Health Care Reform - What's the Alternative?

In response to Elaine Hopkins' piece on the editorial page of the Peoria Journal Star last Saturday, I submitted the following letter to the editor:

What's the Alternative?

It is probably safe to say that most Americans would like the government to do something to improve America's health care situation, but they probably don't really want a massive increase in federal funding for abortions. Many people have welcomed the Stupak Amendment aimed at banning federal funding for abortions under the proposed new programs.

However, in her 12/5/09 letter to the editor of the Journal Star, Elaine Hopkins argues, in a complicated bit of logic, that the Stupak Amendment would drive all abortion providers out of business. But Elaine doesn't provide an alternative.

The alternative appears to be the current bill before the Senate, minus the amendment. This bill has been called, in a November 20 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "an enormous disappointment, creating new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience."

So, there you have it. It seems that Elaine Hopkins is arguing effectively against passage of the current health care reform bill.

Daniel J. Bohan

2010 Sanctity of Life Rally

Here's the press release for the 2010 Sanctity of Life Rally:

Peoria Sanctity of Human Life Rally planned for Jan. 19

PEORIA, Ill. – “Taking the War on Abortion to the Next Level: Charity and Life” will be the topic of the keynote speech of the annual Sanctity of Human Life Rally at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 504 Fulton St.

James Lansberry, vice president of the Peoria-based Samaritan Ministries International, will be the featured speaker.

The rally, along with a Walk for Life march, is held annually by Central Illinois Right to Life to mark the U.S. Supreme Court's January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. National Right to Life (www.nrlc.org) estimates that more than 49 million abortions have been carried out in the U.S. since 1973. More than 1,600 abortions were performed in Peoria in 2009, according to numbers compiled by CIRTL.

The Sanctity of Life evening will start with an open house at the Family Resources Center, 321 Main St., from 5:30 to 6:30. The Walk for Life, from the Peoria County Courthouse to Sacred Heart Church, will start at 6:30.

Pro-life group representatives will speak at the rally, updating the community on efforts to eliminate abortion and help those affected by abortion.

Lansberry, who is also president of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries (see attached bio), has been interviewed on national television as well as dozens of radio stations this past year about the health care reform effort. He also, however, speaks frequently on life issues, and has been interviewed about stem cell research as well as conscience regulations in 2009.

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Note to news media: James Lansberry is available for advance interviews. You may contact him at jlansberry@smchcn.net. The Revs. James McDonald and Mark Henninger, board members of Central Illinois Right to Life, also will be available to the media before and after the rally, as will be longtime board member Dan Smith.

For help in securing an interview time for any of these gentlemen or for any other information about the rally, please contact Mike Miller at 689-0442, Ext. 142, Monday through Thursday or 248-7909 in the evening Sunday through Thursday.