Denver, Colo., Jan 10, 2020 / 12:00 am (CNA).- While hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates will gather in Washington, D.C. for the National March for Life this Jan. 24, thousands will attend similar events in major cities like Los Angeles, Chicag… […]
Lincoln, Neb., Jan 9, 2020 / 06:30 pm (CNA).- On the first day of the Nebraska Unicameral’s legislative session, state Sen. Suzanne Geist introduced a bill that would ban a common procedure used for second-trimester abortions.
The bill, introduced Jan. 8, seeks to ban dilation and evacuation abortions, or “dismemberment abortions” as the bill calls them.
“Dismemberment abortion means an abortion in which, with the purpose of causing the death of an unborn child, a person purposely dismembers the body of a living unborn child and extracts him or her one piece at a time from the uterus through use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors, or similar instruments that, through the convergence of two rigid levers, slice, crush, or grasp a portion of the unborn child’s body to cut or rip it off,” the bill says.
The bill would make an exception for cases in which the mother’s life is at risk by continuing a pregnancy, or for cases in which a physician determines there is “serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function” should the mother continue a pregnancy.
Only doctors performing dismemberment abortions would face sanctions under the bill; it would not seek to punish women seeking or undergoing the procedure, or any staff assisting the physician, including nurses or pharmacists.
“Regardless of our individual opinions on the issue of abortion, I think we can all agree that no living human being should be torn apart limb by limb,” Geist said at a Jan. 8 press conference, NET News reported.
The bill comes at a time when several other states have passed or introduced bills that restrict abortion in some way, while other states are scrambling to expand access to abortion, in anticipation of a possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S.
Some bills restricting abortion have passed state legislatures, but have been blocked in court.
Geist has said she is not concerned about judicial appeals of the bill.
“My job is to legislate, not to worry about what the courts are going to do,” the state senator told NET News.
The bill was introduced on the same day that Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts declared the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as a day of prayer for the state of Nebraska.
“Nebraska state law states that it is ‘the will of the people of the State of Nebraska and the members of the Legislature to provide protection for the life of the unborn child whenever possible,’” Ricketts said in a proclamation.
“Nebraskans display our pro-life values in a multitude of ways from the crisis pregnancy centers that provide free care for expecting parents to the prayer vigils held across the state every year.”
The governor encouraged Nebraskans to pray according to their own faith tradition for an end to abortion, as well as to “take direct action to aid mothers, fathers and families in need, especially those expecting a child who cannot provide for themselves.”
Washington D.C., Jan 9, 2020 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), one of the last remaining pro-life Democrats in Congress, has questioned the commitment of some pro-life groups to bipartisanship in the movement to end abortion.
“I’ve gotten some support from pro-life groups, but honestly, not as much as I’d like to see,” Lipinski told CNA in an interview on Thursday.
“I am not someone who’s a big self-promoter but, look, I have put myself on the line in a more difficult political situation than almost any other pro-life member of Congress,” Lipinski said.
Lipinski is an eight-term pro-life Catholic congressman now fighting for his re-election in Illinois’ third congressional district, in the suburbs of Chicago. The district is safely Democratic, but this election cycle marks the second straight challenge Lipinski has seen in the primary.
In the 2018 Democratic primary, his opponent Marie Newman raised more than $1.4 million while making Lipinski’s pro-life support a focal point of her campign. A significant amount of outside money went into the race, and Lipinski barely held her off with a slim 2,145-vote margin. Buoyed by her strong challenge, Newman promptly announced her intent to run again in 2020.
“Some people in the pro-life movement do not seem to believe it’s that important to protect pro-life Democrats. And I think you just have to look at what the other side is doing, see the value that they place on defeating someone like me,” Lipinski said.
Actively pro-abortion groups such as the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and Planned Parenthood have lined up in support of Newman.
Lipinski had to dig deep to survive the 2018 primary, raising more than $1.5 million and spending almost $2.4 million. Although he has not had to spend as much this election cycle, Newman’s campaign presents another stiff challenge just two years after the last one.
Democrats who wear the pro-life mantle are few and far between. Lipinski was one of only seven candidates for the House or Senate endorsed by the group Democrats for Life in the 2018 elections.
The re-election of John Bel Edwards—Louisiana’s governor who signed a “heartbeat” bill into law in an election year—was seen as a boost to hopes that more such Democrats could win in red or purple states.
Yet in a presidential election year, the top candidates have issued a stern challenge to the party’s voters—stand behind abortion access.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called abortion rights “human rights” and “economic rights” at a November debate; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at the same debate called on American men to support abortion, saying that “if there’s ever a time in American history where the men of this country must stand with the women, this is the moment.”
Joe Biden, meanwhile, reversed his longstanding support of the Hyde Amendment and now supports taxpayer-funded abortion. Pete Buttigieg has said that decision to have an abortion, even until birth, is up to the woman.
As Lipinski told CNA on Wednesday, he has not seen the support he has desired from pro-life groups and individuals while he faces one of his toughest re-elections yet.
While Democratic party leaders have acknowledged the possibility of pro-life Democrats—House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mary.) said in September that “Absolutely there’s room in our party” for pro-life members— and some of Lipinski’s colleagues refuse to undermine him, others in the party, including progressive Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), have openly or quietly supported Newman’s campaign.
“So it disappoints me at times, when people say that they’re not going to support me,” Lipinski said of pro-life voters, giving the example of his vote to impeach President Donald Trump in December as a possible sticking point with some in the movement.
“I think that [vote] should have nothing whatsoever to do with supporting a pro-life candidate,” he said.
The day that the House voted to impeach President Trump, the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony issued a scathing indictment of the vote and said it “will be a huge political liability for House members going into 2020.”
The pro-life movement needs both parties to thrive moving forward, Lipinski said.
“I think that if the pro-life movement is going to be confined to one party, it would be even more difficult to ever get anything done to protect life,” he said. “It will be easier for the Republican Party to take pro-life voters for granted—even easier than it is right now.”
Lipinski will not be attending the national March for Life in Washington, D.C., as the House will not be in session that week. He said he will be campaigning in his district with the primary approaching on March 17.
However, Lipinski will address the Chicago March for Life this Saturday, and will speak at a pro-life dinner around the march as well.
Portland, Maine, Jan 9, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Bishop Robert Deeley of Portland issued a directive on Thursday suspending the distribution of Communion under both species and the exchange of handshakes during the sign of peace in response to… […]
Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan 9, 2020 / 11:58 am (CNA).- A judge in Pennsylvania is allowing a lawsuit to move forward arguing that the Diocese of Pittsburgh has creating a public nuisance by failing to properly report and disclose information on sexual abuse o… […]
Washington D.C., Jan 9, 2020 / 09:30 am (CNA).- Chick-fil-A’s CEO has said that the restaurant chain “inadvertently discredited” many faith-based organizations when it announced last year that it was adjusting its corporate giving las… […]
Albany, N.Y., Jan 8, 2020 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- The bishops of New York stated their opposition to commercial surrogacy Wednesday as a new bill was introduced to legalize the practice in the state.
“The surrogacy legislation is designed mainly to benefit wealthy men who can afford tens of thousands of dollars to pay baby brokers, at the expense of low-income women,” said a Jan. 8 statement from Kathleen M. Gallagher, director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference.
A bill, A.1071 / S.2071, has been introduced in the state legislature which removes existing prohibitions on surrogacy contracts in New York. The Empire State is one of the few remaining states in the country not to have legislation on surrogacy.
Under the legislation, embryos created in a laboratory through in vitro fertilization (IVF), using sperm and eggs that may or may not be from the legal parents, can be transferred to the uterus of a woman who, having agreed to be a surrogate mother, is contractually obligated to bear the child and give the baby back to the legal parents.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Catholic, supports the legislation.
Regarding the practice of IVF, the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2376 teaches that:
“Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ ‘right to become a father and a mother only through each other.’”
The New York Catholic Conference, which speaks on behalf of the bishops of the state, called the bill “a dangerous policy that will lead to the exploitation of poor, vulnerable women, and has few safeguards for children.” There are no safeguards such as residency requirements and background checks for surrogate parents, the conference says.
Other countries, including almost all European Union members, have begun moving away from the practice after cases of abuse of poor women acting as surrogates were made public.
India, Nepal, Thailand and Cambodia have banned the commercial surrogacy trade and the EU Parliament has found it to be a “serious problem” and one “which constitutes an exploitation of the female body and her reproductive organs.”
In addition, the legislation explicitly denies any and all rights to babies in utero, stating that they may not be viewed as a ‘child’ under the laws of New York, with the presumption that they must instead be viewed as manufactured products or disposable goods.
Washington D.C., Jan 8, 2020 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Jose Gomez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has urged Catholics to pray for peace during amid rising conflict between the United States and Iran.
Gomez released … […]
Lafayette, La., Jan 8, 2020 / 01:47 pm (CNA).- Last weekend, the property of a Catholic church in Louisiana was vandalized with black spray paint, including symbols of a satanic nature.
The graffiti was found on a statue, Marian grotto, and prayer altar outside of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Abbeville, La., just over 20 miles southwest of Lafayette.
One of the vandalized objects was a 70-year-old statue of Saint Therese of Lisieux. The symbols spray-painted on the statue included an upside-down cross, the word satan, and a pentagram. The police were called Jan. 4.
“Vandals came and defaced our statue of [St. Therese]. It’s sad that it’s not a random act of graffiti that some kids did. These are cult paintings, satanic cult, 666, an upside down cross,” said Trustee John T. Landry, according to KATC.
The damage to the grotto and prayer altar, which includes similar graffiti, was found this week when a parishioner came to pray at the Marian shrine. It is unsure if this vandalism occurred on the same night, and it had been overlooked when the police conducted their report.
Landry expressed sorrow for the attack, claiming the site as a place of peace and contemplation.
“Churches are places of peace and solitude and prayer. To see someone that malicious to not only put graffiti, but to put the devil’s work and signature on a Christian statue, is horrible,” he said, according to KATC.
While the property does have security cameras, the cameras were not pointed at the statue. Abbeville police department said the perpetrators are unknown and have offered a cash reward for information.
Washington D.C., Jan 8, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Law enforcement officials have conducted interviews with several senior figures at the Papal Foundation, a U.S. based charity which supports the charitable works of the Holy Father.
Officers from the FBI… […]
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