before the Inauguration. This would be a travesty of justice, almost equal to our election of the most pro-abortion politician in US history.
HT World Net Daily

Rock for Life Activism Training Seminar in Washington DC

Has a pro-life all-star line up: David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Dr Alan Keyes, Lila Rose,who ran a one-woman sting operation to expose the illegal activies of Planned Parenthood, Jill Stanek. It runs from 1/21 to 1/23, right accross the street from the Hyatt, Pro-life Central, and has daily Mass. Plus you get a fashionable "Rock for Life" hoodie.
Read about it here.
My daughters and I will be going; don't miss it!

The Pro-life Legacy of President Bush

Here's an excellent article from the National Catholic Register which sets the record straight on the pro-life accomplishments of George W. Bush.

“The most lasting and significant progress made under President Bush is represented by the two Supreme Court justices [John Roberts and Samuel Alito] that he nominated and the Senate confirmed,” said Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.
“That was the motivation for so many voters who elected the president both times. And it has already paid off, as the Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial-birth abortion,” he said. “Other federal courts, too, have been given men and women who for decades will issue decisions consistent with the moral law, thanks to President Bush.
“Legislatively,” Father Pavone added, “it’s only in the years ahead that we’ll fully appreciate the significance of the progress that was made by the pro-life laws the president signed.”

Unfortunately, many won't realize how great he was until these horrific pro-abortion appointees of Barack Obama take office. His adminstration is looking more ominous by the day.
Let's greet our new president at the March for Life, Jan 22,2009.
We are here, we're loud and we're not going anywhere, Mr.Obama!

RIP: Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

I have been an admirer of Fr. Neuhaus for years, in fact he helped inspire me to get involved in writing in what he calls the "Naked Public Square". It was my great honor to tell him so in person at the Society of Catholic Social Scientists Gathering at St John's University in October of 2007.
As a world class intellectual and apologist, he has done so much good for the public image of the Church, so you should not be surprised to learn he was a convert, having been a Lutheran minister. He knew and appreciated the great deposit of faith we have in Catholicism, as anyone who has read his journal, "First Things" will attest. Here is his meditation on his conversion from which I take this quotation,
"As for now, I end where I began—as in my life’s course I began where I have ended—by saying again: “To those of you with whom I have traveled in the past, know that we travel together still. In the mystery of Christ and his Church nothing is lost, and the broken will be mended. If, as I am persuaded, my communion with Christ’s Church is now the fuller, then it follows that my unity with all who are in Christ is now the stronger. We travel together still.”
We still travel with you, Fr. Neuhaus, in the Mystical Body, and ask for your prayers as we, the Church Militant, try to uphold your legacy here in the Vale of Tears.
May the angels lead you into Paradise, Fr. Neuhaus!
Related post: Acton Institue Blog
Brownback Mourns the Passing of Father Neuhaus
Contact: Brian Hart, Becky Ogilvie; both with Sam Brownback, United States Senator - Kansas, 202-224-6521
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 /Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Senator Sam Brownback yesterday offered his condolences on the passing of Father Richard John Neuhaus.
"I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. For several decades, he has been a critical voice in our national discussion of religion and public life. He taught us that our public conversation must always be about the 'first things' of how we ought to order our lives together. He wrote more persuasively than perhaps anyone today of the need for democracy and free markets to always be sustained by a vibrant moral culture. We are a grateful nation because of the witness of Father Richard John Neuhaus. May he rest in peace."
Father Neuhaus founded the popular journal First Things and was credited with bringing together Evangelicals and Catholics into an effective coalition. He was a prolific and influential writer focusing on religion and public policy and he argued that faith should not be excluded from the public square. Father Neuhaus died due to complications with cancer. He is survived by four brothers and two sisters."
Senator Sam Browback
Read the entire article here.