Mass Pro-Life - abortion

Happy Mother's Day

MCFL Press Release — Sun, 12 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Pro-Abortion false arguments: reducing the baby to a single cell

massprolife — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 23:49:57 GMT

As a pro-lifer, when conversing with friends or even pro-abortion family members, a common tactic is for the pro-abortion side to say, "but it's just a clump of cells" or to try and reduce the baby, to dehumanize the little boy or girl, down to a single cell.

The image above is a visual representation of that simple idea.

It's not a life, look at it!

But that's, of course, yet another pro-abortion lie.

A chicken egg unfertilized won't grow to be a chicken. Since people eat food, it would be just as logical to take a picture of a dinner plate and say it won't grow into a human either. The basic raw materials of human beings don't make for a human life, for the definition of human dignity.

But a fertilized child, at no matter the age, is a separate and unique human being. Immediately their DNA is set. They begin the process of becoming a separate and unique human being.

Just because something is small does not make it unworthy of respect. Short people are not less human than tall people. Skinny people aren't half the human being of an obese person.

Tiny isn't a reason to deny human life.

The image below well illustrates that point, and uses the pro-abortion image as a framework for debunking these silly myths.

Always engage pro-aborts in conversation. As long as they keep saying these kind of non-sensical things, those around them won't be persuaded by them. It's very difficult to rationalize abortion, and forcing people to do so in polite conversation helps to affect those listening.

And you never know the intellectual and rhetorical seeds you plant within people. As a child is sometimes born after 7 months in the womb, and others 10 months. Sometimes pro-life logic doesn't set in for months or even years later. Many prominent pro-abortion leaders have become pro-life leaders later, once those good arguments finally made sense.

Image: Shocking pro-abortion lies

massprolife — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:59:06 GMT

Top Abortion Lies:
1. It's not a baby, it's a "fetus" (fetus is Latin for baby)
2. Babies being aborted don't feel pain (research says they do)
3. There are no health consequences from abortion (not true, cancer, depression, infertility, among other things are in much higher amounts among post-abortive women)
4. Women never regret their abortions (yes, they do)
5. Being a feminist means you must be pro-abortion (most of the early feminists were pro-life)
6. There are too many people already (our several articles on overpopulation myths)
7. Young women are pro-abortion (there are plenty of pro-life young people, over a majority)
8. It's "just a clump of cells" (not at all, it has unique DNA, a heartbeat, brain waves and more from very early in the pregnancy)
9. Many women died from illegal abortions (NARAL founder Bernard Nathanson later admitted making up all those numbers)
10. Abortion is a constitutional right (no, it was a poorly decided case not based on logic or the law, but on achieving a result. If it was about law, it would have worked with existing law, not upending all state restrictions on abortions)

College Bulletin Board: Partisan Attacks about Abortion

massprolife — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 06:37:25 GMT

Recently posted on a college campus near you. Is this fair? accurate? unfair? inaccurate? you tell us.

update: we received this rebuttal from our email tipline. We're posting it, but feel free to tell us your opinion: tips@massprolife.org

MCFL-- The Baby Killer Bailout

MCFL Press Release — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:17:00 GMT

Everyone who has seen this has wanted to share. It is worth a read. Anne

The Baby Killer Bailout
URL: http://www.markcrutcherblog.co...

In the first few years after its legalization, studies were taken to determine the cost of an abortion. The findings were that the price of a first-trimester procedure was generally around $350. The interesting thing is, that figure has changed little since then. To put this in perspective, even if we ignore the fact that prices have probably risen faster in medicine than in any other area of the economy, applying the basic rate of inflation shows that an item purchased for $350 in 1973 costs almost $2,000 today.

So the question is, with no competition and a seemingly reliable demand, why has the abortion industry not been able to raise prices in almost 40 years?
The answer is that, contrary to what the abortion lobby would have us believe, the demand is not reliable. In any marketing environment, buying decisions can be categorized on a "marginal / non-marginal" scale. On one end of the scale are decisions based solely on "want" (marginal) and, on the opposite end are decisions based solely on "need" (non-marginal.) Buying a ticket to a baseball game is an example of a marginal decision because it is a decision based on want. On the other hand, if a business owner cannot operate his business without a forklift, his decision to purchase one is based on need and is, therefore, non-marginal.

One significant factor in determining where a product falls on this scale is the degree to which consumers might reject it because of price. The more price-sensitive a product is, the more marginal is the decision to buy it. Using the previous examples, a rise in the price of baseball tickets will decrease their sales more than a proportionate rise in the price of forklifts will decrease their sales. This "marginality" scale applies to all purchasing decisions, including the decision whether to "purchase" an abortion or not.

Since day one, the abortion industry has pushed this idea that when a woman does not want to be pregnant she will crawl through hell on broken glass to get an abortion. In other words, their contention is that the abortion decision is a non-marginal one.

For that to be true, it would have to also be true that the cost of abortions does not significantly impact the abortion rate. The problem is, the evidence does not support this. In April of 1988, the financial publication, Economic Inquiry, Vol. XXVI, published a study about the relationship between abortion cost and abortion rates and concluded that, "The significant inverse relationship between the price of abortions and the abortion rate confirms that the fundamental law of demand is applicable to abortions."

Other independent studies have also documented that, as the cost of abortion goes up the demand for abortion goes down. In addition, Colorado abortionist, Warren Hern, reinforced this conclusion during a May, 1997, annual convention of the National Abortion Federation held in Boston, Massachusetts. At a workshop regarding the use of ultrasound in abortion, Hern complained that paying for an ultrasound machine would increase the cost of an abortion by $25. He went on to say that such an increase would cause patient loads at abortion clinics to "plummet."

Hern was not merely confirming the argument that price affects the abortion rate, he was going much further and stating that even small increases in price have an overpowering impact. By the way, Hern is no novice in this area. He is the author of the textbook, Abortion Practice, that is almost universally considered to be the definitive publication on abortion and abortion provision.

The point is, whether it's these studies or the comments of Warren Hern, the consistent message is that the abortion lobby's "hell on broken glass" rhetoric is a self-serving fabrication and that the abortion decision is often a highly marginal one. If that were not the case, a $25 price increase would not significantly impact abortion rates much less cause the number of women having abortions to "plummet."

This represents a very sticky dilemma for the abortion industry. The obvious solution to their current economic woes would be to raise prices to reflect their increased costs even if that meant making more money off fewer procedures. But the abortion lobby knows that is not a viable option. They have always been aware that, in order to maintain abortion's legality, they need the political and cultural inertia created by a high abortion rate. This has put them in a kind of "Catch 22" situation. They need higher prices to financially survive, but those higher prices would lower the abortion rate and threaten their political survivability.

In a nutshell, that is why the abortion industry has not raised prices for almost 40 years. Meanwhile, the cost of doing business has risen dramatically. The result is that the $350 abortion that was so profitable in 1973 dollars, is a stone-cold loser in 2012 dollars. What this means, and what the abortion lobby has known for several years, is that their future depends on finding a way to raise their prices without lowering abortion rates.

Enter Barack Obama.

Make no mistake about it, one of the primary motivations behind this guy's obsession with socialized medicine is government-funding of abortion. In fact, a model for what his administration intends to do already exists.

Imagine two women sitting in an abortion clinic waiting room. They are the same age, in the same state of health and their pregnancies are at the same gestational stage. The only significant difference between them is that one is paying cash and the other has a health insurance policy that covers elective abortion. After their babies have been exterminated and their corpses tossed in the dumpster, the first woman will be out the clinic's door for the usual $350 or so. However, the other woman's insurance company will be lucky to escape with anything less than a $3000 claim to pay.

This is a scenario that is repeated every day at abortion clinics all across the country. It is also a peak into what Obamacare is all about. The Obamanazis figured out a long time ago that the abortion industry's only hope for survival is for socialized medicine to convert every $350 patient-paid abortion into a $3000 taxpayer-paid abortion. Equally important is that, since customers will be getting their babies butchered at no charge, the abortion rate is not going to drop. In fact, it's going to skyrocket.

To put it bluntly, Obamacare is a permanent stimulus package for the abortion industry.

Now, if you think I'm baying at the moon here, let me take you back to December of 2009 when this debacle was being fought out in Congress. With only a few hours left before the Christmas recess, it looked like America was going to dodge this bullet. Despite all the greasy politics, arm-twisting, semi-veiled threats, naked bribery, sweetheart deals in smoke-filled rooms and other assorted criminal activities being committed by the Obamanazis, they were still a couple of votes shy. The problem was that several Democrats were holding out over concerns that Obamacare was going to pay for abortions.

Obama and his fellow travelers were assuring them that this was not the case. Of course, this could not be verified since no one had actually seen the bill and, furthermore, they were not going to see it before voting on it. In one of the most arrogant and moronic things ever uttered by an elected official, Nancy Pelosi openly stated that Congress would have to pass the bill before the public would be allowed to see what was in it.

The crucial thing to note here is that this hang-up over abortion-funding could have been easily resolved. If the administration had not been lying, they could have simply allowed those rebellious Democrats to add a one paragraph statement to the final bill specifically prohibiting any funding for abortion. Had they done that, these guys would have shuffled back onto the reservation and passage would have been assured.

But the Obamanazis were lying. They knew abortion funding was written into the bill's language and that such a paragraph would wipe it out. Since they were not willing to give up on one of the fundamental goals of this monstrosity, they had to stick with their argument that we should all just blindly trust them when they said that the bill would not pay for abortions. In effect, a blank contract was shoved in front of Congress and a pen was forced into their boney hands.

This strategy worked because, to no one's surprise, the so-called "pro-life Democrats" eventually wimped-out, stopped questioning Obama's lies and signed where they were told to sign. As is common in the political arena, when the choice is between principle and ambition, the latter is usually chosen. And so it was. Today, the bill is available for all to see and now everyone can know what the pro-life movement knew all along. Abortion funding is included.

In the final analysis, it is simply a fact that Obama was prepared to flush his crown jewel legislation down the toilet rather than take abortion funding out of it. The fancy rhetoric he used during the debate may have been about people suffering and dying because they are being denied basic healthcare. But his actions made it clear that he would write these people off without blinking an eye, unless a government bailout for Big Abortion was part of the deal.

Like I always say, to understand the abortion issue just follow the money trail. In this particular case, if you believe nothing else I've written here, believe this: on the day that Obamacare becomes fully implemented, every single abortion performed in America will be taxpayer-funded. Every single one.

MCFL-- Abortion Legal Until Birth in DC - U.S. House Votes July 31 to Overturn

MCFL Press Release — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:05:00 GMT

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday, July 31, 2012, on legislation that will end the current legal policy allowing abortion, for any reason, until the moment of birth in our nation's capital.

The Council of the District of Columbia, employing authority delegated by Congress, repealed the entire D.C. abortion law. Thus, in the nation's capital, abortion is currently legal for any reason through all nine months of pregnancy.

MCFL strongly supports the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act , H.R. 3803 because:

1) The U. S. constitution stipulates that Congress is supposed to vote on all legislation for DC

2) H. R. 3803 has 223 House cosponsors

3) According to June, 2012 poll, American adults would be more likely to vite for lawmakers who support this legislation by 58-27%, women more likely by 62-27%, men by 53-27%
Respondents favored, 63-21%, a policy of not permitting abortion anywhere "after the point where substantial medical evidence says that the unborn child can feel pain," unless it is "necessary to save a mother's life." Women said "should not be permitted" by a margin of 70-18% percent. Men said "should not be permitted" by a margin of 55-25%.

Doug Johnson, NRLC Legislative Director, says, "This roll call will be a landmark - the House has never before voted on the question of whether to endorse legal abortion for any reason until birth. Under the Constitution, members of Congress and the President are ultimately accountable for the current abortion-until-birth policy. Any lawmaker who votes against this bill is voting to ratify the extreme policy currently in effect in the nation's capital, where abortion is perfectly legal for any reason until the moment of birth."

Call your Congressman today or before 11am on Tuesday! Thanks! Anne

Congressman John W. Olver , 202-225-5335
Congressman Richard E. Neal, 202-225-5601
Congressman James P. McGovern, 202-225-6101
Congressman Barney Frank, 202-225-5931
Congressman Niki Tsongas, 202-225-3411
Congressman John F. Tierney, 202-225-8020
Congressman Edward J. Markey, 202-225-2836
Congressman Michael Capuano, 202-225-5111
Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, 202-225-8273
Congressman William D. Keating, 202-225-3111

Happy Mother's Day

MCFL Press Release — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

MCFL-- ORATORY CONTEST, WIN TRIP TO DC, CASH PRIZES

MCFL Press Release — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:10:17 GMT

ORATORY CONTEST FINALS

WHAT: The Dr. Mildred F Jefferson Oratory Contest for High School Juniors and Seniors, sponsored by Massachusetts Citizens for Life

WHO: Winners from Regional Contests. If there was not a contest in your region, you may participate in the finals anyway.

WHERE: St. Sebastian's School, Saturday, May 12, 2012, 9:30 am - Noon

HOW to register.

TOPICS: Each students will research, write and deliver a pro-life speech on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or stem cell research. Further instructions.

PRIZES:

First: The winner will go with a parent or guardian to Washington DC to attend the National Right to Life Convention and compete against the Oratory winners from other states.

Second: $300

Third: $100

California-- Midwives might be doing abortions

massprolife — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:28:26 GMT

If you know pro-lifers in California, please pass this story and link along to them.

http://timmerie.com/2012/04/mi...

Tuesday the California Senate's Economic Development Committee intends to vote on SB 1338 which, if passed, would allow midwives, nurses, and physician assistants to perform first trimester abortions.

Midwives who help bring life into the world would be the same women who could keep a child from taking its first breath.

The California legislature has been attempting to legalize non-doctor, midlevel practitioners' ability to perform abortions for many years. If SB 1338 were legalized this would create a mass abortion expansion that would allow abortions to be performed in places that otherwise did not have an abortionist available for the procedure. Planned Parenthood, other abortion clinics, and many more hospitals would be able to further put women at risk by exposing them to the risky surgical procedure without the supervision of a doctor.

Read the rest here:
http://timmerie.com/2012/04/mi...

MCFL: Damning statistical analysis of Planned Parenthood's business

MCFL Press Release — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:11:37 GMT

This is the most amazing piece of analysis. I couldn't wait to share it with you! Anne

######

An intriguing analysis, by Keith Riler, of Planned Parenthood's business model was recently published by a UK-based magazine. Planned Parenthood's years of operating history provided the basis for a thorough statistical analysis, providing useful clarity in this highly politicized time. The analysis concludes that:

A 99% positive correlation between Planned Parenthood's government support and its abortions;
This 99% statistic contradicts often-heard suggestions of there being no connection between public funding and abortions, and suggests that future Obamacare support of Planned Parenthood will only lead to more abortions;
For every $1MM of taxpayer money, Planned Parenthood consistently delivers 949 abortions;
An 81-87% positive correlation between Planned Parenthood's contraception distribution and its abortions;
This 81-87% statistic directly contradicts Secretary Sebilius' assertion of a negative correlation between contraception and unintended pregnancies and suggests that more Obamacare-supported contraception will lead to more abortions;
Planned Parenthood's contraception distribution creates an annual abortion demand backlog equal to 60-70% of its annual abortions;
Planned Parenthood's major business lines are abortion/emergency contraception, sexually transmitted diseases/HIV and contraception distribution;
Planned Parenthood is not health care in the sense of an annual well woman exam, but more akin to a lifestyle business with an annual customer repeat rate of 4x per year and a frequent flyer programs that offer discounts to return customers (40% discount to returning HIV testers);
Planned Parenthood does target children through its push to offer Plan B contraception to sub-17 year olds, through its own admission of targeting adolescents, and, yes, by soliciting the Girl Scouts; and,
The Planned Parenthood business model has a precedent; that being a drug dealer who offers freebies early in hopes of higher ticket sales when the customer is desperate. It is a "no choice" business model.

The article, by Keith Riler, can be found here in the March-April issue of Faith Magazine. The complete magazine download offers a more readable article than clicking on the individual article.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com... at March 08, 2012 - 11:24:12 AM CST

Federal Courts Upholding Freedoms While Conscience Laws Come Under Attack

hhcross — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:02:12 GMT

While the furor continues over the Health and Human Services "compromise" mandate that insurers pay for contraception, abortifacient drugs and sterilization, recent cases in the federal courts have been decided in favor of religious freedom and conscience rights of health care workers. "Last week, the Supreme Court spanked the Obama administration over its overly restrictive understanding of religious freedom," Law Professor Dwight Duncan told the audience at the MCFL Washington, D.C. caucus on Jan. 23.

"In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court decided that the case of a Lutheran school teacher fell within a constitutionally mandated religious minister exemption from government anti-discrimination laws," said Duncan, referring to a case where a replaced teacher threatened to sue if she didn't get her job back. "The Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment bar suits brought on behalf of ministers against their churches, claiming termination in violation of employment discrimination laws. Otherwise we would be in a situation where government agencies could decide who could teach a particular religion, rather than a religion itself."

Explained Duncan, "The case of Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church vs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is evidence that the Obama administration is adopting an extreme and marginal understanding of religious freedom, mere freedom to worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience."

A federal court also upheld the conscience rights of nurses to refuse to participate in abortions in a decision on Dec. 23. The nurses filed a suit after the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey threatened them with losing their jobs after a policy change required them to participate in abortions regardless of their religious or moral objections, a clear violation of both state and federal laws.

Federal law prohibits hospitals that receive federal funds from forcing employees to participate in abortions. New Jersey state law also protects the conscience rights of persons not to be involved in abortion or sterilization.

These decisions could be pivotal if lawsuits against the mandate make it into the federal courts. A joint letter sent to Health and Human Secretary Kathleen Sebelius by attorney generals in thirteen states promised action in court should, "This unconstitutional mandate be promulgated." The letter continued, "The mandate represents an impermissible violation of the Constitution's First Amendment virtually unparalleled in American history."

Belmont Abbey College and Colorado Christian College have also both filed suit against Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. protesting the mandatory contraception and sterilization coverage in Obama care. Both colleges are being represented by the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, the same group which won the Hosanna-Tabor decision.

National Right to Life Legislative Director Douglas Johnson highlighted the dangers of applying the "compromise" mandate to Obama care. "The same twisted logic will be applied; by ordering health plans to cover elective abortion, health plans would save the much higher costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and care for the baby. If a procedure saves money, then that means that you're not really paying for it when the government mandates it."

"This could also be applied to other 'cost-cutting' mandates," Johnson continued. "Perhaps every health plan will be mandated to cover physician-assisted suicide, in states in which assisted suicide is legal. After all, each suicide would result in a net savings to the plan, and under the Obama scam, that means it is really free and nobody really pays for it.

"The law prevents the Secretary of Health and Human Services from including abortion in a list of federally mandated 'essential health benefits.' But the birth control mandate is based on an entirely different provision of the law, which allows the Secretary to mandate that all health plans cover any service that the Secretary places on a list of 'preventive' services. There is nothing in the law to prevent the Secretary from placing abortion, assisted suicide, or any other additional services on the preventive services list."

"This proves that Massachusetts Citizens for Life has been right all along in warning about the inherent dangers of Obama care," said President Anne Fox. "While many were solely concerned about the funding of abortion, our objections included the larger package of abortion funding, rationing, denial of care, and slashing of conscience rights."

Senator Scott Brown was also vocal in his support of conscience rights and his criticism of Obama care saying, "this is just one of the unhealthy side effects of Obama care, which seeks to impose a one-size-fits-all, government-knows-best health care program on the whole country. It's bad law and needs to be repealed."

Brown signed onto a bill sponsored by Senator Roy Blunt to restore conscience protections to what they were prior to the passage of Obama care.
Concluded Duncan, "The mandate rides roughshod over the conscientious moral and religious beliefs of Catholics and others who are opposed to abortion." While the regulation is scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 23, 2012, compliance by church related organizations is deferred to 2013, after the Presidential election.

He quoted New York's Archbishop Dolan, "In effect, the President is saying that we have a year in which to figure out how to violate our consciences."

MCFL Washington, D.C. Caucus Draws Standing-Room Only Crowd

hhcross — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:48:28 GMT

At 9:30 am, Monday, Jan. 23, the Kennedy Caucus Room in Russell Senate Office Building was filling fast. With still a full half hour to spare before the start of the MCFL Caucus, people who had traveled all night in buses, cars and trains were eagerly awaiting the latest from an array of pro-life all-stars.

The experts tackled a variety of themes: the meanings of dignity and equality, the protections of the law imperiled by abortion and euthanasia, assisted-suicide, conscience rights and pro-life progress for 2011.

Law Professor Dwight Duncan opened the Caucus by reading a section from "The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God," a book based on the letters and speeches of Ruth Pakaluk, a former MCFL President who died of breast cancer in 1998. The book recounts Pakaluk's odyssey from pro-choice feminist to pro-life advocate. Duncan read a selection where Pakaluk was thinking of the words she would use to inspire young people into taking the arduous, all-night bus trip to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life. "What unites all the hundreds of thousands of people there to attend the March?" Pakaluk wondered. "There are two diametrically opposed value systems in conflict in the US today trying to win your hearts and minds. The culture of life and the culture of death.

"What is the pro-life position? I think it's pretty obvious. No, it's not obvious. The media portrays us as religious fanatics against equal rights for women. We are motivated by the simple fact that we really do believe that all human beings are equal. What could that possibly mean? We are not all equally smart, equally athletic, equally nice. We are not equal in any of those categories. But we are equal in our essential dignity as human beings. And that means everybody. If you are human, then you have this basic equality."

Said Duncan, "This is the credo that lies at the heart of the pro-life movement, but even more importantly, at the heart of our country. Inscribed on the pediment of the Supreme Court building are the words 'Equal Justice Under Law.' That's the basic premise of human equality promised to us in the 14th amendment, 'No state shall deny any person equal protection of the law.'

Duncan went on to link the notion of basic human equality that girds the pro-life position to opposition to the legalization of assisted-suicide. "Doctor-Prescribed Suicide undermines the principle that Ruth Pakaluk talked about: basic human equality. It says that for a certain category of people, who because of their age, illness or disability, who have only six months or less to live, it's going to be okay for doctors to prescribe poison. In a fundamental way this means that the protections of law for those people are less than they are for you and me."
Doctor-Prescribed Suicide
Jennifer Popik, Legislative Counsel for the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics continued the theme of equal protection under the law by discussing the lack of safeguards in the proposed Massachusetts initiative to legalize assisted-suicide. "This is a bad law," Popik said. "You need to cast doubt and tell everyone you know to vote against this. The so-called safeguards are legally meaningless and difficult to enforce, they are pretty much an illusion."

"First of all, the proposed law says the person requesting the lethal dose has to be of sound mind, but nowhere in the language of the initiative is a psychiatric evaluation required. Scientific studies show that people with the desire to commit suicide are typically suffering from a diagnosable mental illness. Approximately 94% are suffering from depression or other undiagnosed mental impairment. How do we know if a person is competent if there is no requirement for a doctor to verify this?

"The second problem is the law allows for falsification of the death certificate. The death certificate won't say that suicide was the cause of death, instead, it will list the underlying condition as the cause of death. There will be no way to go back later and see if there are any problems. Doctors are supposed to self-report, but there is no penalty for not reporting.

"The third problem is that there is no requirement for a witness to be present at the time the lethal prescription is taken. We don't know what happens at this point. Was the person still competent?

"Suicide rates go up in states where assisted-suicide is legal. The suicide rate in Oregon is skyrocketing. Between 2000 and 2010, the rate has gone up to 35% above the national average, Oregon previously had a lower than national average suicide rate.

"Studies have shown that assisted-suicide is not needed for intractable pain. (Ganzini et al: Journal of General Internal Medicine (J Gen Intern Med) 2008 Feb; 23(2):154-7.) Studies from Oregon show that people are choosing physician-assisted suicide because of the fear of future pain, loss of autonomy, or the loss of enjoyment in activities.

"The Supreme Court ruled in Washington v. Glucksberg, 1997, that there was no Constitutional right to assisted-suicide. This ruling might be in danger if more states legalize assisted-suicide. This is why it is so important for Massachusetts to defeat the proposal and prevent its spread to other states."

Legislating in Massachusetts
State representative Geoff Diehl, 7th Plymouth District, received an ovation for his statement, "Lives aren't meant to be thrown away, either at the end of life, or right there at the beginning. I'm proud to be a pro-life legislator.

Diehl used opposition to the "bathroom bill" to illustrate how the imbalance of pro-life legislators makes politics hard at the State House. In a scenario frustratingly familiar to pro-lifers, Diehl told how only one hour was given to debate the bill. Legislators filing amendments to increase the time allotted for debate were filibustered. Only one person was allowed to speak in opposition, and debate was closed.

"I am chief sponsor of a bill to allow opt-out of taxpayer funding of abortion," Diehl said, "but the bill is unlikely to see the light of day. We are hoping to get more conservatives elected, with a balanced legislature, more Democrats would be free to vote their consciences. Because of the power of the Speaker to control the process, we need to look for conservative Democrats and Republicans, and to continue to work for a responsive legislature."

Conscience Rights for Obstetricians
MCFL President Anne Fox presented Notre Dame law student Michael Fragoso, winner of the National Pro-Life Legal Writing Award, with a cash prize for his entry, "Taking Conscience Seriously or Seriously Taking Conscience?: Obstetricians, Specialty Boards, and the Takings Clause." Fragoso's article was published in the Notre Dame Law Review.

"I based my argument on challenges to physician conscience rights by obstetricians," Fragoso explained. "Its origin was a rule made five years ago where the obstetric professional association decided to make a new ethics rule that OBs had to perform or refer for abortions. Because obstetrical boards internalize the decisions of the professional organizations, there was fear that OBs who refused to perform abortions could be decertified by the Board, lose hospital admitting privileges and lose their livelihoods.

"I looked at this issue through the perspective of the 5th amendment and the takings clause. Based on earlier Supreme Court decisions, I hypothesized that if this were to happen to an obstetrician, since the obstetrics board was basically operating on behalf of the state, it would be a taking of the intangible property of his practice in such a way that it would be recompensible and unconstitutional without recompense."

Federal Races
Karen Cross, Chair of the National Right to Life Political Action Committee got enthusiastic applause for her bold statement that in the next election the NRLC PAC plans to, " Hold the House, secure the Senate, and win the White House. Every single person here is part of the plan," Cross said.

"In 2010, the NRLC was involved in 130 federal races nationwide, of those 88 were won. Because of that win, pro-abortion speaker Nancy Pelosi had to hand over the gavel. Pro-life legislation is coming out of the House, but unfortunately dying in the Senate under Harry Reid.

"Of the 33 senate races in 2012, one third will have Emily's list candidate. Emily's list is a pro-abortion PAC that only endorses the most extreme pro-abortion female candidates. They have to endorse partial birth abortion and tax-payer funding of abortion. Elizabeth Warren is their doll-baby."

Concluded Cross, "Whether or not we're going to rip that gavel from Harry Reid's hands, hand it to Mitch McConnell's who's pro-life, have a pro-life agenda and start passing pro-life bills in the Senate side, is up to pro-lifers in Massachusetts. You guys have a pretty big responsibility and we need you."

The Foundation of Law
Dan Avila drew inspiration for his talk from a tour of historic Washington. "In the Chamber of the House of Representatives, there is a row of faces carved in stone along the balcony that goes all around the back," Avila began. "The only figure you see head-on and not as a side view, is the figure of Moses. Moses is there because he is the law-giver that so inspired the founders of our country as to the way we can govern ourselves. It is vitally important that we know that the law of God and the law of life must govern our society. We must look upon our officials and say it's we the people, not you the elected officials, that govern this country. Remind legislators that the law does not come from us, but from God through us.

"In January we celebrate the life and witness of Martin Luther King. In his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize King said, 'I refuse to accept the idea that the isness of man's present moral nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal oughtness that forever confronts him. The common DNA of great social movements lies precisely in the capacity of each movement to narrow the gap in human achievement between is and ought. Whatever the cause at stake, be it life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the failure to abide by principles and values of eternal origin indicates a flawed design. Human frailties render every effort of ours to improve society imperfect. But some efforts succeed more than others. The better movements do not mistake short-sided desires and impulses with truth. They do not dismiss the search for truth as unnecessary or irrelevant.'

"King emphasized that civilization and violence are antithetical concepts," Avila said. "He continued his call for nonviolence in pursuit of racial justice saying that 'means and ends must cohere with an inner integrity. The internal principles will apply when choosing both ends and means. We cannot escape the law of God and Moses.'

"We went on to see what was once the original chambers of the House in the Capitol building," Avila continued. "There is a semi-circular room famous for whispering. You can stand in one spot and way over on the other side of the room someone can whisper and because of the architecture of the room, you can hear the whispering of someone far away.

"There are plaques on the floor representing members who went on to become President. I was standing near the plaque for John Quincy Adams, the only Congressman to have already served as President. He would have been able to spy on the whisperings of the other party from that spot.

"Adams decided to run for Congress because he wanted to do more to eradicate slavery. He served in Congress for six years and lost by a single Senate vote, a bill that would have eradicated or limited slavery. Adams was devastated. He said something that sticks with me," Avila said. 'The duty is ours, the results are God's.' "

"In the main rotunda under the dome in the Capitol, there is a new statue, the bronze figure of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was convinced early on in his career that Communism had to be eradicated. He became aware of this at a time when Communism was strong. In the base of the statue is a stone from the Berlin wall.

"The Berlin wall exemplified the force and staying power of Communism. Now, we have a statue in our nation's Capitol of Ronald Reagan standing over the Berlin wall. We face a Berlin wall in the issue of abortion. Thirty-nine years is a wire and concrete dividing line between what is good and what is happening. We have to be convinced that our Berlin wall is not permanent."

Pro-Life Year in Review
The always ebullient University of Alabama Professor Michael New concluded the caucus program with a fast-paced year in review saying, "Pro-lifers had a great year in 2011, didn't we!
"For the first time there will be Congressional hearings about Planned Parenthood. For the first time ever, a majority in the US House voted to deny Planned Parenthood federal funding, that again is a first, that is real progress," enthused New. "Eight states stripped funding from Planned Parenthood costing them $61 million dollars.

"Guttmacher reported that in 2011, 83 state level laws were passed, a record, more than double the previous high in 2005. Eight states banned abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchanges. Five states banned the use of telemedicine in medication abortions and six states banned the performance of abortion after 20 weeks.

"There were also gains in the court of public opinion. In 1995, 35% of Americans described themselves as pro-life, in 2009, for the first time ever, a Gallop poll found a majority of Americans describing themselves as pro-life. Young people once demographically the most pro-choice, now are some of the most pro-life.

"Guttmacher and the CDC both report that abortion fell during the George W. Bush administration. The mainstream media didn't report it and abortions numbers have fallen about 25% since the 1990. We have made progress and it's progress we should celebrate. New received delighted applause from the audience for adding, "If you don't believe me, take our opponents word for it. Planned Parenthood said 2011 was their worst year ever.

"The bad news is that progress is in jeopardy because of Obama care. If the state-based insurance exchanges cover abortion, you will see an unprecedented amount of federal dollars flowing into the abortion industry. If abortion is a federal health benefit, that could easily jeopardize or undermine all of the state level pro-life laws we've worked so hard to pass.

"Obama care will take power away from patients and medical doctors and give it to bureaucrats who don't value the dignity and sanctity of human life. We have our work cut out for us. We have a narrow window to repeal Obama care.

New concluded the Caucus with cheers and applause. "This is the most important election ever. Next year I want to come to the MCFL rally to celebrate the election of a pro-life President!"

MCFL-- DPS first skirmish: Life 1-0

MCFL Press Release — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:20:50 GMT

Yesterday's hearings at the State House were impressive.

Representative Eugene O'Flaherty, House Chair of the Judiciary Committee, ran the hearings very efficiently. More than 50 people testified in opposition to Doctor Prescribed Suicide. They covered the range of reasons to oppose the bills. Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor Prescribed Suicide taped the hearings. I understand MAADPS will have those and the written testimony on their web site momentarily, http://stopassistedsuicide-ma....

There were only a hand-full of proponents. Apparently, since they know the petition will be on the ballot, they decided to keep their powder dry. There was an interesting contrast. The proponents spoke emotionally about people in difficult situations which, they claim, necessitates changing the law. Opponents talked about what we can do for people in difficult situations and about all the specific problems with the bill.

Rep. John Rogers of Norwood stated, "I think we as a society, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, using our intellect and our ingenuity and combined energies, we define ourselves not by allowing our citizens to die with dignity but by empowering our citizens to live with dignity while they're dying, And in that distinction, we define ourselves as a great, humane society."

Rep Keiko Orrall, Lakeville, reminded the Committee that this is an issue of life, which is precious.

The disability community, lead by John Kelly and Karen Schneiderman, fielded a number of panels. They covered all aspects of the issue, showing the dangers to vulnerable people - the disabled, the elderly, the ill. They pointed out that a life lived with dignity is what allows a person to die with dignity. John said the law is unnecessary because patients already have control over their destiny with the ability to refuse any life-saving treatments and through advanced directives.

John Norton shared that he had been diagnosed with ALS 58 years ago, pointing out that a prognosis can be wrong.

Maggie Murphy of the Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts, reported that the state's 59 licensed hospices served more than 21,000 terminally ill patients in 2011, and eight hospices served about 235 children.

Laura Tuttle, RN, a hospice nurse who has ALS, spoke beautifully, saying, "I will most likely die from respiratory failure within the next few years. But I am not afraid of dying because I know all of my needs will be taken care of by hospice professionals."

Lynda Young, MD, Barbara Rocket, MD, Leonard Morse, MD, and Henry Dorkin, MD spoke on behalf of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Dr. Young, President of the MMS reported, "At the Medical Society's most recent House of Delegates meeting, which is the Society's policy making body, there was overwhelming support to reaffirm the Medical Society's long standing policy of opposition to physician-assisted suicide. As the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics states, 'It is understandable although tragic, that some patients in extreme duress...may come to decide that death is preferable to life. However, allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician's role as healer.'"

Another panel of doctors was also very impressive: Helen Jackson, MD, Gil Lavoie, MD, Mark Rollo, MD, and Alexandra Cist,MD, who pointed out that one result of the legislation would be to drive people away from palliative care by making them afraid to use it.

Among the others who testified and made points about the glaring shortcomings in the wording of the petition, and about the lack of respect for human life which would result were Hope Hallett, RN, Deb O'Hara-Rusckowski, RN, Elaine Luzzetti, RN, Michelina DiMartino, a licensed pharmacist, Mary Roque, Esq, Pat Stewart, Esq, Bob Joyce, Esq, and Andrew Beckwith, Esq. Margaret Dore, Esq, flew in from Washington State and presented a detailed legal analysis of the bill. Nancy Elliott, former New Hampshire State Rep, who has been through the battle, came for moral support.

Jim Dixon, Christine LeBlanc, Marie O'Donnell, Kris Mineau, Ed Shanahan, and I also testified. Jim made the point that this petition would be death to dignity and reminded committee members about the loved ones left behind. Many other people whom I did not know spoke and many, many of you submitted written testimony.
As usual, you all came through amazingly! It is such a pleasure to work with people who care about life and are willing to do the work to protect life. Anne

MCFL: Press release critical of "Buffer Zone" decision

MCFL Press Release — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:39:47 GMT

February 23, 2012, Boston: Massachusetts Citizens for Life today criticized the opinion upholding the so-called "Buffer Zone" law rendered by a federal judge.

According to MCFL President, Anne Fox, "Unfortunately, it has become common in this country for laws to apply differently when they have to do with abortion. The idea that people cannot express their views within a 35 foot radius - ie a circle with a 70 foot diameter - of an abortion facility is un-American. It is also ludicrous. Given the huge size of the zone, people have been approached by the police for engaging in activities on their own properties, which happen to be next door to abortion facilities. This happened recently in Worcester.

Courts have struck down less onerous laws in other states because they infringe on the First Amendment rights of U. S. citizens. We feel certain that higher courts will strike down the Massachusetts 'Buffer Zone'"

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Massachusetts Citizens for Life is the oldest, largest right to life organization in the state. It is dedicated to restoring legal protection to life at all stages of development. For further information, please call 617-242-4199

MCFL: Were they wearing brown shirts?

MCFL Press Release — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:56:51 GMT

It is getting vicious out there. "It's time for Senator Brown to admit to a Mistake"

http://boston.com/community/bl...

Here is very good explanation of the Blunt Amendment by National Right to Life, http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/cal...

NRLC urges you to call your Senators to ask them to support the Amendment. We have not been calling Sen. Brown because he co-sponsored the Amendment as soon as Sen. Blunt filed it. Even as a State Rep and Senator, Brown had filed conscience legislation.

We are getting calls from the media that have two themes: (1)how could Brown be so stupid to back something no one likes and (2)he is doing this for political gain. The press doesn't see the inconsistency.

They also don't remember Martha Coakley's "Shannon O'Brien moment". O'Brien lost the governor's race to Mitt Romney when she announced hours before the election that 16 year old girls should be allowed to obtain abortions without their parents knowing.

Coakley repeated the mistake when she opined that Catholics should not be allowed to work in emergency rooms. Which brings us back to religious freedom.

So 50 people were at Sen. Brown's office abusing him for supporting our right of conscience.

Please call Sen. Brown's office right now to thank him profusely for co-sponsoring the Blunt Amendment. 202-224-4543

Those of you who are Steve Lynch's constituents will be sick and want to call him, http://www.dotnews.com/litdrop...

http://www.dotnews.com/litdrop...

MCFL: Student Lobby Day Huge Success! Thanks to Reps. Harrington and Beaton

MCFL Press Release — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:55:46 GMT

They say the performance of the stock market in January predicts the rest of the year. If attendance at Student Lobby Day predicts how our pro-life work will go for 2012, things will be very good! The youngsters kept coming and coming and coming - from as far as the First Congressional District to as close as Brighton. Attendance was four to five times that of last year, which was our first year. We could not have dealt with a bigger crowd and given them the tour and visits. We are considering offering field trips during school next year as well.

We are most grateful to Reps. Sheila Harrington, Groton, and Matthew Beaton, Shrewsbury, who each spent a great deal of time with the youngsters and shared with them the pro-life way they look at legislation and procedures. Also, Eva Murphy did an excellent job coordinating and making it all run smoothly. And I enjoy very much touring our beautiful State House with the youngsters. A good day was had by all and we look forward to expanding next year. I'll let you know when pictures are posted in the MCFL website. Anne

MCFL: Student Lobby Day: four spots left

MCFL Press Release — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 03:48:13 GMT

STUDENT LOBBY DAY
STATE HOUSE

Tuesday, February 21,2012, 10:00am - 2:00pm

-Meet and hear prolife legislators
-Learn about prolife legislation
-Learn dangers of Doctor Prescribed Suicide Bill.
-Find out how to lobby
-Take a tour of the State House
-Enjoy a complimentary lunch
-Visit the offices of your State Representative and Senator.

Meet in Room 437

RSVP to action@masscitizensforlife.org or by phone (617)242-4199

Or use our easy registration application on the MCFL website (CLICK HERE)

MCFL: Sen. Scott Brown Calls For Protection Of Religious Liberty

MCFL Press Release — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:45:10 GMT

For Immediate Release
February 9, 2012

CONTACT: John Donnelly
202-224-4543

Brown Calls For Protection Of Religious Liberty

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) issued the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services mandate under the 2010 health care law that religious organizations either participate in health care plans that violate their religious beliefs or face punitive fines:

"One of our most cherished liberties is freedom of religion. Like Ted Kennedy before me, I support a conscience exemption for religious organizations in health care. No one should be forced by government to violate the teachings of their faith. I encourage President Obama to re-examine his health care law and make sure no one is being forced to do something that is contrary to their religious beliefs."

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MCFL: DPS HEARING DATE and meeting correction

MCFL Press Release — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:05:08 GMT

We just learned that the Judiciary Committee will hear the Bill, which is the same as the ballot question on doctor prescribed suicide, H3884, on March 6th at 1:00pm. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend. We will need a major presence. The legislature could pass H3884 and it would be all over.

I listed the wrong date for the lawyer's meeting with Jennifer Popik. The actual date is Thur, Feb 16th at 6:00pm at the MCFL office.

We are changing the date for the nurses' meeting so that you nurses will have more time to reach out before the hearings. There will be another nurses' meeting in the western part of the state later.

Also, because the hearings are close, we invite all pharmacists to attend the nurses' meeting. The process for developing Nurses Against Doctor Prescribed Suicide and the information members need will be the same for the Pharmacists.

All the correct information is now listed below. The actual fight is beginning. We are ready. We need to get moving.

If you are a doctor, please visit www.doctorsagainstsuicide.com. Drs. John Howland, Mark Rollo, and many others are doing a stellar job of identifying doctors in the state who are opposed to DPS. I know you will want to work with them.

If you are a lawyer or law student, you are invited to the MCFL office at the Schrafft Center in Charlestown at 6:00pm on Thursday, February 16th for a special evening. Jennifer Popik, JD, from the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics in DC, is coming to give a legal analysis of the proposed law in Massachusetts. Jennifer and the Center have been involved in all the other states where DPS has come up. She will go into many interesting aspects of the proposal. I hope this will help prepare you to speak out and write Letters to the Editor. Please reply to this email or call 617-242-4199, X 230 to let us know you are coming because we will provide a light supper.

If you are a nurse or a pharmacist or a student in either area, you are invited to the MCFL office at the Schrafft Center in Charlestown from 9:30am to 11:30 am on Saturday, February 18th. We will talk about the petition, it implications for you and what you can do as an individual and as part of a nurses' or pharmacists' group. Please note that retired professionals are every bit as necessary as those still in the field.

There is no protection to keep pharmacists from being required to fill those deadly prescriptions!

Please pass this along to all doctors, lawyers, nurses, and pharmacists whom you know and anyone else who might want to testify. Thanks! Anne

MCFL Student Lobby Day--Sign Up!

MCFL Press Release — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:13:52 GMT

STUDENT LOBBY DAY AT THE
STATE HOUSE

Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 10:00am - 2:00pm

~Meet and hear pro-life legislators
~Learn about pro-life legislation
~Learn dangers of Doctor Prescribed Suicide Bill.
~Find out how to lobby
~Take a tour of the State House
~Enjoy a complimentary lunch
~Visit the offices of your State Representative and Senator.

Meet in Room 437

RSVP to action@masscitizensforlife.org or by phone (617)242-4199

Or use our easy registration application on the MCFL website (CLICK HERE)