Election 2012
Friday, March 30th, 2012
Headed the Way of Greece
By Arland K. Nichols and
By Donald DeMarco, Ph.D.
(Zenit.org) – The term “economic” is derived from the Greek oikonomia, pertaining to the management of the household. In this sense, the term has considerable breadth inasmuch as it deals not only with finances, but all the human complexities involved in managing and caring for all the members of the family.
Today’s economist is, in general, not particularly concerned with the family. He is not interested in those realities that are beyond the reach of data. At a macro level an economy is said to be “healthy” when GDP, interest rates, and unemployment stabilize at acceptable levels. In our modern use of the term, it is possible to have a healthy economy in a sick society. Thus, a “healthy” economy at the macro level can coexist with the use of contraception or abortion by families seeking to avoid another mouth to feed.
The modern economist who restricts his professional interest to financial data displays a much narrower view of economics than has been characteristic of the Christian tradition. As Pope Pius IX stated in Quadragesimo Anno, “Economic life must be inspired by Christian principles.” This includes the reproductive realm. In writing Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI was guided by an ever-present concern for a “integral vision of man.” In section 7 of the encyclical, Paul VI writes:
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Tags: contraception mandate, HHS, Humanae Vitae
Posted in Arland K. Nichols, Contraception and Sterilization, Donald DeMarco, Ph.D., Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | No Comments »
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
By Father Peter West
The following remarks were from a speech given by Father Peter West, vice president for missions for Human Life International, given at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally in Front Royal, Virginia on March 23, 2012.
The most precious freedom we enjoy in the United States is the freedom to practice our religion according to the dictates of our conscience. It can be called our first freedom. This freedom, which continues to be denied in many parts of the world today, is what drew the first settlers from Europe to America.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees this right. It states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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Tags: contraception mandate, First Amendment, HHS, religious freedom
Posted in Contraception and Sterilization, Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics, Politics and Faith, Rev. Peter West, Truth and Charity Forum | No Comments »
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
By Arland K. Nichols
In 1997 the state of Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide (PAS), allowing a physician to aid and abet an individual in the unthinkable act of self-murder without fear of criminal prosecution. In many ways this disastrous decision both marked and helped to effect a shift in the thinking of Americans, many of whom increasingly view the elderly and disabled as expendable if they are no longer useful to society.
Since 1997, proponents of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have found efforts to legalize the practice to be slow going—only Washington State has joined Oregon by declaring suicide a medical treatment in keeping with the needs of patients. In the meantime, however, it appears that society has warmed to PAS, as supporters have manipulated public opinion by employing euphemisms to make it more palatable. Advocates describe PAS in sterile terms such as “self termination” and “self deliverance,” and even apparently laudable terms such as “an act of compassion and mercy,” a “choice for freedom from suffering” and “aid in dying.” Behind this fabricated veil of credibility and compassion, they have won victories in the court of public opinion.
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Tags: death panels, Ezekiel Emanuel, Gov. Sarah Palin, Oregon, President Obama, Washington
Posted in Arland K. Nichols, Assisted Suicide, Election 2012, End of Life, Euthanasia, Feature Post, PAS, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | No Comments »
Friday, March 16th, 2012
By Father Peter West
(AmericanThinker) – Catholics make up about one quarter of the American electorate, and the majority of the Catholic vote has gone to the winner in every presidential election since 1972. With that said, conservatives — whether they like it or not — will have to engage the concept of “social justice” if they wish to earn the sizable Catholic vote in November 2012.
Of course, the term “social justice” makes some conservatives cringe because it has been co-opted by those who crave moral legitimacy for their political ends even as they seek to marginalize the Church. But these leftist distortions are meant only to mislead.
Justice is commonly defined as giving each person his due. Social justice is simply an extension of this virtue into the public realm, concerning how society is ordered, with particular concern for the most vulnerable. Working for social justice means nothing more than respecting the dignity of every human person and defending the rights that flow from that dignity.
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Tags: Election 2012, Pope Benedict XVI, President Obama, social justice
Posted in Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics, Politics and Faith, Rev. Peter West, The Holy Father, Truth and Charity Forum | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
By Arland K. Nichols
The pro-life movement has long recognized abortion as the most important and fundamental issue of our day. For good reason, a candidate’s position on the right to life has weighed heavily in the voting booth for those who believe in the dignity of human life. We recognize that “the direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life” as the Bishops of the United States have emphasized, “from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong. Abortion is not just one issue among many. The destruction of innocent human life must always be opposed.”
The Bishops here recall the Fifth Commandment – “Thou shall not kill.” They call to mind the disorder that entered into the world when Cain viciously murdered his brother and God says to him, “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil.” Our Shepherds remind us of Saint Thomas Aquinas’ emphasis that every human being, by nature, desires to preserve life, and that murder is an affront to our natural human inclination. And they echo the clear and fundamental teaching of our beloved champion of life, Blessed John Paul II who wrote that:
Disregard for the right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing of the person whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts with the possibility of achieving the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life.
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Tags: Blessed John Paul II, Election 2012, right to life, vote
Posted in Arland K. Nichols, Beginning of Life, Election 2012, End of Life, Feature Post, Marriage, Family & Sexuality, Politics, Truth and Charity Forum | No Comments »
Monday, February 27th, 2012
By Melanie Baker
The law cannot be divorced from reality, from nature. The moment this happens, law becomes arbitrary, the whim of the ruling power: it becomes tyranny.
Last week, the Maryland Senate passed the Civil Marriage Protection Act by a 25–22 vote. The Maryland House of Delegates had passed the bill on Friday, February 17, by a 71–67 vote, and Governor Martin O’Malley has vowed to sign it. This bill will grant the legal status of marriage to any two non-related consenting adults, irrespective of their sex.
Why is this important, and how does it affect even those who do not live in Maryland? Isn’t it best just to let people do what they want with their lives and leave well enough alone, as long as we are left in peace to do what wewant with our lives? That’s a pipedream. This law is a misnomer, and its passage signals the destruction of, not greater protection for, marriage. Let me explain why.
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Posted in Election 2012, Feature Post, Homosexual Unions, Marriage, Family & Sexuality, Melanie Baker, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | Comments Off
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
By Arland K. Nichols
“The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, ‘To Hell with you!’ There is no other way to put it. To Hell with your religious beliefs. To Hell with your religious liberty. To Hell with your freedom of conscience.” With unusually strong language, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh alerted his flock to a new threat to the Church.
The Obama administration has directly and deliberately attacked our fundamental right to religious freedom, and in a most patronizing way. His Department of Health and Human Services has mandated that contraceptives and abortion inducing drugs be part of every health care plan, free of charge. With this decision, Catholics and Catholic institutions such as hospitals, universities and social agencies will be forced to pay for and provide contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs.
With a veritable pat on the head, the administration has given Catholics a year to comply with the ruling. Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote, “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.”
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Tags: Bishop Paul Loverde, contraception mandate, HHS, USCCB
Posted in Arland K. Nichols, Contraception and Sterilization, Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | 3 Comments »
Monday, January 30th, 2012
By Bob Laird
As we move closer to the November presidential elections, it is becoming clear that the increasing violations of religious liberty by the Obama administration will be the defining issue for Catholics.
Following the January 24 announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has affirmed its controversial ruling which mandates that almost all employer health plans fully cover contraception, sterilization procedures and abortion-inducing drugs, Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan expressed outrage that both the U.S. Constitution and the clearly expressed position of the Church were being ignored by an out of control administration. In this unprecedented confrontation between the Roman Catholic Church and the federal government (see video), Archbishop Dolan called on Americans to bring the issue to their elected officials.
In agreement with Archbishop Dolan, Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, argued (here and here) that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s claims of “balance” between considerations of religion and Planned Parenthood ideology were absurd. Sebelius’s refusal to adequately weigh the concerns of religious organizations leaves the only remaining recourse to be the federal courts or the November elections.
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Tags: Archbishop Timothy Dolan, HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama
Posted in Bob Laird, Contraception and Sterilization, Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 12th, 2011
By Melanie Baker
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered an appallingly flawed address to the United Nations recently, declaring that, “Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same … Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” She likened efforts to “denounce gay rights” for religious reasons as synonymous with religiously motivated evils “towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation.” Sec. Clinton then proceeded to explain that, as was the case with slavery, both sides claimed religious motivation, hence dismissing any appeal to religious belief to resist homosexual activity:
Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all … Progress comes from changes in laws … In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect … And practically speaking, it is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.
The apex of her address was to announce the creation of a new law:
We are launching a new Global Equality Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us in supporting it.
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Tags: Barack Obama, gay rights, Hillary Clinton, United Nations
Posted in Election 2012, Feature Post, Homosexual Unions, Marriage, Family & Sexuality, Melanie Baker, Politics, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
By Bob Laird
Could President Obama modify the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ruling that requires health insurance plans to cover contraception and sterilization at no cost? Will he broaden the current miniscule religious exemptions? His recent meeting with Archbishop Timothy Dolan, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was perceived by some as a crack in the administration’s position on the HHS ruling, prompting a call to the White House by the Pro-Choice Caucus and panicked calls for action by Planned Parenthood. Given the administration’s history of faithful allegiance to its pro-abortion base, any shift in position following Archbishop Dolan’s visit will occur only if is calculated that such a move will win him votes next November.
President Obama’s pro-abortion agenda has been evident since the day he took office. The list of his achievements is extensive, but some of the more significant actions include reversing the Mexico City Policy and restating his support of Roe v. Wade within days of his inauguration; his meaningless executive order that caused Reps. Bart Stupak and Kathy Dahlkemper, along with other “pro-life” Democrats, to vote ObamaCare into law; the HHS ruling that gutted sections of conscience protection rules reflecting current U.S. law; the aforementioned HHS contraceptive mandate (including some whose effects include causing chemical abortions); and the elimination of all Catholic organizations from receiving federal contracts that require “comprehensive reproductive health care.”
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Tags: Archbishop Timothy Dolan, HHS, President Obama, USCCB
Posted in Abortifacients, Bob Laird, Contraception and Sterilization, Election 2012, Feature Post, Politics and Faith, Truth and Charity Forum | 5 Comments »
