Why Abortion Breaks All the Commandments: Part 1 (PFL)

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Abortion does not only break the Fifth Commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” It breaks all the commandments. In this and following columns, let’s reflect on how each Commandment illumines and strengthens our pro-life commitment.

The First Commandment is “I am the Lord your God; you shall not have other gods besides me.” There are many ways of having false gods. Pope John Paul II once wrote that to think we are the ones who decide whether a child should be created is to say that God is not God. At the root of the contraceptive mentality, and at the root of the so-called “pro-choice” mentality, is idolatry. We place our choices before God’s choices. We break the first of all the commandments. In the Old Testament, we read that God’s people committed idolatry when they sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire to demons. Until we end the child sacrifice of legal abortion, we are guilty of the same kind of idolatry. We are called instead to worship the Lord of Life!

The Second Commandment is “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” This does not only mean that we shouldn’t use the Lord’s name in cursing when we are angry. It also means that we should not use God’s name or His Word to justify actions that he abhors.

There are religious groups and individuals in our society who do exactly that when it comes to abortion. They say they are “prayerfully pro-choice.” Groups like the “Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice” claim that God’s word allows abortion. They hold “pro-choice” Bible studies, and they even carry out pro-choice liturgies to bless the “choice” of those who abort.

This is a distortion of God’s word and an abuse of his name. It is a direct violation of the second commandment. We are called instead to honor the name of God by honoring the lives he creates.

The Third Commandment requires us to Keep Holy the Lord’s Day. Scripture tells us the Lord rested on the seventh day. This was not because he was tired, but rather because he was foretelling the Sabbath day that Jesus would rest in the tomb after his work of offering the sacrifice of his passion and death. On that day the Lord preached to the dead and bid them to leave the place of death and to come with him into life eternal.

Keeping holy the Lord’s Day, then, reminds us that God is on the side of human life. It also reminds us that he is Lord of life. All our activities and choices are under him, which is why we pause on the Lord’s Day to worship him in Church.

We will continue our reflections on the Commandments in the next column. Meanwhile, those who want to nourish their pro-life spirituality with reflections like this for every day of the year can obtain my book Pro-life Reflections for Every Day at priestsforlife.org/store.

This column can be found online at http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/document.aspx?id=2874

Comments on this column? Go to AskFrFrank.com

Fr. Frank's columns are podcast. See PriestsForLife.org/Podcast

Easter Prayer for Life (PFL)

Want to join me in making pro-life progress?

Besides passing along the column below (in English and Spanish) to as many as you can, please consider the following practical notes:

1.      This Wednesday, March 31, marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Terri Schiavo.  I will be at Ave Maria in Naples, FL and will be the celebrant and homilist at the Annual National Mass for “Terri’s Day.”  Please make “Terri’s Day” a day of prayer and remembrance for Terri and a day of prayer for all whose lives are threatened in the same way that hers was.  See www.terrisday.org for more information.

2.      We invite you to join with Priests for Life in praying an "Easter Prayer for Life." This is part of our year-long prayer campaign(www.PrayerCampaign.org) through which we help people pray with the Church by praying for a Culture of Life in a way that reflects the themes of the various liturgical seasons and feasts.

You can find the brief Easter prayer at www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/easter.htm.   On that page you can also order prayer cards for your parish.  These cards contain the Easter prayer and some helpful resources for pro-life activity. We will send you as many cards as you want, free of charge.  Please hurry, however, as the supply is limited! Please also publicize our prayer effort in your Church bulletin and website!

During the Easter Season you can find helpful Easter resources on our website – my homilies, writings, and television and radio shows for example.  Find them at www.priestsforlife.org/preaching/lent-easter.htm.

3.      Please inform any clergy you know about my monthly “Mobilizing the Clergy for Life” teleconferences.  The next two are on Monday, April 19, with Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Tuesday, May 11 with, Msgr. James Lisante.  Both calls will be from 3-3:45pm ET. Priests, deacons, and seminarians can sign up at www.priestsforlife.org/clergy.

4.      Priests for Life has formed a “Vote Pro-life” Coalition of national ministries. These groups work together to advance non-partisan activities to help the People of Life to engage the electoral process in an informed and responsible way.  The Coalition has been sponsoring monthly teleseminars that can be followed online or by phone, and that offer training for effective political action.  Our next teleseminar will be on April 22, from 9-10pm ET. To listen to the call on the web go to http://attendthisevent.com/?eventID=12157518. To listen by phone, call (712) 432-1001 and enter the access code: 488561733#. You may listen to past calls and encourage others to sign up at www.priestsforlife.org/conferencecall.

The groups in the Coalition include but are not limited to the following:  American Values, Anglicans for Life, CatholicVote.org, Citizens for a Pro-life Society, Democrats for Life, Good Counsel Homes, Gospel of Life Ministries, The Heidi Group, The Justice Foundation, Life Coalition International, LifeNews, National Clergy Council, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), National Pro-life Religious Council, Operation Outcry, Priests for Life, Susan B. Anthony List, and Wallbuilders.

5.      Gospel of Life Ministries, our interdenominational outreach, has a new partner as part of its ministry: The Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues (PNCI), headed by Marie Smith (wife of Congressman Chris Smith). The PNCI does exclusively international work, equipping pro-life advocates to engage in the political process and ensure that elected and appointed officials uphold their obligations to protect life. Read more about this new initiative at www.priestsforlife.org/pressreleases/document.aspx?id=3115

After my column below you will find this week’s media schedule.

Blessings,



Fr. Frank Pavone

Praise for our work

I want to take this time to express our gratitude to Fr. Scott Daniels, [Susan] and Priests for Life. Fr. Scott is awesome. His message was powerful and on target. He is inexhaustible. I wish all priests were as strong a proponent for life as he is. He is Scriptural. He does not mince his words yet speaks with love; and that is his secret. [Susan] thank you for your kindness, thoroughness and diligence in making sure this weekend happened… and doing it in a seemingly effortless manner... - Alex

Baby Saved!

***TODAY, MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

PRAISE GOD!!!

A BABY WAS SAVED THIS MORNING, PER A BABY'S BREATH COUNSELOR!

The 40 Days for Life participants were praying the rosary at the Collegeville's Planned Parenthood this am.  Pina McLaughlin, Carolyn Stenger and her mother, Eleanor Kunz were given the wonderful news from A Baby's Breath counselor that her client decided to keep her baby.

We are all giving thanks and praise to God and grateful for this blessed news as we begin Holy Week!  We will continue to have a prayerful presence at PP all through Holy Week and beyond!

David, you may recall when you visited Collegeville's PP last 2009 Spring 40 Days for Life, that the Crisis Pregnancy Center is located in the same bldg.

To conclude our 40 Days for Life, my church is having a parish mission for this most blessed Holy Week with Fr. Donald Miniscalco.

God bless you and all the 40 Days for Life leadership team and wishing you and everyone a very blessed holy week and joyous Easter!
Gratefully in Christ,

Rita Smith, M.E.V. (Missionaries of the Gospel of Life)

This week in Christ's life… (2)

This week, Jesus is 2 weeks old.  He is snug in the Virgin Mary's womb and the two of them are intimately joined. The amniotic sac and fluid are forming, as are what will become the physical body of Christ.  Lord, teach us to love and protect all people, especially the newly growing, preborn baby.

An Interview with Abby Johnson

Abby Johnson, a former Director of Planned Parenthood, shares the truth about the abortion industry.


Who is Abby Johnson and why is she a former director of a PP clinic?  Find out here and here.

Plea to the Everlasting God for the Preborn

Lord God, our Eternal Father, we come to Thy Throne full of awe and reverence at Thy saving power. Through our Savior Jesus Christ, we beg Thee to help us stop the widespread slaughter of unborn babies in our land. May our love for our innocent brothers and sisters closely resemble the love that exists in the Holy Family. Help us provide all human life with protection under our civil laws. We know that through the intercession of our Mother Mary, chosen Spouse of the Holy Spirit, our request will be granted. Amen.

This week in Christ's life… (1)

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has been conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Even though he is as small as a grain of sand, already his first cell divisions are occurring. Lord, teach us to love and protect all people, especially the newly growing, preborn baby.

John Paul II's Homily for the Feast of the Annunciation (2000)

HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL IIMASS IN THE BASILICA OF THE ANNUNCIATIONIsrael  Nazareth Saturday, March 25, 2000

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word" (Angelus Prayer).
Your Beatitude,
Brother Bishops,
Father Custos,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. 25th March in the year 2000, the Solemnity of the Annunciation in the Year of the Great Jubilee: on this day the eyes of the whole Church turn to Nazareth. I have longed to come back to the town of Jesus, to feel once again, in contact with this place, the presence of the woman of whom Saint Augustine wrote: "He chose the mother he had created; he created the mother he had chosen" (Sermo 69, 3, 4). Here it is especially easy to understand why all generations call Mary blessed (cf. Lk 2:48).
I warmly greet Your Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah, and thank you for your kind words of presentation. With Archbishop Boutros Mouallem and all of you Bishops, priests, religious women and men, and members of the laity  I rejoice in the grace of this solemn celebration. I am happy to have this opportunity to greet the Franciscan Minister General, Father Giacomo Bini, who welcomed me on my arrival, and to express to the Custos, Father Giovanni Battistelli, and the Friars of the Custody the admiration of the whole Church for the devotion with which you carry out your unique vocation. With gratitude I pay tribute to your faithfulness to the charge given to you by Saint Francis himself and confirmed by the Popes down the centuries.
2. We are gathered to celebrate the great mystery accomplished here two thousand years ago. The Evangelist Luke situates the event clearly in time and place: "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph. . . The virgin's name was Mary" (1:26-27). But in order to understand what took place in Nazareth two thousand years ago, we must return to the Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. That text enables us, as it were, to listen to a conversation between the Father and the Son concerning God's purpose from all eternity. "You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin. Then I said. . . ?God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will'" (10:5-7). The Letter to the Hebrews is telling us that, in obedience to the Father's will, the Eternal Word comes among us to offer the sacrifice which surpasses all the sacrifices offered under the former Covenant. His is the eternal and perfect sacrifice which redeems the world.
The divine plan is gradually revealed in the Old Testament, particularly in the words of the Prophet Isaiah which we have just heard: "The Lord himself will give you a sign. It is this: the virgin is with child and will soon give birth to a child whom she will call Emmanuel" (7:14). Emmanuel - God with us. In these words, the unique event that was to take place in Nazareth in the fullness of time is foretold, and it is this event that we are celebrating here with intense joy and happiness.
3. Our Jubilee Pilgrimage has been a journey in spirit, which began in the footsteps of Abraham, "our father in faith" (Roman Canon; cf. Rom 4:11-12). That journey has brought us today to Nazareth, where we meet Mary, the truest daughter of Abraham. It is Mary above all others who can teach us what it means to live the faith of "our father". In many ways, Mary is clearly different from Abraham; but in deeper ways "the friend of God" (cf. Is 41:8) and the young woman of Nazareth are very alike.
Both receive a wonderful promise from God. Abraham was to be the father of a son, from whom there would come a great nation. Mary is to be the Mother of a Son who would be the Messiah, the Anointed One. "Listen!", Gabriel says, " You are to conceive and bear a son. . . The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. . . and his reign will have no end" (Lk 1:31-33).
For both Abraham and Mary, the divine promise comes as something completely unexpected. God disrupts the daily course of their lives, overturning its settled rhythms and conventional expectations. For both Abraham and Mary, the promise seems impossible. Abraham's wife Sarah was barren, and Mary is not yet married: "How can this come about", she asks, "since I am a virgin?" (Lk 1:34).
4. Like Abraham, Mary is asked to say yes to something that has never happened before. Sarah is the first in the line of barren wives in the Bible who conceive by God's power, just as Elizabeth will be the last. Gabriel speaks of Elizabeth to reassure Mary: "Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son" (Lk 1:36).
Like Abraham, Mary must walk through darkness, in which she must simply trust the One who called her. Yet even her question, "How can this come about?", suggests that Mary is ready to say yes, despite her fears and uncertainties. Mary asks not whether the promise is possible, but only how it will be fulfilled. It comes as no surprise, therefore, when finally she utters her fiat: "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let what you have said be done to me" (Lk 1:38). With these words, Mary shows herself the true daughter of Abraham, and she becomes the Mother of Christ and Mother of all believers.
5. In order to penetrate further into the mystery, let us look back to the moment of Abraham's journey when he received the promise. It was when he welcomed to his home three mysterious guests (cf. Gen 18:1-15), and offered them the adoration due to God: tres vidit et unum adoravit. That mysterious encounter foreshadows the Annunciation, when Mary is powerfully drawn into communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Through the fiat that Mary uttered in Nazareth, the Incarnation became the wondrous fulfilment of Abraham's encounter with God. So, following in the footsteps of Abraham, we have come to Nazareth to sing the praises of the woman "through whom the light rose over the earth" (Hymn Ave Regina Caelorum).
6. But we have also come to plead with her. What do we, pilgrims on our way into the Third Christian Millennium, ask of the Mother of God? Here in the town which Pope Paul VI, when he visited Nazareth, called "the school of the Gospel", where "we learn to look at and to listen to, to ponder and to penetrate the deep and mysterious meaning of the very simple, very humble and very beautiful appearing of the Son of God" (Address in Nazareth, 5 January 1964), I pray, first, for a great renewal of faith in all the children of the Church. A deep renewal of faith: not just as a general attitude of life, but as a conscious and courageous profession of the Creed: "Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est."
In Nazareth, where Jesus "grew in wisdom and age and grace before God and men" (Lk 2:52), I ask the Holy Family to inspire all Christians to defend the family against so many present-day threats to its nature, its stability and its mission. To the Holy Family I entrust the efforts of Christians and of all people of good will to defend life and to promote respect for the dignity of every human being.
To Mary, the Theotókos, the great Mother of God, I consecrate the families of the Holy Land, the families of the world.
In Nazareth where Jesus began his public ministry, I ask Mary to help the Church everywhere to preach the "good news" to the poor, as he did (cf. Lk 4:18). In this "year of the Lord's favour", I ask her to teach us the way of humble and joyful obedience to the Gospel in the service of our brothers and sisters, without preferences and without prejudices.
"O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me. Amen" (Memorare).

Prayer for life by Pope John Paul II
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life:
Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers
of babies to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely,
in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
~~ Pope John Paul II
Encyclical Letter "The Gospel of Life"
Given in Rome, on March 25,
the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord,
in the year 1995.

Following the Journey of Christ...

To celebrate the journey of our Savior through life in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we will have a weekly "This Week in Christ's Life" post.  Consider praying for a baby due to be aborted from Annunciation through Christmas.  Name your baby and, each day, ask the Holy Family to watch over your adopted baby and to touch the hearts of the baby's parents, giving them the strength to carry their child.  "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; I love you very much.  I beg you to spare the life of the preborn child that I have spiritually adopted who is in danger of abortion."  Weekly, pray a Rosary of the Unborn, with the intention of your child.  (Mysteries can be found here)  Over your nightly meal, consider adding a prayer for the unborn.

Weeks are listed in gestational weeks. (2 weeks behind LNMP weeks, which is how pregnancy dates are commonly known. Gestational weeks correlate to the actual days of a child's life and do not include the first two week's of a woman's cycle leading up to ovulation.)  Information on development is taken from The Visible Embryo and The Pregnancy Journal.

Pro-Life Amendments (SBA)

I know you are worn down from this battle, but the last word has not yet been spoken on healthcare reform. We cannot allow Washington to think our voices have gone silent for even one moment. Later this week, the Senate will vote on the reconciliation package to the health care bill passed by the House on Sunday, which includes federal funding for abortion. During this process, Senators will be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments.


Senator Coburn plans to offer two amendments in regard to the Life issue. One amendment will prevent funding for RU-486, the abortion pill, and the other will ensure conscience protection for doctors who do not want to be involved in abortion. The amendments could be voted on as early as this evening!


Please click here to contact your Senators and encourage them to vote in favor of these two amendments.

Senator Coburn’s amendments are essential to ensure that your tax dollars do not go toward the purchase of the dangerous abortion pill and to allow doctors to practice medicine without the fear of being forcibly involved in an act that goes against their conscience.

Make sure your Senator knows where you stand on these pro-life amendments and contact your Senator today.

Please contact your Senators to vote in favor of these pro-life amendments!!!

NOW is the perfect time for you to take action (PFL)

Dear Friend of Life,

Believe it or not, the all-important 2010 elections are rapidly approaching.

And based on the pro-abortion fanaticism of those who control the powers of government – an anti-life extremism that has been on full display throughout the “heath care reform” debates ...

... it is imperative that you do everything in your power to help advance the protection of life through this year’s electoral process. 

That said, here are your marching orders from now until Election Day November 2: 

·  PRAY!  As David tells us in Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” 

Not only does Priests for Life need your prayers, but so does our entire pro-life movement. 

So click here and make a commitment to say the “Prayer to End Abortion” every day from now until November 2! 

The prayer emphasizes your personal commitment to speak and act on behalf of the unborn child.  If all pro-life Americans say this prayer with a sincere heart every day, it won’t be long before we batter  down the gates of the abortion fortress and set free all who are held captive within!

But that’s not all.

Rather than simply asking God to do something, your prayer acknowledges that God wants to accomplish His will through you ... and me ... and every member of our Priests for Life family.

Which leads me to the second action I’m counting on you to take over these next several months: 

·  Provide Priests for Life with the financial support we need in order to carry out our “Political Responsibility” efforts! 

Just as in the spiritual life we can do nothing without God, so in our pro-life work, Priests for Life can do nothing without you. 

Without question, the most important pro-life work you can do over these critically important next few months is to help Priests for Life convince your fellow Americans to vote this November ... and to VOTE PRO-LIFE!

That being the case, I am going to write to you often from now till Election Day. 

I will do so because your self-sacrifice, constancy and perseverance are the key to winning pro-life victories this November! 

So I will be exhorting you to go the extra mile and do more than you think you can.

To give more of yourself than you think you are able.

To stretch yourself further than you think possible.

To die to yourself for the sake of the youngest members of our human family. 

All that while you are giving your all and making sacrifices, so am I ... and so is every single member of our hard-working Priests for Life staff. 

We are doing so because there is so much we must do to end legalized abortion in America.

In my last email I told you how Priests for Life is working to recruit more priests and train them how to lead our pro-life movement.  That work is incredibly important and a vital part of our overall mission.

But that’s only one part of our current focus.

Along with recruiting and training priests, 

... Priests for Life is working tirelessly to energize the people of life and inspire them to allow their pro-life convictions to be the determining factor of their every action ...most especially when they go into the voting booth and cast their ballot!

Several weeks ago I emailed you the “Action Steps for 2010 Elections” that Priests for Life began implementing in January.  You can click here to go to our election headquarters where the various elements of that plan are spelled out in detail.

This new project is exceedingly important and, once completed, will play a vital role in allowing us to win our battle to end abortion.

Let me explain.

As you no doubt know by now, America is becoming increasingly pro-life.  All the major polling services – from Gallup to Rasmussen to Pew – reveal that to be true.

What we need to find out about our new-found pro-life comrades is this: 

·  How strong is their pro-life commitment?

·  How vibrant is their pro-life activism?

·  Have they ever prayed outside an abortion clinic or taken part in a pro-life event?

·  How motivated are they to vote in the 2010 elections?

·  How important is a candidate’s pro-life or pro-abortion position when they decide whether or not to vote for him or her?

·  How much does their priest or pastor influence their voting decisions? 

In other words ... 

... are these millions of Americans who say they are pro-life as passionately and ardently committed to the cause of life as you and I are? 

In order to find out, Priests for Life is going to hire a professional independent company to do a comprehensive study of Americans who say they are pro-life.  The purpose of the study is twofold:

1.     Once we know how many pro-life Americans intend to vote this November, Priests for Life will alert candidates to the political reality that their position on abortion will be a key factor in whether or not they win election in November.

2.     The results of the research will show us how we need to fine-tune our “Political Responsibility” projects in order to maximize their effectiveness in convincing pro-life Americans – and especially those who are Christian – of their moral obligation to vote pro-life this November.

Right now we are in the process of formulating, with the help of polling experts, the precise questions that have not been answered adequately by previous polling.

This research study is one more example of how Priests for Life is thinking “outside the box” in order to bring about the end of abortion.

If we’re serious about saving the youngest members of our human family, then one of the first things we have to do is end the tyrannical control of our government which pro-abortion extremists now have.  In other words, we have to change the status quo.

Well, Priests for Life is doing everything in our power to bring about that change. 

But we desperately need your help in order to succeed! 

The penitential season of Lent is upon you.  This is the time of year when you are invited to use the traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to die to yourself so that you might live for God and His kingdom. 

Allow me to recommend that you make Priests for Life a recipient of your Lenten prayers and almsgiving. 

In so doing, not only will you begin the process of detaching yourself from the things of this world in order to build up treasure for yourself in heaven – “where neither moth nor rust consumes, nor thieves break in and steal” – but it will also provide you with the opportunity to follow the command Our Lord gave us in Matthew’s gospel when He told us to serve the needs of the least of His brethren.

After all, in our present culture, there is no one who is considered more “least” among us than the unborn child in the womb.

If you will do this, then I am certain that on that inevitable day when you stand trembling before the throne of Almighty God, you will see Him look upon you with love and hear Him say to you: 

“Come, blessed of My Father,
take possession of the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world;
for I was abandoned in My mother’s womb, and you rescued Me!” 

Thank you for your help today and for all that you do for our pro-life cause.  May God bless you.  And know that in heartfelt appreciation for your many sacrifices on behalf of the youngest members of our human family, myself and all the priests of Priests for Life remember you at each Mass we offer.

And if I may ask you one more favor. Each year I survey our supporters to learn how we can serve their needs more effectively. After giving your donation, would you take a moment and fill out the short survey I've placed at www.priestsforlife.org/survey. It is very important to me to know what you're thinking about our ministry!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests For Life and Gospel of Life Ministries

Repeal ObamaCare and Fight Abortion!

Dear Friend:

I want to personally thank you for signing the "Repeal ObamaCare Pledge" at repealitpledge.com and give you a quick update.

First, the bad news.

At 11:56 a.m. this morning, President Obama signed the health care legislation into law, turning one-sixth of our economy over to the federal government.

Congressional Democrats cheered as they watched the President sign this full-blown attack on our freedoms.

It was a painful sight to see.

Now, the good news.

Minutes after the health care takeover was signed into law, I introduced a one-page bill to repeal it.

While this Congress won't pass the "repeal it" legislation, it defines our shared goal and will help us distinguish between those politicians who get it and those who don't.

Once we replace the Democrats who voted for ObamaCare, we will repeal the bill and start over with commonsense, free-market solutions.

I'm also proud to report that over 50,000 Americans have signed the "Repeal ObamaCare Pledge" since late Sunday night. This is a remarkable achievement in such a short time.

But it's just the beginning. We plan to reach 100,000 pledges by the end of the day and keep building from there.

Please help us reach our goal by telling your friends and family to sign the pledge at repealitpledge.com. We need to get more people to do exactly what you've done and pledge to only support candidates who vow to repeal ObamaCare.

Once we reach a critical mass, we will begin working together to defeat the ObamaCare Democrats one at a time.

Thank you again for being willing to do your part to defend our liberty. Together, we will take our country back.

Sincerely,

Jim DeMint
United States Senator

Let's Get a Little Personal

I don't often get personal on this blog, rather it is a place to post breaking, pro-life news...  But we had a situation yesterday that I just can't ignore...

We took our infant twins, Bobby and Maya, to a developmental clinic yesterday.  They were born early at 27w5d, after spending 174 days growing in the womb.  They had a previous assessment at just shy of 3 months old and assessed at 2mo-3mo, and this assessment was scheduled for 6 months old.

Because we have been so blessed with good health and no developmental delays, we dont adjust their ages for prematurity.  The state assessors that came told us that, developmentally, we didnt need to, and our pediatrician has told us that based on their sizes (they began life outside the womb at 2lbs13oz and 2lbs5oz, respectively, and are now almost 17lbs and 12lbs) and the passing of milestones on par with full term babies, it was unnecessary.  So we tend to "forget" corrected age.

But something that the NICU doctor we were talking to yesterday said really struck a cord in us.  In spite of their developmental ages and sizes being on par with 40 week babies, the clinic will always assess them via corrected age.  Because they are the brain age of a 361 day old baby.  Or, when you subtract 266 days for a full term pregnancy, the age of a 95 days-outside-the-womb baby: a 3 month old.

It may not be initially clear, but this NICU doctor said what those of us in the pro-life community have been saying for years.  The womb matters.  Life in the womb matters.  It makes a difference.  A huge one.  As any preemie parent can tell you, watching your baby in the "mechanical womb" of the NICU is a life-altering experience.  By the grace of God, we are blessed with children that did just as well- or maybe even better- outside of my womb, as they did in it.  But their age- their "true" age- the age that the specialists weigh them against- is 361 days.  Their 174 days in the womb and (as of yesterday) their 187 days out of it.

Stunning, isn't it?  Peter and I talked about it this morning and, honestly, he was the one that pointed out to me just how important the prenatal months, weeks, and days, are...  How what we do then makes not only a huge difference on how babies live on the outside, but the fact that they are given the gift of life on the outside.

In light of how broken hearted I was yesterday morning, this morning's conversation really opened my eyes.  Wide.

Thank you, God, for the gift of my life.  Help me to realize that all life, from the first day of my conception to the day that you call me home, is a gift from You and plays a role in everything I do.  Help me to protect life, from the moment of conception to natural death.  Amen.

One Million Rosaries

ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES

A Three-Day, Multinational Pro-Life Prayer Event For 2010
Friday, May 7th
Saturday, May 8th
Sunday, May 9th


The ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES prayer event is scheduled to happen on Friday (May 7th), Saturday (May 8th), and Sunday (May 9th). The intention for this Rosary will be: For an end to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn human persons. In order to be a participant, a person will need to pray at least one Rosary for the above-stated intention, and the Rosary will need to be prayed on either May 7th, May 8th or May 9th. People are encouraged to pray more than one Rosary, but this is not required.
The Friday, May 7th date is particularly intended for students to pray the Rosary at schools. The Sunday, May 9th date is particularly intended for people at parishes to pray the Rosary before Masses or after Masses.

To register, a person may do any one of the following:
1. Go to the website www.SaintMichaelTheArchangelOrganization.org and click on the word "Registration".
2. Ask someone to register for you by going to the same website as listed in #1 and clicking on "Registration".
3. Send in the form below to: Saint Michael the Archangel Organization

P. O. Box 41257
Memphis, Tennessee 38174
U.S.A.


I am registering the following: ______ Rosary/Rosaries to be prayed for an end
to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn human persons as part of the
ONE MILLION ROSARIES FOR UNBORN BABIES prayer event [May 7th, 8th,
and 9th (2010)].

name: _________________________________________

nation you live in: _________________________________

diocese/archdiocese: _____________________________

Elections Have Consequences... (SBA)

ike many of you I am sure, I did not sleep very well last night. I spent nearly all day on Capitol Hill, and after such an intense battle, it was so incredibly difficult to watch the events that played out last night. I kept staring at a whip list that showed us a handful of votes short of stopping the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. At 3 PM, we had the votes to stop the bill. At 4 PM, those votes were exchanged for a meaningless executive order with no force of law. 

For the first time since Roe, Americans will be forced to pay for abortions. Tens of thousands of additional babies will die as a result.

Was this the will of the American people? Of course not. Huge majorities of Americans oppose federal funding of abortion, and the country is becoming more and more pro-life.

Then why did we lose? It is because every election matters-- an active pro-abortion president with a compliant Congress means the end of the Mexico City Policy, abortion in D.C., money for Planned Parenthood, and abortion in healthcare.

So how can we win? Because every election matters. None more than the battle coming up in November 2010.

Each Democrat that voted for the pro-abortion Senate bill made a career-defining vote in deciding that Americans should finance the largest expansion of abortion on-demand since Roe v. Wade. It is up to us to make sure that this vote has a consequence.

The Susan B. Anthony List is prepared to lead the fight to send these pro-abortion Democrats into early retirement using our connected Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund.

Our Candidate Fund, a registered Political Action Committee, will work between now and Election Day to elect solid pro-life legislators and kick out pro-abortion legislators who are responsible for this disastrous healthcare bill.

We already sent a strong message last night by rescinding the Defender of Life Award that Rep. Bart Stupak was set to receive this upcoming Wednesday at our annual dinner because of his support of a meaningless executive order by the most pro-abortion president America has ever seen.

Last night, we were defeated. But starting now, we have a chance to fight back. We must start paving the way to a pro-life takeover in November.

Because of your efforts, we certainly did not go down without a fight.

Your phone calls and emails in defense of Life and our forceful response to Stupak's decision to support the worthless executive order by President Obama were featured yesteday in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, and Fox News.

We will never abandon our pledge to ensure that votes have consequences.

I know you are hurting, as I am, but starting now, we are going to work together to reward those who stood for Life and punish at the ballot box those who betrayed Life.

It's time for pro-lifers to take back Congress. With your help, and with God's blessing, we will succeed.

May God continue to bless you and our country,

Marjorie Dannenfelser

President, Susan B. Anthony List

www.sba-list.org

P.S. Americans were reminded tonight that elections have consequences. Our tax dollars will now fund the abortions of our neighbors. Now is not the time to give up. Through our connected Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, we are prepared to ensure a pro-life majority takes back Congress this November.

Bowling for Babies 2010

Morning Star Ministries Christian Maternity Home  will be having its annual fundraiser “Bowling for Babies” on April 10, 2010 at Earl Bowl in Earlington. Families and friends wishing to support this ministry are invited to come out between 10-5pm and bowl up to 2 games in 2hours. Shoe rental is free.  Donations requested are 25$ for families or groups of 4. Morning Star will also be holding a bake sale at this time. There will be drawings and door prizes throughout the day.

NRLC statement on abortion "deal" on health care bill

STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE
ON ABORTION "DEAL" ON HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON -- (Sunday, March 21, 2010, 6 PM EDT) --  In response to today's announcement regarding an agreement between Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mi.) and President Obama on the pending health care bill (H.R. 3590), the following statement was issued by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in the 50 states:

  

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) remains strongly opposed to the Senate-passed health bill (H.R. 3590).  A lawmaker who votes for this bill is voting to require federal agencies to subsidize and administer health plans that will pay for elective abortion, and voting to undermine longstanding pro-life policies in other ways as well.  Pro-life citizens nationwide know that this is a pro-abortion bill.  Pro-life citizens know, and they will be reminded again and again, which lawmakers deserve their gratitude for voting against this pro-abortion legislation. 

  

The executive order promised by President Obama was issued for political effect.  It changes nothing.  It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill.  The president cannot amend a bill by issuing an order, and the federal courts will enforce what the law says.  

To elaborate:  The order does not truly correct any of the seven objectionable pro-abortion provisions described in NRLC's March 19 letter to the House of Representatives, which is posted here: www.nrlc.org/AHC/NRLCToHouseOnHealthBill.pdf

. 

Regarding Community Health Centers (CHCs), NRLC has documented the problem created by H.R. 3590 here:  www.nrlc.org/AHC/NRLCMemoCommHealth.html.
Prof. Robert Destro, a professor of law and former dean of the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, and an expert on abortion-related litigation, has sent lawmakers a letter explaining why the bill opens the door to direct federal funding of abortion in Community Health Centers:  www.nrlc.org/ahc/DestroLetterToStupakOnCommHealthCenters.pdf

.
Prof. Destro clearly explains why it is the statutory language that will govern.

  

Regarding the new program to provide tax credits to purchase private insurance, the executive order merely tinkers with the formalities of a bookkeeping scheme under which federal subsidies will pay for plans that cover elective abortion -- a break from the longstanding principles of the Hyde Amendment.

  

The order does nothing at all to mitigate the other abortion-related problems described in the NRLC letter, dealing with bill provisions that create dangerous regulatory mandate authorities, revise Indian health programs, and create pools of directly appropriated funds that are not covered by existing restrictions on funding of abortion.  Nor can the order correct the omission from the pending legislation of the necessary conscience-protection language that had been included in House-passed health care legislation last November (the "Weldon language").

  

For additional information regarding the abortion-related components of the legislation, and NRLC's assessment of the gravity of these issues, please refer to the March 19 letter linked above, and other materials posted on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/AHC/Index.html.

To contact us by mail:
National Right to Life, Inc.
512 10th St., NW
Washington, DC 20004-1401

Executive Order is Unacceptable (SBA)

Nancy Pelosi and her allies are currently negotiating with key pro-life Democrats to try and secure their vote for their pro-abortion health care plan.

What's on the negotiating table?

A proposed executive order from President Obama that would allegedly bar abortion funding in the health care bill.

An executive order is an ineffective maneuver and completely unacceptable.

Here's why:

1. An executive order can be rescinded any time. President Obama could reverse it next week, next month, or next year. Should another pro-abortion president be elected in the future, it could be rescinded on inauguration day.

2. An executive order will not prevent insurance companies that provide abortion from participating in the exchanges.

3. Abortion funding in the health care legislation can be only be removed using the legislative process. An executive order not only doesn't fix the problem, it isn't needed to fix the problem, and could not stand a legal challenge. If Democrats are serious about protecting taxpayers from funding abortion in the health care bill, they must use the legislative process to fix the problem.

ACTION:

Call the following members of Congress immediately and tell them that an executive order by the president on abortion is unacceptable and urge them to vote NO on the pro-abortion health care bill.

Marion Berry (AR)          202-225-4076

Kathy Dahlkemper (PA)  202 225-3103

Daniel Lipinski (IL)        202-225-5701

Earl Pomeroy (ND)         202-225-2611

Nick Rahall (WV)           202-225-3452

Bart Stupak (MI)           202-225-4744

Steve Driehaus (OH)      202-225-2216

Joe Donnelly (IN)          202-225-3915

Jerry Costello (IL)          202-225-5661

Marcy Kaptur (OH)         202-225-4146

Paul Kanjorski (PA)        202-225-6511

Alan Mollohan (WV)       202-225-4172

Please call now, only a few short hours remain to make your voice heard!

For Life,

Marjorie Dannenfelser

President, Susan B. Anthony List

www.sba-list.org

Fr. Marx and Letter to Congress (PFL)

Brothers and Sisters,

I just learned with sorrow of the death of one of the world’s greatest pro-life advocates, Fr. Paul Marx, OSB.

Fr. Marx was, first and foremost, a priest who was not afraid to be a prophet. He knew that his mission in bearing witness to the Gospel and in fostering love of God and neighbor compelled him to speak up for our smallest neighbors, those in the first moments and weeks of life. He undertook countless initiatives, made seemingly endless trips, gave innumerable talks, wrote a warehouse of articles and books, and inspired countless people in the effort to build a Culture of Life.

I first came to know Fr. Marx through his founding and leadership of Human Life International and the remarkable conferences he held for pro-life advocates around the world. He was always a clear reminder to his brother priests that we should never be afraid to speak about abortion, contraception, and the beauty of human sexuality as taught by the Church. All of us at Priests for Life are grateful for the strong encouragement he gave to our ministry. We will pray not only for the repose of his soul, but for the continued fruit of his labors in the minds and hearts of so many people and in the policies of so many nations.

Speaking of the fruit of his labors, we are at a pivotal moment this weekend with the health care vote, and I invite you to read, spread, and quote from my open letter to Congress. Here is the link, and below is the text.

On Sunday morning, March 21, members of Congress and their spouses will hold a prayer service in the US Congress, and I have been asked to deliver a homily. The purpose of this gathering is not political or legislative, but rather religious: to express our dependence upon God as a nation. In the early days of our Republic, prayer services were held in Congress. Many have long since forgotten that, and Sunday’s service will be a reminder that worship is not incompatible with the legislative chambers of our government. Please pray along with our lawmakers, that they will have wisdom, especially as they cast the important vote on health care reform, and in all the other decisions they need to make.

Many thanks!

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Open Letter to Congress: The Health Care Vote and Abortion

March 20, 2010

Dear Members of Congress,

As you prepare to cast your vote on health care reform, abortion again has emerged as a momentous and defining issue in this debate. Some consider it a distraction or an unwanted obstacle to authentic health care reform. But the fact is that the abortion debate is bigger and more important than the health care reform debate, and the apparent inability of our nation to avoid wrestling with the abortion issue is another sign that until we resolve the abortion debate the right way, we will not be able to make the progress we need to make on health care or any other matter of social justice or human rights.

Today, therefore, along with countless other Americans, I urge you not to try to look beyond the abortion debate, but to look at it directly, to wrestle with it honestly, and to realize that it is the question that surpasses all others, because it involves the principle that underlies all others.

As a public servant, you are responsible to know the difference between serving the public and killing the public. The first responsibility of government is the protection of human life. To fail to do this is to fail to serve. To violate the right to life is to fail to protect every human right, including health care.

The service that we are all called to carry out to humanity embraces life at every stage and in every circumstance. To fail to respect a human life at any stage of its development is to break the principle that holds it sacred at every stage of its development.

That is why one may never use our duty to life at one stage to justify destroying it at another. Some have tried to do this in the health care debate, by their willingness to expand child killing in the process of helping adults get medical treatment. This approach is self defeating, because as soon as we tolerate the killing of children, we undercut every rationale to provide health care to both children and adults.

Despite the views of some in political office, abortion is not an aspect of health care. In fact, this destructive and violent act does not even deserve the name “medical procedure.” After all, a medical procedure is supposed to help the body to do what it is trying to do, but is having trouble doing. Abortion is just the opposite: it stops the body from doing what it is supposed to do and is doing very well. And in stopping the life of the child within by an unnatural and cruel method, it introduces numerous complications for the health of the mother. Abortion is not health care, it is not respectable, and it deserves the same kind of rejection by society as slavery, segregation, and terrorism.

We who are part of the vast pro-life movement in America call upon you, our legislators, and all our fellow citizens to listen carefully to what the practitioners of abortion say about the procedure itself.

Abortionist Martin Haskell, in describing, under oath, the suction curettage abortion procedure, said , “The fetus passes through the catheter and either dies in transit as it’s passing through the catheter or dies in the suction bottle after it’s actually all the way out” (1).

The same abortionist describes the D and E procedure by saying, “We would attack the lower part of the lower extremity first, remove, you know, possibly a foot, then the lower leg at the knee and then finally we get to the hip … Typically the skull is brought out in fragments rather than as a unified piece…" (2)

Abortionist Warren Hern writes in his medical textbook  Abortion Practice, “A long curved Mayo scissors may be necessary to decapitate and dismember the fetus…" (p.154).

We ask you, our legislators: When you say the word abortion, is this what you mean? Is this the kind of activity you want to fund?

We in the pro-life movement also listen to and give voice to the women and men who have lost children to abortion. Their experiences, shared through the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, draw attention to the physical and psychological damage abortion does. These are voices we cannot ignore.

Some prefer to ignore, trivialize, or relativize abortion. Others, represented by the pro-life movement, declare not only that it is wrong, but that it is a show-stopper, a deal-breaker.

It is a show-stopper precisely because the principle it breaks is the show-starter for every effort and struggle on behalf of human rights, including the great experiment in freedom and self-governance that is the United States of America.

As Pope John Paul II explained, "The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life,the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination" (3).

The United States Catholic bishops expressed it this way: “Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing, and health care. … But being 'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life.Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community. If we understand the human person as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" -- the living house of God -- then these latter issues fall logically into place as the crossbeams and walls of that house. All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house's foundation. These directly and immediately violate the human person's most fundamental right the right to life. Neglect of these issues is the equivalent of building our house on sand” (4).

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, when he was Archbishop of Chicago, explained “the consistent ethic of life,” showing that issues like health care are connected to issues like abortion and every other issue. He also explained, "A consistent ethic of life does not equate the problem of taking life (e.g., through abortion and in war) with the problem of promoting human dignity (through humane programs of nutrition, health care, and housing). But a consistent ethic identifies both the protection of life and its promotion as moral questions” (5) He also said, "The fundamental human right is to life—from the moment of conception until death. It is the source of all other rights, including the right to health care" (6).
Today, you stand again in the crosshairs of this debate whether you choose to or not. Some will continue to dismiss our concerns. Others will echo them, declaring that we can no more pay for the destruction of innocent children weeks after their life begins than we can do so years after their life begins.

Today, you have the opportunity to decide whether you will contribute to our nation’s blindness about abortion, or whether you will be part of a new awakening, by which our nation will see the abortion debate as the civil rights issue of our time and again apply its founding principles to its youngest citizens.

Fr. Frank Pavone,
National Director, Priests for Life
President, National Pro-life Religious Council

(1) Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.

(2) Sworn testimony given in US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin (Madison, WI, May 27, 1999, Case No. 98-C-0305-S), by Dr. Martin Haskell, an abortionist. He describes legal activity.

(3) Christifideles Laici, 1988

(4) Living the Gospel of Life n. 23, 1998
(5) A Consistent Ethic of Life: Continuing the Dialogue, The William Wade Lecture Series, St. Louis University, March 11, 1984.

(6) The Consistent Ethic of Life and Health Care Systems, Foster McGaw Triennial Conference, Loyola University of Chicago, May 8, 1985.

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
P:718-980-4400
F: 718-980-6515
mail@priestsforlife.org

Pray to End Abortion

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 2010
40 DAYS FOR LIFE MIDWAY PRAYER VIGIL
COLLEGEVILLE'S PLANNED PARENTHOOD
78 2ND AVE. (RT. 29)

3:00PM - 4:00PM
Come and Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Pro-Life Meditations by Fr. Frank Pavone, M.E.V.STATIONS OF THE CROSS

Eighth Station - Jesus Speaks to the Women of Jerusalem

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee. 

R. Because by Thy holy Cross, Thou hast redeemed the world.

Christ told these women to weep for themselves and for their children.  He does not want false worship, but repentance.  He does not want followers who cry out to Him but then ignore injustice and bloodshed.  May all who believe in Christ likewise stand up for the defenseless children.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

V. Lord Jesus, crucified. 

R. Have mercy on us.  O thou Mother: font of love! Touch my spirit from above, Make my heart with thine accord.

Even though the medical bldg. is closed on Saturday, we are not welcomed to park in the parking lot.  Please park at the Collegeville Shopping Center.
ALL ARE WELCOME TO PRAY FOR THE END OF ABORTION AND THE CONVERSION OF HEARTS TO GOD AND HIS COMMANDMENTS

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Please Join Us for Our 40 Days for Life Spring Victory Rally Celebration 

St. Mary's Cafe (St. Mary's School)
40 Spring Mount Rd.
Schwenksville, PAPalm Sunday, March 28, 2010
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Please bring a potluck dish to share

Pina will be speaking on our many miracles
in our Prayer Journey throughout these past
40 Days of Lent - SlideShow of past 40 Days for Life
to be shown at our Celebration of Life!
Please mark your calendars accordingly and join us and bring a friend!
Holy Love Messages for March 19th, St. Joseph Feast Day: 

https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/12779a0cc8806b9c