Bobby Schindler: The President’s Torturous Dilemma

Townhall ^ | 5/31/09 | Bobby Schindler

[wagglebee]

Zero is becoming much more open about his plans to kill the sick and elderly to save money.

Thread by libstripper.

Obama discusses deathbed measures

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama suggested at a town hall event Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care.

In a nationally televised event at the White House, Obama said families need better information so they don't unthinkingly approve "additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care." . . .

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

[cyn]

Hi, {{wagglebee}}, thanks for the pings and for keeping these articles referenced into this thread. it’s very helpful.

[wagglebee]

You’re very welcom cyn!

[wagglebee]

Very good news!

Thread by NYer.

Late-term abortion ban protects ‘weakest, most helpless beings,’ federal court rules

Richmond, Va., Jun 26, 2009 / 03:23 am (CNA).- The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 6-5 decision on Wednesday upheld Virginia’s partial-birth abortion ban. In his concurring opinion, one judge wrote that the law protects the “weakest” and “most helpless” and condemned the use of the Constitution to justify “dismembering” a partly born child and “crushing” its skull.

In its ruling “Richmond Medical Center v. Herring,” the court said the 2003 Virginia law does not unduly burden a woman’s legal right to terminate a pregnancy by more conventional means. It also ruled the law is clear about the type of procedure banned and adequately protects women’s health.

The decision reverses a May 2008 2-1 panel decision which struck down the law, which is similar to a federal statute prohibiting a procedure in which the baby is partially delivered and then killed.

According to the Alliance Defense Fund, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Fourth Circuit panel to revisit its original September 2007 decision that the ban was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court had upheld a partial-birth abortion ban in the case “Carhart v. Gonzales.”

Judge Paul V. Niemeyer authored the majority opinion in Wednesday’s decision, which won the concurrence of Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III.

"A partially born child is among the weakest, most helpless beings in our midst and on that account exerts a special claim on our protection," Judge Wilkinson wrote. . .

[wagglebee]

The death of Tiller has made the culture of death even more bloodthirsty.

Three threads by me.

Abortion Advocate Nearly Runs Over Pro-Life Planned Parenthood Protestor

Chico, CA (LifeNews.com) -- An abortion advocate nearly ran over a pro-life person protesting outside a local Planned Parenthood center with his vehicle. Matthew Reid Haver, a 40-year-old from this northern California city, was arrested by police on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Witnesses at the scene say Haver attempted to hit 60-year-old pro-life advocate James Canfield, who was outside the Planned Parenthood office on Vallombrosa Avenue.

They say Canfield was able to move out of the way in time and was not seriously injured, but he was clearly shaken by the incident.

The Paradise Post newspaper indicated Officer Brian Miller conducted an investigation after witnesses provided the license plate of Haver's vehicle. Police took Haver to a local police station where he eventually had an undisclosed medical emergency that required treatment at a local hospital. . .

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Pro-Life Group Wants Justice Department to Investigate Death Threats, Gets Refusal

Wichita, KS (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life group is asking the Justice Department to review several death threats it has received in the wake of the shooting of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller. However, Operation Rescue officials say the Obama administration has not responded.

The pro-life group has released the copies of audio recordings of calls it has received from abortion advocates who threatened the pro-life organization after Tiller's death.

One caller says it's "time to start killing Bible-thumping morons" while another says "I hope somebody comes and kills you all" and a third caller says "One of you is going to die."

"Would you want some protection after receiving these kinds of threats?" asked Operation Rescue president Troy Newman. "Too bad. The current government isn't interested in protecting your life... unless you happen to be pro-abortion."

In an email to LifeNews.com, Newman says there is a dichotomy in how the Obama administration has responded -- with Attorney General Eric Holder offering protection to abortion centers and staffers but pledging no support for pro-life groups that feared retaliation.

"Apparently, the Obama administration's Justice Department is playing favorites when it comes to protecting the lives of Americans," Newman says. "If you promote or provide abortions, Attorney General Eric Holder will dispatch U.S. Marshals to protect you when threatened. But if you're not one of those privileged minority... you're out of luck. Even if you receive scores of death threats."

"We expected that Barack Obama would not be a friend to life; but we didn't expect the favoritism to be so blatant and so callous," he added. . .

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Operation Rescue Office Attacked in Broad Daylight

WICHITA, Kansas, June 27 /Christian Newswire/ -- Friday afternoon, June 26, a man on a bicycle attacked Operation Rescue's national headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, and attempted to disable the security system. There were four people working in the office at the time.

Operation Rescue President Troy Newman heard noise outside his office and observed the assailant through the security cameras attempting to gain access to the roof. Newman rushed outside and confronted the man, who then tried to punch Newman. When that failed, he flung his bicycle at Newman then fled the scene.

One security camera was stolen causing an estimated $1,000 in damage. No one was hurt in the fracas.

Police were called and a report was filed, but the suspect is still at large.

Ironically, at the time of the attack Newman was on the telephone giving an interview to a reporter from the Washington Times about the increase in threats against Operation Rescue staff members in the wake of the murder of late-term abortionist George Tiller.

"In light of the recent events, the targeting of our security system is troubling. We can't help but think that if this attack happened to an abortion clinic, there would be federal marshals patrolling and investigating. The police seemed apathetic. It's almost as if pro-lifers are second-class citizens," said Newman. . .

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

[wagglebee]

There's at least one nation in the America's that cares about life and morality.

Thread by me.

Government of Trinidad and Tobago: No Homosexual "Weddings," No Abortion

PORT OF SPAIN, June 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The government of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago has made a strong statement in favor of maintaining the role of traditional marriage in the country's cultural and social fabric, and said it will not relax its restrictions on abortion.

In the latest draft of the "National Policy on Gender and Development of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago," which was approved by the Cabinet yesterday, the government affirms that it is opposed to same-sex relationships and will not endorse same-sex "marriage," and has rejected a proposal to re-define "gender" to include homosexuals.

Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Marlene McDonald, said in a news conference following the tabling of the document, "This document is very clear. We are not dealing with any issues relating to termination of pregnancy, same-sex unions, homosexuality, or sexual orientation. The Government's position is very clear also. The policy is that we do not support abortion. We are very clear on that." . . .

[wagglebee]

We must pray that other bishops follow Cardinal O'Malley's example.

Thread by NYer.

Boston Cardinal O'Malley Withdraws Caritas Christi From Potential Abortion Scandal

"Praise God! After months of tireless effort from American Life League and pro-life heroes in Boston and around the country to expose a potential scandal only days away from becoming a tragic betrayal of Catholicism's unwavering commitment to the dignity of the human person, Cardinal Sean O'Malley has heard our voices and will end the joint venture with abortion-providing Centene Corp!

We profoundly thank Cardinal O'Malley for his courage, leadership and pastoral concern for the health and well-being of those youngest members of his archdiocese. He has set a beautiful example of dedication and charity for those poorest of the poor - the preborn.

Cardinal O'Malley has answered our call and beat the clock as the minutes ticked away until the July 1 launch of the new CeltiCare Health Plan and the Catholic Church's participation in the intrinsic evil of abortion.

Together with the thousands of American Life League supporters whose voices cried out in horror to the Cardinal at the thought of the Archdiocese of Boston supporting and promoting abortion, we congratulate Cardinal O'Malley on his commitment to the Faith - even during this time of severe financial crisis. . .

[wagglebee]

Two excellent commentaries by Wesley J. Smith.

Threads by me.

Wesley J. Smith: UK Ethicist Admits Futile Care Theory is About Subjective Values

A UK bioethicist named Daniel K. Sokol, who writes nary a word in opposition to Futile Care Theory, aka medical futility (meaning, I suspect, he is a futilitarian), has nonetheless written a valuable informative essay in the British Medical Journal (no link, 13 JUNE 2009 | Volume 338) called “The Slipperiness of Futility.” For example, he defines the different “kinds” of futility:

Although ethically aware clinicians need not be familiar with the vast literature on the concept of futility, they might wish to remember the following four points: • Futility is goal specific. • Physiological futility is when the proposed intervention cannot physiologically achieve the desired effect. It is the most objective type of futility judgment. • Quantitative futility is when the proposed intervention is highly unlikely to achieve the desired effect. • Qualitative futility is when the proposed intervention, if successful, will probably produce such a poor outcome that it is deemed best not to attempt it.

And he points out, physiological futility–which I think a physician should refuse–is the only objective “type.”  Indeed, Futile Care Theory isn’t about truly futile interventions, but about withdrawing wanted treatment based on the medical team’s or bioethicists’ values:

As futility is so rhetorically powerful and semantically fuzzy, doctors may find it helpful to distinguish between physiological, quantitative, and qualitative futility. This classification reveals that a call of futility, far from being objective, can be coloured by the values of the person making the call. Like “best interests,” “futility” exudes a confident air of objectivity while concealing value judgments.

Sokol tries to erase the abandoning nature of Futile Care Theory by pulling out the old bromide:

Furthermore, “futile” suggests that nothing can be done. Recall the ancient medical wisdom: “To cure, sometimes. To relieve, often. To comfort, always.” There is always something to be done.

That’s true, as far as it goes, but when you want to live and the bioethicists/physicians don’t think the quality of life is worth the effort or the money, saying that you are still providing “care” rings pretty hollow.

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Wesley J. Smith: Are Dependent Elderly Persona non Grata in the UK?

Stories like this continue to mount in the UK, and are a warning to us of the growing utilitarian, quality of life/cost-benefit bent in health care.  A stroke patient, it is charged, was almost neglected to death–if not worse–at a UK hospital.  From the story:

John MacGillivray, 78, from Auchterarder, was admitted to Perth Royal Infirmary having suffered a stroke on May 22. Two days later, his family were told by hospital doctors he would die within hours. His daughter Patricia MacGillivray told Sky News:…”There were several issues we already had with the level of care he had received in the short while he had been in the hospital, so we started to become suspicious. That’s when we started asking about his medication. It was then we learned that the medication we had been told he was going to receive when he was first admitted, which was specifically for stroke, had been changed to medication for treating seizures which we’d never seen him have.

The MacGillivray family instructed doctors to immediately withdraw all medication and launched a round-the-clock bedside watch.Within two days, Ms MacGillivray says her father had made such a good recovery he was being recommended for stroke rehabilitation treatment and four weeks later he was back home walking around his garden in Auchterarder. Ms MacGillivray feels if her family had not intervened in the treatment her father was receiving at Perth Royal Infirmary then her father would not be alive today. “The effect of that medication was to sedate him.”

Not to prejudge the matter, but I think that is a pretty good bet.  Indeed, if my private e-mail is any judge, the disdain for the moral worth within the health care community for elderly people with serious brain injuries or illnesses is growing here too.  (That being said, I believe American health care remains fundamentally moral precisely because of the people working in the trenches at hospitals and in nursing homes.)

Stories such as these are all very depressing and bring to mind the prescient warning by Dr. Leo Alexander printed in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1949 in the wake of the Nuremberg Medical Trials, for which he was chief investigator:

In an increasingly utilitarian society these patients [with chronic diseases] are being looked down upon with increasing definiteness as unwanted ballast. A certain amount of rather open contempt for the people who cannot be rehabilitated with present knowledge has developed. This is probably due to a good deal of unconscious hostility, because these people for whom there seem to be no effective remedies, have become a threat to newly acquired delusions of omnipotence… At this point, Americans should remember that the enormity of the euthanasia movement is present in their own midst.”

Question: Given the changes in ethics at the NEJM, given its editors pushing assisted suicide–even, in a bitter irony, respectfully publishing the Groningen Protocol bureucratic check list as to which babies are to be murdered by doctors based on quality of life judgments–would it even publish Alexander’s article today?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[floriduh voter]

Is Florida jinxed or what?

BILLY MAYS, oxyclean screamer: TAMPA, deceased. Hit in head by overhead luggage on flight. went home instead of ER. Word to the wise? Go to the ER if you have a head injury. (drudge lower left column for more) FV

[wagglebee]

This will ALWAYS happen when children are sexualized.

Thread by Morgana.

Abortion shock as figures show dozens of under 14s are regularly having terminations

Dozens of girls as young as 12 or 13 are regularly having abortions, Government figures show. More than 450 youngsters below the age of 14 ended unwanted pregnancies between 2005 and 2008 - including 23 girls aged just 12, the Department of Health statistics reveal. Over the same period, 52 teenagers terminated four or more pregnancies before they reached their 18th birthday, helping the number of repeat abortions hit record levels. Across all age groups, 64,715 repeat abortions were carried out last year. This is the biggest figure on record and includes 46 women who had terminated at least eight pregnancies. The figures will fuel fears that abortion is being used for lifestyle reasons by a generation that feels it has the right to have babies to order. They follow research published earlier this year, which found that the number of abortions performed on teenage girls who have had at least one before has risen by almost 70 per cent since 1991. In 2007, 5,897 girls under 20 had their second, third or even fourth termination. Sixteen years earlier, in 1991, the figure stood at just 2,934. Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said the statistics were evidence of the failure of Labour's teenage pregnancy policies. He said: 'When you look at the cases of young girls having abortions repeatedly, this is not just tragic and disturbing, but totally unnecessary.' The Department of Health spokesman said the Government had invested almost £50million in efforts to prevent teenage pregnancies and that the rates of abortions for teenagers as a whole had fallen by 4.5 per cent in the past year. . .

[wagglebee]

It's rather ironic that as Zero's agenda becomes clearer, the deathbots are no longer denying that we are on a slippery slope, but Queen Sebelius swears there won't be rationing.

Two threads by me.

Assisted suicide: How will Washington live with it?

BELLINGHAM -- The initiative that made Washington the second state to legalize physician-assisted suicide is the stuff of double-edged language and hard ethical choices.

"It is a fact of life. We need to live with it," Arline Hinckley of Compassion & Choices of Washington State, which supports the initiative, told a packed house Wednesday at Bellingham City Club.

"We have had two persons take advantage of the law in this state," she added.

But the Whatcom County Medical Society has asked opposing physicians -- those who will not help patients kill themselves -- to identify themselves. "Many have done that," said society president Dr. David Lynch.

St. Joseph Hospital, run by the Catholic-affiliated PeaceHealth organization, will not permit hospital employees to be present when a person commits suicide, and no on-duty physician can prescribe a lethal drug dose. . .

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Obama Health Secretary Sebelius Claims Govt. Health Care Won't Include Rationing

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- President Barack Obama's health secretary claimed in a weekend interview that a government health care plan wouldn't include rationing. That a governmental health care plan could lead to euthanasia and assisted suicide is one of the top concerns of pro-life advocates.

Kathleen Sebelius, the pro-abortion former Kansas governor who now heads the Health and Human Services Department, made the claims on Fox News Sunday.

“I don't think there’s anything about the public option that would ration care," she said.

She deflected concerns about the Congressional plans by saying that health care is already rationed, though the three plans in Congress could make matters worse. . .

[wagglebee]

The abortionists in Connecticut are terrified that women will see ultrasounds and keep their babies and another thread shows exactly why!

Threads by cpforlife.org and me.

Connecticut Governor Rell Signs Bill Banning Ultrasounds Without Medical Reason

Hartford, CT (LifeNews.com) -- Under a new bill pro-abortion Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell signed into law last week, an ultrasound of an unborn child can't be done without a medical reason or authorization from a physician. The bill could have a negative impact on pregnancy centers that use ultrasounds to help women considering abortion.

Studies have shown that ultrasounds, which show the humanity of the unborn children throughout pregnancy, convince at least 80 percent of women considering an abortion to keep their baby.

Rell claimed she signed the bill because she is concerned about the health and safety of mothers and unborn children. However, no studies have revealed any negative health affects for either by viewing an ultrasound.

The bill is also an effort to target the new ultrasound "boutiques" that allow parents of unborn children to view an ultrasound and take home their children's first baby pictures of them moving around in the womb.

The new law will take effect on July 1. . .

______________________________________________________________

Welcome to the Baby Steps DVD Website! (MUST SEE New 4D Ultrasound Video)

Welcome to American Life League's BabySteps DVD page! We're so glad you've found us. Please view the English-language narrated version of the video below and link to it often from your organization's web site.

Help others see the miracle of life develop throughout a baby's 16 stages of growth.

If you would like to view this video with audio narrations in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese) or Spanish— just click on the appropriate flag to load the video in the corresponding language.

(Excerpt) Read more at babystepsdvd.com ...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[wagglebee]

The death mongers will never understand that EVERYTHING has consequences.

Thread by rhema.

The Consequences of the Culture of Death

The culture of death continues to claim victims, this time abortionist George Tiller. The tragedy of his murder is compounded by the obvious contradiction of someone killing him in the name of life. Perhaps it should not surprise that murder is seen as the answer in a society which devalues life.

Protecting life is the foundation for a republic such as our own. Indeed, the most fundamental liberty is to life itself.

Tiller's murder obviously violates both a commitment to life and the rule of law. No free society can survive if its members believe themselves authorized to mete out their personal version of justice on others. . .

[wagglebee]

An excellent commentary on why there IS NO "MIDDLE GROUND" on abortion.

Thread by me.

Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?

June 30, 2009 (PRI) - Is pro-choice the new pro-life? According to the New York Times, it doesn't really matter, because you probably don't understand the terms anyway.

According to the Times the recent Gallup Poll showing that a majority of Americans are pro-life is faulty at best, and downright sinister at worst.

The poll, conducted May 7-10, found that 51% of Americans are now "calling themselves 'pro-life' on the issue of abortion and 42% 'pro-choice.' According to Gallup, this is "the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995."

Not only did Gallup find these results to be consistent in two other surveys (the details can be found on Gallup's web site here), they also gave a rather forthright opinion as to why they thought this shift was occurring. President Obama's radical policies, Gallup said, are actually alienating many Americans who would consider themselves to be "pro-choice," causing them to shift over toward the pro-life position:

"It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be 'pro-choice' slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."

This sounds quite reasonable to me. Having a president who is radically pro-abortion might well cause the significant shift in opinions concerning abortion that Gallup detected.

Liberal opinion leaders, however, have been quick to condemn the poll as faulty, irrelevant, or simplistic. . .

[wagglebee]

This is an issue on which we can NEVER back down.

Thread by me.

Pro-Life Advocates Launch Abortion-Personhood Campaigns in Colorado, Montana

Denver, CO (LifeNews.com) -- Although they were not successful in getting their states to sign off on state constitution amendments for personhood for unborn children, pro-life advocates in Colorado and Montana are giving the effort another try.

A large majority of Colorado voters rejected one amendment while Montana voters never had a chance to vote on the proposal there.

Backers of the amendments will host kickoffs in both states on measures they say will recognize the rights of all citizens, including children who haven't been born.

In Montana, pro-life state Rep. Wendy Warburton is working with the Montana Pro Life Coalition and Personhood USA to organize a petition gathering campaign. The groups plan a rally on the steps of Montana's state capitol on Wednesday morning.

"This effort is about loving mothers, loving babies, and building a society where every single one of us is valued, no matter how young," she said.

Dr. Annie Bukacek, the head of the coalition, added, "Based on their intrinsic value and dignity, every human being, from the moment life begins, deserves equal protection under the law. This is the principle of personhood. It's high time the people of Montana had an opportunity to vote on this fundamental human rights issue."

On Thursday, in Colorado, Colorado Right to Life and Personhood USA will introduce a similar amendment for Colorado's constitution. They plan a press conference on the steps of the state capitol.

Keith Mason of Personhood USA talked about the effort, which pro-life advocates are duplicating in Oregon, Mississippi and several other states this year or next.

"This question should have been settled in 1865. There should be no 'three-fifths of a person' - not in Montana, not in Colorado, not anywhere. All humans are people," he told LifeNews.com. . .

[wagglebee]

Big Abortion should be shut down nationwide.

Thread by Dajjal.

Planned Parenthood Shuts Doors on 7 Clinics

Seventy-two years ago Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger visited El Paso, Texas, delivered a speech proclaiming the need for the acceptance of birth control and helped found the city's first family planning clinic.

But last week, Analinda Moreno, Planned Parenthood of El Paso's interim executive director, announced all seven of the organization's clinics in the El Paso area would permanently close today. She cited financial reasons.

"There were many factors that came into the decision," Moreno told the El Paso Times. "We knew eight days ago that there was just absolutely no other way other than to close."

Rita Diller, national director of the American Life League's Stop Planned Parenthood project, was encouraged by the closings, and sees them as part of a larger trend. . .

[floriduh voter]

An Abortion Recession. (poor PP’s)

[wagglebee]

For decades they have been given money for their “non-abortion” business, but all this has done is allow them to keep the cost of killing babies to a minimum and build up cash reserves of over $1 billion.