For years, I have taught a classic short story by Shirley Jackson called “The Lottery.” Students who read it for the first time are horrified by the culmination of the story. The town fertility ritual includes the annual stoning to death of a randomly selected innocent citizen, and even the victim’s young son is seen picking up pebbles to throw at Mommy, while Mommy screams how it’s not fair as the townspeople pounce...
The Daily Caller reports:
Two pro-life House Democrats did not sound optimistic Thursday about the prospects for reaching a compromise on abortion language in the health care bill.
Rep. Bart Stupak, mobbed by reporters on his way into a meeting of House Democrats to examine parts of the bill, was asked if he will require a guarantee that the Senate fix the language if the House passes it.
“There is no guarantees in this town,” Stupak said.
This led to speculation that Rep. Bart Stupak - who has been a spokesperson for a group of democrats opposed to current abortion language in the health care legislation - may be ready to compromise on the language of the bill and cut a deal.
Yesterday, The Weekly Standard reported this:
Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak said yesterday at a townhall in his home state, "I'm more optimistic than I was a week ago" that a deal could be reached to pass a health care bill that bans public funding of abortion. Some speculated that this meant Stupak was ready to cave. "Obviously they don’t know me," Stupak said in an interview this afternoon with THE WEEKLY STANDARD. "If I didn’t" cave in November, "why would I do it now after all the crap I’ve been through?"
“We’re getting a lot of pressure not to say anything, to try to compromise this principle or belief,” Stupak said. “[T]hat’s just not us. We’re not going to do that. Members who voted for the Stupak language in the House – especially the Democrats, 64 Democrats that voted for it – feel very strongly about it. It’s been part of who we are, part of our make up. It’s the principle belief that we have. We are not just going to abandon it in the name of health care.”
Yes, Stupak is getting pressure from leadership in his party to keep his mouth shut and even compromise, but it is vital to remember that we battle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Folks we are waging war against spiritual wickedness. And the enemy is not taking any of it lying down...
Wanna talk bipartisan support? Looks like Republicans and Democrats agree: Using reconciliation to pass health care is a bad idea!
As I previously wrote about here, the abortion issue, if left unresolved, could mean lights out health care.
MSNBC reports:
A congressman who has played a key role in the long-running health care bill debate says he and 11 other Democrats will vote against the overhaul bill unless a provision subsidizing abortion is removed.
Rep. Bart Stupak argued Thursday that the provision in the Senate-passed version has language that would permit the federal government to "directly subsidize abortions."
Rep. Stupak continued his discussion of this topic with Fox News:
Health Care legislation will only be passed with a 50-plus-1 vote. And the President is all for it...
This is a follow up to this morning's Health Care Is Going Nuclear post.
Via The Daily Caller - Republicans on Capitol Hill said Tuesday evening they are confident that a key bloc of pro-life House Democrats who voted for President Obama’s health-care reform last fall will vote against it now, as the White House tries to push a bill across the finish line.
Such resistance from even a few of about a dozen committed pro-life Democrats would almost certainly doom a health-care bill. It is not the only challenge complicating Obama’s attempt to pass a bill, but could be the biggest.
"During the 111th congress, opponents of Democratic legislative initiatives incorrectly began to refer to the budget reconciliation process as the nuclear option."
We have been talking about "reconciliation" for some time now. And while it has only been rumored that Senate democrats will use this method to push through health care legislation, I think everyone saw this coming.
Here's an update on the PA. abortion clinic fiasco. You can read Pt. 1 of this story here. But just to refresh our memories: the clinic was shut down due to blood on the floors and decade old fetus' in jars.
Take note of the doctor's chilling thoughts:
A Philadelphia doctor whose medical license was suspended because of conditions at his Philadelphia abortion clinic says that he provides "the very best of responsive care."
Dr. Kermit Gosnell tells WTXF-TV that he offers "the same care that I would want my daughter to receive."
Starting next week, Democratic leaders are looking to ram health reform through the Senate using a parliamentary tactic called reconciliation. And despite what some are saying, the bill's language - already approved by the Senate - does include funding for abortion.
In yesterday's Health Care Summit, pretty much everyone avoided the 800 pound gorilla in the room–ABORTION. Towards the end House Minority Leader John Boehner did bring up the issue of abortion which President Obama quickly dismissed as talking points and untrue. In her closing statements, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also took the opportunity to go after Boehner's abortion statement claiming that the White House's health care bill does not fund abortion.
I wanted to give you just a few thoughts from today's Siege of the Health Care Summit. We saw between 60 - 70 people show up for the Silent Siege and because of the limitations of the location the police allowed us to stand in we looked like a much bigger number. We were around 200 feet away from the Blair House which is where the Summit was going on.
We were asked to move several times because of the need for security but were always allowed to come back to our "spot". The moving was a bit distracting but we took it in stride as we simply stood on the adjacent street corner and continued to pray. But enough about logistics -- let's get down to the nitty-gritty...
Today is the Health Care Summit. It is scheduled to be broadcast live on C-SPAN beginning at 10:00 AM ET. Bound4LIFE teams from all over the region have travelled in to DC to take a prayerful stand outside the Blair House where the debate will take place. And it's supposed to snow!
Rep. Bart Stupak has released a statement concerning the President's Health Care plan:
”I was pleased to see that President Obama’s health care proposal did not include several of the sweetheart deals provided to select states in the Senate bill. Unfortunately, the President's proposal encompasses the Senate language allowing public funding of abortion...
As was rumored, President Obama has released his own Heath Care plan ahead of the Health Care Summit this Thursday. The plan went live on the White House website at 10 am and can read here.
President Obama is pressing onward with his top domestic priority–Health Care Reform. The question remains: Is funding abortion also one of his top domestic priorities?
The Bound4LIFE team based in Washington, DC is organizing a special 7-day Silent Siege in preparation for the Health Care Summit scheduled for Thursday, February 25. Currently the plans are for President Obama to preside over a gathering with a select bi-partisan representation of Congress at the Blair House which is directly across the street from the White House.
Well now here is something to think about. One of the major arguments that pro-abortion folk use is: Abortion lowers the maternal fatality rate. Or to say it another way -- abortion is good for women's health.
However, data out of Poland seems to totally undermine that assertion.
Why has Poland made such strides in improving both maternal and infant health? Certainly not by spending a lot of money on “reproductive health services,” to use the preferred euphemism. Poland is a poor country, much poorer than either Canada or its immediate European neighbours. The money simply isn’t there for any lavish program to improve maternal and infant health. The only change that could have produced such a dramatic improvement is the documented decline in the induced abortion rate.
Let's talk about the state of Health Care and the State of The Union speech. We want to hear your thoughts about either one.
Discuss in the comments.
With election of Scott Brown (R - MA.) the senate democratic leadership no longer have a filibuster proof majority with which to pass their Health Care legislation. To combat that inconvenient truth, a number of ideas have been floated, including a parliamentary move called, "reconciliation".
Well, to my surprise HardBall host, Chris Matthews, served up the cold hard reality of reconciliation!
Folks, I don't know what to say here... I'm a little stunned. But also grateful.
Watch the video:
"So...what does this mean?"
That has been the-most-asked-question at every single stage of the process as this health care bill moves through Congress. Every step has been a great opportunity to pray for the protection of the unborn. The legislative process is lost on most Americans leaving them confused and frustrated. If you fancy yourself an aficionado on procedure, then you should probably be in DC. Otherwise most folks are limited to what they learned watching Schoolhouse Rock.
National Healthcare System
Recently, I sent an E-Blast with Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, calling the nation to join an urgent national webcast prayer convocation to ask God to restrain federally funded abortion in the health care system. On that E-Blast I wrote:
On Friday, December 4th, I was awakened early in the morning with a burden to pray, as I considered the consequences of abortion being mainstreamed into the national health care system if the senate health care bill is passed as it is right now.
I turned to 1 Chronicles 21 where the destroying angel had come to the threshing floor of Ornan. God, in his heart of mercy, restrained the angel of death, saying, “Enough! Restrain your hand.” The angel of death still hovered between heaven and earth with its sword drawn. Even with God’s restraint, the verdict was still in the balance as to whether or not the death march would continue. An earth being, namely David, had to agree with God’s restraint through repentance, paying the full price, and offering up the atoning blood. When David went up to the threshing floor in repentance and erected the altar and offered the sacrifice, God heeded the prayers and the angel of death sheathed its sword.
While we have known that some Christian denominations have swayed to a liberal side on issues such as abortion, even the United Methodists have now joined the ranks of publicly petitioning against the very amendment we cry out to God and to our nation’s leaders to support. This letter to the Senate appeared Monday and is a disturbing reflection of a tolerant religious spirit that is sweeping across Christianity. The amendment, once again, doesn’t even take away abortion; it simply means we don’t have to pay for it. Some people within the streams of Christianity now feel that we should not limit abortion at all:
The groups say their position is that there is a "social and moral obligation to ensure access to" abortions "at every stage in an individual’s life."
An abortion clinic employee attacked a pregnant pro-life volunteer outside the Central Family Medicine abortion clinic in Kansas City, Kansas, while she was engaged in peaceful, First Amendment activity.
On November 14, 2009, an unidentified abortion clinic employee came out of the Central Family Medicine abortion clinic and began to taunt the pro-lifers. Her verbal abuse escalated into violence as she rammed her shoulder into sidewalk counselor Jennifer McCoy, who is noticeably six months pregnant. A photograph taken by protest leader Mark Gietzen of the Kansas Coalition for Life shows McCoy recoiling and bracing for the hard impact that occurred a split second later.
I'm stumped. It wasn't but a week ago that people who opposed health care legislation, because of abortion funding, were being called ignorant, cold-hearted and unreasonable.
The attacks basically had the same tone to them. We were unreasonable because we could not set aside our difference of opinion on abortion and think of the greater good. We were told to consider not only abortion but the millions of uninsured people who are struggling without health care. We were the bad guys. How dare we oppose such legislation. Of course, that was when everything was going according to plan.
While we rejoice over the victory of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment which would create a ban on public abortion funding under the proposed national health care plan, a Planned Parenthood leader is seething. Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, sent out this letter to her mailing list Sunday afternoon. Some of the things she said struck me, not only for obvious reasons but because of the parallel we as Christians should be noting. We could actually learn a lot from them.
“At Planned Parenthood, we fought together with you until the bitter end (thank you), and once we lost the vote on women's health, we started to do what we do best — gear up for our next fight.” - Richards
The warrior attitude Richards is portraying should be our attitude as we battle in the heavenlies for the lives of the unborn. Jesus makes a striking point when the Pharisees accuse Him of being of Satan when He casts out demons. He says:
"Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ... Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. (Mat 12:25-26, 29-30)
We want the “goods”—the ending of abortion in America. This isn’t the time to cry, “Democrat!” “Republican!” It’s the time to cry, “JESUS!”
President Obama tells Jake Tapper that Congress needs to change abortion-related language in the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives this weekend.
"I laid out a very simple principle, which is this is a health care bill, not an abortion bill," Obama said. "And we're not looking to change what is the principle that has been in place for a very long time, which is federal dollars are not used to subsidize abortions.
What the President is getting at is that the Stupak amendment went to far in preventing taxpayer funded abortions. Basically, that "very simple principle" is a bit tricky.
Bound4LIFE is coordinating along with Lou Engle for an urgent conference call tonight to pray concerning HR-3962 (known as PelosiCare). Please do whatever is necessary to participate in this call. For those of you that have corporate prayer meetings scheduled for this evening I strongly encourage you to patch this call into your meetings to join in corporately.
For LIFE,
Matt Lockett
Bound4LIFE Director
This former Planned Parenthood employee was told to get more abortions in the door in light of the poor economy. (Now that's health care you can trust!) And to think members of Congress are trying to fuel this kind of complete and utter disregard of ethics not to mention women's health care, by mandating taxpayer money to fund abortion clinics just like this one... if not this one directly!
"We're working very closely with Bart Stupak (D-MIch.) and that coalition of Democrats to write a the bill in a way that makes it absolutely clear that no public dollars can go to funding abortions as part of the health reform bill," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the assistant to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said during an appearance on Fox News this morning.
"We're trying to codify the Hyde amendment as part of the health care reform bill," Van Hollen explained.
If the current Health Care legislation is not completely payed for out of these funds, then Hyde does NOT cover it. Again, if the money does not come from the HHS Appropriations Bill, Hyde offers us no protections. Thus tax-payer money CAN and WILL go to paying for abortions. We need legislation that explicitly says federal dollars will not pay for abortions anything less is a blank check from the Treasury Department to the Abortion Industry... of course with yours and my name on it.
If you aren’t fully convinced that there is an agenda for abortion behind the Health Care Reform bill, then maybe you should check this video and article out. Not only is abortion simply about killing, (as if that was ever a simple matter) but it is about the systematic dismantling of the family -- and that is what is being pushed through in this bill.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., went before the House and stated that the Health Care Reform bill would allow school “sex clinics” to be established and would keep parents from ever knowing about the care and treatments there child undergoes.
So much for President Obama's claim that federal dollars won't pay for abortion in health care reform.
The Hill - The Senate Finance Committee rejected an amendment to its health care bill Wednesday that would have required women to purchase a separate, supplemental insurance plan to cover abortion services.
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) proposed the amendment with the goal of making existing laws against federal money being used to pay for abortions, and the language in the health care bill, ironclad.
"All I'm asking -- my gosh -- is for specific language in the bill that prohibits federal dollars from being used to fund abortions," Hatch said.
Some think the debate over whether or not Health Care reform will pave the way for tax-payer funded abortion to be a pointless idea. While others believe that the Hyde Amendment bans federal money from paying for abortions. This however is only partly true.
I want to quickly give the reason why we need an amendment that clearly states that no money will be used to pay for abortions in anyway.
Simply put, the Hyde Amendment will not do the trick!
The Hyde Amendment is a "rider" bill -- meaning it is "limitation amendment" of sorts. The Hyde amendment restricts funding of abortions by creating rules for the appropriation of funds within Medicaid.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Another controversy the President brought up -- he said no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and this is connected to the public option, Governor Pawlenty, because many supporters of the pro-life movement, the anti-abortion activists have said "No, that's not true" -- that the public option that is being considered right now in the House will actually fund abortions.
TIM PAWLENTY: Well, there's an easy way to resolve this. There's a dispute, so just be clear in the bill. If the President is embracing the idea that public monies in public systems won't be used to fund abortions, then we should say that.
The pro-life perspective on this has been viewed by both FactCheck.Org and The AP as having merit. So this is not something people are just making up. There's a legitimate concern about it, but it can and should be clarified.
“And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up – under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.” ~ President Obama
...The reality is that the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize subsidies for private abortion insurance - and all with federal dollars, which are the only kind of dollars that the federal government can spend.
Another Planned Parenthood affiliate has been caught defrauding taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
An audit recently conducted by Washington state’s Department of Social and Health Services revealed the Spokane abortion business overcharged the state Medicaid program by at least $629,142.88 from 2004 to 2007.
It might be hard to distinguish a difference between the two in the days ahead judging from the many handheld videos popping up on the internet of town hall meetings all across the nation that are exploding in public outburst. I recently sat in a meeting in which a Senator asked a specialist, "Are people really as angry as they seem?" The room went totally silent at his response,"Senator...they're twice as mad as you think."
My team and I have been "prayer walking" the House office buildings in the morning this week. First thing today it was reported from House Majority Leader Hoyer and Speaker Pelosi that it had been decided to postpone a vote on the current Health Care Bill until after Labor Day. This comes as a specific answer to prayer to slow this process down. I feel as though our prayers have been sand in the gears for what seemed impossible to stop not many days ago.
For decades the District of Columbia has prohibited using public dollars for abortions, but President Barack Obama inserted a measure to reverse the ban in his new federal budget request and Congress has obliged. The president also inserted language in the new law to legalize marijuana for "medical purposes."
...the cat got Mikulski’s tongue yesterday during a Senate Health Committee hearing after she introduced a murky amendment that caught the eye of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R- UT ).
Abortion Abortion Industry Barack Obama Bound4LIFE Congress Fetus First of All God Health Care Health Care Reform Houston Infanticide Intercession JHOP DC Jesus Justice Life Lou Engle Margaret Sanger Matt Lockett Obama Planned Parenthood Prayer President Obama Pro-Abortion Pro-life R2H Silent Siege Supreme Court senate
