Candidate for President 2016
Legislative Gosnell?

Dismembered Babies

This is being written the day after Kermit Gosnell was found guilty of murder.  The horror stories of dismembered unborn, nearly born and actually born babies have filled the news.  Even people who say they support abortion are scandalized and horrified at what Gosnell has been found guilty of perpetrating.  He clearly has blood on his hands, but what the NYS Governor, Senate and Assembly intend to do, with ink on their hands, may not be all that much different.  If the atrocity is committed with surgical instruments or with death-driven laws, isn’t the result the same?   If Gosnell had perpetrated his horrors in NYS next year, would he be “not guilty?”  Has destroying the unborn become the new rite of passage to the White House?

Why?

The big mystery is why so many politicians are standing in line to dip their hands in Cuomo’s ink, and to share his guilt, and why so many lack the courage to “just say no!”

Today we present the nominee, Dr. Rhonda Jones, whose Guest Essay was reprinted in the Daily Messenger newspaper in Canandaigua, NY. 

The following pictures have been offered to us by Joe O’Mara (Steelers ‘Gold’ in the picture below) to share with our viewers:

Sadly, on the return home, news reached the buses of the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon.  The message of how all life is precious was again reinforced.  Whether life is taken by the government through its premeditated laws, or by terrorists in a public gathering, it is still an egregious offense against life and its Creator.  Let us pray.

• so devalue life that they are willing to extend abortion right up to the time of delivery!  
• are so lacking in respect for the mother carrying the child that they are willing to let any old “health care provider” do the dirty work (as more doctors, remembering their oath, decline to do so.)  
• who are so disrespectful of parental rights that children who can’t go on a school bustrip without parental permission can nevertheless have an abortion without a parent’s knowledge! 
• And who willingly undermine the conscience rights of everyone and erode the very meaning of the Bill of Rights!

Welcome to NYS under Andrew Cuomo,

Abortion Capital of the U.S. 

Soon be the Infanticide Capital as well?

What to do?  Stand up and be heard!  Buses will be leaving in the morning from various points in the 12-county Rochester Diocese on April 15th, and returning that evening.  Cost is $25 for adults, $15 for students.  There will be an opportunity at about 2:30 PM to visit with legislators, to get a bite to eat (bring your own food, or pick something up on a Thruway stop), then to attend the Vigil and pray.  Names of petitioners opposing the threatening legislation will be delivered to show the widespread resistance to the Cuomo catastrophe.

To make arrangements, contact Deacon Claude Lester at Albanyvigil@dor.org or by phone at 585-750-7524.   All reservations must be accompanied by payment.  Visa and Mastercard will be accepted.  Checks may be sent to Festival for Freedom, PO Box 196, Canandaigua, NY 14424.  Call also if you are carpooling and wish to coordinate plans.  All reservations must be made and monies received by Thursday, April 11, 2013.  See also http://www.nyscatholic.org/ and www.newyorkersforlife.org for additional information.

It is better to light one candle at the Albany Vigil

than to curse the darkness when the lights of life go out.

Thus,  the quicker people stand together in opposition to atrocities, the more likely they can postpone or never have to deal with the next atrocity bound to come, when people do not resist.  And, make no mistake, anyone who can permit the killing of a baby in the womb most assuredly is capable of doing much worse.

We do not stand alone in the Body of Christ, we stand together.  And there is no place for toleration of intrinsic evils, or for permitting Cuomo’s pending legislation to destroy life, variously called S-438, RHA (Reproductive Health Act) or Women’s Health Act.  Health is not about killing; it is about saving and protecting life.  There are 879 people, who attend St. Benedict’s Parish (St. Mary Canandaigua and St. Bridget Bloomfield), who had the courage to stand together and say “NO!” to Gov. Cuomo.  Here is a picture of what their “NO!” looks like:

Each person signed a peition in the format commonly required in New York State; i.e with addresses.  

In addition to the paper petitions,   their names were also transferred to the signage shown in Church.

It  shows how the Body of Christ can stand together, encouraging each other, rather than feeling alone or uncertain how to proceed. 

   It is a powerful statement of spiritual solidarity. 

Now, dare we dream, that every Church might do the same?

On April 15th there will be a procession to Albany to register our “NO!” and to pray for life. 

Watch this website for more information.  Meanwhile it is not too early to begin to gather signatures. 

The wording on the petition is shown in the box to the left.

It is not about us.

It is about God’s weakest and most vulnerable.

879 and Counting…

…on YOU!

A petition is at the very end of this post, but letters to the editor are even more influential than petitions, which some people have noted Cuomo seems to ignore with impunity.

Here are the highlights of this immorality Gov. Cuomo is about to be foist on the citizens of NYS.  See also http://www.nys4life.com

The Abortion Expansion Bill

This legislation would usher in extreme and sweeping changes to abortion policy in New York State. 

• The bill would permit unlimited late-term abortion on demand, which will allow more third-trimester abortions in New York State, a policy which the public strongly disapproves.  This ignores the state’s legitimate interest in protecting the lives of fully formed children in the womb, and ignores the will of a majority of New Yorkers who oppose late-term abortion.
• The bill would endanger the lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions. While current law states that only a “duly licensed physician” may perform an abortion, this bill would allow any “licensed health care practitioner” to perform an abortion ”prior to viability”.   This dangerous and extreme change clearly puts women’s health at risk, and mirrors a national abortion strategy to permit non-doctors to perform abortions due to the declining number of physicians willing to do so.
• The bill would preclude any future reasonable regulations of abortion. It would establish a “fundamental right of privacy” within New York State law, encompassing the right “to terminate a pregnancy,” even though the Supreme Court has rejected, numerous times, classifying abortion as a “fundamental right.”  This bill says that abortion is fundamental and thus untouchable – no regulations on abortion, ever:
  • no parental notification for minors’ abortions,
  • no limits on taxpayer funding of abortion,
  • no limits on late-term abortions,
  • no informed consent for pregnant women seeking abortion.
  • None of the commonsense regulations enacted by the vast majority of states and supported by large majorities of the public would be allowed in New York.
• The bill endangers the religious liberty of Catholic hospitals and other institutions. While the bill contains limited conscience protection, that protection is ambiguous and inadequate and is extended only to individual health providers who do not wish to “provide” abortions (protection that is already guaranteed by Civil Rights law.) What is not provided in the bill are protections for institutional providers, such as religious hospitals and other agencies that do not wish to be involved with abortion. The bill declares that “the state shall not discriminate” against the exercise of the fundamental right to abortion in the “provision of benefits, facilities, services or information.”  In other words, it would permit state regulators, such as the State Health Department or State Insurance Department, to require support for abortion from any agency or institution licensed or funded by the state.
• The bill could be used to undermine the state’s maternity programs. In a similar way, these beneficial programs, which are working well to reduce infant mortality, could be ruled “discriminatory” for favoring childbirth over abortion, and be denied state benefits if this bill were to become law.

The abortion expansion bill is uncompromising in its terms and extremely sweeping in scope.  The bill goes against the increasingly pro-life sentiment in this country, as evidenced by the most recent Marist poll (December 2012) which found that more than 8 in 10 Americans favor significant restrictions on abortion.  The Gallup Organization (May 2011) found that only 27% of Americans believe abortion should be legal under all circumstances. The majority of American adults (61%) believe abortion should either be more strictly limited than current law or not permitted at all.

Not only does the bill defy public opinion, but it also defies common sense.  New York State remains the abortion capital of the nation with the highest abortion rate of any state. New York City’s abortion rate remains at 40%, with some geographic regions within the city at 60%.  The reality is that, unfortunately,  no woman is without ample opportunity for an abortion in New York State.  Rather than voting on a bill that will increase the tragedy of abortion, we urge policy makers to look at constructive ways to reduce abortion and truly make abortion “rare.”

 Petition Letter to Gov. Cuomo

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

New York State Capitol

Albany, NY 12224

Re: Stop the Cuomo Abortion Expansion Bill

Dear Governor Cuomo:

I am strongly opposed to the abortion expansion bill. Whether it is a stand-alone bill (like S.438, Stewart-Cousins), or re-packaged in a so-called women’s rights agenda, it is a bill to increase and expand abortion in a state that currently leads the nation in abortions. The proposal is no simple update to New York’s abortion laws, as proponents claim. It is a radical bill that would allow nonphysicians to perform abortions, permit more late-term abortions, and could be used to compel all medical facilities, including religious hospitals, to allow abortions.

This proposal is unnecessary and dangerous. Women will not reach new heights of equality through more abortion. Abortion is already widely available in New York. We need to work together to reduce abortion, not expand it. I strongly urge you to oppose any expansion of abortion in New York State.

Sincerely,

Many of those who attended the 2012 Festival for Freedom will remember speaker  Daniel Kane, Director of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights,  Rome, Italy, who spoke on “The Slippery Slope.” 

Now he has brought to our attention an international art competition, for which we are happy to share this space, to make more people aware of the opportunity.

Calling Artists and Photographers of Faith and Good Will – The UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights, Rome Announces Our 2nd Global Art Competition:

“Create an image, with respect for all cultures and religions, that speaks to the impact of life sciences for present and future generations  ~ Illustrate Love, Compassion and Care.”

The Awards Purse Total is $15,000 and the categories include Fine Art, Photography and Student Art (ages 13-17). 

The deadline for the 2013 Competition is April 1, 2013.  The Student Art Deadline is July 1, 2013.  Winning art work will be exhibited at the UNESCO Multicultural and Religion Conference in Hong Kong December 3-5, 2013.   Additional Exhibits are in negotiation for Rome, New York (United Nations) and Houston.

 See http://www.bioethicsart.org for past winners, requirements and further information.  For further information contact Daniel Kane, Director, at (770) 335-0263 or dkane@unescobiochair.org.

For more information on what is Bioethics and why should art be associated with it, see: http://www.bioethicsart.org/bioethics/what-is-bioethics/

Dr. James Hitchcock, Professor at St. Louis University, was a key speaker during the 2012 Festival for Freedom, and the video of his talk, entitled “The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life,” can be found in a MEDIA section of this website.  Ironically, he was speaking as the Supreme Court rendered its decision on the HHS mandate, and was interrupted for that announcement.

In December 2012 his book, entitled  “History of the Catholic Church:  From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium,” was published, and it is meeting with such interest that some booksellers are already temporarily out of stock.  It is being hailed as authentic, readable and even — YES — enjoyable!  One can’t say that about every history book!

Here’s an excerpt regarding the Missionary challenge that was faced by the Church  in Japan:

Festival for Freedom has announced the winners of $1600 in prizes in its first essay contest.  The contest was open to high school seniors in Western New York’s area codes 716 and 585, plus selected other counties.  The subject, about which entrants submitted a 700-1000 word essay, was:

“Freedom of Conscience is Essential to all Freedoms, Especially the Freedom of Religion” 

The contest was announced on this website www.FestivalforFreedom.com and a mailing announcing the contest and its entry rules was sent to 261 High School principals in Western New York.  All known public and private schools were contacted, and the information also made available to home schools where they could be identified.  Announcements were sent to more than 40 newspapers and radio stations, including The Station of the Cross Catholic Radio, which provided frequent spot announcements for several weeks leading up to the closing date of the contest.  Students of any faith, or of no faith, were welcome to participate.  In some cases, individual entries were received; and in some cases multiple entries were received from a class in which students were encouraged by their teachers to enter.

Awards:  A committee of four judges read the essays and chose the following four winners, and two runners up for honorable mention:

GOLD:  First Prize $1000 to Emily Sullivan of Cleveland Hills High School in Cheektowaga, who wrote:  “The freedom of conscience is the right to follow and to hold true to one’s own beliefs and morals.”

SILVER (TIE):  Second Prize of $500 to be split between Morgan Seeley of Bradford Central School in Bradford, who wrote:  “To reach an opinion, one thinks with one’s mind.  To reach a conclusion of conscience, one thinks with one’s soul,” and Bethany Lynn Steele of Frewsburg High School in Frewsburg, who wrote:  “While government protects the right for an individual to practice his or her faith, they should, also, not force them to promote programs they don’t believe in.”

BRONZE:  Third Prize $100 to Nellie Owens of Cato-Meridian High School in Cato, who wrote:  “Without the ability to do what someone believes is the right thing, the individual, in truth, does not have the freedom to answer to their conscience and therefore is deprived from being able to practice their religion.”

Receiving Honorable Mention were: 

Ben Drexler of Aquinas Institute in Rochester, who wrote:  “Freedom of Conscience allows citizens of the United States to work towards the common good of the people….”

Joseph Saltarelli of Cardinal O’Hara High School in Tonowanda, who wrote:  “If choices are what make us, then conscience is the self-learned governance of those choices….  Conscience is … the workable substance of our character.”

Judges’ Review

The judges commented on the diligence with which many entrants researched the subject, and the unique views by which they expressed themselves.  Many of the entrants demonstrated a keen understanding of the difference between conscience and opinion.

The judges expressed their delight that so many of the entrants understood that Freedom of Conscience, which underpins and is essential to the Freedom of Religion, is a freedom which comes from God, and not from government.  But, accordingly, the students also expressed the understanding that it is the responsibility of government, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, to protect those God-given freedoms. 

The judges were also impressed at the wide ranging ability of the students to quote from Madison to Mahatma Gandhi, from Pinocchio to Popes, from Lincoln to Locke, as well as references to The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the UN’s Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Star Spangled Banner.  Their examples were as wide ranging as Lord Baltimore’s Toleration Act, the Five Pillars of Islam, Nordquist’s Safir-Whorf Hypothesis, the impact of conscientious objection, the Holocaust, and the abortion-subsidizing Obamacare, with its HHS Mandate.

There were only two areas where the judges noted their desire to see more clarity in some of the submissions.  One was around the issue of toleration and the obligation to be tolerant and respectful of people, but not to compromise one’s own conscience by tolerance of doctrines, beliefs or opinions which violate that individual’s own conscience.  The other area which the judges felt needs a deeper understanding is when the exercise of individual conscience requires civil disobedience, the revolutionary basis upon which the United States was founded.  Perhaps that subject might even become the opportunity for a future essay contest, the judges speculated.

The Festival for Freedom notes with appreciation the efforts of all entrants, and the support of their teachers, principals and families in generating submissions for this contest, which illustrates the encouraging result that an understanding of conscience is alive and well among the young adults on the brink of voting.                                                                      

http://www.mpnnow.com/2012-elections/x303001711/Voting-a-matter-of-conscience

Our secular world has found it very difficult to understand and articulate what conscience is, and how it differs from opinion.  Isn’t this at the root of why so many well-meaning people can’t tell right from wrong?  Wouldn’t it be a service to others, or at least fulfill one’s own conscience’s urging, to sponsor a session to clarify what conscience means and what is our obligation to follow its directive?  So, imagine such a conference with a key note speaker of the stature of Dan Kane, a Director of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights at the European University of Rome and the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum.  Some parishioners at St. Patrick’s in Victor imagined just such a program, and believe that the message of conscience formation should be heard.  They are holding a free seminar on Thursday, October 25th, to address Conscience Formation.  Please forward this invitation to anyone who may have interest.  It is likely to be the last opportunity before the election to have such meaningful dialogue!