Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Lest We Fool Ourselves

History was made today when the first African-American President was sworn into office. Ironically, the U.S. Supreme Court had decided in 1857 that blacks, whether slave or free, were legally non-persons and therefore could not vote nor run for office. Worse yet, the highest court of the nation decided that states could consider and treat African-Americans as personal property of their slave masters even if other states considered them free men. It took people of faith and good will to get the 13th amendment to the Constitution ratified and thus end slavery and it took the 15th amendment to recognize the right of black Americans to vote.

Had no one challenged the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857, Barak Obama would never have been able to be elected President. Thanks be to God, our nation came to its senses and finally outlawed slavery and segregation. Sadly, our nation is still committing a grave miscarriage of justice in denying the same civil and human rights we say every man, woman and child enjoys regardless of color, race or religion, when we deny it to the unborn. Babies in the womb are as much human as a white or black, woman or man. Human DNA and genes are present in the unborn as they are in those who were formerly slaves. Human nature is not defined by color or location. Whether in the womb or outside the womb; whether in a free state or a slave state; human beings are human and as such they are legal persons and they have an inalienable RIGHT TO LIFE AND LIBERTY.

The Supreme Court was WRONG in 1857 and it was WRONG in 1973. It was wrong to defend slavery and it was wrong to defend abortion. African-Americans were called negroes, blacks and other terms, but none of those words could change or alter their metaphysical nature,i.e., HUMAN. Likewise, whether we call them zygotes, embryos or fetuses, the unborn child is still HUMAN and is still a PERSON regardless of what the Supreme Court says.

We have a Catholic Vice President who openly and staunchly supports Roe v. Wade despite the fact that he himself admits that human beings exist from the moment of conception. Today, as Fr. Z (WDTPRS) points out, the CURRENT White House webpage makes it UNAMBIGUOUS and UNEQUIVOCAL, President Obama supports Roe v. Wade and abortion:

WOMEN


Reproductive Choice


  • Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama
    understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
  • Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an
    original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide
    compassionate assistance to rape victims.

  • Supporting Stem Cell Research: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which will allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.


"From the first moment a woman dared to speak that hope -- dared to
believe that the American Dream was meant for her too -- ordinary women have
taken on extraordinary odds to give their daughters the chance for something
else; for a life more equal, more free, and filled with more opportunity than
they ever had. In so many ways we have succeeded, but in so many areas we have much work left to do."

-- Barack Obama, Speech in Washington, DC
November 10, 2005


President Obama has a long record of standing up for women. In Illinois, he
passed the Equal Pay Act to give 330,000 more women protection from pay
discrimination and passed another law that ensured victims of domestic violence
could seek treatment without losing their jobs. In the U.S. Senate, he
introduced and sponsored legislation to reduce unintended teen pregnancy,
strengthen families by supporting fathers who are doing the right thing and
cracking down on those who are not, guarantee workers paid sick leave, and
ensure that women are not receiving less pay than men for comparable work. And
throughout his career, in the Illinois Senate, the U.S. Senate, and the White
House, Obama has stood up for a woman’s right to choose.


Can those Catholics who voted for Obama-Biden now sleep with a clear conscience ??? FOCA will be soon down the pike and will unravel all the good done since Roe. Is this supposed to engender HOPE? Change for good or for bad?


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