Joyous Easter Season: Time for Healing & Staying Informed

Healing After Abortion

Though abortion is a serious sin, we know that all sins can be forgiven. But there still remains regret, questions, guilt and other feelings long after someone has had an abortion. These, too, can be healed.The Sisters of Life work not only with those contemplating abortion but also those seeking healing. There is help and hope available, and the pain and sorrow of abortion need not endure for a lifetime. A “Day of Prayer and Healing” offers the opportunity to experience the love and mercy of God and to heal the wounds of abortion. They have only two Saturday sessions left before summer: April 21 and May 26, 2018. For location and confidential registration, or to talk to a Sister, please call the Sisters of Life at (866)-575-0075 (toll free) or email hopeandhealing@sistersoflife.org. And for men who have been involved in an abortion, sign up for a Day of Prayer and Healing for Men: contact Lumina at 877.586.4621 or Lumina@postabortionhelp.org.

“Hero of Legendary Courage & Integrity”

It’s rare to hear that said about an elected official, but that is what Congressman Dan Lipinski (D, IL) was called by Susan B. Anthony List (SBAL) president Marjorie Dannenfelser. “He’s not just a pro-life vote in Congress. He is a leader on this issue.” Lipinski is just one of a few Democrats who work hard for the pro-life cause. He co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, speaks at anti-abortion rallies, and regularly sponsors legislation that seeks to restrict the termination of unborn babies. In the general election, SBAL will continue to support Lipinski over his Republican opponent, Arthur Jones, a Nazi and Holocaust denier. It is hoped that Lipinski’s success will embolden other Dems to vote against abortion rights. “We just think it’s important that the issue remains bipartisan,” Mallory Quigley said. “[Lipinski] is the model for how we want pro-life Democrats to act in Congress, to choose pro-life principles over party when those two things clash.” [Christina Cauterucci, Why an Anti-Abortion Advocacy Group Went All-In for an Illinois Democrat, Slate, 3/21/18] THE LIFE ISSUE IS POWERFUL. In the Lipinski primary, SBA List was outspent nearly 10 to 1 by the abortion lobby, yet its candidate won. Planned Parenthood spent $474,000 in the election. Radical abortion group NARAL spent $430,000. And pro-abortion women’s group EMILY’s List spent $250,000. ed. by Frank Tinari, Ph.D., tinarifr@shu.edu over 30,000 readers; for free subscription, email the editor.

“The Program Changed My Mind About Sex Before Marriage”

That was one of many positive comments from students who attended an all-day “True Love Waits” middle-school retreat on March 4, and the “Free to Love” retreat for high schoolers on March 18. These programs are offered to schools by LIFENET at very reasonable cost. They engage students with skits and discussion groups. If your local school might be a good place to host a pro-life retreat, contact Christine Flaherty at 973-497-4500 or www.lifneteducation.org

Legal & Social Battles Continue on Life Issues

Gov. Phil Murphy Forces NJ Taxpayers to Fund Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz

Murphy bragged the legislation giving $7.5 million yearly to Planned Parenthood is his first bill as the new governor: “New Jersey will once again stand strong for Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights.” “Today, Governor Murphy thumbed his nose at the hardworking citizens of NJ and signed two bills which will use $7.5M of our tax money to fund the salaries and operation expenses of his favorite constituency, Planned Parenthood, regardless of their past record showing they engaged in Medicaid fraud,” said Marie Tasy, executive director of NJ Right to Life. The U.S. Inspector General for Health & Human Services found that the New Jersey-based family planning clinics run by the Planned Parenthood abortion business were billing Medicaid for services that did not qualify as family planning. The Inspector General recommended that New Jersey repay $2,219,746 to the federal government, which it did. “NJ Health officials testified that STDs have gone up in every state in the nation, but that NJ actually had one of the lowest increases in the nation, even though Planned Parenthood has not received state funding for the past eight years,” Tasy said. [Micaiah Bilger, 2/21/18, LifeNews.com]

8,500 Pro-Life Billboards Planned

That’s the 2018 goal of Prolife Across America that has been sponsoring highway billboards for almost three decades, bringing its life-saving messages to cities and states across America. [prolifeacrossamerica.org] The year’s theme is “Believe in Miracles.” A key element of the group’s campaign is offering assistance through their toll-free Hotline. Typical calls are like this: “I’m pregnant but everyone says to get an abortion. I need someone to talk to. Can you help me?” The Hotline connects callers with the help they need: pregnancy info, medical care, post-abortion services.

R.I.P.: Billy Graham Said “My Heart Aches for America” Because of Abortion

While Reverend Graham was noted for his evangelical work in calling people to a relationship with Jesus Christ and repentance from sin, he also had a solid devotion to biblical principles. He said abortion has taken America’s morality downhill — so far that the nation is on par with cities in the Old testament that God destroyed because of their lack of sexual morality. Millions of babies continue to be aborted and our nation seems largely unconcerned. Self-centered indulgence, pride, and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle. In a 2012 open letter that addressed concerns about moral issues, Graham wrote: “My heart aches for America and its deceived people. The wonderful news is that our Lord is a God of mercy, and He responds to repentance.” Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins said: “At a time in which so many leaders in politics, pulpits
and entertainment have proven flawed, the Rev. Billy Graham stands as an example of humble leadership, noteworthy for not only his scandal-free life, but for his consistency in calling for a life of faith and service. He is an example for us all of dignity, integrity and tireless courage in communicating timeless truths with love and respect.” “The legacy we leave behind for our children, grandchildren,
and this great nation is crucial,” Graham said. “I urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life
and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God.” [Steven Ertelt, 2/21/18, LifeNews.com]

Presenting our first annual 2017 Pro-Life Awards winners and losers:

Rah! For the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for electing a conservative pro-life Archbishop to head its Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Bah! To N.J. voters for electing a vehemently pro-abortion Governor.

Big Rah! For the court in Texas that nixed a law suit against the folks who taped Planned Parenthood employees boasting about harvesting and selling aborted baby body parts.

Big Bah! To Planned Parenthood for bringing the suit.

Bigger Rah! To N.J. Congressman Chris Smith for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion bill which passed in the House and could make the Hyde Amendment permanent.

Bigger Bah! To Oregon Governor Katherine Brown for signing law to pay for all abortions including for illegals and handing the $10.2 million bill to taxpayers.

Biggest Rah of All! To the U.S. Senate for putting Judge Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court!

Then there is you, our donors.  In 2017 you made it possible for the Life Education Council to develop and execute life-saving endeavors, some never before achieved.  We’ve saved the best Rah’s for you.

Pregnancy resource centers: you wanted more advertisements on buses running through their neighborhoods 24/7 where residents could see their phone numbers, call and get appointments for free ultrasound screenings.  As one center, Life Choices, wrote: “Transforming the hearts and minds of the mothers we serve is our daily mission – but first we must get them to walk through our doors.  This is why the bus ads are so exciting!”

Another center, Care Net, for which we sponsored billboards told us:  “We have had great feedback from donors who have seen the billboards and are very pleased to see this type of advertising.  God bless your continued work in the fight; so thankful to be in partnership.”

And Lighthouse shared a photo of one of the babies saved by the bus ads.

You also expanded the Choose Life banner program.  344 have been produced; 334 distributed even into other states, and you have turned the banner itself into a nationally recognized pro-life icon.  More banners than ever were televised in the January March for Life.

Also, for the first time, a Choose Life banner bears the contact information of a pregnancy resource center close by.  It is displayed at St. John the Apostle Church, Linden.

Reinforcing your commitment to pregnancy resource centers you donated $1,200 to Lighthouse to provide pre- and post-partum care for a baby you helped save from abortion.

You gave $3,000 to the Patient’s Rights Action Fund for YouTube videos opposing N.J.’s doctor assisted suicide bill.  The videos reported that the drugs that would be administered to patients were some of the same banned for use in capital punishment cases because they are inhumane.   The bill has not been enacted.

You also told us how you’d like your donations used in 2018.  When we asked if you favored our sponsoring a True Love Waits program, you overwhelming said “yes.”  Some of you told us it would be better to prevent unwanted pregnancies than to have young women consider aborting.

Prevention is what True Love Waits is about.  In a series of sessions led by trained speakers and counselors, students in public schools, Catholic schools and church classes learn the many positives of abstinence before marriage, including avoiding pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and low self-esteem.  Most of the students in the program resolve to remain abstinent.   So, we’ll contribute up to $2,000 to the Respect Life Office of the Archdioceses of Newark to help underwrite the cost of one of the programs.

We told you we are going to speak in a louder voice in 2018 by setting up social media accounts.

Fortunately, an experienced social media manager has agreed to join us.   She is Nicole Herbig, a student at Pillar College, formerly Somerset Christian College.  Nicole has broad background in administrative work, including managing accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

She will be responsible for frequent posting of our blogs which we anticipate will bring the Life Education Council a wider audience and potentially new donors.  We will provide Nicole a monthly stipend of $100.

What we propose to do in 2018 and what we can do depends on your commitment to our agenda.

It always does.  So, we maintain our confidence that you will continue your generous support.  That is especially true at year’s end when you can add up your annual LEC donations and deduct all of them from your 2017 federal income taxes.

A year from now, when we again celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we’ll compile another Pro-Life Awards list.  What a terrific gift it would be to have a list with more winners and fewer losers.  We pray that the Babe born in Bethlehem will help us protect the babies in the womb.

We wish you a happy and holy Christmas.

Jeff Danco, Luke Amoroso, Neil Sullivan, Marisol Rodriguez, Adolf Schimpf, Frank Tinari,

Betty LaRosa, Trustees

Christmas, 2017

Sulli5@aol.com; bettylarosa1@gmail.com

Jane Roe is dead. May she rest in peace. But plenty of Jane Roe’s are still with us, and they need us.

In 1971 Normal McCovey wanted an abortion. Feminist attorneys determined to overturn anti-abortion laws and a Supreme Court majority waiting for a case that would make it possible saw their chance in Ms. McCovey. She later said that she had been used as a “pawn.”

In 1973 the deadly fate of over 55 million unborn babies – thus far – was sealed. Her baby had already been adopted.

The Roe v Wade decision resolved nothing, which is why the Jane Roe’s of today are still pawns in the hands of the billion dollar abortion industry. That shouldn’t be because there are alternatives. If only women knew it!

Throughout the United States are pregnancy resource centers. These centers resolve the key question the Roe decision ignored. “When does life begin?”

Many of these centers offer free ultrasound screenings letting women see their growing, moving unborn babies and their beating hearts. From then on, the claim by abortion proponents that the unborn is a mere blob of cells, falls flat, and over 85% of the women choose to give birth.

The centers also resolve the coercive question frequently asked by abortion clinics: “If you can’t afford an abortion, how can you afford to raise a child?” The answer from the resource centers is: “We’ll help you.” And they do with parenting classes, obtaining medical care, pre-and post-natal supplies and, in the case of Lighthouse, Paterson, even job and educational opportunities.

If, as is claimed, abortions are declining, these centers can reasonably be credited. The Life Education Council has been directing women to these centers for more than twenty years through our billboards, Choose Life banners and now, bus advertising. Most carry the 800 help line number that directs women to centers as close to their homes as possible.

Last year you helped us do even better. We developed an ad campaign so successful that it just about brings some centers directly to the women. We’re on a roll! Literally!!

Have you ever seen a picture of a mother holding in her arms the baby she once considered aborting?

The mother in the picture we were shown was one of those who’d seen our bus ad for a pregnancy resource center right nearby, called the number, went in and saw her baby on ultrasound. “That’s my baby!” she announced.

That is far from an unusual event at those centers, and we want to help make it more common by getting more women to walk through those doors.

Our next bus ad campaign will be run through Middlesex County in the vicinity of Woodbridge and Plainfield (where there is a Planned Parenthood clinic.) That is the area served by Life Choices pregnancy resource center.

The bus ads in both English and Spanish will begin rolling in May and will go on rolling for eight weeks. They will feature the center’s phone, text number and address and offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasound. The buses displaying 16 queen size exterior ads and 30 interior posters will be on the roads 24/7 reaching a large pedestrian and commuter audiences.

We have been able to keep the cost of this campaign at about $2,500, lower than comparable estimates, although art work and printing will be extra. We also continue to meet the demands for Choose Life banners, the production cost for which remains at $120.

As always, you know that every dollar you donate is tax-deductible and is used strictly to support our life saving programs. We pay no salaries, no bonuses, no travel expenses. We are a 501(c) (3) and are all volunteers.

You have to wonder how history would have been different had Norma McCovey seen a Choose Life banner or a bus ad for a pregnancy resource center. If she’d had the opportunity to speak with a trained, dedicated pro-life counsellor instead of feminist lawyers, would she have allowed herself to be a pawn in a deadly legal case?

From our experience with those pro-life counsellors we know she would have heard about love and life, concepts that later turned her against abortion. The Jane Roe’s still with us need to hear those words, and their unborn babies need for their mothers to hear those words, and that’s why we ask you to support our efforts.

This is the time of year when we celebrate the Resurrection … life restored. So, we hope you will consider making a special Easter donation to help us convince pregnant women to get the help they need so that their babies will live.

Gratefully,

Dr. Jeff Danco, Luke Amoroso, Marisol Rodriguez, Neil Sullivan, Adolf Schimpf, PhD, Betty LaRosa, Trustees.

John 10:10 – “Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Proverbs 24:11-12
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?”

Life! Life!

This past Sunday was “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.” Across America there are sermons addressing the value of human life and reminding us what God has to say about this gift He has given each of us.

The reason we observe this special day is to protest the slaughter of the innocent unborn that has been going on in our country for many years, and to bring awareness to God’s people about this sin in our society.

Let me say in the beginning, that there is NO SIN that God will not forgive. And there are NO CONSEQUENCES that God cannot heal!

God is “pro life!” The Scripture teaches that His people are to be pro life, for God is all about life and life abundantly!

Therefore, in any protest we involve ourselves in, violence, or any other destruction of property or life would NOT be God’s way of opposing this ill in our society!

The Value of Human Life

Psalm 139:13-16
“For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

• Who is it that gives life?
• Who is it that forms the baby in the womb?
• Who is it, in His appointed time, will take life?
• It is God Almighty and Him alone!

We either believe the Bible or we do not. The subject of abortion does NOT come with an exemption when it comes to Life!

I have heard people say, “I will do with my body what I want to do?” What’s wrong with that statement?

• First of all, the statement is quite prideful, arrogant and misguided. It is God who will do with our bodies what He chooses to do since He is the Creator – we are the created!
• Secondly, the child in the womb is NOT the body of the mother; it is a separate, distinct creation of God!

For example, remember, over a decade ago when Jeff Peterson was found guilty for not only killing his wife, but killing his unborn child as well? What hypocrisy!

What about the teenage Christian girl who finds herself pregnant while still in school? In some cases, I have heard that the “Christian” parents have agreed with the daughter to get an abortion! What hypocrisy!

Abortion is not so much terminating a pregnancy, it is murdering a child, a child of God’s creation!

I see this blatant hypocrisy in the news almost every day:

• There are many who will vehemently defend the rights of animals, but NOT the unborn child.
• There are many who would like to remove every gun from the American people, for fear that someone might become a victim of a shooting, but they have no problem pulling the trigger on abortion at any stage in pregnancy.
• There are those who would have the government determine what discipline is correct for our children, but have no problem taking the child’s life in the womb! What hypocrisy!

Defending Human Life

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 – “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 who is ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

Abortion has long been a demonic stronghold in our society. In the “Judgment of the Nations,” (Matt. 25) America will have to give an account before Jesus Christ!

Praise God, abortions are on the decline! Praise God, Congress has recently voted to defund Planned Parenthood! But there is still a battle to be won. What can we do?

• Prayer and Protests must continue.
• Speak out for Life whenever we get an opportunity.
• Vote for candidates who are pro life.
• Support you local Crisis Pregnancy Center.
• Educate our children about the truth of the sin of abortion.

When the Lord sees His people standing strong for what He desires, and defending the most helpless humans on earth (the unborn child), He will then step in and do the rest!

May it be that we will look back in a few short years and say, “Praise God, we have overcome the two greatest crimes against humanity in our nation’s history:

• The Evil of Slavery
• The Killing of the Unborn Child!”

Questions for Reflection

• Have you or someone close to you been part of an abortion? Have you found forgiveness through Jesus Christ?
• Have you made the issue of abortion a matter of prayer and fasting?
• Have you been faithful to lovingly speak out in defense of the unborn?

In the Fall 2015 edition of Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center’s publication, LIGHTHOUSE BEACON, on top of page 3 there is an item with a photo of our bus ad and this statement:

“Thanks to the generosity of the Life Education Council, exterior and interior bus ads are shining a light on our life-enhancing services this fall. The buses often pass our new center en route from Paterson to Hackensack, Passaic, Newark and Willowbrook Mall.

One woman standing on a corner, unsure of her next step for an unexpected pregnancy, saw the ad as a direct answer to her prayers for help. Through an ultrasound at our Paterson Center, she learned she was well into her second trimester! Please pray that God will continue to guide and provide for this mom and her unborn child.”

I recently attended the Grand Opening of The Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center in Paterson, NJ. There were over 200 people in attendance including clergy from various denominations along with the deputy mayor of Patterson. The facility is a 2600 square foot building refurbished into a complex of 12 rooms dedicated to helping and serving others.

Their Mission Statement:

Who we are: Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center serves women, men and teens at-risk for, or facing, an unplanned pregnancy or related concern. We do not provide or refer for abortion; we do provide valuable services to support informed choices that will enhance your life and the lives of others. Please note that information provided on our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical, legal or counseling advice.

What we do: Our FREE and confidential services include pregnancy tests, medical confirmation of pregnancy via ultrasound, options education, limited STD screening, material resources and referrals, and post-abortion counseling. Same day appointments can usually be accommodated. At Lighthouse, we care about you and your physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Life Education Council Trustee Marisol Rodriguez helped with today’s grand opening of the Lighthouse Pregnancy Resource Center which was created in partnership with Marisol’s Renew Life Center.

If you are interesting in help the Lighthouse mission, please contact Friends of Lighthouse.

The eighth video in the ongoing controversy over Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted fetal body parts shows the CEO of StemExpress, LLC, a major buyer of fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood, admitting the company gets “a lot” of intact fetuses, suggesting “another 50 livers a week” would not be enough, and agreeing abortion clinics should profit from the sale.

You can read more at the Center for Medical Progress.

The following editorial is by Maureen Ferguson, Senior Policy Advisor, The Catholic Association.

Our family spent days at the bedside of my beloved mother-in-law as she lay dying at Johns Hopkins hospital. She had been diagnosed with advanced bone marrow cancer four years earlier, and now her doctors told us her death was certainly imminent. She was unconscious and on hospice care, and we were told she would slip away at any moment.

Defying those predictions, she recovered and went on to live another two years. They were two incredibly precious years, in which she took her three grandchildren to Disney World, saw her eldest son married, her youngest daughter graduate from high school, and made Christmas dinner that year in her high heels.

As the national debate over physician-assisted suicide picks up steam — currently under consideration in 24 states – we should keep such cases in mind. Proponents of these bills claim only those with less than six months to live would be allowed to avail themselves of doctor prescribed suicide, but patients frequently outlive their prognosis. Even the best doctors, like those at Hopkins, are not omniscient and cannot always accurately predict when a person will die.

Many recall the case of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given only four months to live. However, he went on to live almost two more years as an active U.S. Senator. After his death, his widow Victoria Kennedy campaigned against physician-assisted suicide in Massachusetts saying this policy, “ask(s) us to endorse patient suicide — not patient care — as our public policy for dealing with pain and the financial burdens of care at the end of life. We’re better than that.”

In advocating for physician-assisted suicide, groups like Compassion and Choices (formerly known as The Hemlock Society) espouse tragically misleading slogans like “Death with Dignity.” Treating a person with authentic dignity and compassion could never involve helping that person commit suicide. The dictionary defines suicide as the very “destruction of one’s own interests or prospects.” A group promoting physician-assisted suicide is still just promoting suicide. And suicide has always been recognized as a tragedy.

The medical profession knows this, which is why the American Medical Association strongly opposes such bills, saying, “physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.”

Disability rights advocates have been among the first to recognize these societal risks, calling physician-assisted suicide a “deadly form of discrimination.” This policy unjustly singles out a class of people as having lives that are less worthy and less deserving of protection. The highly respected disability advocates at The ARC have been particularly strong in fighting these bills at the state level because of the disparate impact on those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The disabled are especially vulnerable given the discrimination they already face in a medical environment increasingly squeezed by cost containment pressures.

We can look to Oregon, the first state to legalize assisted suicide, to see the results of this experiment and they are not good. In a well-documented case, a woman was notified by the state health plan that coverage of her cancer treatment was denied, but in the same letter was reminded that the suicide pills were covered. This is not an isolated incident.

The so-called “safeguards” in the Oregon law (the same as those promised in other states) have proved totally insufficient. There has been abuse of the definition of “terminal illness” because many diseases can be considered terminal if proper treatments are not given. Prescriptions for suicide have been dispensed for those suffering from depression, diabetes, and dementia. “Doctor shopping” is common because most family physicians don’t want to prescribe suicide pills. Patients are given the overdose prescription by a doctor who does not know them, and then are left to overdose alone without any further medical care. Results are shrouded in secrecy and reporting requirements minimal.

Finally, the law is an important teacher, especially for young people. What message does legalized, doctor prescribed suicide send to teenagers, who already face tragically high suicide rates? The ‘contagion effect’ of suicide is well known amongst mental health professionals. If adolescents see that our legislatures condone suicide for those facing difficult circumstances, would it be surprising to see an increase in teenage suicides?

Our laws should protect the most vulnerable among us, the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill, and the young, not assist in their destruction. People facing grave illnesses deserve to be treated with authentic dignity and truly compassionate care. Instead of legally enshrining and dispensing despair, let’s embrace life, even at the end, with all its challenges and mysteries. If life is all about love, then what better time to love than in accompanying our beloved in their final days?

Maureen Ferguson is Senior Policy Advisor to The Catholic Association.
Used with permission.

The following editorial is by Maureen Ferguson, Senior Policy Advisor, The Catholic Association.

In the wake of a third undercover video revealing the details of Planned Parenthood’s collection of fetal parts, it’s revealing to consider the reactions of Washington’s top three Democrats.

President Obama has not even commented. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) read hesitatingly from a carefully prepared written statement. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), on the other hand, rushed to give a rather puzzling defense of the controversy, asserting, “the controversy doesn’t exist.” It seems Planned Parenthood disagrees, as they raced to hire both PR and communication crisis firms to handle damage control in the face of multiple congressional investigations.

It’s just, “about women’s health,” according to Pelosi. Bingo. She’s correct; it’s precisely about the endangerment of women’s health on the part of Planned Parenthood, whose doctors admit they deliberately maneuver the fetus into a breech position to have better access to remove intact organs. Changing the abortion method (to the “less crunchy technique”) violates ethical standards precisely because it does not put the health of the woman first, but rather prioritizes the collection of fetal parts. Intact eyes, livers, and hearts are in demand, though, so ethical standards become optional for Planned Parenthood.

This alteration of the abortion technique without a woman’s consent not only violates medical ethics; it also violates the law. Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Gatter dismisses this concern over illegality as a “specious little argument… I don’t think the patients would care one iota so I’m not making a fuss about that.” A bit cavalier of Dr. Gatter to decide what patients will care about, no? It appears the Obama Justice Department won’t make a fuss over the law either. In fact, in quite a parody of justice, DOJ has announced an investigation of the whistleblowers instead.

Pelosi then rested her case by saying “Planned Parenthood has said they have done nothing illegal.” Hmmm. This response calls to mind the scene in Shawshank Redemption when the main character is asked what crime landed him in prison. He also says he has done nothing illegal; he was framed. Morgan Freeman’s character responds, “You’re gonna fit right in! Everybody in here is innocent.”

Perhaps most striking about Pelosi’s response, though, is the tone-deaf lack of compassion. Just weeks ago, Pelosi sang a very different tune in praise of Pope Francis and his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, as have Obama and Reid. They appear to have overlooked the encyclical’s many sections on human ecology, in which Francis repeatedly addresses just the kind of commodification of human beings we see on grisly display in these videos.

Pope Francis writes, “Concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings… if we fail to protect a human embryo?”

In other words, if we are to protect sea turtle eggs, shouldn’t we also protect a human fetus from being carved up? Damaging a turtle egg in Florida is a third degree felony punishable by a $5000 fine and up to 5 years in prison. Yet Planned Parenthood, which aborts over 300,000 developing humans every year, receives about $500 million in our tax dollars annually.

Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical says it is troubling, “when some ecological movements defend the integrity of the environment, rightly demanding that certain limits be imposed on scientific research, they sometimes fail to apply those same principles to human life….”

This failure is on full display in the newly released third video, featuring the work of Planned Parenthood’s partner in collection of fetal parts, StemExpress. The founder, Cait Dyer, defends her company’s work in the New York Times, “We’re collecting biohazardous waste, discarded waste.”

Waste? Have we become so divorced from reality, so schizophrenic as a society that we joyfully tweet ultrasound images of our unborn child to announce a pregnancy, and yet we literally “crush” others?

In Planned Parenthood’s ethical matrix, women’s health can be compromised and the price of fetal organs can be haggled over (so long as the “tone” of the negotiation is more sensitive). An organization with this kind of ethical compass does not deserve half a billion dollars in taxpayer funds every year. They don’t deserve a dime.

Maureen Ferguson is Senior Policy Advisor to The Catholic Association.
Used with permission.