In regards to the Connecticut Catholic Bishops statement on Plan B (morning after pill) and Catholic Hospitals: As a family practice physician who has been trained as a medical consultant for the Creighton Model NFP, I am appalled at this statement. It says that Catholic hospitals will be allowed to give the MAP to rape victims and all they have to do is have a negative pregnancy test. It claims that giving the morning after pill (MAP) would not be considered an abortion. This is misleading, because the MAP can act as an abortifacient.
What is the MAP? It is the same hormones as are in the oral contraceptive (OCP), only a much, much larger dose.
How does it work? There are 3 ways. 1)Prevent the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation); 2)Slow down transport of the sperm or egg (or the fertilized egg, also called a baby); and 3)Change the lining of the uterus to prevent the implantation of the fertilized egg (also called the blastocyst, also known as a baby). Preventing the implantation of the blastocyst (baby) is an abortion! There is no getting around this.
One problem is that the manufacturers and other interested parties (oh, I don't know, lets see, maybe... Planned Parenthood? Just a wild guess) are trying to change the definition of conception to mean implanting in the uterus, that way they can say that the MAP only prevents conception. Conception is when the sperm and egg unite in the fallopian tube and a new human being is now present. Therefore the MAP can and does act as abortifacient.
That said there is no reliable means to discern whether or not a woman is pregnant when she asks for the MAP. For example a woman could be 4 days pregnant when she is raped and an ovulation test and a pregnancy test would both be negative and if given the MAP an early abortion could ensue. Alternatively, a woman could have ovulated 12 hours prior to the rape and the egg is making its way toward the uterus and by the time the woman comes to the hospital she could already be pregnant (it has been shown that sperm can make it to the fallopian tubes within 5 minutes) and there would be no way to know this. If you could know with 100% certainty that a woman was not pregnant, then there would be no problem with administering the MAP.
Rape is a terrible thing, but it doesn't justify the potential killing of a human life.
Posted by Janet
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
6 Catholic Nuns in Arkansas Excommunicated for Heresy
When I first read this article I thought, "flaky new age nuns finally cross the line". But I checked out their website and was heartbroken when I found out they they are "old fashioned", as is evident by the picture below I took off their website:
http://www.adorationchapel.org/Sisters_of_Charity/sisters_of_charity.html
The Rev. J. Gaston Hebert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.
The Vatican has declared all members of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Hebert said the excommunication was the first in the diocese's 165-year history.
"It is a painfully historic moment for this church," Hebert said.
The six nuns are associated with the Good Shepherd Monastery of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge in Hot Springs. Sister Mary Theresa Dionne, one of the nuns excommunicated, said the nuns will still live at the convent property, which they own.
"We are at peace and we know that for us we are doing the right thing," the 82-year-old nun said. "We pray that the church will open their eyes before it is too late. This is God's work through Mary, the blessed mother, and we're doing what we're asked to do."
At a news conference, Hebert said the nuns "became entranced and deluded with a doctrine that is heretical." He said church officials removed the Eucharist — which Catholics revere as the body of Christ — from the monastery on Tuesday night.
Hebert said the sect's members believe that its 86-year-old founder, Marie Paule Giguere, is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and that God speaks directly through her.
Excommunication bars the nuns from participating in the church liturgy and receiving communion or other sacraments.
The diocese said the action was taken after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration dated July 11 that the Army of Mary's teachings were heretical and automatically excommunicated any who embraced the doctrine.
Hebert said the diocese had known for years that the nuns were following the sect and said church officials in the past had encouraged them to come back into the fold.
According to the Catholic News Service, the Army of Mary was founded in Quebec in 1971 by Giguere, who said she was receiving visions from God.
Dionne said she does not know if Giguere is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, but said she believes God communicates through the sect's founder.
"She is doing only what God and Mary tells her to do," Dionne said.
A spokesman for the Army of Mary called the excommunication of the nuns and the other members of the sect an injustice. Father Eric Roy said Giguere has not claimed to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, and said the 86-year-old Quebec woman "receives graces" from the Virgin Mary and God.
"The Virgin Mary took possession of her soul. I would rather say it that way," said Roy, superior of the Sons of Mary, an associated group.
http://www.adorationchapel.org/Sisters_of_Charity/sisters_of_charity.html
6 Catholic Nuns in Arkansas Excommunicated for Heresy
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Six Catholic nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Six Catholic nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced Wednesday.
The Rev. J. Gaston Hebert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.
The Vatican has declared all members of the Army of Mary excommunicated. Hebert said the excommunication was the first in the diocese's 165-year history.
"It is a painfully historic moment for this church," Hebert said.
The six nuns are associated with the Good Shepherd Monastery of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge in Hot Springs. Sister Mary Theresa Dionne, one of the nuns excommunicated, said the nuns will still live at the convent property, which they own.
"We are at peace and we know that for us we are doing the right thing," the 82-year-old nun said. "We pray that the church will open their eyes before it is too late. This is God's work through Mary, the blessed mother, and we're doing what we're asked to do."
At a news conference, Hebert said the nuns "became entranced and deluded with a doctrine that is heretical." He said church officials removed the Eucharist — which Catholics revere as the body of Christ — from the monastery on Tuesday night.
Hebert said the sect's members believe that its 86-year-old founder, Marie Paule Giguere, is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and that God speaks directly through her.
Excommunication bars the nuns from participating in the church liturgy and receiving communion or other sacraments.
The diocese said the action was taken after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a declaration dated July 11 that the Army of Mary's teachings were heretical and automatically excommunicated any who embraced the doctrine.
Hebert said the diocese had known for years that the nuns were following the sect and said church officials in the past had encouraged them to come back into the fold.
According to the Catholic News Service, the Army of Mary was founded in Quebec in 1971 by Giguere, who said she was receiving visions from God.
Dionne said she does not know if Giguere is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, but said she believes God communicates through the sect's founder.
"She is doing only what God and Mary tells her to do," Dionne said.
A spokesman for the Army of Mary called the excommunication of the nuns and the other members of the sect an injustice. Father Eric Roy said Giguere has not claimed to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, and said the 86-year-old Quebec woman "receives graces" from the Virgin Mary and God.
"The Virgin Mary took possession of her soul. I would rather say it that way," said Roy, superior of the Sons of Mary, an associated group.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Big Babies!
Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 7.75 kg
Wed Sep 26, 10:16 AM ET
Wed Sep 26, 10:16 AM ET
BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child -- doing more than her fair share to stem Russia's population decline -- was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb).
Nadia was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17, joining eight sisters and three brothers, a local reporter said.
"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."
"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg (11 lb).
The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg (22.5 lb) baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg (23.8 lb) baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.
The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.
"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."
"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg (11 lb).
The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg (22.5 lb) baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg (23.8 lb) baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.
The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.
12 babies totalling more than 138 pounds. We would need to have 20 babies to match that!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
The Pope was Euthanized!
Ok. A doctor who has a beef with the Church's teaching on euthanasia and other bioethics suggests JPII wanted to be euthanized, and his request was granted. How does she know this? She read a book, watched the pope on tv, and used her expertise. This one goes in the same category as "George Bush Knocked down the Towers". Sadly, millions will believe.
Report: Doctor Claims Pope Was Euthanized
Sunday , September 23, 2007
An intensive care specialist in Italy says that Pope John Paul II may have been euthanized after refusing a feeding tube while he was ill, Time magazine reported Friday.
In an article published in the bi-monthly Italian magazine MicroMega, Dr. Lina Pavanelli argues that the pontiff’s April 2, 2005 death was what the Catholic Church would consider euthanasia, Time reported. She came to the conclusion using her own expertise, media reports and a book written by the former pope’s physician.
Click here to read the Time magazine report.
When the pope’s health began to decline, the failure of doctors to insert a feeding tube would have accelerated his death, Pavanelli wrote. But she believes doctors explained John Paul II’s situation to him and that he may have refused the feeding tube himself.
The article, titled “The Sweet Death of Karol Wojtyla,” appears in the latest edition of the Italian magazine which has often scrutinized the Vatican’s view of bioethics, Time reported.
source: Foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297743,00.html
Report: Doctor Claims Pope Was Euthanized
Sunday , September 23, 2007
An intensive care specialist in Italy says that Pope John Paul II may have been euthanized after refusing a feeding tube while he was ill, Time magazine reported Friday.
In an article published in the bi-monthly Italian magazine MicroMega, Dr. Lina Pavanelli argues that the pontiff’s April 2, 2005 death was what the Catholic Church would consider euthanasia, Time reported. She came to the conclusion using her own expertise, media reports and a book written by the former pope’s physician.
Click here to read the Time magazine report.
When the pope’s health began to decline, the failure of doctors to insert a feeding tube would have accelerated his death, Pavanelli wrote. But she believes doctors explained John Paul II’s situation to him and that he may have refused the feeding tube himself.
The article, titled “The Sweet Death of Karol Wojtyla,” appears in the latest edition of the Italian magazine which has often scrutinized the Vatican’s view of bioethics, Time reported.
source: Foxnews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,297743,00.html
Padre Pio
Today I am 38 years old, little Baby Joseph is 4 months old, and five years ago I proposed to Janet. But most notably, today is the feast of St. Padre Pio!
Padre Pio died on Sept 23, 1968, and was declared a saint by JPII on June 16, 2002.
My first introduction to Padre Pio was through my grandmother in the 1970's, who had a great devotion to him. My father had many videos and books about him, and so eventually I got to know more about him as I got older.
"The earth could exist more easily without the sun than
without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass." - Padre Pio
The amazing stories about him are too numerous to list here. If you don't know about Padre Pio, do yourself a favor and learn more about this holy, mystic, beloved Saint!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
U.S. Protestants embrace confession
Granted the article is written by someone who is totally ignorant of the Sacrament of Confession, and Telegraph.co.uk is a typical UK liberal publication, but it is still interesting nonetheless.
My take on it is that:
1) Christ instituted the sacrament of confession 2000 years ago for a reason. Duh!
2) Protestants are realizing its not such a bad thing after all. Of course, their reasons for confessing their sins are not the same as us Catholics.
Side note: Isn't it interesting how the pews are emptied during Communion, but the lines for confession are short if non-existent? I guess people don't sin anymore!
From Telegraph.co.uk
Confessing to 'sins' is booming in America
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:13am BST 22/09/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/22/wconfess122.xml
Americans are flocking to confess their sins as Protestant churches have joined their Catholic counterparts in modernising the sacrament of penance.
Thousands of people are attending confession at weekends and just as many are posting their repentance on videos that are played back to congregations or shared on websites such as YouTube.
New technology is fuelling the boom, but so is clever marketing by Churches that are portraying confession as a form of self-improvement — always popular with Americans — rather than some sort of punishment.
Church leaders also attribute the boom to the fashion for self-analysis peddled by daytime television programmes such as The Jerry Springer Show and to a wider theological trend in which Christians are looking for firmer moral guidance.
Some Protestant churches are trying to make confession less forbidding, allowing people to shred their sins in paper shredders, for example.
In a shopping mall in Colorado Springs, three Catholic priests are available to hear confessions six days a week in a small office equipped with a box of tissues and the Ten Commandments.
The priests say they hear 8,000 confessions a year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Pope ordered priests to make confession a priority in February, but the changing attitude of Protestant denominations is more surprising.
Although some theologians say that Martin Luther opposed private confession to a priest, the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church – which has 2.5 million members – voted this summer to revive the ritual after ignoring it for a century.
The Catholic Church opposes group confessions and those conducted on the internet but some of its US parishes have had considerable success with special confession events.
More than 5,000 people attended a "reconciliation weekend" in Orlando, Florida. A "24 Hours of Grace" penitence open house held by five parishes in Chicago drew 2,500 people. A rotating team of 70 priests listened to their confessions.
Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando sent out 190,000 pamphlets in March asking local Catholics to confess.
He told the Journal: "Every day on Jerry Springer we see people confessing their sins in public and, certainly, the confessional is a lot healthier than that show."
Protestant denominations are less averse to using new technology in their confession drives. More than 7,700 people have posted their sins on ivescrewedup.com, a confession website launched by the evangelical Flamingo Road Church in Florida.
The XXX Church, an anti-pornography Christian group, videotaped members confessing their use of pornography and put the video on YouTube. It has since been watched 15,000 times.
Jordy Acklin, 21, a student who appeared in the video, said: "There's a reason why they talk about confession in the Bible – you're not supposed to keep it inside you. The weight just goes off your shoulders."
Posted by Dan
My take on it is that:
1) Christ instituted the sacrament of confession 2000 years ago for a reason. Duh!
2) Protestants are realizing its not such a bad thing after all. Of course, their reasons for confessing their sins are not the same as us Catholics.
Side note: Isn't it interesting how the pews are emptied during Communion, but the lines for confession are short if non-existent? I guess people don't sin anymore!
From Telegraph.co.uk
Confessing to 'sins' is booming in America
By Tom Leonard in New York
Last Updated: 2:13am BST 22/09/2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/22/wconfess122.xml
Americans are flocking to confess their sins as Protestant churches have joined their Catholic counterparts in modernising the sacrament of penance.
Thousands of people are attending confession at weekends and just as many are posting their repentance on videos that are played back to congregations or shared on websites such as YouTube.
New technology is fuelling the boom, but so is clever marketing by Churches that are portraying confession as a form of self-improvement — always popular with Americans — rather than some sort of punishment.
Church leaders also attribute the boom to the fashion for self-analysis peddled by daytime television programmes such as The Jerry Springer Show and to a wider theological trend in which Christians are looking for firmer moral guidance.
Some Protestant churches are trying to make confession less forbidding, allowing people to shred their sins in paper shredders, for example.
In a shopping mall in Colorado Springs, three Catholic priests are available to hear confessions six days a week in a small office equipped with a box of tissues and the Ten Commandments.
The priests say they hear 8,000 confessions a year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Pope ordered priests to make confession a priority in February, but the changing attitude of Protestant denominations is more surprising.
Although some theologians say that Martin Luther opposed private confession to a priest, the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church – which has 2.5 million members – voted this summer to revive the ritual after ignoring it for a century.
The Catholic Church opposes group confessions and those conducted on the internet but some of its US parishes have had considerable success with special confession events.
More than 5,000 people attended a "reconciliation weekend" in Orlando, Florida. A "24 Hours of Grace" penitence open house held by five parishes in Chicago drew 2,500 people. A rotating team of 70 priests listened to their confessions.
Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando sent out 190,000 pamphlets in March asking local Catholics to confess.
He told the Journal: "Every day on Jerry Springer we see people confessing their sins in public and, certainly, the confessional is a lot healthier than that show."
Protestant denominations are less averse to using new technology in their confession drives. More than 7,700 people have posted their sins on ivescrewedup.com, a confession website launched by the evangelical Flamingo Road Church in Florida.
The XXX Church, an anti-pornography Christian group, videotaped members confessing their use of pornography and put the video on YouTube. It has since been watched 15,000 times.
Jordy Acklin, 21, a student who appeared in the video, said: "There's a reason why they talk about confession in the Bible – you're not supposed to keep it inside you. The weight just goes off your shoulders."
Posted by Dan
Friday, September 21, 2007
Latin Mass Missal
Hopefully a sign of things to come!
E07092001 - 2007-09-20
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20547?l=english
Latin Mass Missal Sales Double
LONDON, SEPT. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Since Benedict XVI's letter on the Latin Mass was released this summer, sales of the missal for the extraordinary rite have doubled, reported one publisher.
The London-based Baronius Press is reprinting an edition of the missal, which includes the full text of the papal letter "Summorum Pontificum."
John Newton, editor of Baronius Press, commented, "It would seem that 'Summorum Pontificum,' has generated a considerable amount of interest and excitement in the traditional Latin liturgy among the Catholic laity."
E07092001 - 2007-09-20
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-20547?l=english
Latin Mass Missal Sales Double
LONDON, SEPT. 20, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Since Benedict XVI's letter on the Latin Mass was released this summer, sales of the missal for the extraordinary rite have doubled, reported one publisher.
The London-based Baronius Press is reprinting an edition of the missal, which includes the full text of the papal letter "Summorum Pontificum."
John Newton, editor of Baronius Press, commented, "It would seem that 'Summorum Pontificum,' has generated a considerable amount of interest and excitement in the traditional Latin liturgy among the Catholic laity."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
It Takes a Week
I spent much of last week preparing to go out of town to visit grandparents for the weekend. With each new child added, not only does the prep time increase, but also the brainpower expended. There should be some mathematical calculation to figure out how much prep time is required for a trip of this many days with this many children of such and such ages. I make lists to survive: a list of things to do before we leave, a list of errands to run, a list of things to bring, a list of the last minute things to do before we go out the door. And all of this was for a trip of 3 hours for 2 days and 1 night!
Travelling with 4 children under 4 can be very exhausting. Our 2 girls were terrible travellers between about 9 months and the age of 2. I don't know why, but the shrieking loud cries of the girls in the car were much worse than those of the boys. Now, the success of the trip depends more on whether or not the baby sleeps. We have 2 booster seats in the third row of the mini-van and there is just enough space for me to squeeze into to pass out a snack or try to pacify the baby for a while. One more child and I lose that. (Of course, if we have twins again next time, we're moving right to the big van!)
Yesterday we were in the post-trip grumpies. The kids are normally somewhat grumpy on Mondays since it is back to normal with boring ole Mommy, but after the excitement of going somewhere and getting lots of extra attention, the crankiness is quite magnified. Any tips on combatting Monday grumpies?
So here we are getting back to normal. The mountain of laundry is done and put away. We didn't leave anything at Grandma and Grandpa's house (at least nothing discovered yet!) and we had a wonderful visit. Now, if I could only get the baby to sleep all night...
Posted by Janet
Travelling with 4 children under 4 can be very exhausting. Our 2 girls were terrible travellers between about 9 months and the age of 2. I don't know why, but the shrieking loud cries of the girls in the car were much worse than those of the boys. Now, the success of the trip depends more on whether or not the baby sleeps. We have 2 booster seats in the third row of the mini-van and there is just enough space for me to squeeze into to pass out a snack or try to pacify the baby for a while. One more child and I lose that. (Of course, if we have twins again next time, we're moving right to the big van!)
Yesterday we were in the post-trip grumpies. The kids are normally somewhat grumpy on Mondays since it is back to normal with boring ole Mommy, but after the excitement of going somewhere and getting lots of extra attention, the crankiness is quite magnified. Any tips on combatting Monday grumpies?
So here we are getting back to normal. The mountain of laundry is done and put away. We didn't leave anything at Grandma and Grandpa's house (at least nothing discovered yet!) and we had a wonderful visit. Now, if I could only get the baby to sleep all night...
Posted by Janet
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Tiller the Baby Killer
Wichita's notorious TBK (not to be confused with BTK)
Tiller abortion racket withers in the light
Posted: September 13, 20071:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jack Cashill
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007
After 22 year-old Michelle Armesto finished testifying last Friday, Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller had to wonder how much more money he would have to pump into Kansas politics to keep his late-term empire afloat.
Armesto testified on the third and last day of special legislative hearings in Topeka on the enforcement of Kansas late-term abortion laws.
With the help of the many politicians he has backed – including Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius – Tiller has turned this reddest of red states into the world's bloodiest. His clinic performed 380 late-term abortions last year alone.
That same year, 2006, Tiller money was instrumental in the undoing of then Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. Tiller pumped hundreds of thousands into the campaign against Kline to derail his dogged investigation of Tiller's clinic.
For all that, Tiller would not have prevailed without the full-throated support of the local media. In fact, for its repeated slander of the "anti-choice extremist" Kline, the Star won Planned Parenthood's top media honor last year, the "Maggie Award," named for its eugenicist founder, Margaret Sanger.
Despite Kline's defeat, some of the more stalwart Kansas legislators have refused to back down. They organized the hearings in question when the man who beat Kline, pro-choice Republican turned Democrat Paul Morrison, appeared to be dragging his feet on the investigation Kline had forced open.
Curiously, the Armesto file was not among those Kline had subpoenaed. Kline had been investigating only those abortions performed on healthy, viable babies. Unbeknown to Armesto, Tiller had recorded her unborn child as being non-viable.
This fact Armesto learned only after she had volunteered to testify. She fully believes her unborn baby to have been healthy at the time of the abortion.
Otherwise, the Armesto story is as heartbreaking as it is typical in this unholy industry. As she testified, her parents pressured her to abort what would have been her first child.
Armesto was 18 at the time and in the 24th week of her pregnancy. She told her mother, "It's murder and I will not do it."
Armesto's fiancé and his parents desperately wanted the baby as well. He was making decent money, and the parents offered a basement apartment and child care while she attended school.
Their support only aggravated Armesto's parents. "I was told that I would be kicked out of my family and to not come back," she told the legislators.
Tiller's clinic eased Armesto's conscience by citing a Catholic group that "believed in abortion" and promised baptism for the aborted baby. In reality, the Catholic Church considers abortion "murder" and "always morally evil."
Ordinary Kansans are no friends of abortion, either. Under Kansas law, a late-term abortion can be performed on a viable baby only if the woman would otherwise die or suffer "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."
As Armesto would soon learn, Tiller honored Kansas law about as faithfully as he did Catholic doctrine. Not one woman in her group of five, herself included, risked physical or mental health impairment of any sort.
The women talked among themselves during their stay in Wichita. "All were there," Armesto testified, "because they thought [late-term abortion] would solve their problems." These problems ranged from unreliable boyfriends to socially ambitious parents.
After the group watched a video on "Dr. Tiller's legacy," a nurse took Armesto to a private room and prepared her for an ultrasound. When Armesto tried to look at the screen, the nurse abruptly moved the screen away.
Armesto was then taken to another room. There a female doctor inserted a large needle twice to make sure she injected the unborn child, "and that," said Armesto, "is when the baby was killed."
Only after this procedure did Armesto fill out the paperwork and meet with a counselor. She also met with a self-identified Unitarian minister who consoled her, "You have to take care of the ones who are here, not the ones who aren't born."
After the initial injections, Armesto underwent a variety of preparations to ease the delivery of the dead baby. A late-term abortion of this kind is a three-day ordeal with nights spent at a local hotel.
On her second day, Armesto met casually with Tiller for the first time but only for a few minutes. He talked to her about his own teenage children and how presumably, "if in the same situation, would do the same thing."
That evening, Armesto's fiancé got word of what was happening and finessed his way past her mother and into the hotel room where she was staying.
"He begged me not to go through with the abortion," Armesto lamented, "and I told him it was too late." The fiancé was sincere in his affection. Despite the abortion, he later married Armesto, and today the couple has two children.
By the third day, Armesto's labor had proceeded to the point where she was ready to deliver. What follows is not for the faint of heart.
"I remember yelling at the nurse and calling her names and telling her I did not want to be on the toilet," Armesto recounted. "I finally birthed the baby, and I distinctly remember seeing the baby on the floor to the left of the toilet."
Said Armesto, "That image haunts me daily." There was no follow-up care of any kind for Armesto. Nor did Tiller's clinic call to see that there was.
This would not surprise Dr. Paul McHugh. Before leaving office, Kline had contracted with the impeccably credentialed Johns Hopkins psychiatrist to review the subpoenaed Tiller files, all of which cited mental health exemptions.
After new AG Morrison ignored McHugh for six months, pro-life forces brought McHugh to Kansas City to share his findings.
When asked whether he had seen any one file that justified a late-term abortion under Kansas law, McHugh unequivocally responded, "I saw no file that justified abortion on that basis."
Nor did McHugh see any sign of medical follow-up with these women who had allegedly just been rescued from irreversible psychiatric damage.
The Armesto testimony adds heart and soul to McHugh's findings. From existing evidence, it seems likely that nearly all of Tiller's late-term abortions have been performed as a matter of coercion or convenience in full indifference to Kansas law.
Although the Kansas City Star is beginning to distance itself from the heretofore white-hatted Tiller, it still reserves words like "grisly" and "horrific" for editorials on Michael Vick.
For a Maggie winner, alas, this is not likely to change.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Watch this video made by Kansas Teens for Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzRPtsBSR8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ref: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57603Tiller abortion racket withers in the light
Posted: September 13, 20071:00 a.m. Eastern
By Jack Cashill
© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com-->© 2007
After 22 year-old Michelle Armesto finished testifying last Friday, Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller had to wonder how much more money he would have to pump into Kansas politics to keep his late-term empire afloat.
Armesto testified on the third and last day of special legislative hearings in Topeka on the enforcement of Kansas late-term abortion laws.
With the help of the many politicians he has backed – including Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius – Tiller has turned this reddest of red states into the world's bloodiest. His clinic performed 380 late-term abortions last year alone.
That same year, 2006, Tiller money was instrumental in the undoing of then Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. Tiller pumped hundreds of thousands into the campaign against Kline to derail his dogged investigation of Tiller's clinic.
For all that, Tiller would not have prevailed without the full-throated support of the local media. In fact, for its repeated slander of the "anti-choice extremist" Kline, the Star won Planned Parenthood's top media honor last year, the "Maggie Award," named for its eugenicist founder, Margaret Sanger.
Despite Kline's defeat, some of the more stalwart Kansas legislators have refused to back down. They organized the hearings in question when the man who beat Kline, pro-choice Republican turned Democrat Paul Morrison, appeared to be dragging his feet on the investigation Kline had forced open.
Curiously, the Armesto file was not among those Kline had subpoenaed. Kline had been investigating only those abortions performed on healthy, viable babies. Unbeknown to Armesto, Tiller had recorded her unborn child as being non-viable.
This fact Armesto learned only after she had volunteered to testify. She fully believes her unborn baby to have been healthy at the time of the abortion.
Otherwise, the Armesto story is as heartbreaking as it is typical in this unholy industry. As she testified, her parents pressured her to abort what would have been her first child.
Armesto was 18 at the time and in the 24th week of her pregnancy. She told her mother, "It's murder and I will not do it."
Armesto's fiancé and his parents desperately wanted the baby as well. He was making decent money, and the parents offered a basement apartment and child care while she attended school.
Their support only aggravated Armesto's parents. "I was told that I would be kicked out of my family and to not come back," she told the legislators.
Tiller's clinic eased Armesto's conscience by citing a Catholic group that "believed in abortion" and promised baptism for the aborted baby. In reality, the Catholic Church considers abortion "murder" and "always morally evil."
Ordinary Kansans are no friends of abortion, either. Under Kansas law, a late-term abortion can be performed on a viable baby only if the woman would otherwise die or suffer "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function."
As Armesto would soon learn, Tiller honored Kansas law about as faithfully as he did Catholic doctrine. Not one woman in her group of five, herself included, risked physical or mental health impairment of any sort.
The women talked among themselves during their stay in Wichita. "All were there," Armesto testified, "because they thought [late-term abortion] would solve their problems." These problems ranged from unreliable boyfriends to socially ambitious parents.
After the group watched a video on "Dr. Tiller's legacy," a nurse took Armesto to a private room and prepared her for an ultrasound. When Armesto tried to look at the screen, the nurse abruptly moved the screen away.
Armesto was then taken to another room. There a female doctor inserted a large needle twice to make sure she injected the unborn child, "and that," said Armesto, "is when the baby was killed."
Only after this procedure did Armesto fill out the paperwork and meet with a counselor. She also met with a self-identified Unitarian minister who consoled her, "You have to take care of the ones who are here, not the ones who aren't born."
After the initial injections, Armesto underwent a variety of preparations to ease the delivery of the dead baby. A late-term abortion of this kind is a three-day ordeal with nights spent at a local hotel.
On her second day, Armesto met casually with Tiller for the first time but only for a few minutes. He talked to her about his own teenage children and how presumably, "if in the same situation, would do the same thing."
That evening, Armesto's fiancé got word of what was happening and finessed his way past her mother and into the hotel room where she was staying.
"He begged me not to go through with the abortion," Armesto lamented, "and I told him it was too late." The fiancé was sincere in his affection. Despite the abortion, he later married Armesto, and today the couple has two children.
By the third day, Armesto's labor had proceeded to the point where she was ready to deliver. What follows is not for the faint of heart.
"I remember yelling at the nurse and calling her names and telling her I did not want to be on the toilet," Armesto recounted. "I finally birthed the baby, and I distinctly remember seeing the baby on the floor to the left of the toilet."
Said Armesto, "That image haunts me daily." There was no follow-up care of any kind for Armesto. Nor did Tiller's clinic call to see that there was.
This would not surprise Dr. Paul McHugh. Before leaving office, Kline had contracted with the impeccably credentialed Johns Hopkins psychiatrist to review the subpoenaed Tiller files, all of which cited mental health exemptions.
After new AG Morrison ignored McHugh for six months, pro-life forces brought McHugh to Kansas City to share his findings.
When asked whether he had seen any one file that justified a late-term abortion under Kansas law, McHugh unequivocally responded, "I saw no file that justified abortion on that basis."
Nor did McHugh see any sign of medical follow-up with these women who had allegedly just been rescued from irreversible psychiatric damage.
The Armesto testimony adds heart and soul to McHugh's findings. From existing evidence, it seems likely that nearly all of Tiller's late-term abortions have been performed as a matter of coercion or convenience in full indifference to Kansas law.
Although the Kansas City Star is beginning to distance itself from the heretofore white-hatted Tiller, it still reserves words like "grisly" and "horrific" for editorials on Michael Vick.
For a Maggie winner, alas, this is not likely to change.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Watch this video made by Kansas Teens for Life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzRPtsBSR8
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Wow, you must have your hands full!
I went to the grocery store with our 4 kids the other day, which is always an adventure. Luckily our local grocery store got these nifty carts within the last year (just in time for #4) where you can put 2 kids side by side on the top and then 2 in a little fun car attached to the front. And you still have room for groceries in the main basket! Is Dillons becoming more in tune to families with lots of little ones? I think I will call them the pro-life carts. Although, most of the people I see using them have one child riding in the little car. Which brings me to the other day, when I got to the store, all those carts were gone! I was in a panic. How can I shop with a 3 and 1/2 year old, 2 year old twins, and a 3 month old baby? Not to mention compare prices and juggle coupons and my grocery list (which I write out in order of how items are arranged in the store). Luckily they still had some old nifty carts, which can fit 3 kids, so I let the oldest child walk and "help" Mommy. We managed to make do, although every New Nifty Cart I saw in the store had one kid in it! Then the comments started. Within minutes I heard the two most common. "Are they all yours?" "Wow, you must have your hands full!" I nod and smile and continue shopping. "Better you than me." Yes, probably so. Some people go so far as to ask, "Are you done yet?" Sometimes I'll just say I hope not, other times I'll say maybe we're halfway done. Some people are speechless, some look shocked, but I am surprised at the positive comments I get on occasion. It is interesting how a stranger will make a comment (very personal, sometimes!) in a disparaging way, then when she hears your pro-family answer, it seems to really make her think. I think perhaps my greatest pro-life work at this time in my life is just being there for people to see.
posted by Janet
posted by Janet
Monday, September 10, 2007
Fr. Corapi on the 6th Anniversary of 911
From Catholic Wife and Mother at Deo Gratias:
http://veritas909.blogspot.com/2007/09/911-six-years-on.html
From Fr. Corapi.com:
Click here to watch the video of Fr. Corapi reading this article. (requires Windows Media Player)
http://veritas909.blogspot.com/2007/09/911-six-years-on.html
From Fr. Corapi.com:
Click here to watch the video of Fr. Corapi reading this article. (requires Windows Media Player)
Sunday, September 9, 2007
U2charist
Even though I am not Anglican, this is disturbing. As much as I like U2, to have this during the "Eucharist" seems wrong on so many levels. Another reason to leave the Episcopal church.
I am sure not a few liberal Catholic parishes will be jumping on this bandwagon. Coming to a Catholic Parish near you:
U2charists combine U2 music and worship in Wellington church
Click on link for a video:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpu2charistpnsep09%2C0%2C3915376.story
By Stephanie Horvath South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 9, 2007
Wellington - It started one Sunday when Deacon Charles Cannon noticed the iPods and Sidekicks coming out in church."I realized pretty quickly that the kids were disconnected during the service," Cannon said of the teenagers in his youth group at St. David's Episcopal Church. "I learned they didn't know what was going on in the service and the music didn't reach them."So on Aug. 19, Cannon brought in Bono to lead worship and made Where the Streets Have No Name the offertory song at St. David's. It was the first U2charist at an Episcopal church in Palm Beach County.
The services are Eucharists sprinkled with U2's music, and, like U2 frontman Bono, they carry a strong social justice message. They collect money to support developing countries and fight problems such as poverty and AIDS.U2charists have popped up in churches around the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Rock bands and loud music in church services is nothing new in some Christian circles. But for the Episcopal Church, heavily steeped in tradition, the U2charists offer a way for it to experiment with contemporary worship. And many of them find the services invigorate younger members and draw people who might not normally attend church."We love our tradition, and we love the fact we love our tradition. It's a big part of our identity," said the Rev. Paige Blair, the rector at St. George's Episcopal Church in York Harbor, Maine, which popularized the U2charists. "It's a safe way for Episcopalians to try these 21st-century ways to worship."That's what's happened since Blair's church started spreading the word about U2charists in 2005.
In the last year, churches across Florida in places as different as Fort Walton Beach, Tampa and Pompano Beach have held U2charists.At St. David's, David Hietapelto, a dad with shoulder-length hair and a rock-star stance, filled in for Bono, and Pride, One and Mysterious Ways replaced traditional hymns. About 120 people filled the pews; after the Sunday night service finished, most of them said they enjoyed it, including the very teenagers Cannon was trying to reach."When you have the rock music there, the church becomes more personal. It's music they like," said Edwin Morlu, 16, one of the church's members."They can hear it while still being able to hear the message and spread it in a more fun and enjoyable way."The teenagers weren't the only ones connecting with the songs. Two 10-year-old girls, one of them Hietapelto's daughter, threw their bodies into full-on dancing. Laura Thornton, 38, sang along with each song, her eyes pressed shut and face pointed heavenward."It's music that resonates with someone my age," she said after the service. "While I might hear a song from Bach, it doesn't resonate the same way, even though it's as gorgeous and beautiful as something I grew up watching, seeing and listening to."But it's more than just any rock music. U2's lyrics have long addressed spiritual issues, and most of the band's members are Christians. The band's song 40 is a version of Psalms 40, and some have interpreted Where the Streets Have No Name to be about heaven. Blair said U2 fed her spiritually as a teenager when she wasn't involved in church."People who are in church now and people who aren't will say going to a U2 concert is a spiritual experience," she said.Despite the Christian undertones, many of the churches, including St. David's, were a bit nervous initially about playing rock music.
The Rev. Bill Richter at St. Simon's on the Sound Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach said he held his first U2charist on a Saturday night rather than a Sunday morning because he worried it might not go over well. But 90 people showed up, a big turnout, and 40 percent of them weren't connected to the church."It was powerful. Just to see the kids excited about being at church was wonderful," said Richter, whose church is planning another U2charist. "I think it's a good way to appeal to a different segment of the community that like what we're doing but are a little off-put by the formality."Cannon had to enlist the help of the St. David's priest, the Rev. Steven Thomas, in order to serve communion at the U2charist. He was nervous, despite having already held three contemporary services during the past year, including one featuring Bob Marley's music."I was really afraid the priest wasn't going to go for it. He said, 'Why would I play that kind of music in church?'" Cannon said. "I said, 'If you read the lyrics of the songs, they all speak about the mystical experience of God.'"Thomas said he thought the U2charist was a good way to focus the church on social justice. St. David's collected money for Play Pumps International, a nonprofit group that builds water pumps in Africa."The music's not for everybody," Thomas said. "I told the congregation it's extreme liturgy."
Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
I am sure not a few liberal Catholic parishes will be jumping on this bandwagon. Coming to a Catholic Parish near you:
U2charists combine U2 music and worship in Wellington church
Click on link for a video:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpu2charistpnsep09%2C0%2C3915376.story
By Stephanie Horvath South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 9, 2007
Wellington - It started one Sunday when Deacon Charles Cannon noticed the iPods and Sidekicks coming out in church."I realized pretty quickly that the kids were disconnected during the service," Cannon said of the teenagers in his youth group at St. David's Episcopal Church. "I learned they didn't know what was going on in the service and the music didn't reach them."So on Aug. 19, Cannon brought in Bono to lead worship and made Where the Streets Have No Name the offertory song at St. David's. It was the first U2charist at an Episcopal church in Palm Beach County.
The services are Eucharists sprinkled with U2's music, and, like U2 frontman Bono, they carry a strong social justice message. They collect money to support developing countries and fight problems such as poverty and AIDS.U2charists have popped up in churches around the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Rock bands and loud music in church services is nothing new in some Christian circles. But for the Episcopal Church, heavily steeped in tradition, the U2charists offer a way for it to experiment with contemporary worship. And many of them find the services invigorate younger members and draw people who might not normally attend church."We love our tradition, and we love the fact we love our tradition. It's a big part of our identity," said the Rev. Paige Blair, the rector at St. George's Episcopal Church in York Harbor, Maine, which popularized the U2charists. "It's a safe way for Episcopalians to try these 21st-century ways to worship."That's what's happened since Blair's church started spreading the word about U2charists in 2005.
In the last year, churches across Florida in places as different as Fort Walton Beach, Tampa and Pompano Beach have held U2charists.At St. David's, David Hietapelto, a dad with shoulder-length hair and a rock-star stance, filled in for Bono, and Pride, One and Mysterious Ways replaced traditional hymns. About 120 people filled the pews; after the Sunday night service finished, most of them said they enjoyed it, including the very teenagers Cannon was trying to reach."When you have the rock music there, the church becomes more personal. It's music they like," said Edwin Morlu, 16, one of the church's members."They can hear it while still being able to hear the message and spread it in a more fun and enjoyable way."The teenagers weren't the only ones connecting with the songs. Two 10-year-old girls, one of them Hietapelto's daughter, threw their bodies into full-on dancing. Laura Thornton, 38, sang along with each song, her eyes pressed shut and face pointed heavenward."It's music that resonates with someone my age," she said after the service. "While I might hear a song from Bach, it doesn't resonate the same way, even though it's as gorgeous and beautiful as something I grew up watching, seeing and listening to."But it's more than just any rock music. U2's lyrics have long addressed spiritual issues, and most of the band's members are Christians. The band's song 40 is a version of Psalms 40, and some have interpreted Where the Streets Have No Name to be about heaven. Blair said U2 fed her spiritually as a teenager when she wasn't involved in church."People who are in church now and people who aren't will say going to a U2 concert is a spiritual experience," she said.Despite the Christian undertones, many of the churches, including St. David's, were a bit nervous initially about playing rock music.
The Rev. Bill Richter at St. Simon's on the Sound Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach said he held his first U2charist on a Saturday night rather than a Sunday morning because he worried it might not go over well. But 90 people showed up, a big turnout, and 40 percent of them weren't connected to the church."It was powerful. Just to see the kids excited about being at church was wonderful," said Richter, whose church is planning another U2charist. "I think it's a good way to appeal to a different segment of the community that like what we're doing but are a little off-put by the formality."Cannon had to enlist the help of the St. David's priest, the Rev. Steven Thomas, in order to serve communion at the U2charist. He was nervous, despite having already held three contemporary services during the past year, including one featuring Bob Marley's music."I was really afraid the priest wasn't going to go for it. He said, 'Why would I play that kind of music in church?'" Cannon said. "I said, 'If you read the lyrics of the songs, they all speak about the mystical experience of God.'"Thomas said he thought the U2charist was a good way to focus the church on social justice. St. David's collected money for Play Pumps International, a nonprofit group that builds water pumps in Africa."The music's not for everybody," Thomas said. "I told the congregation it's extreme liturgy."
Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Feast of the Nativity of Mary
http://www.catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm
Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the Trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy; and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their Head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejoice in her birthday, as the Church has done from the earliest times. This is one of the three birthdays in the Church Calendar — the Birth of Jesus (December 25), the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24) and the Birthday of Mary. All three were born without original sin, although Mary and Jesus were conceived without sin, and St. John was cleansed of original sin while in the womb at the Visitation of Mary.
Mary was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God's creatures. Because of her Son's infinite merits, she was conceived and born immaculate and full of grace. Through her, Queen of heaven and of earth, all grace is given to men. Through her, by the will of the Trinity, the unbelieving receive the gift of faith; the afflicted are tendered the works of mercy; and the members of Christ grow in likeness of their Head. In Mary all human nature is exalted. We rejoice in her birthday, as the Church has done from the earliest times. This is one of the three birthdays in the Church Calendar — the Birth of Jesus (December 25), the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24) and the Birthday of Mary. All three were born without original sin, although Mary and Jesus were conceived without sin, and St. John was cleansed of original sin while in the womb at the Visitation of Mary.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Fr. Emil J. Kapaun - Servant of God
http://www.frkapaun.org/
Father Kapaun was born in Pilsen, Kansas in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas on Holy Thursday, April 20, 1916. He was ordained as a Priest for the Diocese on June 9, 1940 and entered the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1944. Separated from the service in 1946, he re-entered the Army in 1948 and was sent to Japan the following year. In July of 1950 Father Kapaun was ordered to Korea. On November 2 of that same year he was taken as a prisoner of war.
In the seven months in prison, Father Kapaun spent himself in heroic service to his fellow prisoners without regard for race, color or creed. To this there is testimony of men of all faiths. Ignoring his own ill health, he nursed the sick and wounded until a blood clot in his leg prevented his daily rounds. Moved to a so-called hospital, but denied medical assistance, his death soon followed on May 23, 1951.
The Diocese of Wichita and the Vatican have begun the formal process that could lead to Father Kapaun's canonization. In 1993, it was announced that Fr. Kapaun would receive the title of "Servant of God".
Read more about Fr. Kapaun in "A Shepherd in Combat Boots"
http://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Combat-Boots-Chaplain-Division/dp/1572493054/ref=sr_1_1/105-2966241-2338823?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189218561&sr=8-1
Father Kapaun was born in Pilsen, Kansas in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas on Holy Thursday, April 20, 1916. He was ordained as a Priest for the Diocese on June 9, 1940 and entered the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1944. Separated from the service in 1946, he re-entered the Army in 1948 and was sent to Japan the following year. In July of 1950 Father Kapaun was ordered to Korea. On November 2 of that same year he was taken as a prisoner of war.
In the seven months in prison, Father Kapaun spent himself in heroic service to his fellow prisoners without regard for race, color or creed. To this there is testimony of men of all faiths. Ignoring his own ill health, he nursed the sick and wounded until a blood clot in his leg prevented his daily rounds. Moved to a so-called hospital, but denied medical assistance, his death soon followed on May 23, 1951.
The Diocese of Wichita and the Vatican have begun the formal process that could lead to Father Kapaun's canonization. In 1993, it was announced that Fr. Kapaun would receive the title of "Servant of God".
Read more about Fr. Kapaun in "A Shepherd in Combat Boots"
http://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Combat-Boots-Chaplain-Division/dp/1572493054/ref=sr_1_1/105-2966241-2338823?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189218561&sr=8-1
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
