Photo from 2010 Rally

Jed Stuber of Peoria shares this photo he took of the 2010 Sanctity of Human Life Rally at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Tuesday, 1/19. The packed church heard several speakers.

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.

Health Care Proposals and the Stupak Amendment

Here is an email I just sent to my two Senators in Washington:

As a Catholic, I understand and appreciate that there is a pressing need to make health care more affordable and accessible for those in need. So, I appreciate the Senate's efforts in this direction. However, I understand from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the current legislation is "an enormous disappointment, creating new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience."

Please adopt the House-approved Stupak Amendment that upholds longstanding policies against abortion funding, and please protect conscience rights in health care reform. I also do not believe that it is a good idea for immigrants to lose or to be denied health care coverage.

Let's Pray for Each Other

Here is an email I've just sent to President Obama: I am praying for you to succeed in your mission as President. With God's help, I know that you can do good for our country. And I ask you to join me in praying for the unborn, who are being cruelly assaulted today.

BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: The Persecuted Right Fielder

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matt. 5:10-12. This essay here concludes a nine part series which examines whether abortion is consistent with or opposed to the beatitudes at the core of Christian faith and action. Each essay examines a beatitude in three relationships: our relationship with God, with His laws and with others, particularly the least favored of humanity. Each begins with mention of a famous baseball player who demonstrated some characteristics of the beatitude. Can you recognize this last player before reading his name? 9. The Persecuted, but Appreciated, Right Fielder. After he was traded to his third team in his first four years in the major leagues, he won the League’s Most Valuable Player Award twice the next two years, edging out the established hometown hero. Sadly, many people criticized him as an unworthy upstart when he passed the home run record then held by America’s greatest sports hero. Instead of being rewarded for this accomplishment, he faced a lot of hostility from the baseball public. "They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something," he said. As they had done for their other superstars who preceded him, though, the Yankees accorded him honor and retired the jersey number of this right fielder, Roger Maris. Christ calls us in the last Beatitude to accept persecution not to pursue excellence, but to pursue Him. The characteristic of this Beatitude is fellowship with Christ, His law, and those least fortunate among us because He is with them also. The beatitude reminds us that this fellowship embraces also those who have gone before us in His name. The prochoice side, however, calls for the destruction of the least fortunate among us. It persecutes those who would protect them. Its laws stand in opposition to God’s laws and disregard those giants, the prophets and saints who suffered persecution themselves for the sake of Christ. We must choose which team we will be on. Let it be His team and let us strive to be the best teammates of those closest to Him, the unborn who are presently least among us. Then, they will grow in size and stature and become the teammates we will need in our declining years. Let us recognize the sacrifice made by those mothers in crisis pregnancy who maintain the lives of their unborn children. They are truly heros whether they raise those children themselves or place them with others to do so. Let us remember too the sacrifice made by the men and women daily who have stood on the front line of the abortion holocaust for the sake of the unborn, and ultimately for their mothers and families, especially when they have been persecuted for doing so. Finally, when we pass from this earth, may we be part of that victorious celebration with Him, the prophets and saints, and all those millions of people who were not permitted to walk this earth.

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

SMI VP to speak at 1/19/10 rally

James Lansberry, vice president of the Peoria-based Samaritan Ministries International, a health care sharing organization, will be the keynote speaker at the Jan. 19, 2010, Sanctity of Life Rally at Sacred Heart Church in Peoria.

The Central Illinois Right to Life Board confirmed that decision at its November meeting on Monday.

Huge Expansion of Federal Abortion Funding

I fired off an email to my guys in Washington:

Dear senator or representative:

As a Catholic, I am very concerned that the proposed health care reform will include expanded federal abortion funding. From what I have read in our Catholic newspaper, the five health care reform bills currently under consideration "would permit or mandate the use of fereral revenues fotr coverage that includes elective abortions." This quote is from "The Catholic Post," 11/1/2009 issue, page 4, "What some would 'Hyde'."

The article says that the Hyde Amendment does not apply to any of the health care reform bills, and it says "An explicit prohibition must ... be included in the final health care reform bill to avert a huge expansion of federal abortion funding. Without it and notwithstanding their strong support for health care reform, the bishops will have no choice but to oppose the final bill vigorously."

BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: The Center Fielder Who Bucked Systemic Persecution

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:11

This essay, like the previous seven in this nine part series, examines a beatitude in three relationships: our relationship with God, with His laws and with others, particularly the least favored of humanity. It begins with mention of a famous baseball player who demonstrated some characteristics of the beatitude. Can you recognize the ball player before reading his name? The center fielder who bucked systemic persecution. When his team traded him, he wrote to the commissioner of baseball: "After 12 years in the major leagues I do not feel that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. I believe that any system that produces that result violates my basic right as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States." White or black, ballplayers could only bargain with one team. Seven months before the Roe v. Wade decision, Supreme Court Justice Blackmun wrote the majority opinion in this ballplayer’s appeal, ruling against him. Only 3 years later, however, free agency began, but too late for this seven time Gold Glove Award winning center fielder, Curt Flood. In the real world, persecution for the sake of righteousness can be a far greater sacrifice than giving up a baseball career. Likewise, frequently more is at stake than the principle of contract freedom. In any event, to accept persecution voluntarily, people must have faith in God who is in control over even the persecutors. Accepting persecution also requires total commitment to God’s law, even to the point of sacrifice to follow it. The hardest part about persecution, however, is the powerlessness one feels when persecuted. This powerlessness transforms a person into one less favored, and perhaps even one of the least favored of humanity. The prochoice position, by contrast, follows from unrighteous conduct and leads to the avoidance of persecution. When they become pregnant, unmarried women are five times more likely to abort their unborn children than married women are. Unmarried women have four out of five abortions. Those who have rejected God’s law by their sexual conduct have more difficulty turning in faith toward God, trusting Him, recommitting to His law, and taking up the cross of personal sacrifice necessary to accept the relative powerlessness of the persecuted. Clearly, unless we can stem the tide of sexual activity among the unmarried, the pressures they have to abort their unborn children will remain overwhelmingly high. To reduce substantially the pressures to abort, we must work to reduce the pressures unmarried persons have toward sexual activity. Those pressures are in a real sense persecutions against those who resist them. Rather than avoiding persecution by running from it, Christ teaches us to accept it. To accept this persecution requires unmarried persons to have faith that God is in control of their lives. That faith gives them the fortitude to withstand pressure. They must be totally committed to God’s law so that they can sacrifice to follow it, even when that means accepting a position of less power. Whatever we can do to aid the unmarried in accepting persecution for righteousness will help drive down abortion.

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

Peoria Abortion Facility Stats

Peoria Abortion Facility Statistics

There were approximately 29 abortions on Thurs., Oct. 22. Totals for 2009=1436.

This is Day 30 of the 40 Days for Life. One of the pray-ers on the sidewalk recognized someone driving in and out of the abortion clinic, after they picked someone up. They had a bumper sticker on their car with “A Proud Member of St.____’s Catholic Church.

Our Christian brothers and sisters come to this facility.

From - Karen Guth - Helpers of God's Precious Infants

Today It Rained

By Karen Guth - CIRTL Board of Directors - Helpers of God's Precious Infants

Today it rained. The morning wasn’t so bad, but the rain got heavier as the day progressed.
This was one of those days, when no one stopped for literature. I wouldn’t want to stop and let the rain in to take something from a weird-looking person swathed in poncho and rain gear.
There were lots of extra people on the sidewalk. One woman who started coming a few weeks ago, asked if they could keep coming after the 40 days were over.
I could have just jumped up and clicked my heels together at that comment. You certainly can! That is a praise God moment.
I took a break and missed the person with the “proud member of the Catholic church” bumper sticker. One of our 40 days prayer warriors got the unpleasant surprise of seeing a fellow parishioner picking someone up.
That is a horrible feeling to see someone you know, someone who is a member of your church at that evil place.
We had one of those strange, unpleasant happenings. A woman made a left turn, and then a u-turn in front of the clinic. She had her window down and was talking out the window, even before she made the u-turn.
She pulled into the driveway right by us, yelling, making ugly faces. I have trouble taking that sort of thing in. I don’t really want to know all those words she was saying, or exactly what those gestures or faces were.
They were very bizarre and ugly.
She pulled to the back of the clinic, and after a short time, drove back out, quickly, yelling as she went.
Please pray for that young woman.
I got out the holy water, sprinkled the driveway and the sidewalk. We all could have used to bless ourselves with some. I didn’t think of that.
We prayed for her.
A man contacted me this week who wants to pray for us that come to the sidewalk and to pray for all the women who come.
As you can tell, we really need that. Please join in whether you can come to the sidewalk or not. The evil one is at work.
We talked about the Fatima movie, The 13th Day. God is at work also. Praise God for our faith, our church, our many blessings.
We also talked about the talk and the visit of the National Pilgrim Fatima Statue. The speaker talked about Our Lady’s request that we offer up our sufferings to God for the conversion of sinners. We do this today for the conversion of our country.
At the time of Fatima, it was for the conversion of Russia, but today we need it here.
Let us all join together in doing this. We all have sufferings. We just need to lift them up to God, so they can be used.

BEATITUDES, BABIES AND BASEBALL: Peace Flies Out of Left Field

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Matt. 5:10-12. This essay is the seventh in a nine part series which examines whether abortion is consistent with or opposed to the beatitudes at the core of Christian faith and action. Each part examines a beatitude in three relationships: our relationship with God, with His laws, and with others, particularly the least favored of humanity. Each begins with mention of a famous baseball player who demonstrated some characteristics of the beatitude. Can you recognize the player before reading his name? Peace flies out of left field. He missed almost five seasons sacrificed to service of our country in two wars, including the Korean war where he flew missions with John Glenn. Still, he slugged 521 home runs in his career. Back in 1941, the year our country joined the fight against world tyranny, he was the last major league player to hit .400. For stopping the spread of totalitarian forces across the world, we owe a debt of gratitude to the generation of men who served our country with this left fielder, Ted Williams. When evil powers invade peaceful countries, making peace requires armies to cast the aggressors out. When evil powers take control of the reigns of government, making peace requires people to cast the usurpers out. When evil powers take control of the hearts of men and women, making peace requires us to cast the demons out. Clearly, peacemaking is not for wimps. It is risky business, and without aid from above, doomed to failure. To be successful, peacemakers must listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit, stand firm for God’s law, and protect the weak from strong forces intent on their destruction. The prochoice position, by contrast, surrenders to the forces of evil at work in our culture. No true peace exists between parents and children where parents kill one child before birth for every three born. Why are we surprised that child abuse to born children has increased 20 fold since abortion was legalized? No true peace exists between parents who kill their offspring before birth. Their marriages end up on the rocks, driving up the divorce rate and all its problems for the rest of society. No true peace exists in the hearts of those parents who know the results of their deadly choices. They frequently suffer from depression and resort to drugs, alcohol, and self-destructive behavior to deaden the impact. The prochoice voice claims that peace would reign if only prolife people would not make mothers and fathers of aborted children feel guilty about difficult decisions made in crisis. Yet even if all of us were silent, they would hear in their conscience the small, still voice reminding them of their lost children. Warfare would still rage in each of them. A house divided against itself is not a peaceful abode. Peacemaking demands first that we begin by listening in our own hearts to the directions given to us by the Holy Spirit. When we are not at peace at heart, demons drum incessantly attempting to drown out the still, small voice we need to hear to remain human. That voice directs that we stand firm by His law, as only humans can, and protect the weak, even when we have nothing to gain ourselves. By the power of the Spirit, we can help others cast out those demons to bring peace to the hearts of our fellow human beings. Second, peacemaking demands that we throw the usurpers out of our government. To make peace requires us to remember that no majority vote of the people decided to permit abortion in our society. Instead, it was the undemocratic decision of seven unelected men on the Supreme Court who rewrote the Constitution to throw out the laws proscribing abortion in all fifty states, leaving our country with the world’s least protections for the unborn until China started forcing their mothers to have abortions. Peace requires us to throw the usurpers out! That can only be done by continually electing presidents who will appoint prolife justices to the United States Supreme Court and United States Senators who will confirm their appointments. Third, peacemaking demands that when evil powers invade peaceful countries, armies must cast the aggressors out. Worldwide abortion is making this task more and more difficult each year. A case in point is the one child policy in communist China which has resulted in forced abortions, abandoned children (mostly baby girls) and an excess male population of military age approaching 15 million. If communist China turns its army toward one of its neighbors, such as nationalist China on the island of Taiwan, how are we to stop this aggression by one of our largest trading partners against one of our allies? Will we put at risk the remainder of that generation of Americans whose numbers have been decimated by abortion already? If so, who will take care of their parents, the baby boomers, who first made abortion commonplace in America, but who are now aging and moving toward retirement? Truly, as stated by Mother Teresa, “The greatest destroyer of peace in the world is abortion.”

BLOG HOME PAGE LINK Illinoislife.blogspot.com

Peoria Abortion Clinic Stats

Peoria Abortion Facility Statistics

There were approximately 29 abortions on Thurs., Oct. 15. Totals for 2009=1407. This is Day 23 of the 40 Days for Life. Are you coming to the sidewalk to join us? Are you serious about ending abortion in our world, in our country, in our city?

From - Karen Guth - Helpers of God’s Precious Infants.

Abortion Is Not Health Care

I emailed my Senators today:

Those of us who believe in the sanctity of human life are appalled that the people who are supporting the new health care program feel it necessary to include something that makes it easier for a woman to afford her abortion. The proposed health care program, I think maybe contains some good ideas; however, so far, we just see it as a program to make it easier for a woman to afford her abortion.

Human life is the most precious, most important thing .... the most important thing we have is the lives of all our human beings. It's wrong to take a human life, even if that life happens to be living inside of another human being. Obviously, the baby just before he/she is born has got to be a human being just as much as after birth.

So, I am pleading with you to add to the health care law a statement stating that it does not include coverage for abortions.

Rally scheduled Oct. 12 to mark midpoint of Peoria 40 Days for Life campaign

Peoria, IL – The 40 Days for Life campaign will have a midpoint rally at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, at 7405 N. University St.

“As we are about to reach Day 20 of our 40 days of prayer, fasting, vigil and outreach, it is time to gather with pro-life members of the Peoria community to share stories and encourage one another, building towards a strong finish of our 40 Days for Life campaign,” said Karen Guth, spokesperson for the Peoria 40 Days for Life campaign.

Forty Days for Life is an intensive pro-life campaign that focuses on 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful vigils at abortion facilities, and 40 days of grassroots educational outreach. The 40-day time frame is drawn from examples throughout B=biblical history where God brought about world-changing transformations.

Peoria is one of the many communities conducting simultaneous 40 Days for Life campaigns from Sept. 23 through Nov. 1.

“We want to thank all the people who’ve made great personal sacrifice to bring 40 Days to Life to the halfway point,” said Guth. “We also know that we still have a long way to go in our collective effort to demonstrate the harm abortion has done to Peoria.

“For the remainder of the 40 days of prayer and fasting and community outreach, we intend to gather for continuous prayer outside the abortion facility at National Health Care, 7405 N. University St., praying for an end to abortion in our community. We look forward to the challenge of bringing 40 Days for Life to an energetic conclusion.”

To learn more about 40 Days for Life, view www.40daysforlife.com. For information about the Peoria campaign, view 40daysforlife.com/peoria.

For assistance or for more information, please contact Karen Guth at godshelperkaren@comcast.net or 453-7493.

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