Everyone Against Abortion Please Raise Your Hand 

Labels: abortion, pro-life, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

March for Life 2009 

I so wish things could've worked out for Husband Mike and me to attend this year's March for Life. While we can't be there, we can and are praying for those wonderful folks out marching right now.

You definitely won't see the MSM reporting on this, and if they do, what they may say will misrepresent and downplay the march's magnitude. Thankfully, pro-lifers are stepping in to get the word out, and throughout the day, I've been sneaking peeks at EWTN's live online coverage. Here are a few great images:


Lookie, lookie! Franciscan friars! Woooooo!


Love seeing all these banners. Yay, Missouri!


What a joyful riot of color.


Nice shot showing just a tiny fraction of the huge variety of placards and signs that folks are carrying.

For more on the March for Life, head over to EWTN's continuing coverage.

Labels: abortion, inspiring, march for life, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 2 comments

Sign the Fight FOCA petition 

While campaigning for the U.S. presidency, Barack Obama made a promise. In 2007 before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Barack Obama told pro-abortion activists:

"The first thing I'd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act."

With a single stroke of the pen, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide.

Twenty senators (including the then-Senator Barack Obama) and 109 U.S. representatives have co-sponsored FOCA. The stated aim is to "end the abortion wars."

To these legislators, "ending the abortion wars" means allowing abortion for any reason, at any time, without any restriction or any regulation. This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

Please add your name to the Fight FOCA petition and let everyone know about President-elect Barack Obama's promise to expand abortion throughout the country.

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 3 comments

Watch this before you vote 

... and if you still insist on voting for Obama, know that you've played your part in making this even more -- not less -- common. Bravo for you!

Oh, and btw? I was born at 28 week's gestation.

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

Worldwide Rosary for the Unborn Oct. 18 

Please participate and pass it on: Saint Michael the Archangel Organization is coordinating a Worldwide Rosary for Unborn Babies on 18 October (Saturday).

The idea is that everyone, according to their time zones, prays the Rosary sometime between 9-10 a.m. with the intention, "For an end to the surgical and non-surgical killing of unborn babies." Because participants will be praying the Rosary according to the particular time zones they're in, the hope is that the earth will be circled with multiple waves of Rosaries within a 24-hour time period.

For those of us in the U.S., this prayer is especially needed; as the liberal LA Times puts it, "Every four years, defenders of abortion rights proclaim that the fate of Roe vs. Wade hangs on the outcome of the presidential election. This year, they may be right." See also LifeNews.com's article on the subject.

H/T to Fr. Tim Finigan.

Labels: abortion, politics, prayer, pro-life, rosary

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

Dissonance in action 

Yesterday, Husband Mike and I attended Mass at Back-Up Parish, which is where we go when we can't make Mass at Home Parish.

While walking through the parking lot, we saw a car sporting pro-life license plate frames and ... a bumper sticker for a US Representative (Republican, if you're curious) whose re-election campaign material proudly boasts of his "commitment to women's right to choose" and his "100% Planned Parenthood approval rating".

Ummmm ... ironic much?

(Oh, and you sure as heck wouldn't see that kind of insanity in the parking lot of Home Parish, lemme tell ya.)

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Abortion hurts men, too 

It's not just women who suffer. The fathers of aborted children do, too. Friar Augustine of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate shares his abortion experience during a Silent No More rally held on 07 September at the Connecticut State House.

"I REGRET MY ABORTION."-friar Augustine


H/T to Leticia of Causa Nostrae Laetitiae.

Labels: abortion, pro-life, third order regular, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

What part of "non-negotiable" don't you understand? 

Love it! H/T to Fr. Erik Richtsteig. :-)

Expanding on the subject of non-negotiable issues vs. prudential judgment ones, see Fr. Dwight Longenecker's article, Why Abortion and the Iraq War Are Not Equivalent.

Labels: abortion, dissent, humor, politics

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

If the shoe fits ... 

Nearly busted a gut laughing over Jeff Miller's campaign sign satire; the following is especially spot-on:



Go check out the rest; clever stuff (I'm still impressed that he worked "Albigensian" into a bumper sticker). And then go read Sheila Liaugminas' thoughtful post, Understand who Catholic Americans are.

Labels: abortion, dissent, heterodoxy, politics, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

These least brothers of mine ... 

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." ~ Matthew 25:40

(click for larger image)


H/T to Barb, sfo, and thanks to Mama Says for creating and sharing this poster.

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

Catholic first 

When asked in an interview, "What should it mean when I'm 'voting Catholic?' ", Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. replied:

"We should see ourselves as Catholic first -- not white or black, or young or old, or Democrat or Republican, or labor militant or business owner, but Catholic first as the main way we identify ourselves. Our faith should shape our lives, including our political choices. Of course, that demands that we actually study and deepen our Catholic faith. The Catholic faith isn't a set of clothes that we can tailor to a personal fit. We don't 'invent' our faith, and we don't 'own' it. If we really want to be Catholic, then we'll live by Catholic teaching. Otherwise we're just fooling ourselves and abusing the belief of other Catholics who really do try to practice what the Church teaches."

And here's another gem (and please do read the whole interview; it's Most Excellent) in response to the question, "Whenever I write about Catholics and abortion, I am immediately asked, 'What about war? What about the death penalty?' What about them? Can a Catholic vote for Senator 'Surge'? We have killed people in Iraq, after all.' ":

"I've written and spoken against the death penalty for more than 30 years. And along with most other American bishops, I opposed our intervention in Iraq. But these issues are different in kind, not merely degree, from the violence involved in abortion. Anyone rooted in Scripture and Catholic tradition will understand the distinction if he or she reasons honestly. Genocide, euthanasia, abortion, and deliberately targeting civilians in war -- these things are always grievously wrong. But in Catholic thought, war and capital punishment can be morally legitimate under certain carefully defined circumstances. Abortion is never morally justified."

I <3 Archbishop Chaput.

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life, quotes

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 3 comments

It's not a "single issue", it's a foundational one 

Thanks to my pal, Deacon John, for the heads-up on this splendid web site, CatholicVote.com, which features the following powerful and hitting-the-nail-on-the-head video:

Catholic Vote 2008


Along these lines, I've never been interested in buying campaign paraphernalia, but this one is darn good:



For a more in-depth explanation of Church teaching and non-negotiable issues when voting, check out the Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics.

(And no, Husband Mike and I are not Democrats nor Republicans. We're Catholic, and as such, are Politically Homeless.)

Labels: abortion, inspiring, politics, pro-life, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 2 comments

The importance of reading legislation 

Earlier today, one of my secular Franciscan brothers forwarded an email my way, in which folks were urged to ask their legislators to support passage of the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA).

On the surface, it sounds like a Good Thing: protecting women and girls from violence, oppression, and abuse. Who wouldn't want to encourage that? However, a closer look at this legislation reveals that it is problematic for Catholics to support.

I did actually carefully read through the bill itself and I found its descriptions of "violence" worded quite broadly. As one article said:

"I-VAWA makes the imposition of ideology of VAWA look like child's play. Within the proposed I-VAWA is carefully crafted verbiage presented as being protection of a woman's 'right to choice.' Review of this legislation shows that this section could make expressing an opinion contrary to someone's female intimate partner's desire to have an abortion a federal offense.

"For the first time in American history, this act could make expressing an opinion contrary to popular ideology a criminal act. This cannot be tolerated and must be opposed by everyone who values our freedom. A person's personal choice is their natural right; imposing ideology through the effect and force of law destroys all our right to choose, speak freely and more."

More importantly, the following section is absolutely cause for concern:

"Program Activities Supported- Assistance provided under this section shall be used to carry out, in each of the countries identified in the strategy required pursuant to subsection (a), 2 or more of the following program activities ... Carrying out health care initiatives, including ... promoting the integration of programs to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls into existing programs addressing child survival, women's health, family planning [in the secular realm, this doesn't mean NFP, it means contraception and abortion -- definitely can't be supported!], mental health, and HIV/AIDS prevention [in the secular realm this most likely means condoms (contraception) instead of abstinence education; again, contraception is against against Catholic teaching and can't be supported!], care, and treatment". (SEC. 300G: d, 2, a)

The fact that the bill was written with the input and advice of groups such as the Women's Edge Coalition and the Feminist Majority (source) -- groups known for their support of abortion -- is also cause for concern. And then there are the close ties between this bill and CEDAW -- it's highly likely that I-VAWA money will be used to lobby the U.S. Senate for ratification of CEDAW so that its UN monitoring committee can implement CEDAW's problematic mandates, one of which includes requiring unlimited abortion rights.

So, Husband Mike and I will instead be contacting our legislators to ask them not to support this bill.

And just as an FYI: Two peace and justice resources that I use and highly recommend are Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) and Catholics for the Common Good -- both faithful to the Church's teachings. :-)

Labels: abortion, legislation, politics

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

CFotD: Population Research Institute on YouTube 

Cool Find of the Day: The Population Research Institute (PRI) is making excellent use of YouTube to extend the pro-life message to a larger audience, especially about China's "one child" policy. Check out their two cool introductory videos:

Population Research Institute: Part I


Population Research Institute: Part II

Labels: abortion, cfotd, pro-life, spiffy, videos

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

Takin' it to the streets 

Husband Mike and I usually prefer to be behind-the-scenes in our support of various causes, but when it comes to one in particular, the right to life, we realize that public witness is vital.

And so tomorrow, 7 October, we'll be participating in our first-ever Life Chain, "a peaceful and prayerful public witness of pro-life Americans standing for one hour praying for our nation and for an end to abortion. It is a visual statement of solidarity by the Christian community that abortion kills children and that the Church supports the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception."

Whether you think of the unborn as a "mere blob of cells" or as "a baby", one thing you can't deny is that it's a human life. A Human Life.

“The abortion-rights folks know it, the anti-abortion folks know it, and so probably, does everyone else. One of the facts of abortion is that women enter abortion clinics to kill their fetuses. It is a form of killing ... you're ending a life.” [emphasis added]
~ Ron Fitzsimmons, Executive Director, National Coalition of Abortion Providers (New York Times, February 26, 1997)

Mind you, it took us both years to fully realize the tragedy of abortion and that it is, indeed, the ending of an actual Human Life, regardless of whether you think of it as a blob or a baby. Years ago in my Raging Feminist, I-Totally-Hate-The-Church Days, I was a firm supporter of abortion and assuaged the niggling voice that kept saying, "But, isn't it still a life?" with the dismissive thought of, "It's just a blob of cells".

However, as I've have grown in my understanding of and obedience to what the Church teaches, I've realized just how tragically wrong I was and how the right to life is a foundational issue, not superfluous.

“We believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a ‘Gospel of life’. ... We cannot simultaneously commit ourselves to human rights and progress while eliminating or marginalizing the weakest among us. Nor can we practice the Gospel of life only as a private piety. American Catholics must live it vigorously and publicly, as a matter of national leadership and witness, or we will not live it at all.”
~ U.S. Bishops, Living the Gospel of Life, 1998, n. 20

And so, Husband Mike and I understand that "Our Media is the Streets", and we'll be out there tomorrow.

How about you?

Labels: abortion, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

"Future Depends on Love" tour 

Now THIS is authentic Franciscanism!

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are sponsoring a tour, "The Future Depends on Love", beginning 3 August (Friday) in Philadelphia and ending 11 August (Saturday) at the National Shrine in Washington, DC. The tour will feature a series of talks, prayer vigils, and a pilgrimage to help bring an end to abortion. See their site for full details.

Labels: abortion, franciscan, pro-life, third order regular

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

CFotD: Friar Cam! 

Two Cool Finds of the Day, in quick succession:

CFotD #1: I was browsin' around Catholics for the Common Good, which (gasp!) actually appears to be faithful to Church teaching (!!), when I stumbled 'pon this article and saw ...

CFotD #2: ... the first pic. Of a friar. With a TV camera. It's Friar Cam! How cool is that?! Dang, it's splendid to see a Franciscan friar -- and in full habit, no less -- taking part in a pro-life demonstration.

(While Friar Cam's been around for awhile on EWTN, we don't have cable (don't watch much TV and we're cheap), so it's the first I've heard o' it. An' I know you can watch their programming online, but we have dialup at home.)

Labels: abortion, cfotd, franciscan, pro-life, spiffy

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments

"Land of the Free", unless, of course, you're Catholic 

:::sigh:::

Catholic News Agency: Union tells Catholic teacher to 'change religion' or pay forced dues
posted 26 January 2007

"A Catholic teacher in Ohio was told she could only be exempt from paying union dues to the Ohio Education Association (OEA), if she changed religions. The teacher had requested [an] exemption after learning that the dues would assist in the promotion of abortion." Read the full story.

Labels: abortion, pro-life, religious freedom

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 2 comments

Amazing: Fetal development photos 

All I can say is ... wow! Check out these stunning photographs of the human body prior to birth.

(Link via ProLifeBlogs.com.)

Labels: abortion, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 1 comments

Disgusting: Fake "Catholic" voter's guide 

Just read the following; the word "pathetic" springs to mind ...

LifeSiteNews.com: Fake 'Catholic Voters Guide' Published by Former Aide to John Kerry
Attempt to recapture the Catholic vote launched by Democratic supporters
by John-Henry Westen, 29 September 2006

"A new 2006 Voter Guide has been put out by 'Catholic in Alliance for the Common Good' (CACG) a group headed up by Alexia Kelley who in 2004 worked as a religion advisor to John Kerry in the closing weeks of his campaign. ...

"Commenting on the new 12-page booklet, Catholic League president Bill Donohue said 'The voter guide is a slick attempt to get the abortion albatross off the necks of Catholic Democrats, but it's a failed effort-the noose is still there. Instead of listening to James Carville and Paul Begala, who have counseled Democrats to drop their opposition to parental notification laws and their support for keeping partial-birth abortion legal, the best Catholics in Alliance can do is say it is opposed to abortion. But it makes it painfully clear that it will never join any effort to ban any abortions, including partial-birth.'" Read the full article.

For a voter guide that actually represents faithful Church teaching, see the Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics, produced by Catholic Answers.

Labels: abortion, politics, pro-life

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posted by Lisa, ofs | Permalink | 0 comments