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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 11:49 PM in National Politics | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
The Gift of Children by Mary Anne Hackett *
I frequently give consideration to the problem in today’s anti-child society and how we might combat the terrible devaluation of children that is so prevalent in our country and worldwide. I believe that the attitudes we are witnessing are the result of the acceptance of contraception. With contraception, you remove God from your marriage and from your decision. People no longer consider what might please God, but rather what will please you. You begin to think you can decide when you will have a child, when a child fits into your lifestyle, when you can afford a child and what kind of a child it will be. Like our first parents, Adam and Eve, contraception has deceived people into thinking that they have become like God.
After pursuing every goal of career and pleasure, the perfect home, the new car, that certain income, people decide that now a baby is needed to complete the picture of the family. The baby is now planned and wanted. But in the process, babies have become a commodity, manufactured in a lab, selected for genes or gender, and even used for spare parts. No longer are they a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, described by John Paul II in the Mall in Washington in his first visit to America.
But let me recall for you a different scenario. The message of children as a blessing was a common one when I was growing up. Large families were praised as a fulfillment of God’s promises. They were truly the lucky ones, blessed by the gift of fertility. Newly married couples hoped for a child in their first year of marriage. Couples who had no children were pitied and they themselves felt deprived of the gift of children and sought to adopt children.
Then came the “Pill” and even the churches folded to the new message of “responsible parenthood.” Parents of large families were asked why they had so many children – shouldn’t they have been more prudent? The country was swept by the message of the population people and their goal of the two-child family. We were only supposed to replace ourselves not contribute to overpopulation.
Planned Parenthood indoctrinated young people with the message that pregnancy is a sexually transmitted disease that must be prevented. Women must be made infertile with contraceptives. The feminists got into the act, telling women that they had bigger and better things to do than raise children. Babies would prevent their achieving equality with men in the workplace. In a word, they must become men to achieve success. Abortion was needed to take care of contraceptive failures. Children in sex education classes were told that babies were costly and messy and pregnancy the worse thing that could happen to you. It’s okay to have sex, just don’t have a baby!
Now in a world filled with death, divorce, and disrespect for human life, I believe we can still restore the love and value we once felt for children. We can call upon our Churches to preach on the value and blessing of children. Parents must share with other families the love and value they give to their own children. Parents of large families should rejoice in the blessing they have received from God because of their openness to the gift of life. We can all recall the lessons of the Old Testament. The ultimate gift and blessing that God gave to people who were faithful to his laws was a child. And, what greater gift can anyone receive that a new life made in the image of God, placed in our care to bring God’s love to a world sorely in need of.
This article is reprinted with permission from the President’s Report in the Fall, 2006, issue of Illinois Right to Life News.
* * Mary Anne Hackett is President and CEO of Catholic Citizens of Illinois www.catholiccitizens.org/
Mrs. Hackett served for 20 years as President of the Illinois Right to Life Committee http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org
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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 01:45 PM in Right To Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza *
Well, they wanted it all and they got it all. Since the 1960's, radical feminists have been telling American women they needed to be more like men. Women were told they needed to be sexually liberated, like men. Women were told they could raise a family on their own, have a career and, basically, have it all, like men.
The sad result of this mantra has led to some societal ills that will probably never be reversed. "No fault divorce" has vastly increased the number of single-parent households which has led to a multitude of children who, essentially, raise themselves.
At the same time, sexual promiscuity and violent crime has gone up exponentially among women.
But perhaps the most telling result of the feminist plan to re-engineer American society can be found in statistics which reveal many more women are now addicted to pornography than in years past. Also, the recent rash of female school teachers having sexual relationships with school children has reached epidemic proportions. Stories of educators having inappropriate sexual contact with children as young as 11 years old now fill the news. It is a sad sign of the times which illustrates a culture without boundaries.
In the past, there were male teachers who had sex with under-aged female students. America looked upon these individuals with disgust and shame--and well they should. These teachers violated their holy trust with their students and society. However, the heavy coverage of Mary Kay Letourneau's illicit affair with an under-aged boy, plus her subsequent prosecution and jailing, gave credence to the fact some women were having problems controlling their sexual appetites. Such stories, unfortunately, have now become commonplace.
Pamela Smart, another so-called educator, went even further to fulfill her lustful urges and greed. Mrs. Smart seduced and employed three of her students with the ultimate result ending in the brutal death of her husband at the hands of her teen-aged lover and friends. America was shocked. It seemed there was a plague infecting those who are trusted with the country's most precious commodity, its children.
More recently, a case in Texas has a former beauty queen turned teacher having an affair with an 18 year old high school student. Shockingly, there are those in the media and elsewhere who claim the relationship was legitimate because an 18 year old is considered an adult. This flies in the face of common sense which says a teacher of any sex should not take advantage of the teacher/student relationship to satisfy sexual desires. There are a myriad of reasons such behavior should be taboo. For example, can a teacher of any sex intimidate one of their charges into having intercourse, in order to get a better grade? To say such unions are between consenting adults is ridiculous.
Fortunately, Texas applies a common sense attitude in state law and defines such violations as criminal, second-class felonies punishable by up to twenty years of imprisonment. Making the situation worse, in many cases, is the double-standard being applied to women who molest their students. If it were men having sex with 12 year old girls, there would be no question over the course of action needed to be taken by the criminal justice system. Yet, somehow, women, in too many cases, have been given a pass regarding such abhorrent behavior.
The question is: Are radical feminists, like Gloria Steinem, proud of this new paradigm? Women are now more violent, participating in crimes only rarely seen as little as 30 years ago. Women now purchase and enjoy pornography in staggering numbers. However, with this new sexual freedom comes the societal ills such moral decay generates.
Beginning in the 60's, groups like the National Organization for Women (NOW) criticized American society for objectifying women. However, from fashion to movies, women are portrayed as sexual objects like never before. Some plastic surgeons make their entire careers solely by performing breast implant surgery. The entertainment industry earns billions of dollars related to pornography from sales over the Internet and DVD's. Smut movies are now mainstream. In the past, X-rated shops on darkened streets sold such material to those who purchased the material, sometimes in disguise. Today, pornography streams into some of the most reputable 5 star hotels. It also can be seen in the privacy of one's own home by simply subscribing to certain cable channels.
Yes, women have become sexual objects like never before. Yet where is the outcry from radical feminists?
The outcry is not there because if feminists attacked pornography and its impact on American culture, these feminists would have to admit they had it wrong in the first place. Their assault on the country's sexual mores of yesteryear has resulted in the total devaluation and objectification of women in today's culture. "Girls Gone Wild" video sales have made pornographers wealthy and individuals like Larry Flynt of Hustler magazine fame are now considered heroes in the defense of free speech and First Amendment rights.
Yes, radical feminists have accomplished a great deal in less than 50 years. Women now become strippers to, supposedly, work their way through college. Some little girls say they want to follow in the footsteps of Madonna and Brittany Spears. To all those feminists who believed the Judeo-Christian morality of years past was repressive, America salutes you. So stand up and take the credit--or blame--for where your work has led many women.
* The above column originally appeared on IllinoisFamilyInstitute.org June 22, 2006:
http://www.illinoisfamily.org/news/contentview.asp?c=32897
Related column: Sandra Cantu and the Plague of Murdered Children: Result of Abortion, Pornography & Liberal Agenda: http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2009/04/sandra-cantu-and-the-plague-of-murdered-children-result-of-abortion-pornography-a-liberal-society-.html
RFFM.org will be addressing these issues and more in the near future. RFFM.org urges those who would like to provide data and commentary on this tragic epidemic of child predation to contact Dan@rffm.org.
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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 12:48 AM in Society | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
RFFM.org Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza
Robert Himmelblau, the Deputy District Attorney from San Joaquin County, stated a homicide charge against Huckaby could also include the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and murder in the course of a kidnapping.
Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 05:11 PM in Society | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
by Daniel T. Zanoza for Champion News.Net
It's safe to say the mainstream media is reluctant to cover the pro-life issue. However, President Barack Obama's invitation to the University of Notre Dame--where he will give the commencement speech and receive an honorary degree--have opened doors to the pro-life movement which have never been accessible before.
During recent weeks, Notre Dame has come under a torrent of criticism from high-ranking members of the clergy, including Chicago's Francis Cardinal George and a multitude of Catholic officials who see Obama's visit to the University as a violation of church tenet.
Notre Dame by-laws state that the Board of Trustees is charged to "Ensure that the University maintains its essential character as a Catholic institution of higher learning." The President's speech and subsequent award of an honorary degree goes against the pro-life principles as handed down from the Vatican and church hierarchy.
To date, over a quarter million people have signed an online petition protesting Obama's scheduled visit to the premier Catholic institution of higher learning. As the date of Obama's appearance gets closer, the firestorm calling for Notre Dame officials to un-invite the U.S. President continues to gain momentum.
According to the letter accompanying the petition addressed to Father John Jenkins, President of Notre Dame ...
(Excerpt) Read more at ChampionNews.Net
Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 03:10 PM in Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
For Immediate Release
Dateline City: Chicago
Contacts:
Joseph Landry: 904-687-9804
For interviews with Randall Terry, contact Dan Zanoza: 217-314-0211
Chicago, April 6, 2009. On Tuesday, April 7, outraged Catholics and pro-life activists will hold two protests at Notre Dame Board of Fellows business offices. These are: Richard C. Notebaert, Board of Fellows, and Chairman of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees; Arthur R. Velasquez, Board of Fellows.
Background: Notre Dame by-laws state that the Board of Trustees is charged to “Ensure that the University maintains its essential character as a Catholic institution of higher learning…”
Messrs. Notebaert and Velasquez – and fellow board members – are duty bound to stop this betrayal of Catholic character and orthodoxy.
Protests are organized by Randall Terry, Operation Rescue Founder and other pro-life leaders. Mr. Terry's organization represented Terry Schiavo in 2003 in the fight to save her life.
Mr. Terry states:
“Tuesday marks the beginning of coordinated vigils and protests at the churches, businesses and homes of Notre Dame Board of Fellows members and the Notre Dame Board of Trustees members concerning President Obama speaking at Notre Dame.
“Our first protest is where it should be: the office of the Notre Dame Fellow and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Richard C. Notebaert; our second protest is at the office of Arthur R. Velasquez, also a member of the elite ‘Board of Fellows.’
“Inviting President Obama flagrantly violates the ‘essential character’ of a ‘Catholic institution.’ Obama’s policies are resulting in the death of the innocent across the world; Notre Dame’s invitation betrays those that are being killed as well as Catholic orthodoxy. This may be the largest scandal since WWII.
“Prior to the election, we heard that Senator Obama was a ‘community organizer’ like Jesus, and that Governor Palin was like ‘Pilate.’ We evidently got our historical figures crossed.
“Protestors will hold many banners, including a large graphic banner stating: ‘Would you invite Pilate after he condemned Christ?’ and ‘Would you invite Herod after he ordered the death of the innocent in Bethlehem?’ And in case anyone is wondering – yes – we are comparing Obama to Pilate and Herod…as will history.”
When and Where:
11:00 A.M - 12:30 P.M, office of Richard C. Notebaert, Chairman, Notre Dame Board of Trustees Boardroom Consultants, 200 W. Madison, Suite 2800, Chicago, IL 60606
1:30 – 2:00 P.M. office of Arthur R. Velasquez, Board of Fellows, Azteca Foods, 5005 S. Nagle, Chicago, IL 60638
************************************
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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 08:46 AM in Right To Life | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 3, 2009
Media Contact: Thomas Ciesielka, TC Public Relations
Tel. 312-422-1333, tc@tcpr.net
*NOTE: Language used below may be offensive to some readers.
Hate Crime Charge Filed over Racial, Religious and Homophobic Slurs in Abortion Controversy
Rockford, IL Abortion Clinic Spawns Controversy in Attack against Peaceful Protesters
(Chicago, Ill.) – On Friday, April 3, 2009, The Thomas More Society filed a Hate Crime charge in an Amended Federal Civil Complaint against an abortion clinic proprietor and ally in Rockford, Illinois as part of an ongoing court battle.
Rockford resident Keith A. Sterkeson verbally attacked Eric Nelson and Kevin Rilott calling Nelson, “A Nigger, a Nigger. You are a worthless degenerate Nigger. Oh, you are a Nigger! You are a degenerate and empty skull, thinking Jesus is going to save you. You’re a Nigger. Your mother was a Nigger.”
To view the verbal assault, follow this link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6860854372894347704
"Here, defendant Sterkeson, with support from clinic proprietor Wayne Webster, was spewing forth hateful rhetoric -accusing Nelson of being a ‘half breed’ whose mother was African-American -- on the public sidewalk in a loud and raucous voice.” Stated Tom Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel at the Thomas More Society. “Sterkeson’s uttering such hateful speech against racial minorities, while he was perpetrating violent crimes is precisely what Illinois has condemned as ‘hate crime.’”
On several occasions recorded on video, Sterkeson has hit Nelson and shoved Rillot, calling them “fagots.” Sterkeson went on to say, “You really you are f-ing butt baby, aren’t you? You’re a half breed f-ing Nigger. You’re a half breed Nigger.”
To view additional footage, follow this link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8394636595720961190
“Keith Sterkeson regularly harangues Nelson, Rillot and their peers with racist epithets, anti-religious bigotry and homophobic slurs on the public sidewalk outside the Rockford abortion clinic owned by Wayne Webster,” Brejcha said. The amended Federal Civil Complaint alleges that Webster monitors police radio calls and warns Sterkeson to leave the scene when Nelson and Rillot call the police, aiding and abetting Sterkeson.
According to the Illinois Hate Crime statute, someone commits a hate crime when they commit assault or battery for motivated by race, religion, ancestry, gender, and sexual orientation. A Hate Crime is a class 4 Felony for a first offense and up to a class 2 Felony for subsequent offense. The victim of the attack is entitled a civil action for damages, injunction and related relief. The Illinois State Court can award actual damages for both emotional distress and punitive damages.
After viewing the video footage, Brejcha stated, “This is explosive stuff but we mustn't cover it up or look the other way. Instead, the best disinfectant is sunlight. Now that this egregious bias has come so glaringly to light, it must be condemned, punished, and suppressed.”
# # # #
Contacts for the Media
Tom Brejcha, Esq., Chief Counsel, Thomas More Society: 312-590-3408 cell, 312-782-1680
Thomas Ciesielka, TC Public Relations: 312-422-1333
About The Thomas More Society
The Thomas More Society is a non-profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1997 to meet the burgeoning legal needs of the pro-life movement. The Thomas More Society provides legal advice and assistance to those who face harassment, employment discrimination, unjust treatment, civil litigation or criminal prosecution as a result of their pro-life views or their peaceful protest activities. In the last three years, Thomas More Society has scored two decisive victories (8-1, 2003; 8-0, 2006) before the U.S. Supreme Court in representing the named petitioners in the marathon, nationwide federal class action involving use of the federal racketeering (RICO), extortion and antitrust law against abortion protesters (Scheidler v. NOW, 537 U.S. 393, 411 (2003), and Scheidler v. NOW, 125 S.Ct. 2991 (2006)). In addition, the Society has filed numerous 'friend of the Court' briefs in the Supreme Court.
The Thomas More Society draws its name and inspiration from Sir Thomas More (1478-1525), the English lawyer, author and Lord Chancellor who resigned that office on principle, was convicted of treason and put to death by Henry VIII. In addition to the legal representation it provides, the Thomas More Society also recognizes appropriate public policy measures that are intended to protect innocent prenatal human life.
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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 08:05 AM in Right To Life | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
2 April 2009
Press Release:
Abortion-Preemie Denier Steven Levitt (Freakonomics author)
Lanced by Dr. Goldenberg
Source:
Justice For Kids Now, Brent Rooney, (MSc) (fullterm40@gmail.com)
A trio of heavyweight premature birth experts in a 2008
LANCET article fingered prior induced abortions as boosting
women's later risk of delivering preterm babies. Such preterm
newborns have raised risk of autism and CP (Cerebral Palsy).
No credible medical authority denies that Drs. Robert Romero,
Robert Goldenberg, & Jay Iams are 'top drawer' preterm birth
experts. In 2008 citing the 2004 'Ancel-Papiernik' European
study and the 2005 'Moreau' French study this trio of medical
doctors identified ( on page 165 ) prior surgical abortions as
elevating preterm birth risk. Also in 2008 Dr. Eveline Himpens
& colleagues reported that newborns under 32 weeks' gestation
have 55 times the CP risk as full-term newborns.
In Feb. 2009 Dr. Hanes Swingle (U. South Alabama) and
colleagues using data from previous published studies reported
in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine that women with prior
IAs (Induced Abortions) have 64% higher relative odds of a
very preterm birth ( under 32 weeks' gestation ) than women
with zero prior IAs.
Most Low Birth Weight ( LBW ) newborns are 'preemies'.
Author of Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt, is on record as
claiming (NO April fools' joke) that prior abortions REDUCE
a woman's risk of LBW baby. Steven Levitt & John J. Donohue
wrote that abortion “improves infant outcomes by reducing [!!!]
the number of low birth weight babies and neonatal mortality”
in the 2001 Quarterly Journal of Economics (pages 379-420).
In 2007 Dr. Calhoun, Dr. Shadigian, & Brent Rooney (MSc),
writing in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, estimated that
prior surgical abortions caused 1,096 cases of Cerebral Palsy in
U.S. newborns weighing under 3 pounds 5 ounces in 2002. That
2007 study has not been challenged via a 'letter to the editor'
in 17 months.
In 2008 Rooney, Calhoun, & Roche revealed that “suction”
abortion, the most common abortion procedure, has never been
safety validated via published animal studies. Lack of animal
testing is a clear violation of the 1947 Nuremberg Code; URL:
http://www.jpands.org/vol13no4/rooney.pdf
Steven D. Levitt is a professor at the University of Chicago
( s-levitt@uchicago.edu ).
.....................................................................................................
References for the above Press Release:
1 Dr, Jay D. Iams, Dr. Robert Romero, Jennifer F. Culhane (PhD),
Dr. Robert L. Goldenberg. Primary, secondary, and tertiary
interventions to reduce the morbidity and mortality of preterm
birth. Lancet 2008;371:164-165 [ Abstract URL:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T1B-4RJS1PD-14&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=727caa3fee5e184f09b6fecb114b2e3d
]
2 Rooney B, Calhoun BC, Roche L. Does induced abortion account
for racial disparity in preterm births, and violate the Nuremberg
Code? J American Physicians Surgeons 2008;
13(4):102-104 [ URL: http://www.jpands.org/vol13no4/rooney.pdf ]
3 Swingle HM, Colaizy TT, Zimmerman MB, Moriss FH. Abortion and the Risk of
Subsequent Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of
Reproductive Medicine 2009;54:95-108 [ Abstract URL:
http://www.reproductivemedicine.com/toc/auto_abstract.php?id=23566 ]
4 Himpens E, Van den Broeck C, Oostra A, Calders P, Vanhaesebrouck
P. Prevalence, type, and distribution and severity of
cerebral palsy in
relation to gestational age: a meta-analytic review. Developmental
Med Child Neurology 2008;50:334-340
5 Calhoun BC, Shadigian E, Rooney B. Cost Consequences of
Induced Abortion as an Attributable Risk for Preterm Birth and Informed
Consent. J Reprod Med 2007;52(10)
:929-937 [URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17977168 ]
Brent Rooney is a Canadian researcher.
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Posted by Daniel Zanoza at 03:46 PM in Right To Life | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)