LifeNet

Obama dissolves the Presidential Bioethics Council

Obama Scraps President's Bioethics Council After Forcing Embryonic Tax-Funding

The President's Council on Bioethics is no more. With a one-day notice, the members were told in a letter from the President that their services were no longer required.

Fr. Euteneuer on John the Baptist's Unborn Witness

The President of Human Life International (HLI) has an essay in his latest email worth reading.

John the Baptist, Unborn Witness to Christ

The touching story of the two unborn children who were present at the Visitation should give us a reason to rejoice with Elizabeth and Mary at the dawning of our salvation. While the mothers basked in the overwhelming grace of the moment, the older of the two children was already working for our salvation in the way decreed for him by the Almighty from all eternity. That little baby was announcing the coming of the Savior even from the womb!

One has to marvel at the life of St. John the Baptist whose feast we celebrate each year on June 24th. Perhaps we take him for granted because his story is so familiar to us, but his vocation to holiness is beyond comparison with any other saint in history. With the exception of Jesus' most holy Mother, never has there been a human being so perfectly united to the Person of Christ than John. He was so perfect a man that Jesus Himself said that there was "no man born of woman greater than John." Great men of the world exalt themselves over their subjects as a way to assert their grandeur; yet, John's greatness was precisely in lowering himself to the depths of the earth (i.e., the Dead Sea, geographically the world's lowest point on land) and turning the attention of men away from himself onto Another. What worldly man does that? A man who lives in the desert and wears camel hair garments is hardly going to be accepted among the movers-and-shakers of society, but it was this greatest of men who said that he actually had to decrease if he were to fulfill his essential mission. Truly John's was a life of striking paradoxes which, when examined closely, point out the holiness of the man whose whole existence was to bear witness to Holiness Himself.

John's greatest witness was not in his words, however. It was in his actions. We know of only two actions outside of his baptizing and preaching that give us a window into this man's pure soul: his joyful leap in the womb of Elizabeth and his ultimate act of self-sacrifice in martyrdom. In birth and death he was the Lord's, as in every other moment of his existence. His pre-natal rejoicing at the Christ Child wordlessly proclaimed that all children, no matter the circumstances of their conception or birth, are unqualified blessings to us, joyful additions to the human family of which God never repents. We have the testimony of the "greatest man born of woman" as our witness to the sanctity of each and every human life!

John also valiantly embraced the multiple crosses of his life: penitence, suffering, imprisonment and beheading before the Perfect Sacrifice of the Cross was consummated. No wonder the scriptures tell us that even the wicked Herod, "felt the attraction of his words." John had that rare integrity of life that filled his words with grace. It was his life, his appearance, his humility, his mission and his gift of self that make John attractive to all generations, especially those who suffer injustice for the cause of righteousness.

I have no doubt that if John the Baptist were alive today he would be standing in front of abortion clinics witnessing to the unborn Christ in each child, calling people to account for their promiscuity, challenging the powers that keep this immoral industry in business, healing the wounded souls victimized by abortion, washing men clean of their sins that lead to death, teaching us to find joy even in our suffering and ready to lay down his own life so that others could live.

Truly there is no greater man born of woman than John the Baptist. He is the Unborn Witness to Christ who shows us the way out of the culture of death; if only we will listen to the silent eloquence of that little baby leaping in his mother's womb.

Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

 

The Jesuits at America magazine attack the bishop of Kansas City

In a recent editorial. Read about it here, on the blog of the Diocese of Kansas City

The Catholic Key Blog: America Mag's Calumny in Service of a Human Master

Word in that Same-Sex "Marriage" to be voted on today in Albany

Hi to all on Wednesday, June 24, 2009!

 

We just got a call that one of the "vital" pieces of legislation that Albany will deal with today is the same-sex "marriage" bill.

 

Please, even if you have already contacted your State Senator - ours is Vincent Leibell - do so again and reiterate your concerns. This piece of legislation will attempt to dictate to the majority on a matter that could be handled via domestic partnership laws, without attempting to change the institution of marriage from one man and one woman. Marriage as it exists serves society as a whole and benefits children across cultures and around the world for thousands of years and exists as such for reasons that demand our understanding and our support.

 

Leibell's Washington # 518-455-3111; Local # 845-279-3773

 

Call again! Thanks.

 

Judy

20 years after it was first suggested by Cardinal O'Connor, the Bishops approve a "Mass for Life"

A brief article. But read the quote below - about the "peace and justice" liturgy

Bishops Approve Mass for Life at Their Spring Meeting

...before the vote Archbishop Sheehan noted that various Masses exist for various purposes and "the peace and justice Mass we presently have just doesn't do it" for the life issue.

How ridiculour is that?

USCCB press release - Bishops show support for Bishop D'Arcy in Notre Dame/Obama controversy

An expression of "solidarity" without mentioning what the controversy was about.

USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) U.S. Bishops Express Support for Bishop D’arcy and His Pastoral Concern for the University of Notre Dame

The bishops of the United States express our appreciation and support for our brother bishop, the Most Reverend John D'Arcy. We affirm his pastoral concern for Notre Dame University, his solicitude for its Catholic identity, and his loving care for all those the Lord has given him to sanctify, to teach and to shepherd.

Are laws outlawing abortion a recent development?

This is frequently claimed by the pro-abortion forces. And they are wrong. This is a great short article.

Abortion Laws: A Recent Development?

Myth: Abortion laws were of rather recent origin, and were adopted to protect women from dangerous surgery, not to protect unborn children.

Reality: Throughout almost all stages of history in nations influenced by Christianity, and in other nations as well, abortion has been strongly condemned by the religious and political leadership of these nations.

********

During the 1800s, advanced medical knowledge enabled the doctors to determine the child was alive prior to quickening. In 1859 the American Medical Association unanimously adopted the AMA Report on Criminal Abortion. The report condemned abortion and stated one reason abortions took place was “wide-spread popular ignorance of the true character of the crime—a belief, even among mothers themselves, that the foetus is not alive till after the period of quickening.” Another reason, the Report stated, was the “grave defects of our laws, both common and statute, as regards the independent and actual existence of the child before birth, as a living being.” The Report continued, “With strange inconsistency, the law fully acknowledges the foetus in utero and its inherent rights, for civil purposes; while personally and as criminally affected, it fails to recognize it, and to its life as yet denies all protection.” Abortion, it stated, was “no simple offence against public morality and decency, no mere misdemeanor, no attempt upon the life of the mother, but the wanton and murderous destruction of her child.” Declaring that “physicians have long been united in condemning the act of producing abortion, at every period of gestation, except as necessary for preserving the life of either mother or child,” the AMA Report called upon state legislatures to make abortion at all stages of gestation a criminal offense.

 

Reminder: this Saturday in Yonkers - Mass and Vigil at Planned Parenthood

10AM Mass at St. Mary's Church on South Broadway and then walk to Planned parenthood. This is a rain or shine event.

For more info go here:  LifeNet: June 20th Pro-life Mass and then Vigil at Yonkers Planned Parenthood

Pro-life events this weekend in Wichita responding to George Tiller murder

From the lifenews website -

Pro-Life Advocates to Hold Weekend Memorial Events in Wichita Over George Tiller
Wichita, KS (LifeNew.com) -- Several pro-life advocates are putting together a series of prayer and memorial events for slain late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller and his family over the weekend. The events will be held in Wichita, Kansas on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20, to pray for healing and an end to abortion-related violence. Operation Rescue and the Christian Defense Coalition, along with Living Word Outreach in Wichita, will co-sponsor the event, called “A Time for Healing… A Time for Life.” Rev. Patrick Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition will lead a Friday evening prayer vigil, a Saturday walk across Wichita down Kellogg Avenue to pray for peace and healing, and a memorial service at Tiller's former abortion center where hundreds of flowers will be placed to honor the unborn children who die there. Prayers for the Tiller family will be offered by members of the clergy. "We encourage the pro-life community, including the community's pastors, to join us in earnest prayers to the cessation of violence, both inside and outside the womb, and to memorialize those who have tragically lost their lives," said Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue. "This is a time to come together in unity to pray and reflect on the precious gift of life, and to thank God that pre-born babies are currently safe in this community. It's time for the healing process to begin."

Action Alert from the NY State Catholic Conference - Stop the Abortion Bill

With less than two weeks left in the state's regular legislative session, the radical abortion bill titled "The Reproductive Health Act" has just been introduced in the Senate as S.5808.  It is critical to communicate your opposition to this bill to your elected representatives in Albany.  Click here to find an editable pre-written message to your lawmakers which you can send with just a few clicks of the mouse.  Please do so as soon as possible.   If that link does not work, please go to www.nyscatholic.org and click "Take Action Now."

 This is from the Center for Life:

 

Please call your State Senator as soon as possible!

 

Message: "Oppose the radical abortion Reproductive Health Act - S5808, currently in the Senate Rules Committee. This bill is not simply an attempt to update New York's abortion laws. It is a broad, unnecessary and dangerous bill that would radically alter New York abortion policy."

 

Governor David A. Paterson          518-474-8390

Sen. Jeffrey Klein                         518-455-3595 (Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, Yonkers)

Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins        518-455-2585 (Greenburgh, Mt. Pleasant, Yonkers)

Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson         518-455-2061 (Mt. Vernon)

Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer                 518-455-2031 (Harrison, Mamaroneck, New Castle, New Rochelle, North White Plains, Ossining, Rye, Scarsdale, White Plains)

Sen. Vincent Leibell                      518-455-3111 or 845-279-3773 (Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco, Peekskill, Pound Ridge, Somers, Yorktown, and all of Putnam County)

 

From the NY State Catholic Conference:

 

The bill contains extraordinarily broad language that would declare a
fundamental 'right of privacy' in state law.  The proposal opens the door
to extreme results.

The bill would:
•Legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, for virtually
any reason;
•Make abortion immune from any reasonable state regulation such as
parental notification or informed consent; and
•Repeal current law that requires licensed doctors to perform abortions
and allow any "health care practitioner" to provide it.
 
While the bill contains limited conscience protection, the language is
ambiguous and inadequate and likely applies only to individuals who do not
wish to provide abortions.  The bill could:

•Force hospitals to allow abortions, including religious hospitals and
others whose mission statements oppose it;
•Force insurance plans, including those of Catholic employers, to cover
abortion;

•Force religious charitable agencies to counsel and refer for
abortion;
•Force all schools, including Catholic schools, to educate children about

 abortion; and
•Force individual doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to promote
abortion.

Because the bill declares that the state "may not discriminate" against
the exercise of abortion in providing "benefits, facilities, services or
information," it could compel every institution licensed or funded by the
state to support, cover and/or allow abortions. 

 

HVCL reminds you that you can use the above bullet points as talking points when you call or email, if you wish. Again, the www.nyscatholic.org website has this as a prewritten message for you to send. The short "message" written at the beginning is to the point when you call Washington or district offices!

 

Thanks for your immediate action!

Dr. King's niece says any comparison between George Tiller and Dr. Martin Luther King is "Offensive beyond belief"

Dr. Alveda King Calls Comparison of George Tiller to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 'Offensive Beyond Belief'

"For LeRoy Carhart to mention the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked through peaceful and non-violent means, in the same breath with that of George Tiller, whose work ended peace and brought violence to babies in the womb, is offensive beyond belief," said Dr. King.  "The analogy is just wrong."

"Dr. Carhart also speaks of hate crimes," added Dr. King.  "I would simply ask him, is it not hateful to regard an entire class of people as non-human because they're unwanted?"

Here's 30 seconds of audio from Tiller at an abortion practitioner's conference in 1995. He takes credit for 10,000 abortions between 24 and 36 weeks gestation. 

http://www.cashill.com/images/audio/Tiller%20Audio%20-%201995-1.mp3

Would the late Cardinal Bernardin have voted for Obama? Or Giuliani? Or Kennedy? Or Cuomo?

No.

The Cardinal is frequently mis-interpreted beause of his valid promotion of the Consistent Ethic of Life, or Seamless Garment approach. Certain politicized theologians (and a few prelates) have used this to try and justify the idea that all the life, peace, and justice issues are equal.

But not Cardinal Bernardin. Here is an example of the Cardinal's true position, from an interview in 1988. We thank Ed Mechmann of the Archdiocese for pointing us toward this article:

Bernardin: Put Life First: National Catholic Register

Q. But a practical question must be dealt with. People see candidates running who think that a woman’s right to abortion should never be repealed; who do not support a human life amendment. Can Catholics disqualify such candidates because they violate the consistent ethic of life?

Bernardin: Well, certainly. That’s what the consistent ethic is all about. I feel very, very strongly about the right to life of the unborn, the weakest and most vulnerable of human beings. I don’t see how you can subscribe to the consistent ethic and then vote for someone who feels that abortion is a “basic right” of the individual. The consequence of that position would be an absence of legal protection for the unborn.

Notre Dame alumni working for reform

This is from the Catholic news service ZENIT. Note last paragraphs where supportive faculty feel they have to request anonymity.

Notre Dame Alumni Report Feeling Disenfranchised

Concerned Students Are Not Learning Catechesis

By Genevieve Pollock
    
DEARBORN, Michigan, JUNE 2, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Notre Dame alumni coalition is entering phase two in the program to replace the university's leadership, using their pocketbooks as leverage.

David DiFranco, '95 graduate and spokesman of ReplaceJenkins.com, told ZENIT that although the initiative materialized amid the public protest of the school's decision to honor President Barack Obama at the May 17 commencement ceremony, the work is far from being over.

The coalition launched the national outreach effort in April appealing to alumni and benefactors to hold back donations until the university's president, Father John Jenkins, is replaced.

"Our endeavor is entering a new phase," he said. "We did not establish ourselves to prevent Obama from speaking" at the university's commencement ceremony.

This event gave us a "rallying cry," DiFranco said, but "the culminating point in our endeavor is still a long way off."

The problem at Notre Dame, he explained, is that "something needs to change in the leadership."

The coalition is calling for a new university head "who is committed to the authentic identity of Notre Dame, grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church."

The protest against Obama's invitation to give the commencement address and receive an honorary law doctorate served to "wake people up," the spokesman said, as many alumni did not realize the situation at the school.

The alumni are "feeling disenfranchised," he said. They are surprised at the bad leadership of administration and faculty.

"Obama's invitation to speak was not the worst part," DiFranco explained. The defense made by university president Father John Jenkins of the decision "angered alumni even more."

He added that there was also an outcry over the fact that during the commencement ceremony, many students showed support for Obama, shouting campaign slogans, which "shows that the students are not learning their catechesis."

Clear cut

Over 80 bishops and more than 367,000 Catholics voiced disagreement with Father Jenkins, saying he disregarded the 2004 guidelines from the U.S. bishops that state: "Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" with "awards, honors, or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

This is a very "clear cut case," DiFranco said. Obama is not just pro-choice, but is among a very small minority who actively defends abortion rights in every instance.

The spokesman asserted that the percentage of students standing against the decision should match the percentage that is Catholic.

The admissions office of the university estimates that 80%-85% of each incoming freshman class identifies themselves as Catholic.

DiFranco acknowledged that although most media attention focused on the fact that only 40 seniors out of some 2,900 boycotted the ceremony, there may have been many more who were against the university's decision.

Now, he said, although the press dropped the story after commencement day, we are just beginning the second phase of the campaign, to "connect with Notre Dame individuals who have power to induce change."

DiFranco affirmed that the project has been initially successful, with responses from every alumni era.

On graduation day, the coalition had confirmed over $15 million in donations withheld from the university.

Although the coalition has not released an updated number, the spokesman affirmed that the total number of donations "has swelled."

The group is carefully sorting through and confirming other pledges, and DiFranco stated that there are still tens of millions of dollars to be authenticated.

The coalition will formally deliver its campaign results to the Notre Dame administration at a moment it deems "appropriate," he said.

The alumnus concluded by affirming that there are glimmers of hope for Notre Dame, despite the need for some changes.

He reported that several faculty members contacted the coalition to express support, though requesting anonymity.

At Notre Dame, "there is a contingent with some strength," DiFranco said, and with the right environment and situation, "you may see something positive coming out."

--- --- ---

Head of Operation Rescue op ed: "We abhor vigilantism"

Troy Newman - really a great column that makes the important points in eight paragraphs.

Opposing view: We abhor vigilantism - Opinion - USATODAY.com

The fundamental tenet of the pro-life movement is that human life has intrinsic value and is deserving of protection from the moment the seed and egg unite, until natural death. To take a life without due process devalues all life.

We at Operation Rescue were shocked to hear of the killing of late-term abortionist George Tiller and were among the first groups to denounce the cowardly act that took Tiller's life. It was not justice, but vigilantism, which must be abhorred by a society that embraces the rule of law over anarchy.

Social justice begins in the womb or it does not exist at all. The spark of life is so precious that the matter of abortion demands we expose it for what it is: the brutal and immoral destruction of a unique human being.

We at Operation Rescue were shocked to hear of the killing of late-term abortionist George Tiller and were among the first groups to denounce the cowardly act that took Tiller's life. It was not justice, but vigilantism, which must be abhorred by a society that embraces the rule of law over anarchy.

Social justice begins in the womb or it does not exist at all. The spark of life is so precious that the matter of abortion demands we expose it for what it is: the brutal and immoral destruction of a unique human being.

Profound letter to the Editor about the Tiller murder

Feel free to comment on the Journal News website:

 

 

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090603/OPINION/906030309&s=d&page=1

 

As a firm believer that God is the author of all life and all life is sacred from the moment of creation until natural death, we who call ourselves pro-life can never support any form of killing in the womb or out.

Dr. George Tiller was murdered in his church on Pentecost Sunday, the day when the Holy Spirit empowered the Church.

The answer to violence is never violence for we become what we morally object. The answer to killing is not to kill. Jesus was so right. He commanded us to "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Matthew 5:44.

Love has a power far greater than any hatred or evil. Because of the love the late Cardinal John O'Connor, archbishop of New York, showed to the most prominent abortion doctor, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, he was able to write the book, "The Hand of God." Dr. Nathanson shares his compelling story of his conversion from death to life.

Cardinal O'Connor was horrified by the death of Dr. Bernard Slepian and publicly stated that if anyone wanted to murder abortion doctors, to come and take his life first.

Our prayers are with Mrs. Tiller and their children and their loved ones.

May all of us follow the wise words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "In order to change them we first must love them, and they must know they are loved."

Eileen Peterson

Stony Point

Among her other pro-life ministries, Eileen is involved with the Rachel's Vineyard program of healing for post-abortive men and women.

Email letter from Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life

Take note of the audio of George Tiller below. We have highlighted a crucial point in Fr. Pavone's email

Also - many of Tiller's patients were not women concerned that their baby had a disability. They were frequently young women who delayed telling their families of their pregnancies and were then pressured into ending them, despite how far along they may have been. Or they were women who simply didn't realize they were pregnant.

Brothers and Sisters,

[I invite you to read the following statement I released yesterday, and also to listen to some chilling audio from George Tiller and to watch and comment on a new You Tube video at the links below. – Fr. Frank Pavone]

The pro-life leadership has gone out of its way - and rightly so - to condemn the violence that took the life of abortionist George Tiller on Sunday. I join with those voices, as I always have done, that declare that the end never justifies the means, and that violence has no place in the effort to end abortion.

I have been asked what I think the biggest negative effect of this killing will be on our pro-life movement. Does it tar the movement's reputation? Yes, it does, despite the fact that those who kill abortionists are always disconnected from pro-life organizations. Does it make the government reach too far in clamping down on First Amendment activity against abortion? Yes, it does and it will.

But those are not the biggest dangers.

The biggest danger is the enemy within. It is the fear and self-doubt to which we can all too easily fall victim. It is the voice inside that makes us feel guilty for saying "Abortion is murder" or "Abortion is a holocaust" or "The babies who are being killed need to be defended now." It is the fear inside that keeps us from going out to the abortion mills and intervening to save the children scheduled to be killed there each day.

The biggest danger is that some will listen to those in the pro-abortion movement who try to lay blame for violence on us and who, as one person wrote on my blog, think that saying "Abortion is murder" should be prosecuted because it leads to violence against abortionists.

The Church teaches us that we have to look evil in the eye. John Paul II, in "The Gospel of Life", said that we have to call evil by its proper name. This is no time to shrink back from the reality of what is going on every day in abortion. Children are being killed, and the reason it continues is that too many of our fellow citizens are blind to it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail, responded to criticisms that the civil rights activists were fomenting violence. No, he said. That's like saying the person who owns money is fomenting the activity of the robber. To expose the violence that is already occurring, to call it what it is, and to sound the alarm that it has to stop, is not to foment violence.

The pro-life movement is a movement of non-violence. As Ghandi and Dr. King taught, and as we teach, non-violence is not passivity, and it is not obscurity. It is a force. It is a clear and strong response against violence, in whatever form that violence takes.

Let the outcry against Tiller's murder be loud and clear. And let the outcry against the murders he committed - and that other abortionists commit -- be loud and clear as well.

Click below to hear Dr. Tiller's words to prospective abortion clients. Notice, he makes no attempt to deny that this is a baby, and offers the parents the opportunity to view their dead baby and say goodbye with religious and other rituals. (06:43)

http://www.priestsforlife.org/audios/george-tiller-1.mp3

If you have trouble opening the link above, go to www.priestsforlife.org/images/tiller-audio.htm

Please watch and comment on Fr. Frank’s You Tube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjWfvAaYtw

Additional note: Luhra Tivis Warren, who once worked at the Tiller abortion business, gave her testimony at a public conference of former abortion providers sponsored by the Pro-Life action League in Chicago on April 3, 1993. She described the crematorium on the premises which George Tiller used to burn the bodies of his victims, which included babies even in the third trimester of pregnancy. She states, "I could smell the babies burning."

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life and Gospel of Life Ministries

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Email: mail@priestsforlife.org
Phone: 718-980-4400
Fax: 718-980-6515
www.PriestsForLife.org

Yonkers-based Advocates for Life press release on murder of abortionist George Tiller

STATEMENT BY ADVOCATES OF LIFE

                                        ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

                                                         May 31, 2009

 

     The Advocates of Life adds its voice in union with those who condemn the murder of

Dr. George Tiller, an abortionist in Kansas.  While we abhor the violence Dr. Tiller brought upon

the unborn and their families, we also abhor the killing of abortion personnel because:

 

1.  The lives of those who kill the unborn still have full dignity because they, too, are created in the Image and Likeness of God.  No human life is dispensible!

 

2.  Those who kill abortion personnel act like abortion personnel by choosing who lives and dies.  Who lives and dies is solely in the hands of God.  It is blasphemy to decide who lives and dies, thus usurping the rights of God.  We don't know if the killer of Dr. Tiller did it in "God's Name," or not, but if he did, this is even further blasphemy.  To do violence in God's Name is blasphemy...it is against the First Commandment!

 

3.  By killing abortion personnel we are taking the chance of conversion away from them.  The Gospel is about conversion!  Thank God no vigilante took the lives of former abortionists

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, Dr. Anthony Levatino, or abortion business owner Carroll Everett, or Norma McCorvey, the "Roe" of  Roe vs. Wade!

 

4.  Last, violence against abortion personnel hurts the pro-life cause and makes it more difficult in building a Culture of Life.

 

     We all know that the vigilante who killed Dr. Tiller does not represent the millions of peaceful pro-lifers in this nation, the vast, vast majority of pro-lifers.  We pray for the soul of Dr. Tiller and for the consolation of his family.  We also pray for end to all vioelnce against human life!

 

Anthony Felicissimo

President, Advocates of Life

Catholic League press release on the murder of abortionist George Tiller

THE POLITICS OF TILLER’S DEATH

June 1, 2009

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on the death of Dr. George Tiller:

The Catholic League unequivocally condemns the killing of serial killer, Dr. George Tiller. As I said on the CBS Evening News, “We have to get the message out that life means we have to respect all life, including somebody as bad as Dr. Tiller was.” Unfortunately, his death has already occasioned a highly political response from his allies.

From what we know of the suspect, Scott Roeder, the ex-con fits the profile of a deranged man. Yet there are those who are already trying to pin the blame on others. Andrew Sullivan and the Daily Kos have fingered Bill O’Reilly and are running a video of O’Reilly’s past denunciations of Tiller. Worse than this irresponsible accusation is the hypocrisy of the Daily Kos: above the O’Reilly video is an advertisement for an upcoming interview on C-Span2 with Bill Ayers, the urban terrorist who is a hero in some left-wing circles.

Others are busy collectivizing the guilt. Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, refers to “those who are behind this murder,” suggesting that this is part of a pro-life cabal. Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, also blames “individuals” for Tiller’s death. Similarly, Dr. Warren Hern, a late-term abortionist from Colorado, said Tiller’s death was the result of “a fascist movement in this country.”

Perhaps the ultimate politicization is the decision by U.S. Attorney Eric Holder ordering federal marshals to protect “other appropriate people and facilities around the nation.” Thus does Holder feed the frenzy of the pro-abortion industry that what happened to Tiller is the work of the pro-life community. We will closely monitor these developments.

Pro-life Action League press release re: the murder of abortionist George Tiller

The Pro-life Action League, founded by Joseph Scheidler, and based in Chicago, is one of the most effective direct action organizations in the Country.

Conversion, Not Killing Is the Solution:

Pro-Life Action League

Condemns the Killing of Late-term Abortionist George Tiller

Chicago, IL “We deplore the killing of George Tiller on Sunday morning,” said Joseph M. Scheidler, national director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League.

“It has always been my philosophy that we convert abortionists,” said Scheidler. “As activists committed to saving lives, we vigorously oppose violence.”

Scheidler once shared a taxi with Dr. Tiller as both were headed from the airport in New Orleans

to the National Abortion Federation Convention.

“Tiller apparently recognized me, but did not recall that I was a pro-life activist. He assumed I was another abortionist attending the conference,” said Scheidler. “He enthusiastically extolled the value of the ultrasound in performing abortions, and invited me to visit his clinic in Wichita.”

The following day Scheidler attended Tiller’s presentation on the use of ultrasound. By then the doctor had realized that Scheidler was in the opposition camp, and refused to proceed with his presentation until Scheidler left the room.

“Having sat and talked with George Tiller, I probably feel a little more connection with him than many other pro-lifers might,” said Scheidler. “I am adamantly opposed to what he did for a living. But I believe that anyone can come to the truth. Tiller deserved the chance to turn away from the evil of abortion. I cannot condone the taking of his life.”

Contacts for the media: 

Eric Scheidler, Pro-Life Action League: (630) 896-1200, (773) 251-8792 (cell)

Tom Ciesielka, TC Public Relations: (312) 422-1333, tc@tcpr.net

# # #

About Pro-Life Action League

The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joseph M. Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving unborn children through non-violent direct action. Through prayer vigils outside abortion facilities and sidewalk counseling, the League reaches out to abortion-bound women and couples with abortion alternatives, confidential counseling and access to pregnancy resources.

Since July 2007, the League has been at the center of the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood’s flagship abortion facility in Aurora, Ill., dubbed, “Ground Zero” of the abortion battle by abortion supporters and opponents alike. The League has closed eight abortion clinics in Chicago alone and nearly a hundred across the country.

The Pro-Life Action League is a nonprofit organization, supported solely by private donations. For more information, visit www.prolifeaction.org.