$1 Mandatory Abortion Surcharge - 'Accounting Procedure'

If you have a cellphone, you've probably griped at some point about the insane surcharges that are added onto your bill. You cannot opt out, unless you are willing to get rid of your cellphone. In New York,  we have paid $1.20 every month for over a decade into a state mandated fund intended to assist counties to update their 911 programs. In 2010, $190 million was collected and only $9.3 million was actually disbursed to the counties in New York. I cannot imagine anyone being against having an emergency response service in our communities. Most of us have benefited at one time or another by having police, ambulance, or fire services just a few moments away thanks to an efficient 911 dispatch system. Governments are important for a civilized society, but why do we sit idle when we are being forced to pay, or overpay, for things that do not benefit us as they promised? HERE is the legislation calling for a repeal in NY.

Once something becomes law in the U.S., like most places, it may take decades to repeal. This includes legislation that is unpopular with the vast majority of voters, but the officials we elect sponsor the programs. If they received the majority of votes by constituents, certainly those elected are much wiser and more experienced than the voting public. Right?

Enter PL 111-148, also known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or the less-than-affectionate moniker, Obamacare. Open the linked document if you must, but consider yourself warned; it is a 906-page .pdf file. On page 53, you'll find that the secretary of Health and Human Services has a lot of power to determine what will be paid for and the cost of services provided. Those of us enrolled in the healthcare program won't be charged more than $1 per month for abortion coverage so that others may exercise the their right to abortion. But - but - we won't have to pay for abortions, right? That is what we are promised by the government. This cannot be right - Kelly and others are stupid, know-nothing-right-wing-woman-hating-homophobic-ignorant-pigs, right?



Accounting procedure. If I had withheld a few numbers on my 1040 form this year, or moved numbers from the income field to the expense field, it would have been an 'accounting procedure.' Just pay the surcharge to a 'special account' and hide your head under your pillow. You'll be paying for 'services' that won't deny women their rights, but you won't be told what the services are just in case it might make you feel uncomfortable.

Only a dollar. Human flesh is still cheap.

When Jesus came to Golgotha, they hanged Him on a tree, 
They drove great nails through hands and feet, and made a Calvary; 
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns, red were His wounds and deep, 
For those were crude and cruel days, and human flesh was cheap. 
--From When Jesus Came to Birmingham by G. A. Studdert-Kennedy 



More on the story HERE and HERE.


Let the government know what YOU think about the HHS mandate and Obamacare by filling out the form HERE. I did.

More HHS Mandate Insanity

The U.S. government's vicious attack on religious liberty continues, and the Obama administration punts the HHS Mandate. Click on the links for the latest stories about the HHS Mandate you won't hear about in the mainstream media.

Free Sterilizations Must be Offered to All College Women, Says HHS | CNSNews.com

United for Religious Freedom - A statement of the Administrative Committee of the USCCB - March 14, 2012

Citizens Prepare to Rally for Religious Freedom Across the U.S. - Rallies to be held this Friday, March 23!

The Latest Mandate Announcement from Obama - We'll think more about it AFTER November elections...

*Read previous +Ponderings+ about HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius by clicking HERE. There is a very good reason Kansas was referred to as "Bleeding Kansas" while she served as their governor. 

Catholic Women Can Speak for Themselves, Thanks!

From WomenSpeakForThemselves.com:

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, SECRETARY SEBELIUS AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

DON'T CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR ALL WOMEN

We are women who support the competing voice offered by Catholic institutions on matters of sex, marriage and family life. Most of us are Catholic, but some are not. We are Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Many, at some point in our careers, have worked for a Catholic institution. We are proud to have been part of the religious mission of that school, or hospital, or social service organization. We are proud to have been associated not only with the work Catholic institutions perform in the community – particularly for the most vulnerable -- but also with the shared sense of purpose found among colleagues who chose their job because, in a religious institution, a job is always also a vocation.

Those currently invoking "women's health" in an attempt to shout down anyone who disagrees with forcing religious institutions or individuals to violate deeply held beliefs are more than a little mistaken, and more than a little dishonest. Even setting aside their simplistic equation of "costless" birth control with "equality," note that they have never responded to the large body of scholarly research indicating that many forms of contraception have serious side effects, or that some forms act at some times to destroy embryos, or that government contraceptive programs inevitably change the sex, dating and marriage markets in ways that lead to more empty sex, more non-marital births and more abortions. It is women who suffer disproportionately when these things happen.

No one speaks for all women on these issues. Those who purport to do so are simply attempting to deflect attention from the serious religious liberty issues currently at stake. Each of us, Catholic or not, is proud to stand with the Catholic Church and its rich, life-affirming teachings on sex, marriage and family life. We call on President Obama and our Representatives in Congress to allow religious institutions and individuals to continue to witness to their faiths in all their fullness.

Helen M. Alvaré JD Associate Professor of Law George Mason University (VA)*

Kim Daniels JDFormer CounselThomas More Law Center (MD)

As a woman, were you born inferior due to your fertility and require fixing with a birth control pill? If that repair doesn't take, does your inferiority need to be repaired with surgery? Mr. Obama and his administration, along with other Planned Parenthood supporters, say that you are broken without their intervention. Does that make sense to you?


Ladies, you may click HERE to add your name to the growing list of women who wish to let Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi, Ms. Fluke and Ms. Sebelius that they don't speak for us! Help spread the word!


Where are the women? The question should be "where is the media to report on the women who are not being heard?"  The Catholic Information Center hosted a panel of women in opposition to the HHS Mandate. It is lengthy, but I urge you to watch the video linked HERE. If indeed you are opposed to the HHS Mandate, it will be worth your time. Legal and constitutional implications of the mandate is discussed and you will be educated on various points that have not been discussed elsewhere.


Does this woman speak for you?

HHS Mandate Updates March 7, 2012

The fight to retain our religious liberty continues to mount. In the media, Catholics are referred to as outdated, anti-choicers, oppressors, and totally barbaric in our treatment of women. This is the Garden of Eden all over again. The serpent taunting Eve, insisting that she needs to be enlightened and will be much better for eating the forbidden fruit. It is difficult to sift fact from the enormous amount of fiction circulated by the secularists. I wanted to give you some updated information and will continue to post new information as it is available. The more we educate ourselves on the situation, the better we will be prepared to act.

Cardinal Dolan

Timothy Cardinal Dolan released a new letter to all U.S. Bishops on March 2, 2012 and it may be found HERE.

Some highlights of the four-page memo:

• We will once again dedicate ample time at our Administrative Committee meeting next week, and at the June Plenary Assembly, to this critical subject. We will continue to listen, discuss, deliberate and act.
• We have made it clear in no uncertain terms to the government that we are not at peace with its invasive attempt to curtail the religious freedom we cherish as Catholics and Americans. We did not ask for this fight, but we will not run from it.
• We are grateful to know so many of our fellow Americans, especially our friends in the ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, stand together in this important moment in our country. They know that this is not just about sterilization, abortifacients, and chemical contraception. It’s about religious freedom, the sacred right of any Church to define its own teaching and ministry.
• In the coming weeks the Conference will continue to provide you, among other things, with catechetical resources on the significance of religious freedom to the Church and the Church’s teaching on it from a doctrinal and moral perspective. We are developing liturgical aids to encourage prayer in our efforts and plans on how we can continue to voice our public and strong opposition to this infringement on our freedom.
• The White House already notified Congress that the dreaded mandates are now published in the Federal Registry “without change.” The Secretary of HHS is widely quoted as saying, “Religious insurance companies don’t really design the plans they sell based on their own religious tenets.” That doesn’t bode well for their getting a truly acceptable “accommodation.”
• At a recent meeting between staff of the bishops’ conference and the White House staff, our staff members asked directly whether the broader concerns of religious freedom—that is, revisiting the straight-jacketing mandates, or broadening the maligned exemption—are all off the table. They were informed that they are. [...] Instead, they advised the bishops’ conference that we should listen to the “enlightened” voices of accommodation, such as the recent, hardly surprising yet terribly unfortunate editorial in America. The White House seems to think we bishops simply do not know or understand Catholic teaching and so, taking a cue from its own definition of religious freedom, now has nominated its own handpicked official Catholic teachers.
•  ...our bishops’ conference, many individual religious entities, and other people of good will are working with some top-notch law firms who feel so strongly about this that they will represent us pro-bono. In the upcoming days, you will hear much more about this encouraging and welcome development.

Ms. Fluke testifies about her right to birth control.
Washington Post

Unless you've been living in a cave (and who could blame you?), you have heard and/or seen the testimony before Nancy Pelosi and her committee teary-eyed individuals, touched beyond compare. Ms. Fluke shared the horrendous burden of paying for her own birth control pills. 

As with all radicals targeting the Church today, Ms. Fluke's story proved to be much more interesting upon further investigation. As reported by Stephen Gutowski:

However, as I discovered today, birth control is not all that Ms. Fluke believes private health insurance must cover. She also, apparently, believes that it is discrimination deserving of legal action if "gender reassignment" surgeries are not covered by employer provided health insurance. She makes these views clear in an article she co-edited with Karen Hu in the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law.  

It seems that Ms. Fluke is a radical prop embraced by the sex-obsessed left, and not the financially barren birth control deprived law student the media and radical left wing sold her to be. Read the entire article by Mr. Gutowski HERE.

Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life

Many have been filed lawsuits against the mandate, including Priests for Life. They have asked others to add their names to a Citizens Amicus Brief in Support of Priests for Life vs. Sebelius. You may do so HERE.

President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius, HHS Secretary

You may contact Ms. Sebelius and tell her to Stop the HHS Power Grab by going to Catholicvote.org HERE.

Did you know that there is going to be a nationwide rally in defense of religious freedom? Please click HERE to learn more. In Buffalo, it will take place at Senator Schumer's office (contact info. HERE) and in the Diocese of Rochester, it has been reported that one will take place in Canandaigua (further info. will be found in comments on the Cleansing Fire post HERE). 

Did you sign the petition yet? Go HERE to learn more and add your name.

________________________________________________

Edited to add: I came across an article written by law professor Robert K. Vischer in First Things. He argues that the current trend to fight against sharia law in some of our states is a fight against religious freedom. The article is very interesting and one I find important to consider as Catholics and other groups are engaged in a fight to retain our own religious liberty.

March 12, 2012: This just in from Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life:

The eight lawsuits so far, arranged by the date they were filed, are as follows:

November 10, 2011 Belmont Abbey College v. Sebelius 
December 21, 2011 Colorado Christian University v. Sebelius 
February 9, 2012 Eternal Word Television Network v. Sebelius 
February 15, 2012 Priests for Life v. Sebelius 
February 20, 2012 Louisiana College v. Sebelius 
February 21, 2012 Ave Maria University v. Sebelius 
February 21, 2012 Geneva College v. Sebelius 
February 23, 2012 Bruning v. Sebelius (This is the one whose plaintiffs include the states of Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.)

dear Planned Parenthood, Bring it On!

http://i--have--a--say.blogspot.com/



This next video is NOT to be viewed by children. It is an offensive expose of material propagated by PP:



By the numbers as reported by Planned Parenthood themselves:

• 11% of PP's 'healthcare clients' receive abortion services (they shout from the rooftops that 3% of their services are abortions. They justify this because they pad their numbers by including services to the community that are not healthcare services. If they offer a presentation for 1,000 people, they count them as being served. Only when they provide their 'healthcare' service numbers do we see the truth. Nearly 1 out of 10 healthcare visits end in abortion.)
• Number of clients receiving 'healthcare' at PP clinics: 2,900,000
• Amount of federal tax money given to PP last year: $487,000,000
• Number of adoption referrals in 2010: 841
• Number of mammograms performed by PP annually: 0

"Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime!"--Susan B. Anthony on abortion. The Revolution, 1869. 

Take Action to Defend Religious Liberty

Find other ways to take action by clicking HERE.

Don't buy what the mainstream media is selling. This is not about birth control or "those crazy Catholics."





UPDATE: "Senate votes, 51-48, to table the Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed employers and insurers to opt out of parts of the Obama health care law -- in particular, birth control -- on moral or religious grounds."


Click HERE to read the USCCB News Release


How did Catholic Senators vote? Read about it at the National Catholic Register.

Buffalo Area Catholics Confront Rep. Kathy Hochul

A line has been drawn in the sand, and President Obama and his supporters have made their contempt for religious freedom known by proceeding with the HHS Mandate. Sadly, many such supporters are among the nearly 70 million American Catholics. The outstanding turnout of over 100 Catholics from the Diocese of Buffalo at a town hall meeting with Rep. Kathy Hochul (D) was due to the concerted efforts of  WLOF Catholic radio, the Catholic Men's group MOJC, and Fr. Leon Biernat. With only two days notice, they were able to move Catholics to attend this meeting which took place last Friday morning. It must also be mentioned that WGRZ News in Buffalo is very supportive of the local Catholic community and did an excellent job providing coverage.

Click HERE to view all footage provided by WGRZ.

Call to Action: Respect for Rights of Conscience Act

UPDATE 2/2/12 and URGENT:  Have you signed the petition on the White House website yet?  CLICK HERE to SIGN.


Under the fine leadership of Cardinal designate Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and President of the USSCB, an unquestionably quick call to action has been heralded against the recent attack against the rights of every Catholic in the United States.   

Dated January 20, 2012:

WASHINGTON—The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. Today's announcement means that this mandate and its very narrow exemption will not change at all; instead there will only be a delay in enforcement against some employers.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The cardinal-designate continued, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable.It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

The HHS rule requires that sterilization and contraception – including controversial abortifacients – be included among “preventive services” coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans. “The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.At issue, the U.S. bishops and other religious leaders insist, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for the conscience of Catholics and all other Americans.

“This is nothing less than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights,” said Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, chairperson of the board at Franciscan Alliance, Inc., a system of 13 Catholic hospitals. “I have hundreds of employees who will be upset and confused by this edict. I cannot understand it at all.”

Daughter of Charity Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, voiced disappointment with the decision. Catholic hospitals serve one out of six people who seek hospital care annually.“This was a missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection,” Sister Keehan said.

Cardinal-designate Dolan urged that the HHS mandate be overturned.“The Obama administration has now drawn an unprecedented line in the sand,” he said. “The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation. We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

To take action, go HERE.

Read other +Ponderings from the past about the Obama administration and Ms. Sibelius HERE. 

*See also USCCB January 23, 2012 News Release HERE