Huckabee Is The "Catholic" Candidate For 2008

...according to a prominent Catholic layman. He takes issue with a Catholic publication that featured an article which he said contained distortions about Mike Huckabee. He makes a case that Huckabee is a better choice for Catholics than Fred Thompson.

But I can’t remain silent about the unanswered distortions about Mike Huckabee over Fred Thompson in the presidential race found in California Catholic Daily’s Jan. 11 posting, “Keeping the coalition together is the key to success.” It was an article covering the California Pro-Life Council's endorsement of Thompson for president. It was totally one-sided and misleading to Catholic voters. CCD is a great publication and provides a valuable service to Catholics. I can understand how things like this can slip through trying to meet tight deadlines.

Rest of story here.

Janet Folger also thinks Mike Huckabee is the one. She makes a very ambitious, even extreme, prediction in this article. Pro-lifers would be rejoicing in the streets if her predictions prove correct.

Barack Obama Loved by Planned Parenthood

Told you so. How much more proof is required?

From Jill Stanek:

Obama's girls at Planned Parenthood are sending him plenty of love. This will be tricky since they're all heartless.

Obama loves PP, too. Actually, they prostitute one another. PP helps elect Obama so he can turn around and appropriate tax money to it. He's trying to legislate PP an abortuary load of cash at the moment. PP explains why in its Obama love note....

Jill's full posting here.

Barack Obama The Most Pro Abortion Candidate Ever

Yesterday, in the Townhall.com forum, columnist Terence Jeffrey defended his statement that “Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever.”

Jeffrey stated in his article,

He is so pro-abortion he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons."

"Persons," of course, are guaranteed equal protection of the law under the 14th Amendment.

I’ve posted a few entries dealing with U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama and his record on abortion, one this week, one this past June and one in July.

Earlier this week I received a comment from one reader who took exception to my position that Obama ought to be disqualified on the basis of his pro-child-killing stand. Here is the reader’s comment in full, followed by the response I offered him:

Patrick Furlong said...

On the looks of things, you and I would fall on opposite ends of the spectrum of Christian faith. One reason I love and support my faith is because of the variations amongst it's followers- like you and I.

I found a quote by a Catholic hero of mine, regarding the very issue of voting and abortion, and I thought it would be relevant to share with you...

Cardinal Joseph Bernadine of Chicago, an opponent of abortion, cautioned Catholics against turning abortion into a single voting issue: "Our moral, political and economic responsibilities do not stop at the moment of birth. "Those who defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally visible in support of the quality of life of the powerless among us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the undocumented immigrant and the unemployed worker. ... Consistency means we can't have it both ways."

And so, in the spirit of that urging by Cardinal Bernadine, I support Barack Obama with the belief that the value and dignity of human life DOES NOT END at conception, and I believe when I look at the issues holistically, Barack Obama is the best man for the job.

And so, in regards to health care, the issues in war torn areas like the Middle East, the Congo, and Sudan, as well as a host of other issues like gun control, taxes, social security, the environment, civil rights and immigration, Barack Obama is the man that is most in line with my ideals, with my morality.

I hope that helps you understand why I support the man. I assume we will disagree still, but for me, I just can't vote or not vote for a candidate on one single issue...

"It's not about taking the right stand on issues. It's about choosing to stand in the right place. With those on the margins, those whose dignity has been denied. To choose to stand with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. To choose to stand with the easily despised and the readily left out. To choose to stand with those whose burdens are more than they can bear. To stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. And so you stand against forgetting as you leave this place, that we belong to each other." Father Greg Boyle, S.J.

http://pjfurlong.blogspot.com

ELA said...

Patrick,

You said, “I just can't vote or not vote for a candidate on one single issue.”

What if the candidate was a racist, e.g. a card carrying member of the KKK? What if the candidate was a Jew-hater and a holocaust denier? What if the candidate was sympathetic to terrorism in order to achieve political ends?

Would any of these “issues” by themselves be sufficient for you to dismiss the candidate?

I hope you get the point. Without a doubt, for every voter, there are many “single issues” which would disqualify candidates. It’s simply a matter of starting to identify them and see where the “issue” of abortion might rank in that list of evils.

As we make clear in our voter’s guide:

*****

Imagine a politician saying, “I support terrorism.” And then a voter saying,” I disagree with you on terrorism, but what's your health care plan?” You'd think they were both mad! You wouldn't think twice about rejecting a candidate who supported terrorism. His stance, permitting the public to be killed, is dangerous to society and contrary to every principle of public service.

Consider abortion in the same light. Abortion is no less violent than terrorism and produces the same result-dead and bloodied human beings, most often in pieces.

*****

Regarding Cardinal Joseph Bernadine, his “consistent ethic of life” was dangerously flawed as evidenced clearly by the manner in which pro-abortion politicians interpreted his argument and used it to maintain the status quo on child killing. You might want to refer to this article.

Patrick, think about it. You’ve used the Cardinal’s point of view to nullify, for all practical purposes, your opposition in the public square to the killing of unborn children. This flies in the face of official Catholic teaching and the specific teachings of our last two Popes. Take some time to read and reflect on John Paul II’s "Evangelium Vitae," the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith entitled "The Participation of Catholics in Political Life" as well as Cardinal Ratzinger’s "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion."

Finally, if we consider the unborn to be the poorest of all human beings, a case which can easily be made, I believe your quote by Father Greg Boyle is an earnest plea to stand with the Unborn, unalterably opposed to their legalized murder and to all those who wish to maintain our evil status quo.

Links to news stories about Obama which have recently appeared on the Vote Life, Canada! blog:

Obama's Pastor: "True Gospel" only for poor and black!Town Hall - Washington, DC—If Dr. Jeremiah Wright is the spiritual mentor that guides Barack Obama then it becomes easier to understand how and why Obama himself may not have that Biblical of a grasp in terms of understanding the gospel.

La Shawn Barber asks a question of Barack Obama
Question for Obama: What faith is this?
For instance, Obama voted against a ban on infanticide while a senator in Illinois. A partial birth abortion, as child murder is euphemistically called, is when a “doctor” grabs the unborn baby’s body and pulls him down the birth canal.

The Audacity of Nuance
The Washington Times
…Barack Obama won a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America last year. "The issue of abortion, I don't think has gone away….I don't think people take the issue lightly. A lot of people have arrived in the view that I've arrived at, which is that there is a moral implication to these issues, but that the women involved are in the best position to make that determination.”

Barack Obama Promotes Abortion, Slams Abstinence in Iowa Speech
Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) -- Campaigning in Iowa over the weekend, pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama attempted to moderate his views on abortion and abstinence education. However, he made it clear he has no interest in limiting or reducing abortions and his pro-abstinence stance is tempered by his backing of sexual education.

Obama backs Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora
More on yesterday’s reported news that Obama backs Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora
Sen. Barack Obama became the first Democratic presidential candidate to weigh in on the battle over a Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora. Not surprisingly, the abortion rights supporter from Illinois said he would like to see the clinic open soon.

Warning: Catholics for a Free Choice Not Really Catholic At All

Breaking News from CNA

**********

Catholics for a Free Choice attempts to confuse voters, says Catholic Association

Washington DC, Jan 9, 2008 / 03:06 pm (CNA).- A new ad campaign from the group, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), has drawn criticism from the Catholic Association for confusing the Catholic position on abortion and attempting to sway voters in the presidential primary elections.

Michael Hernon, president of the Catholic Association stated that “Catholics for a Free Choice will stop at nothing to advance abortion rights. Their latest campaign puts a new spin on their dizzying logic that promoting abortion is somehow ‘Catholic’. Catholics stand for life and will not be confused by the latest attempt of this abortion front group.”

The campaign entitled “Prevention Not Prohibition”, focuses on how policy makers can assist in the prevention of abortion through contraception, healthcare for all, sexual education and access to childcare, according to a CFFC press release.

It is the belief of the CFFC that, “Despite the protestations of a few conservative bishops, there is strong support among Catholics for policies that would reduce the need for abortion. The presidential election is a perfect place for serious candidates to take a stand and state that they too support providing women with real choices when it comes to dealing with an unplanned pregnancy.”

According to the Catholic Association, “the new campaign tries to confuse voters into believing that CFFC wants to ‘reduce the need for abortion’. They are trying to sway Catholics to vote for candidates who support abortion on demand but support other policies that may reduce the need for abortion. Catholics and people of good conscience can not tolerate or cooperate with the evil of abortion. Other policy initiatives do not mitigate a candidate's support for abortion on demand.”

The US Bishops’ Conference has called CFFC "practically speaking, an arm of the abortion lobby in the United States and throughout the world," funded by wealthy private foundations that seek to "promote abortion as a method of population control."

[Source]

Should Abortion Stance Be the Most Important Factor in Voting?

From OneNewsNow:

POLL: Abortion stance as a factor in voting

According to our most recent poll response, voters -- at least those who frequent our website -- appear to be giving priority to issues other than a candidate's position on abortion when determining who they will support for president.

OneNewsNow.com asked: Is a presidential candidate's stand on abortion your MOST IMPORTANT consideration when choosing who to support? You said:

Read the OneNewsNow.com article that inspired this question here.

Vote Life, Canada! advises all Canadians to make the defense of innocent human life their foremost voting criterion. Although this approach might be characterized as “single issue voting,” an approach to which many people object, it can hardly be described as unreasonable.

Let’s suppose you said, “I just can't vote or not vote for a candidate on one single issue.”

What if the candidate were a racist, e.g. a card carrying member of the KKK? What if the candidate were a Jew-hater and a holocaust denier? What if the candidate were sympathetic to terrorism in order to achieve political ends?

Would any of these “issues” by themselves be sufficient for you to dismiss the candidate?

I hope you get the point. Without a doubt, for every voter, there are lots of “single issues” which would disqualify candidates. It’s simply a matter of starting to identify them and see where the “issue” of abortion might rank in that list of evils.

As we make clear in our voter’s guide,

Imagine a politician saying, “I support terrorism.” And then a voter saying,” I disagree with you on terrorism, but what's your health care plan?” You'd think they were both mad! You wouldn't think twice about rejecting a candidate who supported terrorism. His stance, permitting the public to be killed, is dangerous to society and contrary to every principle of public service.

Consider abortion in the same light. Abortion is no less violent than terrorism and produces the same result-dead and bloodied human beings, most often in pieces.

Most election campaigns are not centred in basic principle but rather in policy, such as the method in which health care is delivered, or the degree of taxation levels, or the size of government. No politician questions the principle of healthcare or the principle of taxation or the principle of fighting crime. If such principles were to be abandoned it would not be surprising if the politician were considered as disqualified.

The protection of human life is a fundamental principle and the most foundational human right we possess in society. It is not a mere policy. To allow abortion, which is the killing of a human child in the womb, is to break the principle that every human life deserves protection. Those who would abandon this principle forfeit their right to political office, an office open only to those who would be a guardian of the public and of peace and good order.

To quote again from our voter’s guide:

Stop for a moment and think. If politicians aren't ready to respect the life of a small defenseless child, do you want to trust them with your life and future? If they will disregard the most basic of rights, what of your many other legitimate concerns as a citizen?

A leader’s stand on abortion certainly warrants “single-issue” voting for the Christian who believes in the justice and truth emanating from Christian revelation.

Day Gardner: Barack Obama Supports the Ruthless Culture of Death

Day Gardner: The Black Church and Obama

WASHINGTON, January 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following statement was released today by Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union:

I was very disturbed by an article published on January 7, 2008 in The Atlanta Journal which stated that Sen. Barack Obama garnered praise and prayers from several African-American pulpits for his landmark victory in the Iowa caucuses. I can't help but wonder…what are these pastors thinking? Of course, we all need prayer, that part was okay, but praise? I had to ask myself, do they realize what this man stands for?

Yes, blacks have continued to make great strides in breaking down color barriers and the walls of inequality and by the grace of God, some feel we have earned bragging rights with regard to our accomplishments. But, in our efforts to be bigger, brighter and best--I worry many of us have forgotten a huge part of what our struggle was all about. Racial equality was only part of it--the other part had to do with civil rights for ALL of our people.

Senator Obama doesn't care that abortion has obliterated the rights of more than 15 million black children since 1973. He doesn't care that abortion is the number one killer of African Americans surpassing deaths caused by accidents, heart disease, stroke, crimes, HIV-AIDS and all other deaths...combined!

He won't make one of his powerful speeches decrying the injustice of abortion providers as they plant killing centers firmly in black communities--making it easier to kill black children. Instead, he actually applauds their efforts! These children are denied their most basic human right –which is the right to life; a right which our ancestors so proudly worked for, marched for and many of them died for.

For those men and women who believe they are by God called to be ministers of the word, I ask them: What about God's plans for unborn children? Jeremiah 1:5 says: Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee; Psalm 139 states: Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made--my substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of thee earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect...

Unfortunately, Barack Obama supports the ruthless culture of death, one that includes killing the smallest Americans—too small to flee or fight back—leaving the black church to contemplate Obama or the word of God, i.e. Jesus or Barabbas.

[Source]

Janet Folger: US Election Will End Killing of Unborn Children

Talk about sticking out your neck! I think Janet is really getting carried away here with Huckabee.

I said it before, I'll say it again: Values Voters are going to determine the outcome of this election. Don't believe me? Wait and see. One more prediction: With this election, we're going to take back the Supreme Court of the United States, stop the killing of unborn children, protect the institution of marriage and regain our freedoms of speech and religion. We're going to take back America. You heard it here first.

What do you think?

Polish Catholic Bishops Set the Example for Guiding Catholics in Proper Voting Principles to Defend Life

In its Open Letter of June 18, 2007 Vote Life, Canada! called upon the [pseudo-]Catholic Bishops of Canada to engage Catholics in proper voting strategies in order to bring about protection of human life. The following is a quote from the pertinent section of the Open Letter:

6) Bishops Have Failed to Mobilize the Catholic Voting Bloc There is perhaps no greater example of the dereliction of duty of too many Bishops to halt the killing of Unborns in Canada than the failure to mobilize the Catholic voting bloc in Canada. Legal protection for unborn children necessitates a political, legislative solution, a fact evident to even the least politically savvy of Canadians. Roman Catholic Bishops in Canada exercise moral authority over a formidable voting bloc of nearly 10 million Catholics and yet after nearly forty years of "legalized" child killing in Canada there is no indication whatever that Catholics have been guided by the Bishops to effect this political change in Canada through even the simplest of voting strategies, one solidly founded on basic moral principles yet not centred in partisan politics.

Why must such an emphasis on mobilizing the Christians of Canada to vote effectively on behalf of securing legal rights for the Unborn originate with a campaign such as the Vote Life, Canada! project? Surely, if the Bishops had a will to stop the child killing in Canada, a focused and comprehensive Canada wide, diocesan wide, strategy to engage every Catholic to cast a vote for legal protection of the Unborn would have yielded long ago a complete halt to the killing. In the rare case where Bishops have been found to do anything in this regard it has amounted to a poorly organized, last minute, ineffective scramble. God have mercy on those Bishops for their failure in this most practical of all ways to end the holocaust of the Unborn. Their inaction for decades makes them substantially culpable in the deaths of millions of unborn children.

Some naysayers along the way protested that the Bishops could really do nothing about the decisions of voters and that it was unrealistic to expect Bishops to undertake such a project.

Yesterday LifeSiteNews reported on the approach being taken by Polish Bishops in the face of a national election. [The report appears below.]

The article provides a concrete example of the kind of action that truly “Catholic” Bishops will undertake in defense of human life. It is a vindication of the call from Vote Life, Canada! to Catholic Bishops of Canada.

**********

Polish Bishops Encourage Citizens to Support Only Pro-life, Pro-Family Groups in Election

Emphasize "moral convictions" and "nonnegotiable values"

WARSAW, October 16, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Penned at their annual Conference in Warsaw, the Catholic bishops of Poland have collectively issued a letter that was to be read at all parishes on Sunday, October 14. In the letter the bishops are urging Catholics to vote with "nonnegotiable values" in mind and to therefore support "only those political groups that favor protection of life from the moment of conception, that respect family rights and that demonstrate by their activities deep concern about Poland and respect for its tradition stemming from Christian roots."

The upcoming election will be held on October 21 and was called when the current ruling party, the Law and Justice Party, lost their parliamentary majority. Presently, both the president and the prime minister of Poland are ardently pro-life.

The letter reads, "We ask all lay faithful and clergy in our country and beyond its borders to pray for the homeland and participate in large numbers. But we also need to vote properly, which means in accordance with moral conviction. Believers should give their vote to people whose attitude and views are close, or at least not opposed, to the Catholic faith and Catholic values."

The pastoral letter cautioned Polish clergy to "respect the maturity of laypeople" in their guidance and condemned any party that claimed "to speak in the church's name or claim its support."

While the bishops refrained from promoting any specific party or individual they said that certain political parties were "closer to the Christian vision of the person and society" while others were "distant from church teaching or even opposed to it."

Differing polling agencies have resulted in starkly contrasting poll results with one agency reporting that the incumbent Law and Justice Party was favored to win and another contending that the liberal Civic Platform challenging party was set to win.

[Source]

More evidence of the Polish Bishops' influence on the morals of their society here.

Are Americans Ignoring Sam Brownback—Only Presidential Hope for Legal Protection of the Unborn?

Ok, so we’ve had a born-again evangelical President in the White House for about seven years. Abortion rates are much the same as always. I don’t recall ever hearing President Bush say in blunt words that abortion should be made illegal, although I believe the Republican platform calls for the overturning of Roe v Wade.

Is it time now for a Catholic President? Does America’s desire to end abortion override its reluctance to consider the prospect of a President who is staunchly Catholic—unlike JFK?

It would seem not, at least up to this point.

But here’s a Presidential hopeful who is unafraid to say that abortion is the greatest moral issue in American politics today— not global warming, not the war in Iraq, not illegal immigration, etc.

Boston’s Cardinal O'Malley said, "There is no other presidential candidate in the United States at this moment whose positions really reflect Catholic social dogma in the way that" Brownback's do.

Are American pro-life leaders throwing their weight behind Brownback? I am hearing no such reports. They seem obsessed with “elect-able” candidates instead of principled voting. Thirty four years of that kind of thinking have not saved the lives of 4000 unborn Americans killed daily through “legal” abortion.

What are James Dobson and Tony Perkins saying about him? Why aren’t they saying more?

Perhaps more importantly we should ask why Catholic Bishops aren't drawing the attention of their flocks to candidate Brownback. Truly perplexing.

America: Why aren’t you looking more seriously at Brownback?

---

Sam Brownback Tells Iowans Abortion is Biggest Moral Issue in Politics

Dubuque, IA (LifeNews.com) -- Sam Brownback continued to press the pro-life themes of his Republican presidential campaign in a stop in Iowa on Thursday. The Kansas senator said abortion is the greatest moral issue in politics and shared the story of his adoptive daughters with the crowd of 100 people at Loras College.

Brownback discussed his "pro-life, whole life" theme that includes protecting people both born and unborn.

"This is the biggest moral issue of the day," he said, referring to abortion. "We've killed over 40 million people that should be here."

The senator also discussed his two adoptive children and how they came from nations where abortion and infanticide have targeted girl babies.

He also said the women who have had abortions and regret their decision have the greatest chance to break the gridlock over abortion in the U.S. and persuade more people to support the pro-life position.

"With every abortion there's at least two victims. One dead, one wounded," he said. "We believe all people are sacred and they're beautiful."

He also said he was confident that the work of pro-life groups in changing hearts and minds would eventually win the abortion debate.

"We can get this done here. Once we win this fight, it will reverberate around the world," he said, according to the Tribune Herald newspaper.

Once abortion is made illegal in the United States again, Brownback said, it would impact the worldwide abortion debate and help places like Russia and Japan, where abortion has left the nations with underpopulation problems.

"This isn't rocket science. But it is about sacred life," he said.

Brownback also said he backs a human life amendment to the Constitution but knows that isn't a political reality right now.

[Source]

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald in Iowa reported much the same story. To read their article, go here.

As if all this weren’t enough, yesterday the Boston Globe gave America another reason to support Brownback.

John Pacheco and Fellow Unsoiled Christian Candidates Share Noble Victory

John Pacheco recently ran in the Ontario provincial elections in Ottawa West Nepean under the banner of the Family Coalition Party, a pro-life, pro-family party. His campaign website detailed the progress of his election activities and also featured very interesting presentations all from a uniquely Christian and pro-life perspective.

Yesterday John reminded everyone that his campaign was very purposefully a campaign centred in the humanity of the Unborn [and therefore also the rights of the Unborn]. John’s very bold and principled labours were fuelled by his Christian beliefs, specifically the belief that human life begins at conception, is always a gift from God and therefore deserves the same respect and protection at all stages through to natural death.

These are not new and novel beliefs for the Christian. For twenty centuries Christians have held to such beliefs and enshrined them in the laws of the nations in which they have gained ascendancy. Canada used to be one such nation—but no longer. In fact, not so for quite some time.

According to the figures John supplied, only 559 voters out of about 45,000 who voted in his riding chose to support him. We can conclude a number of things from such results but obviously there were very few voters indeed who identified with John’s worldview and political vision, Christians included. Assuming all candidates including John were equally sane and capable individuals almost 99% of the people in John’s area believed their futures were better entrusted to candidates who had no objections to the current status quo regarding legalized killing of unborn children.

Presumably then, other issues weighed heavier with these 99% and certainly none of them viewed legal abortion in the same league as terrorism or even racism for that matter. Certainly if voters had viewed a candidate as a supporter of terrorism or racism they would have rejected him/her as a viable candidate regardless of views on other subjects such as health care and education.

Since every successful abortion ALWAYS results in the death of a fellow human being, the issue of abortion is like no other in Canada. It challenges and denies the most fundamental right which every human being possesses—the right to live. It is thus remarkably similar in nature to an act of terrorism, the goal and result of which is ALWAYS dead and bloodied human beings, most often in pieces.

The reason 99% of John’s neighbours are oblivious and/or indifferent to this fact testifies to an incredible blindness in our society. Having eyes to see they see not—neither the plight of the little womb children nor their own impending doom. And unless there are only 559 Christians in Ottawa West Nepean, the very elect have also been blinded and ensnared by a deception of gigantic proportions.

Thank you John for your faithful Christian witness. It was impressive. And a similar Thank You to all other candidates whose classic Christian principles were kept uncompromised and front and centre during recent elections.

Those whose votes you received share in your victory.

*****

[picture above of John Pacheco and his four children, taken from campaign website]

Final Voting Message to Canadians Facing Provincial Elections This Week

Some voters have been asking for last minute voting tips from Vote Life, Canada!, over and above the pamphlet "How to Vote Life" and the YouTube 3 minute voting message. It seems some are concerned about the thought of having to write across their ballots "NO PRO-LIFE CANDIDATE."

This is understandable and merits more discussion. Vote Life, Canada! is working on this concern and will add further guidelines for the future.

At this late moment, the easiest question for voters to ask themselves before they scrawl the above message on their ballots is this:

Up to this point, are any of the candidate(s) on record as having taken any measures—even a clear public statement might qualify here—to save unborn children from being destroyed in the womb? [For new candidates without any political past, it would be essential that the candidate was at least willing to go on record with a public statement that, once in office, he/she would take definite steps to save unborn children from destruction.]

The answer to this question ought to be easy and also verifiable. If the answer is no, then the candidate(s) is disqualified.

And remember, if you believe that abortion is no different than terrorism and that those who are silent on abortion are no different than those who are silent on terrorism, certain candidates simply CANNOT have your vote.

NOTE: This question does not replace the previous guidelines or voting messages of Vote Life, Canada! It is offered only as a last minute guide for those struggling with their vote.

Important Voting Information for Provincial Elections October 2007

UPDATE: Last minute voting tips below.

Canadians in two provinces will be going to the polls this week.

Vote Life, Canada! urges voters to make principled votes based on the guidelines provided in their voting guide “How to Vote Life.”

Vote Life, Canada! has also produced a YouTube 3 minute voting message to Canadians. Please take the time to consider that message before you vote.

For information about the stance towards the Unborn held by candidates in both the provincial elections, please click on the appropriate link below.

For voters whose highest guiding principle is The Golden Rule, please remember that the Unborn are fellow human beings. If in doubt please read this short article.

Campaign Life Coalition Presents Candidate Information for Ontario Pro-Life Voters

Newfoundland and Labrador provincial Election October 9

Final Update:
Final Voting Message to Canadians Facing Provincial Elections This Week

Pro-Life News Bytes September 26, 2007

Suzanne at Big Blue Wave directs readers to an interview with Family Coalition Party leader Giuseppe Gori on TVO.

VIDEO: FCP's Giuseppe Gori interviewed by TVO's Steve Paikan

LifeSiteNews reported yesterday on an amazing story, ready made for our Canadian setting. The story is a powerful vindication of the strategy of using graphic images to show the horror and truth of abortion. Be sure to reads this story.

500 Centre of Bioethical Reform explicit abortion billboards had a powerful effect [on abortion law in Slovakia.]

Slovak Health Ministry Revokes Hospital Abortion Law in Face of Effective "Right-to-Life" Campaign

Heartofsong83 posts voting strategy on Free Dominion. Vote Life, Canada! disagrees with respect to EVER voting for a politician who is not qualified as truly pro-life. Would you ever consider voting for a politician who supported terrorism under certain conditions? Think about it.
Ontario Election 2007: Why we should vote pro-life

The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship (LCF) is calling on Christians to rally outside England’s Houses of Parliament this October in a show of opposition to abortion on the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act.

h/t Vital Signs Ministries

A controversial plan to pay new parents in Newfoundland and Labrador is being misinterpreted, according to Progressive Conservative Leader Danny Williams.

Baby bonus part of a bigger population-growth plan: Williams

See Vote Life, Canada’s previous coverage also.

Christian Newswire reports that Operation Rescue is celebrating today the announced closure of Alternatives, an abortion clinic in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that was closed by the Health Department in June after an inspection revealed filthy conditions that included blood-stained carpets and rusty surgical instruments.

Filthy New Jersey Abortion Mill Surrenders License, Moves Out

Last year over 2 million students in the U.S. took part in See You at the Pole (SYATP) - a student-organized, student-led gathering at the school flagpole where students will pray for their school, friends, teachers, government, and nation.

Will You Be at the Pole?

Also see
Alliance Defense Fund memo

STOPP carries a report of the 40 Days for Life campaign in their Wednesday Report and lists participating cities.

“Today marks the beginning of the 40 Days for Life. All across the United States, pro-lifers will be praying at abortion centers from September 26 through November 4. Many of the 40 Days for Life events are taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities.

40 Days for Life protests at Planned Parenthood

More details at the 40 Days for Life web site

www.40DaysForLife.com

LifeSiteNews coverage

Abortion Centers in 80 Cities in 33 States to be Prayerfully Picketed for 40 Days Starting Tomorrow

LifeNews.com

National 40-Day Pro-Life Prayer Campaign Begins at Abortion Centers

From California Catholic Daily

“The largest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in history”

One of our recent posts concerned a ridiculous NJ Supreme Court decision. An appeal has been launched.

Trenton: Abortion Malpractice Appeal

Asbury Park Press also covers the story

Woman in Abortion Case Asking Court to Reconsider Ruling
NJ.com coverage

Lawyer wants high court to reconsider abortion ruling

For perspective from a “poor-choicer,” a radical feminist weighs in on the New Jersey decision. She says

This case is one of a series of attempts to turn “informed consent” into a platform for divisive and fundamentalist views on women’s reproductive choices.

Getting "Informed Consent" Right

Here’s a blogger named “shadowmyth” who is definitely all for population control. Warning: I know nothing about this blogger so I can’t vouch for the content of the site but I did quickly read her posting. Typical uninformed shallow arguments but maybe the reader can use the posting to look further into the controversy surrounding the subject.

Stop Having Children

Christian blogger and self identified philosopher Todd H Dow discusses Dawkins on abortion. He says Dawkins’ logic is seriously flawed. See what you think.
Dawkins Day 7: The Slippery Slope of Abortion

From The Christian Post

Only 16 percent of non-Christians aged 16 to 29 years old said they have a "good impression" of Christianity, according to a report released Monday by The Barna Group. A decade ago, the vast majority of Americans outside the Christian faith, including young people, felt favorably toward Christianity’s role in society.

Study: Christianity No Longer Looks Like Jesus

CAN reports on a columnist for a Ugandan newspaper who has called on the government of the East African country to ignore the Catholic Church's views and get on with the business of legalizing abortion.

Columnist stirs controversy in Uganda by calling for legalization ...

Two pieces of news about Alveda King, former Georgia legislator and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

According to LifeNews.com a public high school in Iowa is drawing criticism from the pro-life community after it canceled a scheduled talk with pro-life advocate Alveda King.

Iowa School Cancels Pro-Life Talk With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Niece

The Bradenton Herald carries a very positive report on King’s visit in Florida.

Alveda King brings message against abortion to Bradenton

A protest was staged outside a Florida Baptist church last week as it hosted a pro-family summit attended by some of the nation’s most prominent conservative Christian leaders.

At the summit Leslee Unruh from the National Abstinence Clearinghouse shared about her group's efforts to ban abortion in South Dakota.

Pro-Family Summit Faces Opposition

Related previous coverage

Evangelicals to Kick Off Pro-Family Summit

In yesterday’s NewsBytes we reported on BigBlueWave’s posting on Religious conservative vote is becoming an electoral factor in Canada.

Blogger bigcitylib speculates on the rising threat of Canada’s new Evangeliban! [I don’t know what to expect from this site regarding language, etc.]

The Rise Of The Canadian Evangeliban?

We blogged on the story in the Ottawa Citizen yesterday and today. Suzanne at BigBlueWave has some commentary as well.

Abortion supporters complain about long wait times in Ottawa

Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation chimed in with a short post. Maybe she has more since then.

Women Face Long Wait Times for Abortion Care in Ottawa

Good post by Joe H on the Defend Life blog.

When Archbishop Amato called abortion "terrorism with a human face" in April 2007 he caused me to think: How is abortion terrorism?

Abortion: The Real Terrorism

Very interesting background story on a Cedar Rapids resident Alice Dahle who has a “living passion for CEDAW.” National Right to Life has outlined their objections to CEDAW. Now if someone could actually succeed in winning Alice over to the human rights issue of the Unborn, we’d have a fighter on our side.

CEDAW Is Living Passion for Iowa Women's Activist

NBC South Florida wrote a nice story on Archbishop Dionisio Guillermo Garcia Ibanez, named earlier this year to lead Catholics in Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city. They covered a good deal of ground and reported that abortion in Cuba remains free and readily available.

Cuban Archbishop: Religious Freedom Slowly Spreading On Island

Blogger papabear at The New Beginning linked to a speech by Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput published in First Things magazine. Looks real interesting. We should have more bloggers working on this one.

Renewing the Church, Converting the World

Vote Life, Canada! has had much to say in recent weeks about Amnesty International’s recent decision to advocate for abortion worldwide.

This development is a few days old but nevertheless good for the record.

Catholic schools to cut ties with Amnesty
LifesiteNews.com also carried a report yesterday on this.

Australian Archdiocese Directs 328 Catholic Schools to Withdraw Support from Amnesty International

Blogger Sotto Voce

Australian Archdiocese Directs 328 Catholic Schools to Withdraw ...

I’d like to write a lot more about this subject but I already have. Too many Catholic Bishops love to talk about the role of faith in society but then don’t really expect Catholics to take it seriously. It’s sickening. Words are cheap.

Faith and religion have a necessary and significant role to play in the development of government and social policy, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., told local Catholics gathered for the annual Los Angeles Catholic Prayer Breakfast Sept. 18.

Faith plays necessary role in society, says archbishop

More reaction on Archbishop Burke’s stance of denying Holy Communion to Catholics, including politicians, who live in mortal sin. By the way, it’s extremely rude and disrespectful to Catholics to characterize the Body and Body of Jesus Christ in terms of “wafer” and “wafer wars.” Get a life.

'Wafer Wars' heat up: Archbishop pressures clergy to deny ...

Did I miss this one from the National Post on September 13, 2007?

Abortion and mental health: The link we cannot ignore

On this topic, Dr. Paul Ranalli had a letter to the editor published today in the National Post Re: Depression And Abortion Not Linked. He exposes yet another confused poor-choicer.

(CNSNews.com) - The Miller Brewing Company, a sponsor of this weekend’s homosexual “leather” street fair in San Francisco, has asked to have its logo removed from an advertising poster that has offended some Christians. The advertisement portrays Christ and the disciples as half-naked sado-masochists.

Disgusting. Thanks to those who expressed outrage.

Miller Brewing Pulls Logo From ‘Last Supper’ Advertisement

From LifeNews.com

Pope Benedict XVI met with the new ambassador from Nicaragua to the Vatican on Monday and congratulated the Central American nation for recently renewing its ban on abortions.

Pope Benedict XVI Congratulates Nicaragua on Keeping Abortion Illegal

Also from LifeNews.com

A new poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports finds that the issue of abortion is important to a strong majority of voters and that it is one of the handful of issues in a troubling election year for Republicans that could boost their chances to retain the White House.

Poll Shows Abortion Important to Voters, Helpful to Republican Candidates

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. A good lesson here for pro-lifers on the subject of free speech.

Maybe someone will blog on this.

Rhode Island College settles suit over abortion-rights signs

An attorney who helped a prominent activist against forced abortions in China has been arrested following the dissemination of a letter he wrote to Olympic officials criticizing the Asian nation's human rights situation.

Attorney for China Forced Abortion Activist Detained After Olympic ...

For the next two days, The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform will be in Omaha, driving large trucks painted with graphic images of aborted fetuses.

Pro-Life Group Drives Message Across Omaha

If you’re looking for truth about sexuality and abortion, don’t call on the RCRC. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice was founded in 1973 by clergy and lay leaders from mainstream religions “to safeguard the newly won constitutional right to abortion.” Take a look at the conclusions from a book written to examine the RCRC and its activities [posted on the Priests for Life website.]

The clergy at this meeting sounds an awful lot like representatives from RCRC.

UW’s Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom hosted a panel called Religious Views on Reproductive Choice, in which Rabbi Jonathan Biatch and the Rev. Alvaro Nova talked about their religions’ stances on abortion and sex education.

Religion debates abortion

Teacher dismissed from Catholic school for “public participation in the procurement of abortions” now ranting against pro-lifers from the stage.

“Fired for Immorality”

Blogger and Deacon Greg Kandra discusses a conference which could help men dealing with the psychological trauma of post-abortion reality the way Project Rachel -- the post-abortion healing ministry of the Catholic Church Thorn founded -- has helped women.

Reclaiming fatherhood: men and abortion

Ontario’s Top Political Leaders Pledge Support So Morgentaler Abortuary Can Quickly Kill (More) Babies

Yesterday, we reported on the news item about wait times for legalized child-killing [aka abortion] in Canada’s capital city.

Today we hear from the leaders of the three top political parties in Ontario.

Gee, that was quick—but predictable in response.

All three, including a "good" Catholic premier, unquestionably favour killing womb children whenever the mother chooses and decry this injustice of having to wait for this "front-line" health procedure.

Voters in Ontario truly concerned about justice and human rights obviously need to shop for new parties.

Not sure? Answer this question and then listen to this message.

**********

Leaders promise action on abortion waiting times

The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Party leaders responded yesterday to a Citizen story that said Ottawa has the longest wait times for abortion in the country.

The story reported yesterday that while the average wait in Canada is two weeks, women in Ottawa wait for about four weeks, and sometimes up to six.

At a campaign stop yesterday, Premier Dalton McGuinty said increased hospital funding will eventually provide easier access to abortion. "I fully support a woman's right to choose, No. 1," Mr. McGuinty said. "No. 2, we have provided an additional $9 billion by way of new investments in health care."

Conservative leader John Tory said the Ottawa abortion wait time issue reflects a lack of leadership by the premier.

"Wait times for many procedures in Ottawa are not only below recommended Ontario government levels, but also behind provincial averages. This is unacceptable for the second largest city in the province and shocking given Ottawa is the home of the premier," he said.

Maron Nader, a spokeswoman for NDP leader Howard Hampton, called abortion services a "front-line" health procedure. She accused the McGuinty government of following too narrow a focus with its wait time strategy, saying all Ontarians deserve fair access to health care.

[Source]