Let Lauren Live!

ChristtheKingMaine ^ | May 7, 2008 | Judie Brown

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LAUREN RICHARDSON - YOU CAN HELP!
By Judie Brown

It has been a source of ongoing sadness to read of the difficulties Lauren Richardson’s father has had over the course of the past several months. For those of you who are not familiar with her case, Lauren overdosed on heroin on August 28, 2006. She suffered oxygen deprivation and, as a result of the overdose, is now in a coma and unable to speak out for herself. At the time of the overdose, Lauren was expecting a baby. Her parents honored what they knew would have been her wish and did all they could to keep her healthy and comfortable until the child was born. Today, though Lauren may not be aware of it, she is the mother of Ember Grace, who was born in February 2007.

Since the birth of her daughter, Lauren remains unable to speak of her concerns, but she has a loving father who is doing all he can to protect her from suffering the same fate as Terri Schiavo. However, Lauren’s mother, who has been named her legal guardian, is sadly not of the same opinion and is working with attorneys to pressure the courts to permit Lauren’s starvation.

Lauren’s father has kept hope alive, even at times when there appeared to be no hope in human terms. Lauren’s father is a man of hope in Christ and is dedicated to spending every breath he has on defending Lauren, regardless of what it might cost him in physical exhaustion and worldly goods. The most recent update for those concerned about Lauren tells us the following:

We struggle at times as we seek to share with the public the details of what is happening with Lauren because of the disagreement we have with Lauren’s mother. We cannot understand her reasoning in refusing a path of hope, healing and restoration for Lauren and insisting on causing her death by withholding food and water from her. The issue in Lauren’s case is the eternal truth that all people, no matter what their medical condition, bear the image of God and deserve basic care and an opportunity to be restored to health.

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s brother, has written about Lauren in an editorial earlier this year, "False Compassion," and is working closely with Lauren’s father in order to provide expertise that he is uniquely qualified to share during a trying time like this.

There are many links on the Life for Lauren web site that will assist you in tracking this case and learning who is supporting Lauren’s ongoing care and who is opposing it. More importantly, there is something you can do to express your concerns.

ACTION NEEDED NOW

The governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, is being asked by pro-life Americans across this nation to intervene in this case in order to save Lauren from what many fear is an imminent court order dictating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death. I am asking you to be one of those who communicates your passionate belief that Lauren’s life is sacred and deserves to be protected from those who would order her death. The governor’s e-mail address is governor.minner@state.de.us.

Further, it would mean a great deal to Lauren’s father, Randy, if you sent him a copy of your e-mail to Governor Ruth Ann Minner. Randy’s e-mail address is Lifeforlauren@aol.com. 

During a recent visit to Anchorage, Alaska where Bobby Schindler was invited to speak, he told a reporter from The Catholic Anchor, "Once we accept that killing is an acceptable answer to human suffering, we lose any type of parameters. Euthanasia is a form of abandonment. It is not compassion."

Truer words were never spoken. As I frequently tell people who argue that we pro-lifers are being heartless and cruel for fighting to defend the rights of a "hopeless case," "God is the author of every human being’s life, and He has never given permission to a single one of us to arbitrarily rob another human being of life for any reason including disability or illness."

As Flannery O’Connor once wrote on the subject of false compassion, "In the absence of faith, we govern by tenderness. And tenderness leads to the gas chamber."

Lauren Richardson is not terminal – she is severely disabled. Lauren Richardson should not be murdered.

Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

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Same link as above, lower down in article...

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Observers, including myself, had to wonder why Donohue thought the DNCC had the authority to bring female Catholics in line with religious teachings.  To his credit, there seems to be a lot of confusion around this subject, with multiple people thinking that the combination of being female and being Catholic means that you lose your religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.  During the Terri Schiavo debacle, Schiavo's parents and lawyer had the audacity to claim that Schiavo's spoken wishes were secondary to the church's teachings on euthanasia.  Contrary to the hopes and dreams of Bill Donohue, the Schiavo fanatics, and anti-choice nuts the nationwide, though, the government actually allows members of the Catholic faith to reject the dictates of the church.  Yes, even female members maintain their basic rights as citizens. Nor do the major political parties seem inclined to require religious tests of people who show up to offer press coverage.............. 

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More definitions of "reality" by Nancy Legosi...

Thread by Antioch with thanks to narses for the ping.

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In an appearance on the NBC program Meet the Press on Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a self-professed Catholic, denied that the Catholic Church condemns abortion.

Referring to Barack Obama's now-notorious answer to Pastor Rick Warren to the question of when life begins, Meet the Press moderator Tom Brokaw asked Pelosi, "Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade…If he were to come to you and say, 'Help me out here, Madame Speaker. When does life begin?' what would you tell him?"

Pelosi responded by sidestepping the question, appealing to her Catholic faith as the source of her uncertainty....

"Catholic" Speaker Pelosi Denies that Catholicism Condemns Abortion

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Mor on Nancy Legosi from a Doug from Upland thread...

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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The chairmen of the U.S. bishops' pro-life and doctrine committees criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying she "misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion" in a nationally televised interview Aug. 24.

Pelosi, D-Calif., who is Catholic, in an appearance that day on NBC's "Meet the Press," said for centuries church leaders had not been able to agree on when life begins.

A day later, a statement by Cardinal Justin F. Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., said the church since the first century "has affirmed the moral evil of every abortion."........

Bishops say Pelosi misrepresented abortion teaching in TV interview

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I wonder where the very presumptive VP would be biden his time...

Thread by wagglebee.

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DELEWARE, August 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview with Bob Krebs, the Communications Director for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, to which Senator Joseph Biden belongs, Krebs confirmed that Biden's Bishop will not permit the Senator even if elected Vice President of the United States of America to speak at Catholic schools.

When asked for the Bishop's take on Senator Biden and his stand in favor of abortion, Krebs directed LifeSiteNews.com to Bishop Michael Saltarelli's 2004 statement on 'Catholics in Political Life' which, said Krebs, "very plainly states Bishop's position in this matter."...

Biden's Bishop Will not Permit Him, Even if Elected VP, to Speak at Catholic Schools

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All summed up in a thread by Salvation...

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With another pro-abortion Catholic on the Democratic national ticket, we can be quite sure that the issue will not go away this year.

It's remarkable: 25 years after Roe v. Wade, there's no realistic prospect for overturning that appalling decision, at least in the short term. There's no federal legislation currently under consideration that would ban abortion or even significantly curtail the slaughter of the unborn. Nevertheless it continues to be an important issue in every national campaign.............

The issue that won't go away [Abortion and Politicians]

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Engaland swings like a pendulum do...borrowed from Roger Miller.

Thread by wagglebee.

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LONDON, August 26, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Crisis pregnancy centres, as well as doctors, nurses and midwives, may be subject to prosecution and a two-year jail sentence if they convince a woman to forego an abortion. Under a proposed amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, those groups advertising services to pregnant women who provide "false information" or even information that is "factually correct" that convinces a woman to change her mind about abortion, will have committed an offense.

Tabled by one of David Cameron's Tory MPs, John Bercow, the amendment says, "It shall be an offence to deliberately mislead through advertising in relation to the termination of pregnancy and alternatives thereto." Bercow has recently gone on record in support of an effort to bring explicit "sex-education" to six-year-old children in mandatory school curriculums.

The amendment continues, "Any person, association or body corporate shall be guilty of an offence" if they provide "material which ... contains false information and is untruthful ... or in its overall presentation deceives or is in any way likely to deceive the average person...even if the information is factually correct"......

Talk a Woman out of Abortion in the UK? Two Years Jail

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Is no news good news? Can we suppose Lauren is being cared for and given the best of therapy and medicine as she sits on death row. Can we suppose her treatment is in a highly perfunctory manner?

[wagglebee]

Is no news good news? Can we suppose Lauren is being cared for and given the best of therapy and medicine as she sits on death row. Can we suppose her treatment is in a highly perfunctory manner?

And has ANYONE asked Joe Biden what he is doing to protect innocent people from being killed just a few miles from his home?

If McCain wants to prove that he is pro-life then he will go to Delaware and publicly ask for Lauren's life to be spared.

[floriduh voter]

McCain BETTER NOT pick Kay Bailey Hutchinson. She was against Terri but haven’t googled lately if it was an absent or a no vote. She’s a Texas euthanasist in the tradition of the famous rino brothers. One of them signed Texas’ Futile Care Act which is being revisited this year. Apparently, it is too dismissive of human life and human rights.

[wagglebee]

If I had to choose, my pick would be Sarah Palin of Alaska followed closely by either Bobby Jindal of Louisiana or Eric Cantor of Virginia.

[Lesforlife]

Don’t hold your breath!

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While it is so easy to talk, type, and pontificate for the most of us, some of us do things!. Thanks, Leslie!

Can only excerpt from WND, but check it out, all.

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Democrats and convention goers had a scenic view from their hotel rooms in Denver today – complete with the world's largest sign to remind them about the devastating effects of abortion.

American Right to Life Action, a pro-life organization, has successfully captured a Guinness world record by displaying a 530-foot tall and 666-foot wide abortion protest sign weighing more than 2,700 pounds, sewn together with four miles of stitching linking 2,400 twin sheets.

American Right to Life Action displays message on mountain outside DNC

The sign features bold vertical letters that read "DNC." Each letter is 160 feet tall – roughly the size of a of a junior high school gym. White letters stretch horizontally, reading "Destroys uNborn Children."....

World's largest sign protests abortion outside DNC... Pro-life president: Group is 'used to cleaning up the mess created by liberals'

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And this is how the death crew behaves. Check out his thread to see the pics...

Thread by wagglebee.

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FREEPORT, Illinois, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A billboard showing a baby's face and the words "Abortion: The Ultimate Child Abuse" was vandalized in the style of Batman: The Dark Knight villain the Joker.

The baby was made up to look like the arch-villain from the recent batman film, with black spray paint circling the eyes and red duct tape stretched across the mouth in imitation of Joker's signature grotesque smile. Under the pro-life message was spray painted the Joker's famous line from the new movie: "why so serious?"

According to Pro-Life Corner, the duct tape has been removed, but attempts to remove the paint damaged the underlying image. Stephenson County Right to Life, the organization behind the advertisement, will need $400 to replace the sign - a large sum for a small group, says Chris Clukey, the group's spokesperson....

Pro-Life Billboard Vandalized with "Joker" Face Paint and Slogan: "Why So Serious?"

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What about this! Take that, you unsmiling, sneering Obamunists... Check out the thread by hecht. Thanks, narses, for the ping.

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BLACK REPUBLICANS PLASTER BILLBOARDS IN DENVER" MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS A REPUBLICAN! How great is this? The National Black Republican Association is running 50 billboards across lunatic central - Denver, host to the DNC. How many people know Martin Luther King was a Republican? Or that the Republican party was the party of the abolition of slavery? Or that the Republicans were the party of civil rights? Check out some of these leading lights of the GOP through American history..............

BLACK REPUBLICANS PLASTER BILLBOARDS IN DENVER" MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS A REPUBLICAN!

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Karen Weber update!

All had gone silent in her case for quite awhile. Silence is not always good news!

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man and his mother-in-law are in a legal battle over whether to remove his wife's feeding tube.

Raymond Weber has been granted temporary guardianship of Karen Weber, who is 57. She has been in and out of a nursing home and hospital since suffering a stroke in December. Her mother says she is now hospitalized on a feeding tube and suffering from meningitis.

Raymond Weber sought to have the feeding tube removed earlier this year and to have his wife transferred to a hospice ward, where she would likely die. He says she is in a vegetative state and would not want to live this way. But Weber's mother says that her daughter has been alert and responsive at times and doesn't want to die.

The arguments in this case are similar to those made over Terri Schiavo (SHY'-voh), whose husband successfully had her feeding tube removed against the wishes of her parents. Schiavo died in 2005.

Husband gets guardianship in Schiavo-like case

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"We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will give you no rest."

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In contrast to the stand taken by the democratics...

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Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Republican Party's platform committee has put the finishing touches on a new party platform that contains some of the strongest language ever condemning abortion and supporting legal protections for unborn children. The platform stands in stark contrast to the pro-abortion plank Democrats approved Monday.

The platform will officially be adopted when Republicans start their convention on Monday.

The platform draws on the nation's founding documents as expressing the earliest support for human life but backs a Constitutional amendment to make those protections clear.

"Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed," the final GOP platform draft says.

"We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children," it added...........................

Republican Party Cmte OK Strong Pro-Life Platform Condemning Abortion

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And way beyond embryonic stem cell killing, we have this from aposiopetic in a thread.

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In a discovery that’s being hailed as a leap forward in regenerative medicine, researchers have found a way to transform common pancreatic cells in an adult mouse into the rare, insulin-producing beta cells that are destroyed in type 1 diabetes. Previously, researchers believed that the only way to transmute an adult cell was to first coax it back into stem cell form and then to reprogram it; this new research removes the first step entirely.

Beyond Stem Cells: Scientists Master Cell Transmogrification

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Here is more on Karen Weber...

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --

A judge on Wednesday granted temporary guardianship to the husband of a woman on a feeding tube in a case similar to the lengthy legal dispute over whether Terri Schiavo should be kept alive.

Karen Weber, 57, has been in and out of a nursing home and hospital since having a stroke in December.

She is now hospitalized on a feeding tube in Okeechobee and suffering from meningitis, her mother, Martha Tatro, said Wednesday.

Weber's husband, Raymond, sought earlier this year to have the feeding tube removed and his wife transferred to a hospice ward, where she would likely die.

He says she is in a vegetative state and would not want to live this way. But Weber's mother is fighting to keep her alive, arguing she has been alert and responsive at times and doesn't want to die.

She said that during visits with her daughter in March and April, Weber was aware and used body language to communicate.

"She had her faculties and she made it clear that she did not want her feeding tube removed," Tatro said after Wednesday's hearing in Okeechobee. "She could laugh and she could giggle and she could shake her head yes and no."

Since then, Weber's condition has deteriorated, but Tatro remains confident she can recover.

Despite the guardianship order, an injunction that the judge issued in March to prohibit the feeding tube's removal remains in place.

"The injunction says he (Raymond Weber) has to adhere to reasonable medical advice, but he can make those decisions as long as the feeding tube and ventilator are kept in place," said John Cook, an attorney appointed by the court to represent Karen Weber, who does not have a living will and cannot talk.

Tatro had been given temporary emergency guardianship over her daughter last week, but the judge on Wednesday handed it to Weber's husband, pending another guardianship hearing next week at which Tatro's attorney plans to bring in medical experts.

"I feel much better with the judge's ruling," Raymond Weber said Wednesday. He declined to comment further.

His attorney, Colin Cameron, did not immediately return a telephone message.

The arguments in this case are similar to those made over Schiavo, whose husband wanted her feeding tube removed against the wishes of her parents.

Congress passed a bill that allowed a federal court to intervene. President Bush later signed the bill into law, but the Supreme Court sided with the husband. Schiavo was diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state after her heart stopped in 1990.

She died amid protests outside her hospice in 2005 after her husband prevailed in the polarizing dispute.

Husband gets guardianship in Schiavo-like case

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More liberal logic from the democratics on Terri...

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Demographic shifts in the West are helping. And in its own way, so has the Republican Party. In 2005, Republicans made a national issue out of keeping Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman in a coma for more than 15 years, on life support – against the wishes of her husband.

“That may have pushed this fundamentalist, right-wing religious part of the Republican message just one step too far for the more libertarian kind of conservatives in the Western part of the country,” says Guy Molyneux, partner at Hart Research, a Democratic polling firm in Washington, D.C.....

Democrats’ new drive in red states

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I guess according to Nancy Legosi, it is enough to call oneself a Catholic even if one believes something opposite. Thread by wagglebee.

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WASHINGTON, D.C., August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A spokeswoman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the speaker's position as a "pro-abortion Catholic", not because the Church is unclear on when life begins, as earlier stated, but because Catholics routinely contravene "clear Catholic teaching" against abortion.

In a statement praising Pelosi's appreciation for "the sanctity of the family," Brenda Daly, speaking for Pelosi, said, "While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view."...

Pelosi Spokeswoman About-face: Catholic Church Clear on Life Teaching, But Catholics Need Not Listen

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