[Pflienews] PharmFacts E-News Update: ALL analysis of Stupak and other follies; more...
PFLI PharmAid Center
pfli at pfli.org
Mon Nov 16 17:25:16 MST 2009
*PharmFacts E-News Update -- 16 Nov 2009 AD
**This daily e-newsletter is only possible through the generous gifts of
our readers and supporters. Please help us continue to fight for the
defense of babies by donating today!** **Click here*
<http://www.pfli.org/shop/index1.html>*
<http://www.pfli.org/shop/index1.html>to help or to renew your dues
online TODAY!*
From ALL, 11/16/09:
*The Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and the Stupak
Amendment*
Let us first be clear about what existed in federal law prior to recent
discussions on national health care reform or any bills proposed to
enact such a program and what they did or did not contain in the way of
provisions for abortion.
The Hyde Amendment, named after its chief sponsor Congressman Henry Hyde
of Illinois, passed on September 30, 1976 in the U.S. House of
Representatives (207-167) as a response to the Supreme Court's 1973 /Roe
v. Wade/ decision decriminalizing abortion. It is a limitation amendment
barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortions through funds
allocated by the annual appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
Contrary to popular belief, the Hyde Amendment does not ban all federal
funding for abortion; it only bans funds in HHS appropriations from
being used for that purpose. Further, it makes exceptions for cases of
rape, incest and the life of the mother" (although precise wording
varies from year to year as the amendment is renewed).
As we are all aware, recent versions of legislation designed to
establish and implement a national health care system have included
provisions for taxpayer-funded abortion as well as mandates that at
least some private insurance plans include abortion coverage. House
bills specifically included it, House Democrats promoted it, Senate
Democrats admitted it, Senate Democrats refused to ban it, the
mainstream media confirmed it and every amendment to exclude it was
defeated.
Enter the Stupak Amendment. The Stupak Amendment reads as follows (Sec.
265):
Limitation on Abortion Funding (a) in General -- No funds authorized
or appropriated by the Act (or an amendment made by this Act) may be
used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of
any health plan that includes coverage of abortion, except in the
case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical
injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician,
place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed,
including a life-endangering physical condition cause by or arising
from the pregnancy itself, or unless the pregnancy is the result of
an act of rape or incest.
The Stupak Amendment does indeed prohibit /some/ abortion
funding. Specifically, it prohibits federal funding of abortion under
the public option (the federal government's insurance plan administered
by HHS) -- except in cases of rape, incest and "life of the mother." The
Stupak Amendment, in essence, follows the same (flawed) model as the
Hyde Amendment by restricting some federally funded abortions in a
particular segment of the federal budget.
However, when one reviews the national health care bill and all of its
provisions, it is clear that the Stupak Amendment fell far short of even
maintaining the "status quo." What has been widely proclaimed as a
"victory" for the pro-life movement fails to prohibit the following:
1. Abortions are covered through private plans - Section 304 of the
Affordable Health Care for America Act requires private insurance
companies that desire to participate in the exchange (government
plan) to contract with abortionists, thereby protecting abortionists
from "discrimination." The bill also requires the existence of at
least one insurance plan that covers abortion "services" in each
state. Tax dollars may not fund abortions under private insurance,
but those private plan participants are paying for abortion through
their premiums. The Stupak Amendment does not address any of these
concerns.
2. Federally funded abortions under other agencies and future repeal
of amendments - Section 222 of the bill prohibits the expenditure of
federal funds for abortion provided only through HHS. Additionally,
it provides that when the national health care program takes effect
in 2012, existing laws in effect six months prior will determine the
boundaries of enactment. In other words, if Congress is able to
repeal the Hyde or Stupak Amendments prohibiting tax-funded
abortion, then federal funding for abortion will go into effect. The
Stupak Amendment does not address any of these concerns.
3. *Violations of conscience protection* - *Under Section 258,
conscience protection for pro-life physicians and pharmacists will
not be honored or provided. The Obama administration has opposed
conscience protection for health workers from the very beginning. By
excluding this protection from the health care bill, doctors,
nurses, pharmacists and other health workers are at the mercy of
Health and Human Services. The Stupak Amendment does not address any
of these concerns.*
4. Contraception - Under Sections 1714 and 1920, "family planning"
services will be offered through government-run health care options.
5. Healthy Teen Initiative to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Program - Under
Section 2526 of the bill, teenage girls will be provided with
"family planning" services through a government-run health care scheme.
*Planned Parenthood is currently the largest recipient of government
"family planning" dollars and is the perfect example of the "family
planning setting" referred to in section 1714. "Family planning"
services commonly refer to abortion, birth control and
[abortifacient] emergency contraception. Planned Parenthood sex
education includes sexuality indoctrination for children as young as
five, indoctrination into homosexual lifestyles and indoctrination
into the use of abortion and birth control, as clearly described in
Planned Parenthood teen outreach sites such as TakeCareDownThere.com
and TeenTalk.*
International Planned Parenthood Federation's recent "sexual rights"
declaration clearly outlines organizational goals and policies that
include tax-funded abortion on demand, granting children autonomous
rights to sexual pleasure according to their "capacity" and allowing
child predators to conceal past criminal sexual history.
The "comprehensive, fact-based sex education" referred to in
Section 2526 of the House "health care reform" bill precludes
abstinence-based education.
The Stupak Amendment does not address any of these concerns.
6. Provisions for euthanasia and physician-assisted
suicide, including the withdrawal of medical care - Section 240 of
the bill prohibits "option suicide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or
mercy killing, regardless of legality." However, "nothing in [the
previous] paragraph (1) shall be construed to apply to or affect any
option to -- (A) withhold or withdraw of medical treatment of
medical care."
The Stupak Amendment makes no mention of H.R. 3962's redefinition of
euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. The bill's provisions for
advance care planning consultation outlines that dehydration and
starvation are not to be considered euthanasia, assisted suicide or
mercy killing. By excluding denial of food and water as means of
euthanasia, the bill specifically allows for cases like that of
Terri Schiavo.
The Stupak Amendment does not respect the personhood and innate dignity
of every human being. The Stupak Amendment only addresses federal
funding of surgical abortion under HHS appropriations and allows
several exceptions. It contains no specific provisions prohibiting
rationed health care, euthanasia, assisted suicide, *abortifacient
contraception*, pornographic sex education, expanded funding of Planned
Parenthood, in vitro fertilization, human embryonic stem cell research
or therapy and the like. The Stupak Amendment hardly puts a dent in an
otherwise massively dangerous bill.
The Stupak Amendment led to passage of H.R. 3962. "The House narrowly
passed its version of health care reform late Saturday with a 220-215
vote with 39 Democrats opposing it. Passage came after House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi reluctantly made concessions to Stupak and other Democratic
opponents of abortion." (FOX News)
_Was the Stupak Amendment a victory for pro-lifers?
_No! Passage of H.R. 3962 was a crushing blow to the pro-life movement
and to the millions of human lives now at risk because of it. In fact,
it hurt the pro-life movement by including several abortion-enabling
provisions to be transmitted as "compromise" to the U. S. Senate.
_What was the role of the National Right to Life Committee and the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in passing H.R. 3962?
_Working in tandem, both NRLC and the USCCB actually enabled the agenda
of the abortion lobby. On Saturday, November 7, the NRLC sent a letter
to each member of Congress noting that the NRLC's congressional
scorecard for the 111th Congress would record votes in opposition to the
Stupak Amendment as negative. Additionally, any votes of "present"
would also be recorded as anti-life votes. Any representative concerned
about his or her NRLC rating was pressured to vote for the amendment
despite it being fraught with problems. In the meantime, a half dozen
lobbyists for the USCCB joined negotiators in Speaker Pelosi's office to
finalize a deal on support for the health care bill.
As widely reported in the media, the Stupak Amendment allowed
approximately 40 pro-life representatives to give the appearance of
supporting pro-life protections without sacrificing the major components
of the "Pelosicare" bill. Without the aggressive lobbying efforts of
NRLC and the USCCB, it is altogether probable that H.R. 3962 would not
have passed the House. Had H.R. 3962 failed, none of the anti-life
provisions included in the legislation would have been carried to the
U.S. Senate in its current form.
_Is this divisive to the pro-life movement?
_The truth sometimes is divisive. It is time for the pro-life movement
to unite behind principles with the knowledge that pro-lifers now
constitute 51 percent of the population. We must reject all manner of
political games that undermine the dignity of the human person. Taking
this position may be defined by some as divisive, but it is the correct
position to take and the only one that will result in actually
protecting the personhood of those we claim to represent.
The NRLC has a long history of compromising where there need not be
compromise and misleading millions of convicted pro-lifers into
believing that abortion-enabling provisions and strategies are necessary
to combat abortion. The pro-life movement remains united; whether the
NRLC remains united to the grassroots is debatable.
_Is this uncharitable?
_No. What is uncharitable is passing off a compromised amendment that
undermines the dignity of the human person as a "victory" for vulnerable
human beings. Charity means not compromising with evil. The pro-life
movement cannot make progress toward the goal of recognizing the
personhood of every human being if we are not willing to proclaim truth
and stand for uncompromising principles.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Senate Dems Plan for Floor Fight on Abortion Coverage in Health Reform Bill
*http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/News2?abbr=daily2_&page=NewsArticle&id=21907&security=1201&news_iv_ctrl=-1
<http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=18096&N=493&L=3522&F=H>
National Partnership for Women and Families
Senate Democrats are preparing for a fight over abortion coverage when
floor debate begins on the chamber's version of health care reform
legislation, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) version of the bill, which is yet to be
released, is not likely to include restrictions on abortion coverage
that will be strong enough to satisfy antiabortion-rights members. Sens.
Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said they have not decided if
they will offer an antiabortion amendment to Reid's bill. Nelson on
Tuesday said, "I think the Hyde Amendment is fairly clear and it ought
to be carried over into any legislation here." He added that the
"question of how you do it is of course going to be open. That'll
probably be a big debate on the floor."
*Hodari Abortion Clinic up for Sale as Lawsuit Ongoing*
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09111109.html
<http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=18096&N=493&L=3523&F=H>
Life Site News
At least one abortion clinic owned by abortionist Alberto Hodari in
Flint, Michigan is now up for sale. Flint Right to Life president Judy
Climer told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that she spotted the sign advertising
the Feminine Health Care Clinic building at 2032 S. Saginaw St. for rent
when she arrived to pray at the site today.
*Planned Parenthood and ACLU Sue to block personhood initiative
*http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/nov/09111302.html
<http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=14770&N=496&L=3545&F=H>
Life Site News
Planned Parenthood (PP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
have filed a lawsuit against the sponsors of a Nevada ballot initiative
that would explicitly define "person" as pertaining to all human beings,
including the unborn. The ACLU and PP filed the challenge this week in
Carson City District Court on behalf of feminist blogger Emmily Bristol,
physician Dr. William Ramos, and pharmacist Mindy Hsu. The lawsuit
claims the initiative violates state law by not explicitly stating the
possible effects of the amendment on the legal status of abortion,
emergency contraception, and fertility treatment.
*Cape Cod abortion buzz baseless
*http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=765278
<http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=14770&N=496&L=3544&F=H>
One News Now
The National Abortion Rights Action League's (NARAL) plea that five
abortion clinics in Cape Cod have been closed because of the pro-life
movement is not true. Anne Fox of Massachusetts Citizens for Life
<http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=14770&N=496&L=3549&F=H> says the story
which has shown up in three newspaper blogs generated by the abortion
group, complaining that Cape Cod is now undeserved for abortions, is bogus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PFLI PharmAid Center
pfli at pfli.org <mailto:pfli at pfli.org>
PO Box 1281
Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA
800-227-8359
www.pfli.org
<%3Cform%20action=%22https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr%22%20method=%22post%22%3E,%3Cinput%20type=%22hidden%22%20name=%22cmd%22%20value=%22_s-xclick%22%3E,%3Cinput%20type=%22image%22%20src=%22https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/x-click-butcc-donate.gif%22%20border=%220%22%20name=%22submit%22%20alt=%22Make%20payments%20with%20PayPal%20-%20it%27s%20fast,%20free%20and%20secure%21%22%3E,%3Cinput%20type=%22hidden%22%20name=%22encrypted%22%20value=%22-----BEGIN%20PKCS7-----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%0A%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%0AVQQ%0AHEw1Nb3VudGFpbiBWaWV3MRQwEgYDVQQKEwtQYXlQYWwgSW5jLjETMBEGA1UECxQKbGl2ZV9jZXJ0czERMA8GA1UEAxQIbGl2ZV9hcGkxHDAaBgkqhkiG9w0BCQEWDXJlQHBheXBhbC5jb22CAQAwDAYDVR0TBAUwAwEB/zANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFAAOBgQCBXzpWmoBa5e9fo6ujionW1hUhPkOBakTr3YCDjbYfvJEiv/2P+IobhOGJr85+XHhN0v4gUkEDI8r2/rNk1m0GA8HKddvTjyGw/XqXa+LSTlDYkqI8OwR8GEYj4efEtcRpRYBxV8KxAW93YDWzFGvruKnnLbDAF6VR5w/cCMn5hzGCAZowggGWAgEBMIGUMIGOMQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzELMAkGA1UECBMCQ0ExFjAUBgNVBAcTDU1vdW50YWluIFZpZXcxFDASBgNVBAoTC1BheVBhbCBJbmMuMRMwEQYDVQQLFApsaXZlX2NlcnRzMREwDwYDVQQDFAhsaXZlX2FwaTEcMBoGCSqGSIb3DQEJARYNcmVAcGF5cGFsLmNvbQIBADAJBgUrDgMCGgUAoF0wGAYJKoZIhvcNAQkDMQsGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAcBgkqhkiG9w0BCQUxDxcNMDUxMDE1MTMwMDQ0WjAjBgkqhkiG9w0BCQQxFgQUffWEvKx+dRuoUbj/1JzdUsifmMMwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQAEgYAu8n3eM94Q9Ta1JzS3FJsXA/k61ZE+06w6C1NlDAIZsTljtdyhpTFe8GQ0OcwijWE96gE/HZtj8GzytiBX0qpRrGSNbiVBLzva6+9N3LdKjHIzCBh5YxCOMAlXDRyxjsX0SfhRHDYOw+sy9ZlRveGv+UjsUyft1dU3ywKy+Sk+KQ==-----END%20PKCS7-----,%22%3E,%3C/form%3E>
PFLI supports pharmacist rights of conscience NOT to be forced to
dispense or counsel for chemicals which violate their sincerely held
religious, moral or ethical beliefs. For more info see:
http://www.pfli.org/main.php?pfli=conscienceclausefaq
*** PFLI is the only pharmacy association which is exclusively pro-life.
It represents thousands of pharmacists and many lay supporters
in the USA, Canada and all around the globe. For membership info, key
PFLI texts, PFLI archives, late-breaking news, abridged newsletter excerpts
or general information, visit the PFLI web site at http://www.pfli.org.
Or e-mail us at mailto:pfli at pfli.org.
*** We do NOT send out SPAM. To subscribe to PharmFacts E-News, just
send an e-mail with the word
"subscribe" in the subject area or better yet, just enroll right from
our main news page at
http://www.pfli.org; to cease your subscription [although we can't
imagine anyone would!] self-manage your account at:
http://pfli.org/mailman/listinfo/pflienews_pfli.org
*** You may contact PFLI at any/all of the following: Pharmacists For
Life International,
PO Box 1281, Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA, 1-800-227-8359 [US & Canada only],
+1-740-881-5520 [voice] or +1-740-206-1260 [fax]; e-mail us at
mailto:pfli at pfli.org.
*** You can order our publications as well as begin/renew your
membership or donate right on our
secure website at http://www.pfli.org/shop <http://www.pfli.org>. Click
on the "PFLI Store" link on the toolbar and
follow the prompts! There you can also donate to PFLI as well as
purchase a wide range of publications.
* *
--
--
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20091116/dfc03f39/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 78028 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20091116/dfc03f39/attachment-0002.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 2923 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20091116/dfc03f39/attachment-0001.gif>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 11831 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20091116/dfc03f39/attachment-0003.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: bho_pervertedscience.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 11831 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20091116/dfc03f39/attachment-0001.jpg>
More information about the PFLIENews
mailing list