Boycott Burnout?

This afternoon I was listening to my favorite radio show, The Catholics Next Door, on Sirius XM (totally worth the price of the subscription just for this show, by the way!)  Hosts Greg and Jennifer Willits were discussing boycotts.  I wish they'd allotted more time to this issue.

That topic has been on my mind quite a bit lately.  For about the past 20 years, my family has participated in the Life Decisions International boycott of companies that support Planned Parenthood.  That means no Levi's, no Johnson's Baby Shampoo, no Texaco gas--among so many other things.

And then there's the Dump Starbucks Campaign, triggered by their announcement that same-sex marriage is core to who they are and what they value as a company.  More recently, Target announced that proceeds from a line of Pride T-shirts would fund the Family Equality Council.

Now, I don't get Starbucks much; I don't like their coffee.  If I want a $4 fancy coffee, I'll go to Panera and get my latte there.  But Target is right around the corner and it's my go-to store for a lot of things, replacing Wal-Mart, which is farther away and which has boycott issues of its own regarding labor issues, Chinese suppliers and more.

Maybe I'm just wimping out because this is hitting too close to home.  But it's starting to feel like I won't have anywhere to shop if I support all these boycotts.

Do they do any good?  Do the companies really care if I (not a big spender anyway) spend what I do spend someplace else?  Does anybody care?  After all, the American Cancer Society has been linked to support of Planned Parenthood, yet my parish still participates in the local Relay for Life.

So, am I lazy?  Tired?  Wimpy?  Is the devil on my back?  Or do I need to find another way to make a difference?

Don't Treat Me Like a Fool

It's necessary to get political sometimes.

Usually that's something I leave to TheDad, because he's all into that sort of thing, and I figure that one politically-obsessed person in the household is enough.  I back off--to balance things out.

But that doesn't mean I don't notice.  And it doesn't mean I don't take action when action is necessary.

This is one of those times.

I listened to President Obama's self-congratulatory tone as he announced an "accommodation" to the HHS policy that would leave Catholic hospitals, universities and other institutions no choice but to offer health plans providing contraception, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures, all of which directly violate Catholic moral teaching.

I listened, and I realized that this "accommodation" makes things worse than it did before.  In the guise of making it LOOK like the Catholic employer would get to opt out, this plan requires that all insurance plans provide these, um, "services."

We all know that there's no free lunch.  We know that somebody's going to have to pay for it.  Ultimately, everybody's going to have to pay for it, because health-care costs will go up in order to pay for it, and that cost will be absorbed by employees.

Who knew that the President of the United States would borrow an argument more age-appropriate for his own children:  "Everybody does it."  99% of American women, he says, have used birth control during their reproductive years.

If that number is even true (and I haven't seen any proof that it is), that doesn't make it any less wrong.

With all due respect, Mr. Obama, would you buy that "everybody does it" line if your daughter used it on you?  Or would you answer, as parents have done for decades, "if everyone was jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do the same?"

If "everybody" decided to stop paying income taxes, you wouldn't think that "everybody does it" is a very good argument, now would you?

Don't treat me like a fool, Mr. President.  I can see what you're up to, and frankly, it terrifies me.

Jimmy Akin has an excellent analysis at the National Catholic Register.  Read the whole thing, and follow the "take action" link at the bottom.

Rocco Palmo has more on the American bishops' take on this "accommodation."

EVEN MORE:  Here's what the economists think.

Plan to Read This One!

My inner rebel often leads me to put off, or refuse altogether, reading those books that "everybody's" reading. I've been burned before. Like the time I read The Bridges of Madison County. There's four hours I'll never get back.

But I decided to break my unwritten rule when I saw all the advance press about unPLANNED by Abby Johnson.

This is the story of someone who has been there. Abby Johnson began volunteering for Planned Parenthood during her college years, eventually landing a full-time job as a clinic director. She believed the party line. But it wasn't until she assisted at an abortion that she fully understood what she had been advocating.

I purchased unPLANNED from a Catholic bookstore so that I could get the Ignatius Press edition, which includes introductions by David Bereit, director of 40 Days for Life, and Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life. You'll want to read those too.

This book will give you new understanding of what happens in an abortion clinic. It will give you new motivation to do more to help the prolife cause--and there's much to be done. And it will help you realize that those who are pro-abortion are not so much the enemy as they are victims of a seriously flawed line of thinking that has been fed to them for the past forty years.

To Obama, it seems pregnancy = prison

So our President has taken the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade to affirm his commitment to "choice," which was supposed to prevent the type of horror that happened for years in Philadelphia. "Safe and legal," that's what it was all about, right? Yeah, that worked well in Philly.

Here's part of his statement (read the whole thing here):

On this anniversary, I hope that we will recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams.

Nice. Basically, our President believes that men and women should have equal opportunity to walk away from the responsibility of the life that results from the choices they make. He seems to view unplanned pregnancies as nothing but inconveniences that rob women of their dreams. Note that he's not bothering to challenge "baby daddies" to step up and take care of their progeny. Why do that, when it's easier to walk away from your responsibility and make abortion easy to come by, presenting it as the only solution to a crisis pregnancy--or even just an "inconvenient" one.

Is This What "Choice" is All About?

This week in Philadelphia--only a few miles away from here--an abortion-clinic doctor was charged with a crime.

Murder.

It's about time that it was described in these terms.

Surely the grisly practices at Dr. Kermit Gosnell's clinic weren't limited to that one location. Falsified ultrasounds, very late-term abortions resulting in live births, and the outright killing of viable premature babies born alive.

Is this what "a woman's right to choose" is all about? Why yes--yes, it is. This "choice" is always murder, pure and simple. Because someone is always being killed. Most of the time, that killing is covered up with excuses like "it's only a clump of tissue" but advances in medicine, including 3D ultrasound, show just how human, just how alive, a preborn child is.

There are only two good things about this case. First of all, this doctor and some of his staff are being held without bail. We can reasonably be sure that the unspeakable deeds that took place under his "care" will not be happening in that clinic again.

Second, this takes place on the eve of the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. And this case has people talking. This case has opened up people's eyes to some of what is going on in these clinics, under the guise of "choice."

It's time to tell it like it is. Stop with the euphemisms already. Abortion is murder, and it's about time we stopped pretending that it isn't by dressing it up with more-palatable words.

No One Is Expendable

A very disturbing article ran in many newspapers this Ash Wednesday: Testing curbs some genetic diseases.  That's right:  on Ash Wednesday, we got to read a self-congratulatory article full of gems like:

"One study in California found that prenatal screening reduced by half the number of babies born with the severest form of cystic fibrosis because many parents chose abortion." 

Here's more: 

"We're definitely seeing decreased rates of certain genetic disorders as a result of carrier screening," said Dr. Wendy Chung, clinical genetics chief at Columbia University.

Of course every parent hopes for a healthy baby--that goes without saying.  But when "more women are being tested as part of routine prenatal care, and many end pregnancies when diseases are found" then we've got a problem here.  As Barron Lerner of Columbia University asked,

"If a society is so willing to screen aggressively to find these genes and then to potentially to have to abort the fetuses, what does that say about the value of the lives of those people living with the diseases?"

Exactly.  It's easy to see that some people are valued more highly than others, and people with a genetic disease that can only be prevented by making sure those people are never born are now considered expendable.

For the record, it is absolutely appalling that any person should be considered expendable for any reason.

And I am distressed to note that the Franciscan Action Network seems much more concerned with taking action in the form of "eco-penance" than to protect life. While there is a section on their website dedicated to the Franciscan Campaign for Life, the fact that all the FAN is doing here is "embracing a position" rather than encouraging or suggesting any concrete action is a signal that life issues are far less important than ecology. There are plenty of suggestions for steps Franciscans and others can take to reduce our "petroleum footprint" and how our abstinence from certain earthly goods "provides space to consider whether our individual and social relationships with these goods are just and loving or in need of conversion." Spare me. I'm tired of seeing people being sacrificed on the altar of ecology--because all too often, extreme measures designed to protect our environment from "climate change" and other ills, real or imagined, lead us to believe that if there were fewer people in the world, it would be a better place.

As Mother Teresa once commented, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

Coming to My City

OK, my ZIP code, but let's not get picky.

The convent at one of the churches in my newly-merged parish has been vacant for a year and a half. On Monday night, the town council where the convent is located approved a variance so that the former convent can now become a Good Counsel Home.

There had been a good deal of opposition in town when this idea was first introduced. Fortunately, the town council was convinced that a home that would aid about ten young women in crisis pregnancies would not pose a danger to the town.

What a wonderful opportunity for the people in our parish to really stand up for life.

Impressive

Today I chaperoned an eighth-grade trip.

My daughter's class went on a pre-Confirmation retreat. We drove 1 1/2 hours to the retreat house (at the beach), where the students listened to a short talk by the priest who was coordinating the day. After that, they saw a prolife video that showed how babies develop in the womb--and just how soon after conception the heartbeat, brain waves and other functions have already gotten started. Mass was next, followed by lunch, a short activity on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and then cleanup for departure.

The students were lucky to have as their retreat director Monsignor Michael Mannion, who has not only worked with Mother Theresa and been a campus minister at several universities but also has worked with Project Rachel, a group that ministers to post-abortive mothers and fathers. Msgr. Mannion and my daughter's teacher strongly believe that it is never too early to teach children about the sanctity of life and the value of each person.

In his opening remarks to the students and later during his homily, Msgr. Mannion explained the difference between "idols" and "heroes." Idols, he said, are people who may work very hard at what they do--but it is for their own gain. Heroes, on the other hand, work very hard so that others, rather than themselves, will benefit. He challenged this group of 30+ teenagers to strive to be heroes, rather than idols; to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ways that will help other people. The day closed with the famous reading about love from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

The day was definitely worth the long ride on an unheated school bus. I hope that the eighth-graders were inspired by Msgr. Mannion's presentation and Mass today.

Bishops Urge Catholics to Write to Congress Re: Health-Care Plan

There's no time to lose!

The Bishops have urged Catholics in the USA to email their Congress members this weekend.

Pat Gohn has the scoop:

When you attend Sunday Mass this weekend, you may see a bulletin insert from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.... you can read the insert in this pdf file.

The Bishops are calling on all Americans to contact Congress to oppose health care reform that does not respect the dignity of human life, and which support abortion with tax dollars.

The bishops have made an easy-to-use one-stop fill-in-the-blank form to send your comments to Congress. Pass this link on to others!

The main page from the Bishops about healthcare is here. There is lots of good information there.

Image credit

Make Monday Count

We've done enough ranting and raving about the President speaking at Notre Dame this weekend. Despite all that has been written, all that has been said, that invitation was not rescinded and the speech and honors will go on as planned. Now it's time to capture the energy that has been generated by the pro-life Americans who oppose this honor. The message below is from the Monday Project website.

President Obama will speak at Notre Dame on Sunday.

What will happen on Monday?

Don't let Obama win this battle. Let's turn the Notre Dame scandal into the largest pro-life fundraiser this country has ever seen.

Donate now. Donate $1. Donate $5. Donate $10.

1) Donate to the Women's Help Center, a frontline, Catholic crisis pregnacy center. Or, donate to your local crisis pregnancy center (on the receipt page, click on "Contact Women's Help Center" to designate organization and location).

2) For every donation, we will send a pink or blue postcard to Fr. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, in honor of LIFE.

3) Send an email to 1, 5 or 10 friends with a link to this page.

We can win this battle. Let's do it for LIFE.

Hat tip to Denise for posting about this project. I'm in! Are you?

Worthwhile Culture-of-Life Links

All found via Twitter (follow me @sfomom)

--A Wolf in Pink Clothing: excellent explanation of the whole "why I don't support ACS and Susan G Komen" thing. Long, and worth every minute!

--Interesting take on the anti-Obama backlash provided by the ND invitation

--And our favorite author of adolescent-in-the-'80s books, Judy Blume, wants us to donate to Planned Parenthood to honor our mothers. Amy Welborn explains why this is not a great way to honor Mom!

The Cap and Gown Controversy

The American Papist shares photos of the traditional academic attire to be worn at the University of Notre Dame.

Let me tell you, there's a lot of hoopla about the gown, which has words from a prayer to the Blessed Mother on it (Vita, Dulcedo, Spes) as well as a cross. This morning as I ran a ton of errands, most Cub-Scout-related, I had ample opportunity to listen to the hosts and listeners at the Catholic Channel as "what the President will wear when he addresses Notre Dame graduates" was discussed.

I was in the car so I couldn't call in. (Use of cell phones in cars is a primary offense in this state.) So here's my opinion, in case you're interested. It's my blog, so I get to sound off here.

Graduation speakers traditionally wear academic attire, especially when they are awarded honorary degrees. As Obama is receiving an honorary ND degree it is only appropriate that he wear the ND gown. You wear the academic garb of the institution that awarded you the most recent degree, so it would not be appropriate for him to wear the gown he received with his bachelor's degree.

Maybe it's a good thing that he is wearing it. Maybe bearing those images on his person will make him think, even for a second, about what he has done via all those anti-life policies he has enacted.

But if I were in charge of wardrobe for this event, I'd see to it that a green scapular was sewn inside there somewhere.

In the meantime, I believe we should pray for the intercession of St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whose feast we celebrate this week. Who better to intercede on behalf of the conversion of an anti-life president than a woman--a medical doctor--who refused any treatments that would harm the life of her unborn child? Pray also for Father Jenkins, that he may see the damage he has done to the Catholic character of the University and the scandal he has created far beyond South Bend, Indiana. And pray that the University of Notre Dame will once again be a Catholic university from the top down!

Freedom to Care

This morning on The Catholics Next Door radio show on satellite radio, there was a guest from the Freedom 2 Care organization. They are a single-issue organization dedicated to protecting health-care providers' right to refuse to participate in or offer treatments that go against that care provider's religious and moral beliefs.

While care providers were granted that right in 2008, the Obama administration is working to rescind that right.

Visit Freedom 2 Care and check out information about the Conscience Clause. Learn how you can make your voice heard in defending the rights of health-care providers and Catholic hospitals.

My Alma Mater Gets It Wrong

The University of Notre Dame has invited President Barack Obama to speak at commencement this year, and will give him an honorary degree to boot.

This announcement was made Friday, the very same day I received an appeal for donations to the Annual Fund.

I kept the postpaid envelope that came with that appeal, but when I return it, there won't be a check inside. Instead, there will be a letter explaining my opposition to my alma mater's invitation of the most pro-abortion president in history--an invitation that implies that the University agrees with his policies and proposals.

I'll also be writing and emailing Father John Jenkins, CSC, president of the University. (Yes, he'll hear from me twice. At least.)

I believe that the University of Notre Dame needs to do a lot more to reinforce its Catholic character, especially in terms of its faculty and administration. In my opinion (as an alum, so I've seen and experienced student life there) the student life itself is evidence of Catholic life in spite of the faculty and administration. Frankly, that's a shame. At a Catholic university, the religious lives of the students should not be clearly opposite to what is often taught and to the example set by the administration.

There is no need for Notre Dame to invite and honor anyone who does not live by the ideals of the Church that founded the University. A Catholic university should bend over backward to find interesting commencement speakers who can truly be an example for the graduating students, who live by the principles of their Faith. Notre Dame never has trouble attracting applicants, so this cannot be a publicity stunt set up by the admissions office. And this may very well turn out to be counterproductive in terms of the Annual Fund.

At a University where Our Lady's Grotto is one of the most popular spots for students, employees and visitors alike, the selection of a pro-abortion president as a graduation speaker and honorary-degree recipient is both disappointing and shameful.

Bloggers all over are discussing this topic. I am particularly impressed with this post.

From my Inbox--a prayer request

One of my fellow Franciscans is keeping me updated on the 40 Days for Life project in our area. I do want to make it a point to get there during this Lent. But please keep the following in your prayers. This was forwarded from the local leader of the 40 Days for Life.

A pregnant lady just called me to schedule an abortion. She thought my website was the abortion clinic. She doesn't know how far along she is but hasn't had a menstration since Nov. I told her she can go get a free ultrasound at options. She said, well I already know I'm pregnant, I just want an abortion. I told her that her baby's heart is beating and that her baby feels pain immense pain during an abortion. She said, I know all that, I just want an abortion. So, I had to tell her we are not an abortion clinic. She asked what are you? I told her we can offer free pregnancy help or adoption. She slammed the phone down. Maybe God wanted her to call me to ask everyone to pray for her. The clinic will be closed until Tuesday. Please include her in your Rosary or Divine Mercy.

Pro-Life Presidential Valentine Campaign

You may have seen this idea floating around the Internet:

Get a red envelope. On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

On the back of the envelope, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion.
It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world.
Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

Esther (A Catholic Mom in Hawaii) has an idea with a slightly different twist for this project. Because some have suggested that empty envelopes can be flimsy and might get tangled up in postal machines--never making it to the White House--she proposes that the red envelope would instead contain a small card with these words:

OPEN your heart to the lives of your unborn CITIZENS. Be a President to ALL Americans!

She also urges us to put in a bunch of prayer cards while you're at it!

I'll be asking Little Brother to decorate my envelopes with some heart-shaped stickers--those are easy to find right now, and they go with the message I'll be including on the card.

Please find a way for your family to join this project--and pass the word along. It's very simple but has the potential to be very powerful.

A Little Good News

I am happy to see that the birth-control provisions have been taken out of the economic stimulus package.

There is still the concern that this money might go toward ACORN, but I'll take this bit for now.

I believe very strongly that it is up to all of us to let our elected officials know where we stand on any issue we feel strongly about! I did use the White House email form to express my opinion on the birth-control additions in the simulus package. So please DO respectfully but strongly write, email or call your representatives in government.

Stand up for what you believe in!

Here's how to contact your Senators and Representatives. You can use those sites to get snail-mail addresses and telephone numbers as well. Please use them!

More on Anti-Life Developments in Our Nation

Read what Genevieve Kinecke has to say about Nancy Pelosi's assertion that children are too expensive.

Denise, the Catholic Mom in the Domestic Church, also weighs in. Great title: Economics (Eugenics) Nancy Pelosi-Style

Father Jay Toborowski on our "Catholic" Speaker of the House.

Jean at Catholic Fire has the video of Pelosi on Stephanopoulos' program.

An excellent prolife article, with a quote from Mother Teresa, at Catholic.org. Hat tip to Michelle for posting this link at her blog.

Our Tax Dollars at Work at the Rambling Catholic Soccer Mom.

This will be updated as I find more commentary. I cannot tell you how much this whole thing toasts my marshmallows.

A Good Reminder: Soutenus posts some "House Rules" as we go through these next four years. Amen to THAT--let's keep it charitable, always. As the cheesy old song goes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

In the coming year

My Secular Franciscan Fraternity held its annual "Extraction of Saints" on Friday evening. This is a beautiful custom and we just love participating in it. In fact, we have members who have moved out of state, as well as the Sisters who no longer minister in our parish, asking to remain included in it. Naturally, we would never turn them away!

This year I was given the virtue of FAITH as the virtue I am to strive to develop. The Scripture that is to inspire me this year goes along with that virtue: "Come to my help, Lord God of my salvation." And my patron saint for the year will be St. Michael the Archangel.

I've heard people say, "Watch what you ask God for--you just might get it!" And every time someone says they need to pray for patience, they are warned that what they might get is plenty of times in which they need to USE patience. So when we host our Extraction of Saints, and the virtue is chosen for each person, that's the time when we all hold our breath. (Nobody likes to hear "Poverty" or "Fortitude!")

I know that my husband is very worried about what will happen for people of faith due to the inauguaration of the most anti-life president ever. I know that this is a time in which we cannot hide our faith--we must be sure to let it show, and to work hard to defend it. With that in mind, and calling upon the help of St. Michael the Archangel, I will try to keep the faith and not be shy about standing up for what I believe in.

This will not be an easy year. Obama made that clear by rescinding the Mexico City policy, and there is the threat of FOCA (though cousin Thomas doesn't think that threat is as imminent as some might believe--read more here.) And we've got the Speaker of the House, third in line for the presidency, telling our nation on national TV that federal funding for contraception will be helpful for the economy. That's right--she has suggested that it will help our nation's economy if people stop having babies; she contends that educating children is too expensive, as is their health care. Children are the future of our nation, but the Speaker of the House, a mother and grandmother herself, considers them more of a drain on national resources than a gift from God.

I was heartened this morning to hear a teacher at my younger children's school explaining the dangers of FOCA to our library aide. I am disappointed that my parish has done nothing, however, to join the postcard campaign or even include a bulletin announcement about the issue. So my first step this year will be to contact my pastor and encourage him to do this.

If we take even the smallest action in faith, those actions will add up. They will make a difference.

36 Years

Father wore purple at Mass today, and made sure to remind us of the grim anniversary we mark. (An estimated 50,000,000 unborn children have been murdered through abortion since the Roe V. Wade decision 36 years ago.)

The Life Principles at the March for Life website follow the idea of life as a "seamless garment" which was mentioned in today's homily.

Those of us who are unable to be at the March for Life today are all able to pray and to sacrifice in some way.

Gus Lloyd of Sirius XM's Catholic Channel has called for all Catholics to join him each day in one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be, for the intention of the conversion of President Obama, that he will see life as precious, and defend human beings from the moment of conception to natural death.

Are you in?