Category Archives: HHS

They can’t justify supporting Democrats anymore

In 2008, we tried to talk to our liberal pastor about Obama’s pro-abortion history. She responded by giving us a 3-page article xeroxed from a liberal magazine about why the Democratic Party’s alleged support for civil rights and help for the poor made them the better choice than selfish, greedy Republicans.

We both read it carefully and found it to be an illogical, garbled list of Democrat talking points. There was not a shred of Catholic teaching or Biblical truth in it.

I bought her a copy of Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism: Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters by Arthur C. Brooks.

She sent me a snippy email “thanking” me for the gift, saying she had no plans to read it “now or ever.”

So much for open-minded dialogue between people of faith.

The summer of 2009, when the Leftist media was reporting very negatively on ObamaCare protests … for example, neglecting to point out that the incidents of violence were perpetrated by the pro-ObamaCare protesters against the antis, not the other way around … our deacon published an illogical, garbled justification for why the antis were all greedy and selfish.

So much for non-judgmental dialogue between people of faith.

His only actual justification for supporting ObamaCare was this: “When my mother was dying, I was grateful for her Medicare.” He also said it was very bad when people bit each other at protests. (I always wondered if he knew that the biter was on his side, while the man who lost part of his finger to the oh-so-tolerant Democrat supporter was on my side.)

When the Catholic bishops finally got a clue and came out against ObamaCare, the liberal pastor at the next parish over gave the official statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops equal billing on the parish web-site with the pro-ObamaCare statement by a group of 40 nuns.

Am I being overly-judgmental in characterizing Pro-Choice Catholic arguments as “illogical” and “garbled”? I’ll let you be the judge. In the video, the off-camera voice notes that the Catholic bishops are opposed to the HHS mandate. The voice then asks if Pelosi will stand with her fellow Catholics in resisting this law OR stand with the administration to impose it?

Pelosi says “I will stick with my fellow Catholics in supporting the administration on this.”

That’s not a typo. Listen for yourself.

“Illogical?” “Garbled?” Hell, yes.

Today, angelaisms sent me a link to this article:

America’s Most Biblically-Hostile U. S. President By David Barton – February 29, 2012

http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=106938

David Barton is the historian who did the American Heritage DVDs I raved about a couple days ago.

The whole article is worth reading, but too long to share here in full.  I do want to copy-paste the section that deals with Obama’s pro-abortion, anti-life actions since becoming President of the United States:

  • January 2009 – Obama lifts restrictions on U.S. government funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad, forcing taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations.
  • January 2009 – President Obama’s nominee for deputy secretary of state asserts that American taxpayers are required to pay for abortions and that limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.
  • March 2009 – The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit.
  • March 2009 – Obama orders taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
  • March 2009 – Obama gave $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that promotes abortion and works closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations.
  • May 2009 – Obama officials assemble a terrorism dictionary calling pro-life advocates violent and charging that they use racism in their “criminal” activities.
  • July 2010 – The Obama administration uses federal funds in violation of federal law to get Kenya to change its constitution to include abortion.
  • September 2010 – The Obama administration tells researchers to ignore a judge’s decision striking down federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
  • October 2011 – The Obama administration eliminates federal grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for their extensive programs that aid victims of human trafficking because the Catholic Church is anti-abortion.

This is not a comprehensive list. For example, there was the appointment of Catholic Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of HHS, the agency that formulated the famous HHS mandate to deprive Pro-Lifers of their First Amendment rights.

While Sebelius was governor of Kansas, she was buddies with George Tiller the Baby Killer. In this video interview, she calls him a “health care provider.”

How close were George and Kathleen?

During her time in office, Governor Sebelius used her veto power three times to protect late-term abortionists, which in Kansas meant George Tiller.

In April 2007, Sebelius held a party at the governor’s mansion to honor Tiller. Only Tiller, his wife, and his clinic staff were invited.

For his part, Tiller spent millions funding Sebelius and the Democratic Party — $1.2 million in the 2006 election cycle alone.

Like other Catholic Pro-Choicers (e.g., Kennedy, Pelosi, Kerry, Biden), Sebelius claims she can be a faithful Catholic and still take money from and hand out political favors to the abortion industry.

The Roman Catholic Church begs to differ. Here is just a sampling of quotations from http://old.usccb.org/prolife/tdocs/prochoice.shtml:

  • John Paul II, continuing the constant teaching of the Church, has reiterated many times that those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them.
  • There cannot be two parallel lives in their existence: on the one hand, the so-called ‘spiritual life’, with its values and demands; and on the other, the so-called ‘secular’ life, that is, life in a family, at work, in social responsibilities, in the responsibilities of public life and in culture.
  • No Catholic can responsibly take a “pro-choice” stand when the “choice” in question involves the taking of innocent human life.
  • We urge those Catholic officials who choose to depart from Church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life to consider the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin.
  • [N]o appeal to policy, procedure, majority will or pluralism ever excuses a public official from defending life to the greatest extent possible.
  • Those who justify their inaction on the grounds that abortion is the law of the land need to recognize that there is a higher law, the law of God

Sebelius’ ordinary, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, has warned Sebelius several times of her infidelity to Church teaching. When she was nominated as head of HHS, Bishop Naumann called Obama’s choice “offensive” and wrote:

“Because of her long history both as a legislator and governor of consistently supporting legalized abortion and after many months of dialogue, I requested Governor Sebelius not to present herself for communion.”

Archbishop Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signature in Rome, backed him up, stating publicly that Sebelius should not present herself for Holy Communion no matter where she was.

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Filed under Abortion, Barack Obama, Catholic Church, Democrats, HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy Pelosi, Religious Liberty, United Nations

Senate says NO to Religious Liberty

Click on graphics to embiggen.

Democrats created the HHS mandate requiring ALL health insurance plans to provide birth control, sterilization and the morning-after abortion pill, thus forcing Americans who oppose these activities to choose between paying for them, which would violate their consciences, or else stop offering health insurance to their employees.


Chrissy’s Site Bites: http://news.webshots.com/photo/2425882000056011884ZKkTXM

Democrats and their lapdogs in the media lied about what the HHS mandate and the Blunt Amendment were about. Rather than admit the HHS mandate was a gross abrogation of our First Amendment rights, they claimed Catholics and Republicans were trying to deprive women of access to birth control, sterilization and the morning-after abortion pill.


Chrissy’s Site Bites: http://news.webshots.com/photo/2536756760056011884jzgFOz

SOURCES:
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/03/01/senate-defeats-blunt-amendment-to-stop-obama-hhs-mandate/
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/religious-liberty/conscience-protection/index.cfm

2 Comments

Filed under Abortion, Catholic Church, Democrats, First Amendment, HHS, Obamacare, Religious Liberty, Republicans, U.S. Senate

Protesting the HHS mandate

Click on graphic to embiggen.

The HHS Obamacare mandate will require all employers to provide contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs in their insurance coverage (without co-payment). Both the religious exception and the so-called Obama compromise are so narrow that they don’t cover most religiously-based institutions.

A search of public records has shown that none of the 15 members of the HHS committee has ever demonstrated any support whatsoever for the pro-life position, despite the undeniable fact that this is the majority position in America.

Worse, the vast majority of the 15 members of the committee that created the mandate have strong relationships with pro-abortion groups and activities:

Claire Brindis – Member of NARAL’s Board of Directors and one of it’s “most steadfast and generous donors.”

Angela Diaz – Former board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice; former senior vice president of the International Women’s Health Coalition, an advocacy group dedicated to the premise that abortion and contraception are “universal and inalienable” human rights.

Paula A. Johnson – Chairwoman of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; affiliated with (NOW); winner of NARAL’s 2011 “Champion for Choice” award.

Magda G. Peck – Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Nebraska and Council Bluffs (served as both vice chair and chair); associated with a host of other organizations that advocate for abortion and free access to contraception.

Alina Salganicoff – Vice President and Director of Women’s Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a major proponent of abortion and contraception on demand.

Donations to pro-abortion political campaigns: Linda Rosenstock (over $40,000); Kimberly Gregory ($35,200); Paula A. Johnson (more than $30,000); Francisco Garcia (between $11,750 and $13,000); Carol Weisman ($4,500); Roberta Ness (at least $2,500); E. Albert Reece ($1,000);  Alina Salganicoff ($950).

—————–
Source: Panel Behind Obama Mandate Dominated by Pro-Abortion Orgs
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/16/panel-behind-obama-mandate-dominated-by-pro-abortion-orgs/

1 Comment

Filed under Abortion, HHS, Obamacare, Religious Liberty

States pushing back on HHS mandate

More than a dozen State Attorneys General have signed onto a letter warning the Obama administration they will sue if the HHS mandate isn’t dropped.

Memorable phrases from the letter:

We are deeply troubled by the unprecedented coercion of organizations and individuals to act contrary to their religious beliefs.

It conflicts with the most basic elements of the freedoms of religion, speech, and association, as provided under the First Amendment.

We believe it represents an impermissible violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment virtually unparalleled in American history.

The proposed mandate provides an insufficiently narrow exemption … To obtain the exemption, a religious organization would have to subject itself to the equivalent of a government “religious audit” … a great number of entities previously exempt from government regulations that run contrary to their religious beliefs would fail to qualify.

The choice for such organizations essentially becomes: provide and subsidize activity in contravention with core religious beliefs, eliminate employer-provided health coverage, or withdraw from public ministry.

Should this unconstitutional mandate be promulgated, we are prepared to vigorously oppose it in court.

Also worth reading:

“The Birth Control Mandate is Unconstitutional” by Horace Cooper
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA632.html

Cooper is an adjunct fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, a member of the African-American leadership group Project 21 and a legal commentator. He taught constitutional law at George Mason University in Virginia and was general counsel to U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey.

CONCLUSION: The Administration’s latest health care mandate is an affront to the free exercise of religion and moral duty so long revered and protected in this country. In fact, in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Hosanna-Tabor, one can only wonder at the thinking and motives behind the new rule. Clearly, little consideration was given to the legality of the mandate, suggesting that the motives were entirely political. But the Administration must have anticipated the vocal objections from the religious communities and simply decided that it didn’t much care whether those communities would cry foul; it was time for them to get in line with the health care program. The message sent by this new directive is loud and unmistakable: If you’re going to be an employer, an insurance provider, or participate in our health care system, you will play by the government’s rules and you will provide free contraception. Religious and conscientious objections will be disregarded and dismissed; fines will be assessed.

But the softer, subtler, and more ominous message in the Administration’s most recent sermon on health care is this: the religious will confine themselves to serving their own congregations, and “inculcating values” within the confines of their own communities. They will no longer educate the children, preach the Gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, speak deliverance to the captives, give sight to the blind, or liberty to them that are bruised – because that’s what Government is anointed to do. Isn’t that what Jesus said?

But there is good news. Ultimately this new regulation will not stand. This mandate is far removed from the mainstream of First Amendment rulings, and badly misreads the Constitution and the important role that religious liberty plays in this country. It overlooks our founding history and relies on an erroneous view that caring acts by Americans are primarily secular acts, instead of the sacred acts of compassion and ministry that they often truly are. If the Congress doesn’t quickly overturn this regulation, the courts will.

————
SOURCE:
Obama to Face Lawsuit From Attorneys General Over Mandate
by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 2/14/12 5:33 PM
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/02/14/obama-to-face-lawsuit-from-attorneys-general-over-mandate/
TEXT of AG’s letter is included.

2 Comments

Filed under First Amendment, HHS, Obamacare, Religious Liberty

This is NOT about “access to birth control.”

Birth control is available in every drug store and public rest room in the country.

The HHS mandate is about the government trampling on our First Amendment rights.

It’s also about forcing up health insurance costs to the point where the private sector can no longer offer it.
The Left wants all health care moneys to be run through the government coffers.
The Left wants all health care decisions to be dictated by the government.
This mandate is just one step in the whole plan.
If you’ve paid attention to the Obamacare debates, you already know this.

The sides are being clearly drawn.
And, make no mistake, friends.
The lines are CONSTITUTIONAL.

Republicans are for it.
Democrats are against it.

As for the Left-Stream Media … check out how Left-biased this ABC report is.

Senate Democrats Say Obama ‘Reinforced’ His Stance on Contraception Mandate at Democratic Retreat – Feb 8, 2012
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/senate-democrats-say-obama-reinforced-his-stance-on-contraception-mandate-at-democratic-retreat/

Lots and lots of Democrat rhetoric that skews the meaning of the debate.

Words like “contraception.”
Wrong. The morning after pill is mandated and that is definitely NOT contraceptive.

But there is NOT ONE WORD about the Republican position.

Not one.

Gillibrand said, “What is more intrusive than trying to allow an employer to make medical decisions for someone who works for them?”

I dunno. How about a Senator who lies about what the real issue is?

2 Comments

Filed under Abortion, Constitution, Democrats, First Amendment, HHS, Media Bias, Obamacare, Republicans