This is making the rounds. Help it make more rounds. I got this from the Catholic Key, the page of the newspaper of the Diocese of Kansas City, MO.
This afternoon, the USCCB contacted dioceses across the country with a new bulletin insert. As church bulletin’s are usually prepared on Wednesdays, the Conference realizes that most parishes will not be able to utilize the insert for this weekend. They have asked, however, that dioceses use every means of dissemination and social networking available to get this important action alert out, as action in the House is expected in days. You can do the same.
In the insert, the Bishops again urge Catholics to contact their House and Senate members urging them to oppose the Senate Health Care Bill unless changes regarding abortion funding, conscience and immigrants are made. Here it is in pdf and inline below:
USCCB NATIONWIDE BULLETIN INSERT/ACTION ALERT
Updated 3-11-2010
Stop Abortion Funding in Health Care Reform!
Protect Conscience
Ensure Affordable Health Coverage
Allow Immigrants to Purchase Private Health InsuranceAs long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. Health care reform should provide access to affordable and quality health care for all, and not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country. Genuine health care reform is being blocked by those who insist on reversing widely supported policies against federal funding of abortion and plans which include abortion, not by those working simply to preserve these longstanding protections.
• On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed major health care reform that reaffirms the essential, longstanding and widely supported policy against using federal funds for elective abortions and includes positive measures on affordability and immigrants.
• On December 24, the U.S. Senate rejected this policy and passed health care reform that requires federal funds to help subsidize and promote health plans that cover elective abortions. All purchasers of such plans will be required to pay for other people’s abortions through a separate payment solely to pay for abortion. And the affordability credits for very low income families purchasing private plans in a Health Insurance Exchange are inadequate and would leave families financially vulnerable.
• Outside the abortion context, neither bill has adequate conscience protection for health care providers, plans or employers.
• Congressional leaders are now trying to figure out how the rules of the House and Senate could allow the final passage of a modified bill that would satisfy disagreements between House and Senate versions.
ACTION: Contact your Representative and Senators today by e-mail, phone or FAX.
• To send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress go to www.usccb.org/action.
• Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices.
Contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.house.gov & www.senate.gov.MESSAGE – HOUSE:
“I am pleased that the House health care bill maintains the longstanding policy against federal funding of abortion. On the other hand, the provisions on abortion funding in the current un-amended Senate health care bill are seriously deficient and unacceptable. I urge you to work to uphold essential provisions against abortion funding, to include full conscience protection and to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. I urge you to oppose any bill unless and until these criteria are met.”MESSAGE – SENATE:
“I am deeply disappointed that the current un-amended Senate health care bill fails to maintain the longstanding policy against federal funding of abortion and does not include adequate protection for conscience. I urge you to support essential provisions against abortion funding, similar to those in the House bill. Include full conscience protection and ensure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. I urge you to oppose any bill unless and until these criteria are met.”WHEN: Votes in the House and Senate are expected at any time. Act today! Thank You!
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Thank you for the head’s up, Father Z. I have been watching the USCCB web-site for just such an action. The link to it does provide an easy way to send an email to our Representatives in Washington. Done.
I also checked our Archdiocesan web-site and there is nothing as of this evening. A few days ago would have been better, but, for my part I will get the word out to the best of my ability.
Below is a link to a truly explosive interview with Rep. Bart Stupak, posted to National Review Online:
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MzU0MDYxMWEyOTdiNGU1OGU3ZjYzYmE3Y2ZlZDQ5NTY=
If Stupak’s account is accurate — and we have every reason to believe it is — the Dems have basically admitted that one of their primary motivations for insisting upon abortion coverage is to hold down future costs. It’s not about women’s rights or women’s health, it’s about making sure there aren’t too many people taking advantage of the system in the future.
Stupak also admits that although he is NOT giving in, he has lost one or two of his promised “no” votes, that the other 10 or 11 members of Congress who are standing with him are very “demoralized,” and they are having “both arms twisted” by Pelosi and Co.
Other posters who have said previously that Stupak and his allies are up against “pure evil” are absolutely right. They need ALL the prayers and support they can get right now. In line with an earlier post today, I think it would be very appropriate to seek Bishop Baraga’s intercession for this purpose.
And here’s the very helpful link to send the messages you need to send:
http://actions.nchla.org/link/target/nchla/c4WBy62y.aspx
Done! Will post this to Facebook and email as well. St. Michael the archangel, defend us in battle…
How about this instead:
“On principle, I am thoroughly opposed to state controlled health care takeover, aka socialist health care. However, I am very pleased that the House’s health care bill maintains the longstanding policy against federal funding of abortion just in case some members of the house do decide to vote in favor of such an inhumane bill, sure to lessen the dignity of all Americans. On the other hand, the provisions on abortion funding in the current un-amended Senate health care bill are seriously deficient and unacceptable, if this were to become law due to the aforementioned votes. I therefore urge you to work to uphold essential provisions against abortion funding, to include full conscience protection and to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable for all, that is, if the bill is actually passed by votes of certain members of the house. I therefore urge you to oppose any complete takeover of the health care system by the government. However,if the bill passes, there should be an automatic insertion of the appropriate language against funding of abortion and protection of conscience act.”
The problem here is not only with the abortion funding in the Senate bill. There is an enormous problem with the way both the House and Senate are trying to force through legislation that is so clearly opposed, for a number of reasons, by a majority of Americans. And if they can cram this down our throats, what will be next?
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has already shut down its DC adoption agencies in the face of recent legislation that would require that they place children with homosexual couples. “Conscience provisions,” indeed! Soon enough Catholic hospitals will be required to provide “reproductive services” that could include all the way up to late-term abortions, or else they will have to close, too. Think not? Just look at what is now going on in the Congress of the United States of America.
Right now Nancy Pelosi, “Catholic,” cannot muster the needed votes to force a vote on a Senate bill because the abortion funding therein is unacceptable to a small minority of Democrats in the House (and God bless them!). But what if she is able, finally, to twist enough arms to get them to vote for the Senate bill? If the House passes the Senate bill, it will become law, in its current form, abortion funding and all. Pelosi knows that and supports it. And not only the Catholic bishops but all anti-abortion Americans can just take a flying leap…
With that little scalp hanging from their belt, what else might they try to do? And recall that Harry Reid was trying to insert language into the bills such that future Congresses could not modify or amend any of the provisions. Foolish, of course. But he made the attempt! Are these our representatives, or our rulers?
If this current Senate bill becomes law, there is every chance that it will remain law, at least for years. With several more years left in the term of a President who would not want his own daughters “punished” with a baby, there will be no legislation signed that repeals any provisions of it, let alone the abortion funding that has been the great goal of the “social justice” politicians.
The bill needs to be defeated. It needs to be brought down in flames, with a stake through its heart. It has very little to do with real health care and everything to do with the exercise of raw power. It is a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing, beckoning to us, under the guise of compassion, to come to the aid of our poor suffering fellows who languish without health care. But the hidden, and sometimes not-so-hidden, agenda is not only pro-abortion but anti-Catholic — or at least anti-Catholic teaching*. It is also profoundly anti-American in the trickery and in the circumvention of rules and laws by which it is being forced upon us.
There are better ways to provide health care for the uninsured than for us to hand over not only our personal freedoms but our Catholic conscience to the political establishment.
*For an example of where else our current rulers might want to take us, have a look at what is happening in England, with the Children, Schools, and Families Bill. What? Government-led sex education that forces Catholic schools to teach that active homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle? Couldn’t happen here? I say again, look at what is happening in the US Congress now and ask whether those people would not cram that down our throats, too.
On performing magic tricks: Movement and Diversion – It is very important that you create a diversion with your hands or face to give you time to execute your coin magic trick that you are performing. In fact, diversion is key to any magic trick. When performing coin magic tricks, you will always see the magician using hand movements as part of his trick. The hand movements are used to create a diversion. The audience’s attention is on the magician’s hands while the coin reaches its intended destination. Timing is everything. If you time your diversion well, your coin trick will be easy and you will wow your audience with your skill!
How about printing out the bulletin insert, calling your Pastors and asking if you may insert them yourself or distribute them this weekend at all the Masses? Get on it.
I appreciate the USCCB’s opposition to the Senate bill and abortion funding. I am glad that the statement enumerated other issues. But the USCCB remains myopic in its view of the Dems’ overall approach which threatens the lives and liberty of EVERY American–and immigrants I suppose, too.
Stupak’s revelations about the callous view of the Dems toward the unborn should make the whole agenda horribly clear to Americans: The new government insurance program will be able to decide who lives and dies. I can see the government insurer deciding that it will cover, say, only 2 pregnancies per woman b/c too many babies would be costly to cover. [The size and demographic make up of the population can be engineered by the government.] Then a woman could be obligated to either abort subsequent pregnancies or undergo a sterilization–men too on sterilization, I suppose. Further, the government could REQUIRE the people to take treatments (abortions, birth control, lipitor) to regulate their lives and health, as much as it can deny treatments to allow some to die. Explicitly, we can presume that unborn who are determined to have disorders such as Down syndrome, will be required to be aborted b/c they will be too costly to care for by the government.
People are not being denied healthcare that they need, generally. The questions have been who will pay for it and how.
When we let government pay for our needs, we lose our freedom and our lives.
St. Michael pray for us.
Peggy R, you are absolutely right. The bishops should not be endorsing legislation of any kind unless Catholic doctrine is implicated. They have no particular expertise in healthcare delivery or finance. There is NO healthcare crisis in this Country. People will always get quality care if they need it by reporting to the local emergency room of the hospital. Healthcare reform is about control, money, jobs, and power for politicos. If Congress were truly concerned with initiatives to bring cost down they would start with tort reform, cross state selling of health insurance, etc. But they won’t because these reforms do not include a role for government. They also harm the interests of trial lawyers, etc., who are huge supporters of the Party of Death aka Democratic Party.
Here’s what happened to two men who sought “quality care” in an emergency room just recently, both in the Philadelphia area:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20100303_Penn_hospital_sued_over_failure_to_admit_patient.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/78944357.html
To suggest that sick and suffering people can get quality care in overcrowded, understaffed emergency rooms is naive at best. I don’t support the bill before the Senate for a myriad of reasons, but let ’em cake isn’t the right answer either.
I have nothing nice to say about government controlled health care except that I have experienced it here in the United States and I’d rather not experience it again. That’s all I can politely say. Honestly, reform is needed but this “health care bill” is not reform. It’s a power grab, pure and simple.
Girgadis, most newspapers are in the tank for nationalized healthcare and I wouldn’t trust their reporting much. By federal law any patient showing up in an emergency room for emergency care must be treated regardless of ability to pay. In contrast, the New York Times and its buddies have been working tirelessly to suppress information to the American public as to the dangers of nationalized healthcare as evidenced in Britain and Canada. Care Americans routinely obtain on a moment’s notice cannot be had in those countries, or if it is available, they must wait months, sometimes until it is too late. Google any British newspaper, liberal, conservative, or moderate, and you will find plenty of these stories. Stories that the New York Times aka Slimes refuses to publish. After all, the agenda is more important than the truth.
Bulletin inserts copied and distributed at this evening’s Mass and more are being readied for tomorrow’s Masses.
Please pray for Congressman Stupak, and even call his DC Office to let them know that the American people are not ignoring him, even if Pelosi and her crowd are. The Huffington Post published an article on Mar 12th quoting Mr. Stupak as saying that Peolosi and her crowd are now “ignoring him”. This seems to imply they believe they have twisted enough arms, blackmailed, or threatened enough of his coalition members not to have worry about him any more, regardless of what is really in the bill.
He needs prayers, his office needs lots of short messages of support, and prayers that he has the courage to hold fast because the wolves are catching up fast. He is barely managing to hold his guys together; Pelosi and Obama are picking them off with visions of glory and promises to look after them if they lose their seats. Maybe it’s a bluff, maybe not. But remember – liars lie. It’s what they do. No matter what these guys are being promised, once they’ve served their purpose, they will be kicked to the curb by Pelosi’s crowd like smelly garbage. They need to be reminded of this.
It is down to pure, bare-knuckle power politics now, and the only Ones who can fix this mess are God Himself and St Michael the Archangel.
You are so right, Isabella. The great ones have stopped negotiating with Stupak and his group and have stopped talking with the Bishops.
St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle..
Our paster spoke about this issue at the end of Mass yesterday.
So, I went ahead and sent off my congressional email letters. To my surprise, I received a response from Sen. Diane Feinstein. Since I live in California, she is one of my Senators. Her reply is below:
—
Dear Mr. JGQ:
Thank you for writing to me to express your support for proposed restrictions on private coverage of abortion in health reform legislation. Thank you for taking the time to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
The final bill passed by the Senate included additional restrictions on abortion coverage. The bill allows health plans to choose whether or not to cover abortion care as long as they do not use federal funds to do so. The provision requires individuals, who have health insurance plans that cover abortion, to fund this abortion coverage with their own money.
On December 24, 2009, I joined 59 of my colleagues in voting to pass healthcare reform legislation. The “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” passed by a vote of 60-39. On March 3, 2010, President Obama asked Congress to deliver a final healthcare reform bill to his desk this month. The President believes that this legislation deserves an up-or-down vote.
On February 22, 2010, the President released a new healthcare reform proposal, and on February 25th, the President held a Health Care Summit that was televised nationally. At the Summit, Democratic and Republican Members of Congress discussed the proposal, the issues they agree and disagree on, and openly worked on a way to reform our healthcare system.
On March 3, 2010, President Obama asked Congress to deliver a final healthcare reform bill to his desk by the end of this month. The President believes that this legislation deserves an up-or-down vote. Please know that I will keep your comments in mind as I continue to work with my colleagues to pass a health reform bill that makes healthcare affordable for all Americans.
Again, thank you for writing. If you should have any further comments or questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
—–
I have not yet crafted a reply. Any suggestions?
If I may suggest..’The language in the Senate bill is too soft.’ Include a complete ban on abortion funding of any kind. (Tax-payer or any other funds set up for abortion.)
Insist that there be adequate conscience protection for Health Care workers who are opposed to Abortion, sterilization, embryonic stem cell research etc.
IMHO