LifeNet

Pope Francis again voices complete opposition to the death penalty

Pope Francis: ‘Death Penalty Is Unacceptable’

Pope Francis has reaffirmed that the death penalty is unjustifiable today.

In a video-message transmitted tonight to the participants of the VI World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Oslo, Norway, underway through June 23, the Pontiff stressed, “Nowadays, the death penalty is unacceptable, however grave the crime of the convicted person.”

The Congress opens today and was organized by the French NGO Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, which includes about 140 organizations from around the world.

“It is an offense to the inviolability of life and to the dignity of the human person,”the Pope continued, pointing out, “It likewise contradicts God’s plan for individuals and society, and his merciful justice. Nor is it consonant with any just purpose of punishment.”

Noting this sentence does not render justice to victims, but instead fosters vengeance, Francis reminded those watching, “The commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ has absolute value and applies both to the innocent and to the guilty.”

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope told them, is a proper occasion for the world to better respect the life and dignity of each person.

“It must not be forgotten that the inviolable and God-given right to life also belongs to the criminal,” he said.

The Pope also encouraged all to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also for the improvement of prison conditions, so that they fully respect the human dignity of those incarcerated.

“‘Rendering justice,’” he highlighted, “does not mean seeking punishment for its own sake, but ensuring that the basic purpose of all punishment is the rehabilitation of the offender. The question must be dealt with within the larger framework of a system of penal justice open to the possibility of the guilty party’s reinsertion in society.”

Before concluding, assuring the participants of his prayers, Pope Francis said, “There is no fitting punishment without hope! Punishment for its own sake, without room for hope, is a form of torture, not of punishment.”

“I trust that this Congress can give new impulse to the effort to abolish capital punishment.”

***

On ZENIT’s Webpage:

For full text: http://zenit.org/articles/popes-video-message-for-world-congress-against-death-penalty-in-oslo

By a 5-3 Supreme Court vote, women lose

By Judicial fiat - abortionists don't have to have admitting privileges in a local hospital and abortion clinics don't have to meet regular stand-alone medical clinic standards. "Because of the decision today, beauty parlors, veterinarian clinics and public pools will be held to higher sanitary and health standards than abortion clinics."

From the Associated Press:

 

Canada Senate passes straight-up euthanasia bill

UPDATE: Still not good enough for the Canada Civil Liberties Union - The euthanasia lobby is wanting to extend euthanasia to “mature” minors, to people with dementia (through advanced directives), and to people with psychiatric conditions alone.

No doubt, when you read the Bill -

The controversial issue was the requirement that a medical or nurse practitioner could approve a lethal injection if the person’s “natural death is reasonably foreseeable.” Parliament insisted that this requirement remain in the bill while the Senate argued that the Supreme Court did not state that a person must be “terminally ill.”

 

The final bill maintains that “natural death must be reasonably foreseeable.”

 

Isn't everyone' s "natural death ... reasonably foreseeable"?

 

And it gets worse -

 

Canadian Senate Passes Bill Allowing Anyone to Kill Someone by Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide

 

Yesterday, the House of Commons removed a controversial amendment and a protective amendment in the Senate version of the bill and then sent it back to the Senate for approval.

 

This morning the Senate considered an amendment that would have referred the terminal illness provision in the bill (natural death is reasonably foreseeable) to the Supreme Court of Canada, but that amendment was defeated.

 

The controversial issue was the requirement that a medical or nurse practitioner could approve a lethal injection if the person’s “natural death is reasonably foreseeable.” Parliament insisted that this requirement remain in the bill while the Senate argued that the Supreme Court did not state that a person must be “terminally ill.”

 

The final bill maintains that “natural death must be reasonably foreseeable.”

 

I was disappointed that House of Commons withdrew the amendment that prohibited a beneficiary from participating in a persons assisted death or signing the person’s request for assisted death. This was an amendment that protected people from a greedy beneficiary or an unscrupulous family member.

The final bill allows a beneficiary to participate in the act, even to lethally inject.

The Senate then passed Bill C-14 by a vote of 44 to 28.  The response from parliament was to declare a summer recess.

 

The bill that determines how Canadians will kill Canadians was passed on the last day of the parliamentary schedule in time for the summer recess.

Bill C-14 now goes to the Governor General to be signed.

 

No attempts were made to amend the most grievous parts of Bill C-14.

 

1. Bill C-14 provides medical practitioners or nurse practitioners legal immunity for decisions or acts that contravene the law.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No jurisdiction in the world offers legal immunity to anyone who does anything for the purposes of assisting death. Bill C-14 is the most wide-open bill in the world. It is even worse than the Belgian law. Recent studies from Belgium indicate that more than 1000 assisted deaths occur without request each year.

SBA President & other pro-lifers meet with Trump

From Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List.

Firstly, I need to thank the hundreds of you who emailed me back committing to pray for the meeting with Donald Trump today. It was so encouraging to know I had so many committed, passionate pro-lifers praying for me at one time. I shared a few of your messages with the rest of the SBA List team and they were also really encouraged. Thank you so much. Your prayers and support are so valued at this critical time in our fight for LIFE.

I know that many of you were anxious to get a report back from the meeting, and I have a few minutes before I get on the train back to our office in Washington, D.C., so I have put together some thoughts on our time with the presumptive Republican nominee.

Mr. Trump was very generous with his time. Before the main meeting, a handful of Pro-Life, Conservative and Christian leaders met with him in a private setting.

Later in the day we gathered with nearly 1,000 leaders, activists and donors from across the country. He related well, coming across confident and comfortable in such a large crowd of thought leaders whose opinions and actions will be so critical as we approach November.

I was encouraged when Mr. Trump reiterated the most important pro-life commitment he has made to date: that he would appoint pro-life judges to SCOTUS. To quote him verbatim, "We are going to appoint great Supreme Court justices... These will be justices of great intellect... And they will be pro-life."

Mr. Trump also spoke about the threats to religious liberty and how the federal government continues to threaten the freedom of speech of people of faith and conscience to speak out in the public square. We both know how fundamental religious liberty is to our fight for life when we consider the anti-life mandates of the Obama administration that seek to force Pro-Lifers and Christians to violate their conscience by paying for life-ending drugs and abortions. And we're not blind. We know that a Clinton presidency would only further such draconian measures.

This is far from the end of the conversation. But it is important the conversation is taking place. Over the next few weeks and months, your SBA List team will continue to encourage Mr Trump to reiterate the important commitments he's made to date:

1. That he will appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court
2. That he will advocate for and sign into law the Pain-Cable Unborn Child Protection Act that would ban abortions after 5 months - a point by which the science is clear: Unborn babies can feel pain
3. That he will defund Planned Parenthood, America's largest abortion business

And we will continue to educate voters in battleground states about Hillary's extreme record on abortion and the unprecedented threat the unborn would face under another Clinton presidency. As you know, we're already on the ground in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio. Just last week our incredible field team knocked on their 400,000^th door.

Thank you once again for your notes of support, and for your many prayers. They are making a difference.

For Life,

Marjorie Dannenfelser
President, Susan B. Anthony List

Assisted Suicide Panel at Croton Library - Tonight!

Excerpted for LifeNet - ALERT from Lower Hudson Valley Coalitions for Life's Edmund P. Riely, Jr.:

BE AT THE CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY, LIBRARY at 171 Cleveland Drive

Tonight, Tuesday NIGHT AT 6:15PM, June 14, 2016 is the Pro-life vs. Suicide/Mercy Killing Panel.

BE THERE TO SUPPORT US AND TO SUPPORT OUR EXCELLENT SPEAKERS. Croton is in the heart of liberal Assemblywoman Sandra Galef's district. She is Suicide's Assembly co – sponsor.

The panel will include experts from the medical, moral, legal, and legislative fields. The Chairman of Lower Hudson Valley Coalitions for Life (9thJD), Edmund P. Riely Jr., will be the moderator. He coordinated the event with Lois Skelly, Library Events Director, along with Regina Riely and Yvonne Rivera, RN, our Secretary and one of the presenters. The other panelists are from Rosary Hill Home and/or Calvary Hospital. 

The panel/seminar will discuss:

     History of the Euthanasia/Mercy Killing Movement in the US and Worldwide.

    The Oregon Myth.

     Alternatives to suicide and mercy killing.

     Compassionate Care for the terminally ill -with care givers from Rosary Hill Home and/or Calvary Hospital.

     The Position of the Medical Profession in all this, the new realities of Health Care Delivery, impersonal, fast, and financially driven.

     Details, Status, and Impact of Legislation promoting Assisted Suicide and Mercy Killing.

     Inherent dangers of state sanctioned suicides, once voluntary it soon becomes involuntary -

              Governor Lamm (Colorado) asserts Elderly If Very Ill Have a Duty to Die:

               "You've got a duty to die and get out of the way." NYT Denver 3/28.

     Why Safeguards Don't Work.

     Personal Stories of Life and Death.

     The Pressure to Lose Hope and not be "a burden."

     Why do they have to lie about it?

     Why they have had to come up with 31 different names for it, none of which have stuck due to the fact that it is still suicide

no matter what they call it.

 

                                                      BRING A FRIEND

Mom writes letter to doctor: 'You were wrong about Down syndrome'

A touching letter about the truth never told about a child with Down syndrome. Many of us have had the personal privilege of knowing the love spoken about here.

Mom writes letter to doctor: 'You were wrong about Down syndrome'