LifeNet

Reminder: County Board Mtg tonite - plus - our op ed was published today

As a reminder, the Westchester County Board Meeting with the discussion and possible vote on the anti-prolife free speech restriction legislation starts at 7PM. Entry to the chambers commences at 6:15 - you must sign in AND let them know if you wish to speak. The Michaelian government Office building is at 148 Martine Ave., in White Plains.

Here is the link to the Journal News/lohud.com "Community  View" op ed which was published this morning. It was published as written and includes a picture from the recent forum.

Community view: Clinic law aims to restrict speech

 

Georgetown Rejects Sandra Fluke, No Birth Control Policy Change

In a letter from the President of Georgetown, as he clarifies the University position.

The letter doesn’t take Fluke to task or even mention her directly, but it rebuts many of the claims she made as she gained national notoriety and attempted to use it to force the college to do her bidding. One of Fluke’s biggest points of contention is that students may somehow find themselves in very rare circumstances in which birth control may be medically necessary — something DeGioia says is already covered in the current policy.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

I write to you regarding Georgetown’s health insurance and contraceptive coverage in our plans.  Many members of our community have expressed different perspectives on this issue.  I am grateful for the respectful ways in which you have shared your opinions.

As you know, like most universities, Georgetown requires that students have health insurance. Students are not required to purchase their health insurance through Georgetown University and are free to acquire health insurance through a third party. The student plan offered by Georgetown is consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit identity and does not cover prescription contraceptives for birth control.  It does provide coverage for these prescriptions for students who require them for health reasons unrelated to birth control, as determined by a physician.

After thoughtful and careful consideration, we will continue our current practice for contraceptive coverage in our student health insurance for the coming year, as allowed for under the current rules issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

There will also be no change to the University’s approach to contraceptive coverage for employees for 2013.

We will be monitoring further regulatory and judicial developments related to the Affordable Care Act. I hope this is helpful in clarifying a matter of concern to many of you.

You have my very best wishes as we conclude our academic year.

Sincerely,
John J. DeGioia

Pending HVCL Journal News oped: "Legislation Targeting Pro-life Free Speech is un-American"

Here's our Community View piece submitted to the Journal News prior to the Public Hearing at the Westchester County Board Meeting on Monday, April 30, 7 p.m., 148 Martine Avenue (at Court Street), White Plains, New York - 8th floor:

Legislation Targeting Pro-life Free Speech is un-American

At the upcoming Monday evening Westchester County Legislative meeting the pro-abortion lobby will again promote legislation to profile and restrict the free speech rights of anti-abortion protestors and sidewalk counselors outside of abortion facilities.

The Federal “Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act” and similar state legislation is already in place, and has been since 1994. These Acts provide onerous penalties for anyone who might “use force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, interfere with, or attempt to injure, intimidate or interfere with individuals obtaining or providing reproductive health care services.

Naturally the Federal law does not try to quell our First Amendment right to free speech. “Clinic protesters remain free to conduct peaceful protest, including … praying, carrying signs, walking picket lines and distributing anti-abortion materials outside of clinics.”

So any new legislation is unnecessary, unless there is an ulterior motive. And of course there is. The proposed County legislation (Sec. 425.51) allows a clinic facility, even if there have been no complaints lodged with the police or any other competent authority, to bring “a civil action”. That is, sue a person who the clinic feels has harassed or intimidated “any person whose ability to access the premises of a healthcare facility has been interfered with”. This legislation gives a facility, which has a financial interest in eliminating people who disagree with them, latitude to sue them in civil court.

Here’s a practical example: A young woman is standing outside of Planned Parenthood giving out literature offering abortion alternatives. To Planned Parenthood this is an affront. So their security guard comes out, takes her picture and informs the young lady that Planned Parenthood is going to take her to civil court to seek an injunction against her being there. Oh, and by the way, when she loses the case, she will have to pay Planned Parenthood’s attorney’s fees and costs.

So what’s the young lady to do? Hire a lawyer? Stop coming? Lawyers are expensive and Planned Parenthood is the one with the deep pockets. Who’s engaging in harassment and intimidation in this case?

Now, imagine a labor union picketing a business that the union feels is engaging in unfair labor practices. Would we allow the business to sue the picketers simply for being there? Of course not – the whole idea is absurd. But that is exactly what the legislation being considered will do.

This is only one of the defects at play in this unnecessary legislation, which is a bone that some legislators are throwing to their pro-abortion supporters. But this alone should be enough for responsible legislators to see that they must vote against this bill.

Using the law to intimidate peaceful people who are expressing their views is un- American and cannot be tolerated.

4/25/2012 – Thomas Faranda and Judith Anderson, co-directors, The Hudson Valley Coalition for Life

Action Alert for Monday, April 30, Public Hearing!

Action Alert

Planned Parenthood and the Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion are pushing a "Local Law" through the Westchester County Legislature that seeks to intimidate pro-life, First Amendment-protected speech and witness at facilities where abortions are performed. The law would give clinic owners and staff expanded rights to bring civil legal action against pro-lifers, beyond the existing Federal and state Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Acts. This proposed law is an attempt to harass, intimidate, and silence opposition without provocation.

Please call your Westchester County Legislator and ask him/her to: "Please oppose the proposed "Reproductive Health Care Facilities Access Act" that comes up for a Public Hearing this Monday, April 30, 7:00 p.m., Westchester County Michaelian Building, 8th floor, White Plains, New York. Come early if you wish to speak. There is a security check, so bring ID. Public long term parking gararge across the street.

More information, including Journal News Editorial Spotlight link, can be found at this Hudson Valley Coalition for Life website: www.hvcljournal.typepad.com

Westchester County Board of Legislators:

District 1: John G. Testa  995-2828; 739-4861

District 2: Peter Harckham 995-2810; 232-6667

District 3: Michael Smith 995-2847

District 4: Michael Kaplowitz 995-2848; 232-6086

District 5: William J. Ryan 995-2827; 686-1540

District 6: David Gelfarb 995-2834

District 7: Judith A. Myers 995-2802; 833-0597

District 8: Alfreda Williams 995-2833; 946-5281

District 9: Catherine Borgia 995-2812

District 10: Sheila Marcotte 995-2817; 961-5780

District 11: James Maisano 995-2826; 636-1621

District 12: MaryJane Shimsky 995-2821

District 13: Lyndon Williams 995-2837;699-5436

District 14: Bernice Spreckman 995-2815; 968-8369

District 15: Gordon A. Burrows 995-2830; 337-2246

District 16: Chairman Kenneth W. Jenkins 995-2829; 2623629

District 17: Virginia Perez 995-2846; 751-6490

Rasmussen poll: 47% think abortion is morally wrong

This is a new low for that number. But this poll may be an "outlyer". Other recent polling has shown the number to be higher.

Roughly half of the nation’s voters remain pro-choice when it comes to abortion, and the number of voters who view the procedure as morally wrong in most situations is below 50% for the first time.

Overall, 51% of Likely U.S. Voters consider themselves pro-choice when it comes to abortion, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Forty percent (40%) say they are pro-life, while another 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording.  click here.)

Video of faceoff over anti-free speech clinic access bill on Lohud.com (the Journal News)

UPDATE: One of our correspondents timed how long each side spoke.

• The anti-free speech, pro-abortion side got 26 minutes, including the first nine minutes 26 seconds.
• The free speech advocate, pro-life side 18 minutes.

Here's the Editorial Spotlight on the anti-free speech/clinic access forum sponsored by the Journal News/Lohud.com.

The pro-life free speech advocates were Tom Faranda, Judy Anderson and Antoinette Cosentino, M.D.

Go to the website and leave a comment via Facebook or leave a comment here on LifeNet!

Forum on Pro-life Free Speech at Lohud.com

 

Public Hearing Set for April 30 on Clinic Access/First Amendment challenge

The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted 16 to 1 during their regular meeting on April 16 at the Michaelian Building County offices in White Plains, and set a Public Hearing date of April 30, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

The palpable tension could be felt early that evening with representatives from both sides of the issue arriving far in advance of the 6:15 p.m. entrance time and jockeying for one of the ten allotted speaking slots at the "Citizens to be Heard" portion of the meeting. Pointed words were exchanged between Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion's Catherine Lederer-Plaskett and Right to Life Party's Edmund Riely, who arrived later and was speaking to friends at the front of the line. Assuming he was bucking the line, Lederer-Plaskett objected and threatened to call the police. Riely challenged her to call, which she did. The County building's police officer came outside, had some words, and reminded everyone that they operate on an "honor system" once they leave the security check point and travel to the 8th floor Legislative Chambers. No one interferred with or challenged the staging process from that point.

First Amendment proponents were there in larger numbers, holding small signs that read "Please Vote No on Clinic Access Bill". Chairman Jenkins felt obliged to ask participants to hold the signs on their laps so as not to obstruct the view of attendees, although each group sat on opposite sides of the Chamber. Both sides will be heard again at the Public Hearing on April 30. A previous Public Hearing was held on December 12, 2011 on another version of this proposed law, sent back to Committee that night without a vote. It has been vigorously pushed forward again for passage by Legislators Myers, Shimsky and Borgia despite warnings by numerous First Amendment attorneys that the law will not pass Constitutional muster. The Board of Legislators face legal action and hefty fines (taxpayer money, of course).

The last Citizen to Be Heard that evening, Richard Fuerst, spoke to the Board about the Catholic News Agency report on the recently decided case in which the U. S. Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. dropped its case against Mary Susan Pine, a pro-life sidewalk counselor and agreed to pay $120,000 for the lawsuit after a federal judge ruled that the case should never have been brought to court. "I think this sends a strong message that pro-lifers will not be intimated into silence," said Mathew Staver, founder of the nonprofit group Liberty Counsel, which represented sidewalk counselor Mary Susan Pine."

Tomorrow, Noon, April 18th: live streaming video faceoff over anti-free speech clinic access bill on Lohud.com (the Journal News)

Here is the information you need to watch at Noon tomorrow, Wednesday April 18. You can either blog post or e-mail comments for the "Editorial Spotlight" during this discussion/debate.

Where does the right to obtain reproductive health services collide with the right to protest such services, most notably abortion? Divergent voices on that question discuss related legislation in an Editorial Spotlight interview at noon Wednesday on LoHud.com.

If you hit the above link you will find the link to the "Editorial Spotlight" for tomorrow, as well as information on the participants. The anti-free speech proponents are three Democrat Westchester County legislators (Judy Myers, MaryJane Shimsky, Catherine Borgia); the pro-free speech proponents are two Hudson Valley Coalition for Life co-directors, Thomas Faranda and Judith Anderson, and pediatrician, Antoinette Cosentino, MD.

Another Jesuit black eye: Georgetown U hosts pro-infanticide Professor Peter Singer

At least Singer is honest. He states the obvious that life begins at conception, but so what? His position is that personhood should not be granted until the infant is 30 days old.

Some day, the Jesuits may get it together. But not yet...

Pro-Infanticide Peter Singer Lectures at Georgetown

“It would seem that Dr. Singer, far from being invited to a Catholic campus should be escorted off one,” Archbold added. “But the Georgetown Lecture Fund invited Singer to speak this past weekend to speak on ethical issues of using robots in war, according to their website.”

Here are some of his past comments, with links to the sources:

Singer once wrote, “Human babies are not born self-aware, or capable of grasping that they exist over time. They are not persons.”

He wrote that “the life of a newborn is of less value than the life of a pig, a dog, or a chimpanzee.”

Singer wrote that he’d like to see certain restrictions on infanticide only because people might feel bad about it. “We should certainly put very strict conditions on permissible infanticide, but these conditions might owe more to the effects of infanticide on others than to the intrinsic wrongness of killing an infant.”

Peter Singer wrote of the benefit of killing an infant with hemophilia:

“When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed. The loss of the happy life for the first infant is outweighed by the gain of a happier life for the second. Therefore, if killing the hemophiliac infant has no adverse effect on others, it would, according to the total view, be right to kill him.”

Westchester County Board "local law" clinic access faceoff begins tonight!

Join us or say a prayer as some attend tonight's Westchester County Board of Legislators' meeting, 7 p.m., at the Michaelian Building, 148 Martine Avenue and Court Street, White Plains, New York. Long-term parking across the street at metered municipal parking garage.

A few of us will be able to speak tonight, we hope, many simply attend this regular session when Legislators Judy Myers and MaryJane Shimsky will call for a vote to set another public hearing date (probably April 30) on their latest version of the clinic access bill that wants to, in effect, shut down pro-life dissent and our First Amendment rights of protest at abortion centers. A public hearing took place on December 12, 2011 and we had 45 speakers, including lawyers, challenge the consitutionality of this proposed "local law". The legislation was sent back to Committee. It is out again, once again gasping for air and public support.

Call your legislator and voice your opposition to this legislative tactic meant to bully opponents into submission through large fines and threats of extended jail time.

No laws have been broken at any abortion site in twenty years, but this group insists on giving their pro "choice" constituents the opportunity to take away our right and our choice to call attention to abortions performed in our midst, to help women seek other more acceptable alternatives, and to defend the vulnerable unborn child's life. If this group of Legislators trample on our First Amendment rights, they will lose in the courts and face hefty fines that come out of - you guessed it - the taxpayers' pockets again!

Call your Legislators and watch for updates and postings here.

 

As the attack against pro-life free speech is again ramping up in Westchester, here are three videos

We have decided to publish three video presentations that were given at a last June Westchester County Committee meeting - the Legislation Committee - since the anti-free speech "Clinic Access" bill is STILL being promoted by several legislators. The new bill this year - maybe the seventh or eighth revision - still attempts to suppress our free speech rights.

The presentations opposing the legislation in order below are by attorney John Murtaugh, HVCL co-director Judith Anderson, and HVCL co-director Tom Faranda. We have not publicized this testimony until now. And we will be putting up other videos, including from the pro-abortion people.

Murtaugh -

Anderson -

Faranda

News on the ailing Fr. Norman Weslin

The founder of the activist group The Lambs of Christ, passionate prolifer, and champion of a true feminism. Fr. Norman Weslin is ailing and will be entering hospice. See the story we have linked to below the picture.

Father Norman at Notre Dame in May, 2009, protesting the honoring and honorary law degree being given by the University to pro abortion President Obama.

On his right is Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, who is now prolife and a Catholic convert. To Father's left is Joan Andrews Bell.

Friends of longtime pro-life activist Fr. Norman Weslin are asking for prayers for the elderly priest as his health declines.

Weslin, 81, is the founder of the Lambs of Christ and estimates on his group’s website that he has been arrested 70 to 80 times in peaceful civil disobedience against abortion.

Jean and Kathy Plourde of Gabriel’s Corner on Tuesday asked for intercession for Fr. Weslin, who is expected to enter hospice care as soon as this week. The pro-lifers say that the priest currently is staying at an Alzheimer’s care facility in Michgan, where he has been for about the past two years.

Although a longtime veteran of the pro-life movement, Weslin became an icon during the Notre Dame scandal as the priest caught on amatuer video being roughly hauled off the school grounds by security personnel when he refused to end his peaceful pro-life witness.

Prior to his ordination in 1986, he was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. army and married to another pro-life activist, who died in a car accident in 1980. In honor of his wife, Weslin converted his Council Bluffs, Iowa home to “The Mary Weslin Homes for Pregnant, Unwed Mothers,” which has housed over 300 mothers in crisis pregnancies.

In 2007 Weslin was cleared of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act after entering the abortion facility of late-term abortionist Leroy Carhart and counseling women not to abort their children.  He was convicted of the same charge in 2001 and sentenced to five months in prison after kneeling in prayer within a 60-foot buffer zone outside a Buffalo abortuary.

And here is a photo of a picture, as Fr. Norman was arrested at Notre Dame.

Many on this list know Fr. Weslin, and we are sure many will be praying, as he prepares to enter eternal life.

 

 

 

 

EWTN's Catholic Action Insight interview with Cardinal Raymond Burke

This interview was on EWTN earlier today.

Hit this link for the entire video, posted on the Catholic Action website.

Thomas McKenna interviewing Cardinal Burke

In the interview, Cardinal Burke addresses why a Catholic employer cannot, and should not be expected to, provide health care insurance that includes contraception and sterilization. He explains how this would be not only material cooperation in the sin, but also formal cooperation and for that reason there is no way to justify this implementation.

Pope Benedict's Easter Vigil homily, 2012

The Big Bang of the New Creation

Resurrection of Christ by Noel Coypel, around 1700.

The Pope on what Christianity stands or falls on

The Resurrection of course.

This is very good - prints out at six pages.The Event of Easter on which the Church Stands or Falls

Women at the empty tomb - Blessed Fra Angelico, around 1440

Life Chain in Port Chester, Sunday, April 15

From 2:00 to 3:30 PM

Sponsored by the Respect Life Ministry of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish.

On the grass along Boston Post Rd., Kohl's Plaza Shopping Center - go here for directions.

For more info: 914-939-0547

 

Justice Department drops suit against pro-life sidewalk counselor

This case is relevant to the current anti-free speech clinic access legislation which is again being pushed by the pro-abortion members of of the Weschester County legislature.

Note the penalty the DOJ agreed to pay for this digraceful lawsuit!

US Justice Department drops case against sidewalk counselor

Washington D.C., Apr 4, 2012 / 02:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. Department of Justice dropped its case against a pro-life sidewalk counselor and agreed to pay $120,000 for the lawsuit after a federal judge ruled that the case should never have been brought to court.

“I think this sends a strong message that pro-lifers will not be intimidated into silence,” said Mathew Staver, founder the nonprofit group Liberty Counsel, which represented sidewalk counselor Mary Susan Pine.

Staver told CNA on April 3 that from the very beginning, the case against Pine was weak.

Department officials claimed that she had violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances law by preventing a car from accessing the Presidential Women's Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. on one occasion in Nov. 2009.

The department sought thousands of dollars in fines and a permanent injunction to prohibit Pine from counseling women outside the clinic.

Staver explained that the allegations centered around Pine walking up to an approaching car, whose passengers stopped, rolled down the window, accepted literature from her and proceeded on their way to the abortion clinic.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. asserted that “various persons are being, have been, and will continue to be injured” by Pine’s conduct.

Federal Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp disagreed, throwing out the case in December with a statement that the Department of Justice had failed to present evidence of wrongdoing.

“The Court is at a loss as to why the Government chose to prosecute this particular case in the first place,” he wrote.