Irish Abortionist Group Demands Legal Abortion

The abortionist group, the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has demanded that the Irish government legalize abortion, and blasted it for refusing to liberalize the country’s abortion laws, calling it “political cowardice.”

The occasion for the attack was the publication of statistics this week by the UK department of health showing that 4,422 women traveled from Ireland to England and Wales in 2009 to abort their children.

IFPA Chief executive Niall Behan told the Herald, “These figures are compelling evidence of the need for domestic-based abortion services in Ireland. The criminalisation of abortion has little impact on abortion rates, it merely adds to the burden and stress suffered by women experiencing crisis pregnancies.”

Ozzy Osbourne Finds Musical Muse in Canada ‘Mercy-Killing’

British heavy-metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s musical muse has derived new inspiration from Robert Latimer, a Canadian found guilty of the murder of his disabled daughter, which will feature prominently in a new album entitled “Scream.”

The song, “Latimer’s Mercy,” will feature alongside such death-delighting tracks as “Let it Die” and “Let Me Hear You Scream and Crucify.”

According to CanWest News Service, Osbourne wanted to describe what he thought must have gone through Latimer’s mind in 1993 as Latimer poisoned to death his daughter, 13-year-old Tracy, who had cerebral palsy, in a garage filled with carbon monoxide from a running car engine. Latimer was convicted of murder in 1994 and again in 1997, but only served seven years of a ten year sentence.

Veto Stands on Oklahoma Abortion Coverage Ban as Reps Run out of Time

Pro-abortion Gov. Brad Henry will see his fourth veto of pro-life Oklahoma legislation stand after the Oklahoma legislature, which overrode the last three, ran out of time Friday to mount a veto override on an abortion coverage ban.

The governor vetoed the measure late Wednesday evening, giving the legislature little time to react before this year’s legislative session ended by law at 5 p.m. today.

The sponsor of HR 3290, Rep. Skye McNiel (R-Bristow), told the Tulsa World that she would not seek to override the governor’s veto and that the legislature will probably revisit the measure in next year’s session.

Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Jail for Murdering Baby One Day after Birth

A federal appeals court has ruled that a US district judge was justified in sentencing a woman to over ten years in prison for the murder of her baby just a day after his birth.

The court agreed that reducing the sentence further than the clemency already extended would undermine justice and the recognition that “an innocent life that was lost.”

The three-judge panel for the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to sustain the ruling of a district judge who had already exercised a modicum of leniency in his sentencing of Dana Deegan to 121 months in prison.

communion

Horror in China: Aborted but Still Living Baby Sent for Cremation

An aborted baby boy, who had been declared dead by doctors in Foshan City, China, suddenly cried out as he was about to be cremated, but died later after doctors refused to treat him.

A mortuary worker at the Nanhai Funeral Home reportedly was startled by a cry from a box, labeled "medical waste," that he was about to put into the incinerator. He opened the carton and found the baby moving, but choking on some cotton wool in his mouth, the locally based Information Times reported.

Mystery of California Abortion Funding Revealed | Catholics For The Common Good

The California Catholic Conference has untangled the complexities of abortion funding in the California State Budget.

Annually, the California Catholic Conference asks the Legislators to examine their priorities when making funding decisions in the state budget. The Governor proposed elimination of the CalWORKs, a reduction in state funding for SSI/SSP-programs for the elderly, the blind and disabled-while retaining the funding for Family PACT which goes to family planning institutions, like Planned Parenthood. Although that money doesn't actually pay for abortions-abortions are funded through Medi-Cal-it does keep those organizations financially sound.

President of Portugal Signs Gay ‘Marriage’ Law | Catholic Exchange

Portugal’s president, who was elected as a conservative, has signed a law passed by the Assembly of the Republic last year creating the institution of homosexual “marriage.”

Although he had the power to veto the bill, and claims to oppose it, President AnĂ­bal Cavaco Silva says that he signed the law to avoid slowing down the legislative process during the global economic crisis.

According to the Constitution, the Assembly can override the veto of the president with a two-thirds majority, and Silva says that the votes are there to do it. According to Silva, a veto would further tie up the Assembly while other urgent matters are neglected.

Portugal Legalizes Homosexual Marriage, Visiting Pope Condemns It » Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute

This week, the president of Portugal announced his decision to ratify a law allowing gay marriage in the small European country. The same-sex marriage bill first passed in the Portuguese parliament in January, but was subject to a presidential veto. The president's decision to sign the bill into law makes Portugal the sixth European country allowing same-sex couples to wed.



Laura Bush: It's Good that Gay Marriage is Coming

In an interview on Larry King Live this Tuesday, former first lady Laura Bush said that she disagreed with her husband regarding the legality of both gay "marriage" and abortion.

Mrs. Bush, known for her previous reticence on controversial issues, has been promoting her memoir "Spoken from the Heart" in recent weeks.

Larry King pointed out that, in her memoir, she admits asking her husband during the 2004 presidential campaign not to make gay "marriage" a significant issue.

"Do you think we should have it?" King asked.

"Well, I think that we ought to definitely look at it," Mrs. Bush responded. "When couples are are committed to each other and love each other--they ought to have, I think, the same sort of rights that everyone has."

Abortion, Gay ‘Marriage’ among the Most ‘Insidious and Dangerous’ Challenges: Pope

In an address to assembled social and pastoral care workers in Fatima, Portugal yesterday, Pope Benedict identified abortion and the pressure for gay “marriage” as among the most “insidious and dangerous challenges that today confront the common good,” and expressed his “deep appreciation” for those who fight for the rights of the unborn.

Benedict hailed “all those social and pastoral initiatives” that combat the “socio-economic and cultural mechanisms which lead to abortion, and are openly concerned to defend life and to promote the reconciliation and healing of those harmed by the tragedy of abortion.”

TLC Singer Chilli Describes Abortion Grief: 'I Cried Almost Every Day for 9 Years'

Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, better known as a member of the successful 1990s hip-hop trio TLC, has joined a growing number of women and men who have come forward with horrendous stories of post-abortion grief. In a recent interview, the singer revealed that an abortion that she got when she was 20 years old “broke my spirit,” and robbed her of her "strong self."

The singer discussed her abortion on the May 9 episode of the VH1 reality TV series "What Chilli Wants," which follows the singer as she seeks help to establish a long-lasting relationship. Prompted to discuss her first relationship, with producer Dallas Austin, Thomas recounted her emotions upon realizing that she was pregnant for the first time at 20 years old.

March for Life Video

Why Abortion Breaks All the Commandments: Part 3 | Catholic Exchange

God does not simply give us “rules and regulations.” He gives us himself. All his teachings and commandments reflect who he is, and for the same reason, they all hold together in an organic unity – like the body itself – and every commandment in some way includes every other commandment. In this column, we conclude our reflections on how abortion violates every commandment, and how the commandments strengthen us to be pro-life.

The Seventh Commandment declares, “You shall not steal.” Whenever we violate the right to life, we steal. We rob the person of what is his – the recognition of his rights, the protection of his life.

Belgian Doctors Euthanized Disabled Patient and Harvested Her Organs » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog

I found the article about the Belgian euthanasia coupled with organ harvesting referenced in my critique yesterday of a bioethics journal article urging that very approach. The woman in question was not terminally ill, but in a “locked-in” state, that is, fully conscious and completely paralyzed. She wanted to die–a desire accommodated by her doctors. Just prior to being killed, she decided to donate her organs. From, “Organ donation after physician-assisted death,” (Letter to the Editor) published in the journal Transplantation (21 (2008) 915–no link):

The Sacred Page: Top Vatican Official Praises Scott Hahn

Scott Hahn was recently praised in an address given by Cardinal William Levada, the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. For those who don't know, the man who formerly held that position was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI.

Experts Rebuke Pro-Abort Prof. Claim that “a Fetus is Not a Person”

A philosophy professor at Saint Mary's University (SMU) in Halifax is drawing rebuke from experts in bioethics, medicine, and philosophy for a Monday column in which he advocates abortion based on the notion that “a fetus is not a person.”

If pro-abortion advocates can show that the unborn child is not a person, argues Dr. Mark Mercer in an op-ed for the Ottawa Citizen, then a woman's reason for aborting him or her “cannot be outweighed by the fetus's right to life, for, not being a person, the fetus has no such right.”

Obama to Pick Pro-Abort Elena Kagan for Supreme Court: Report

Top White House aides expect President Obama to select Solicitor General Elena Kagan on Monday as the Supreme Court justice to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, reports Mike Allen of Politico Friday.

"Kagan's relative youth (50) is a huge asset for the lifetime post. And President Obama considers her to be a persuasive, fearless advocate who would serve as an intellectual counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia, and could lure swing Justice Kennedy into some coalitions," reports Allen.

Radical Pro-Abort Diane Wood Headed to Supreme Court?

Diane Wood, a Chicago federal judge known for her extreme hostility to even minimal legal protections for the unborn, may be topping President Obama's short list of replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, according to various news reports in recent days.

Obama has long entertained a Supreme Court possibility for Wood, who met face-to-face with the president and Vice President Biden Tuesday in Washington, D.C. Obama had also considered Wood following the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter last year, before choosing Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another supporter of legalized abortion.

Florida School District Faces Lawsuit Over Ban on Religious Expression

The Santa Rosa County School District faces a lawsuit from a Christian legal advocacy group for allegedly violating First Amendment rights of teachers, students, and other individuals by muzzling their ability to exercise their religious beliefs in public.

Liberty Counsel (LC) has filed a comprehensive lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District and its Superintendent, Timothy S. Wyrosdick, accusing them of persistent and widespread violations of First Amendment rights.

InsideCatholic.com - In Arizona, Immigration Law Fallout Continues

The weather isn't the only thing that's heating up down here on the border. As temperatures this week inch closer to the triple-digits, the repercussions of SB 1070 – Arizona's tough new immigration law – continue to remain center stage. (If you haven't read the law itself, the link above takes you there. Many people commenting on it haven't even looked at the language.)

Yesterday, Governor Jan Brewer received an envelope in the mail that contained a “powdery white substance” of an as-yet unconfirmed nature. The possible toxin is being lab tested as of this writing.

New York High Court Grants Parental Rights to Ex-Lesbian Partner

New York’s high court, the Court of Appeals, ruled Tuesday to give visitation rights over a child born into a Vermont civil union to the mother’s former lesbian partner. The court based its decision on the fact that Vermont courts have interpreted civil unions to confer legal parenthood on the partners.

At the same time, the Court resisted efforts to overturn a 19-year-old precedent that holds only a biological connection or legal adoption establishes parental rights under New York State law - meaning that in all other cases where recognizing the laws of other states is not an issue, the New York policy for determining parenthood stands.

A Balanced Approach to the Immigration Debate | Catholic Exchange

Arizona’s recently enacted state immigration law has added fuel to an already volatile national debate. From television to radio, newspapers to magazines, chat rooms to churches, no matter where one turns these days the firestorm of reaction is practically unavoidable.

In the process of weighing the various opinions that have been flying around on the matter, three things stand out. One, a great many commentators — both ecclesial and secular, leftwing and right — trumpet a one-sided view that all but ignores critical details in this multi-faceted issue. Secondly, firmly in place is the ever-present double standard on the part of the media and others; something we’ve come to expect in our political discourse of late, but noteworthy just the same. Lastly and most importantly, Catholic doctrine properly understood and fully acknowledged, along with “the rest of the story,” can lend some much needed balance to the discussion.

Tennessee Abortion Opt-Out Becomes Law without Gov.’s Signature | Catholic Exchange

A Tennessee law opting the state out of the new national health care reform’s abortion mandate went into effect Wednesday, after Democratic governor Phil Bredesen refused to either sign or veto legislation passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of Tennessee’s state house.

The law forbids insurance companies receiving public subsidies in the state-run health exchange from offering or requiring abortion coverage when the exchanges come online in 2014.

Ontario Catholic School Board Proud to Promote Prominent Gay Alumni

A poster of “distinguished alumni” developed by the York Catholic District School Board highlights renowned twin fashion designers and prominent homosexuals Dean and Dan Caten. The pair, much of whose work falls on the extreme end of the sexually provocative (one of their runway shows in 2005 ended with a scantily-clad Christina Aguilera stripping off the pants of male models), are among seven alumni featured on the poster developed for Catholic Education Week, May 2-7, 10,000 copies of which have been distributed in parishes and schools.

“Every person on the poster this year and every single year was selected because they are making a contribution to their respective careers,” said Chris Cable, communications manager for the school board. “In the Catholic Church we do treat everyone as equals and we are inclusive.”

YouTube - The Annunciation

Arizona, the Rest of Us, and the Futility of Hiding from Immigration | Catholic Exchange

One can deplore or applaud Arizona’s new get-tough law cracking down on illegal immigrants, but rational debate is not served by Cardinal Mahony’s characterization of the new law as the kind of tactic used by Communists and Nazis. Nor is rational debate served by the Federal government’s head-in-the-sand approach to the problem of illegal immigration. Readers may recall how quickly the question of immigration faded from view during our last presidential campaign. Frankly, nobody knew what to say about it. Or at least nobody knew how to say anything effective that would also be popular.

Kansas House Overrides Veto of Late-Term Abortion Restriction Law

Kansas House of Representatives this morning overturned Governor Mark Parkinson's veto of legislation requiring late-term abortionists to report the medical justification for performing the procedure.

The 86-35 overturn came Monday, after an initial attempt on Friday fell short of the 84-vote minimum by two votes. Parkinson had vetoed the legislation April 16.

The measure was crafted in response to the vague reporting methods that investigators say supported the decades-long business of slain late-term abortionist George Tiller. Nebraska late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart had vowed to continue Tiller's late-term abortion spree where he left off at his Wichita clinic when Tiller was fatally shot last May.

Human Services Dept. Allegedly Pressured Teen to Get Abortion | Catholic Exchange

A caseworker with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services (DHS) allegedly pressured a pregnant teenager in foster care into a late-term abortion by threatening to take away her toddler or her yet-unborn baby. Additionally, Marisol Rivera, the girl’s social worker, said that she was fired for refusing to take the teen to a late-term abortion clinic.

“They hired me to work in child protection, not to kill children,” Rivera told the Philadelphia Daily News.

According to the newspaper, the girl’s foster mother said that the 16-year old was excited about having the baby and had already told her 1-year-old child that she would have a little brother. The teenager’s birth mother, identified only as Deborah M., also said the girl was excited.

Vancouver Hospital Opens 'Angel’s Cradle' Anonymous Baby Drop-Off

St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver today launched a newborn drop-off facility called Angel’s Cradle that will provide a place for mothers to abandon their babies anonymously and safely.

The door to the Angel's Cradle, set in a private alcove near the hospital's emergency entrance, is set up to automatically trigger an alarm 30 seconds after a baby is placed inside.

After the alarm has alerted nurses to the presence of the child, doctors at the hospital will assess the baby's health and provide any necessary medical treatment, then put the child in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Pope Benedict’s One Day Visit to Turin |

Pope Benedict traveled to Turin on Sunday to celebrate Mass, meet with young people and the sick, and venerate the Holy Shroud.

POPE-SHROUDHe arrived in St. Charles Square in the Pope Mobile and was received by thousands of pilgrims gathered for the Mass. Before celebrating Mass, the Holy Father was greeted with opening speeches from the Mayor of Turin and Msgr. Severino Poletto, the Archbishop of Turin.

Three Anglican Bishops Discuss Reunion with Rome

Three traditionally-inclined Church of England bishops recently travelled to Rome for exploratory talks regarding Benedict XVI's Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, which allows Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while retaining some of their distinctive religious practices.

Bishop John Broadhurst of Fulham, Bishop Keith Newton of Richborough, and Bishop Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet met with officials of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Each of the three Bishops are well-known for opposing the increasingly liberal path that the Church of England has taken, including the issue of the ordination of open homosexuals, and the ordination of women. The Bishop of Fulham is head of Forward in Faith, which calls itself a "worldwide association of Anglicans who are unable in conscience to accept the ordination of women as priests or as bishops."

Archbishop Myers Statement on a Proposed Course on Same-Sex Marriage

As the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Newark, I am responsible for maintaining the Catholic identity of all Church institutions and organizations within the Archdiocese, and for ensuring authentic and orthodox Catholic teaching in all educational institutions and parishes. That responsibility extends to our Catholic elementary and high schools, to our parish religious education programs for both adults and children, and to the Catholic colleges and university operating within my jurisdiction.

Praise God!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

for His steadfast love endures for ever!


One of the things the Catholic tradition encourages again and again is praise of God.  “It is right to give Him thanks and praise,” we cry in the Mass.  And indeed, thanks and praise are frequently linked in both the Scripture and prayer of the Church.  Thanks generally tend to be directed to what God has done and given us.  We give thanks to God for doing this, accomplishing that, and giving the other.  And this is as it should be.  It is indeed right to give Him thanks.  But the Faith also insists on praise as a great good.  Why?  Well, not because God needs it.  God is completely and ecstatically happy within Himself from eternity to eternity.  Our praise adds nothing to His glory and beatitude.  But it does add to ours.  For in praising we direct our attention not merely to what God does or gives, but to Whom He is.  In praising, we fill our eyes with the light of His goodness, not merely because He’s been good to us, but because He would still be supremely good even if He did nothing for us.  Today, offer not just thanks to God but praise especially.  He is holy indeed and good beyond all bounds of human language to describe.




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