Planned Parenthood Happy About Increase in Abortions

Washington D.C., Apr 15, 2009 / 03:51 am (CNA).- The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has over $1 billion in assets and claims an increase of 15,560 abortions in 2007, its annual report for 2007-2008 reveals. Praising the “new direction” of the United States, the largest abortion provider in the U.S. says it will play a “unique role” in shaping the Obama administration’s health agenda.

The letter introducing the report, signed by Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and Elena Marks, PPFA chairwoman, professes “enormous optimism” about “the new direction of our country and new opportunities to make lasting change in the lives of women and families, here and around the globe.” “Planned Parenthood is the leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider, with 93 years under our belt,” the letter continues, adding “And in the near future, we will play a unique role in helping to shape the health agenda for the new administration.”

According to the PPFA report, in 2006 Planned Parenthood clinics performed 289,750 abortions and in 2007 performed 305,310 such killing procedures, CNSNews.com says.

Tom McClusky, vice president of the Family Research Council Action, told CNSNews.com the numbers reflect a continual increase in the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood. Since 1977, not counting referrals to other clinics, the organization’s abortion clinics have accounted for 4.8 million abortions.

The Planned Parenthood report claims a 100 percent increase in the number of adoption referrals in 2007. In 2006 the organization made 2,410 adoption referrals while it made 4,912 in 2007.

McClusky said this increase was an exception, as very low numbers of referrals had been reported in previous years. None were reported in 2005.

According to the PPFA report, abortion accounts for three percent of services provided by Planned Parenthood. Contraceptives make up 36 percent of the organization’s services.

However, the report does not provide details on how Planned Parenthood spends the more than $300 million it receives from federal funding. Federal law prohibits federal dollars being used for abortions.

In addition to government funding, Planned Parenthood also earned more than $374 million from its clinics and $186 million in “contributions and bequests.”

The organization’s worldwide clinics earned $6.9 million. It claimed to have reached 935,000 individuals in 20 developing countries and also claimed to have supported their “vital work” with more than $2.5 million in grants in 2008.

President Barack Obama’s rescindment of the Mexico City Policy, which barred federal funding for organizations which promote or perform abortions overseas, could help fund Planned Parenthood’s international efforts.

Please pray for those considering an abortion and pray for the unborn.

Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the passing of Pope John Paul II. Credeted with ushering in a new dawn for the Catholic Church which is in the words of his predecessor, Pope Benedict, "always young and forever born."

This is a wonderful Thank You video about PJP that sums up his key teachings:

Pray for the Cross

Another shocking story from CNA:


San Diego, Calif., Apr 3, 2009 / 04:50 am (CNA).- Arguing that removing the memorial would cause “real, irreparable harm” to war heroes and their families, the Thomas More Law Center has filed a brief opposing a legal challenge to the constitutionality of California’s historic Mt. Soledad cross which honors veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

Over 2,100 plaques honoring individuals or groups of veterans are displayed near the Mt. Soledad cross, which is the centerpiece of the veterans’ memorial. Some of the plaques display Stars of David in honor of Jewish veterans. A large American flag flies at the memorial’s base.

In 2004 the cross was scheduled to be taken down following an agreement between the City of San Diego and an atheist who sought to remove the memorial. The Law Center then began its legal defense of the cross, prevailing in state and federal courts. It successfully petitioned the federal government to transfer the property from city to federal property, rendering powerless the district court’s order to remove the cross.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) then filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the cross and the propriety of the property transfer. That suit was dismissed by a federal district court judge in July 2008. The ACLU is appealing the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where federal government lawyers will defend the constitutionality of the cross. According to a press release from the Law Center, it has filed an amicus curiae brief in the memorial’s defense.

Robert Muise, the Thomas More Law Center attorney and former Marine officer who authored the brief, said the amicus brief demonstrates that tearing down the cross will cause “real, irreparable harm to our war heroes and their grieving families, as compared with the contrived ‘harm’ the ACLU will ‘feel’ because the memorial cross remains.”

Iraqi Christians have ‘great hope’ in ‘tragic’ situation

Iraqi Christians have ‘great hope’ in ‘tragic’ situation, Kirkuk archbishop says

Kirkuk, Iraq, Apr 2, 2009 / 12:01 am (CNA).- Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako, lamenting the number of Iraqi Christians who have been murdered or driven into exile by persecution, has said that the Christian community possesses “great hope” amid the “tragedy” of its circumstances. A total of 750 Christians have been murdered in the past five years, including Archbishop of Mosul Paulos Faraj Rahho, Archbishop Sako told a press conference convened by the charities Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Pro Oriente and Christian Solidarity International.

"Some 200,000 Christians have left the country. This is a tragedy for us," he said, appealing for support to help the Christian community to help its members remain in Iraq or return to their country. Christians themselves are concerned about the proposed withdrawal of U.S. troops, he said, naming the lack of security in the country to be its gravest problem. The Iraqi army and police were not yet strong enough to take over, the archbishop reported. “Under Saddam's regime we had security but no freedom. Today we have freedom, but the problem is security,” he said, according to ACN. Archbishop Sako called on the international community to help both Christian refugees and those Christians who remain in Iraq.

The story above should serve as a wake up call. We make much in our church of the early Christian martyrs who died for our faith. Persecution of Christians is common throughout the first 4 centuries of Christianity.

What people easily loose site of is that there have been far more Christian martyrs in the last 100 years than there were in the first 400 years after Christ. From the Ottoman empire's persecution of Christians in what is now Turkey, to the Nazis who exterminated large numbers of Catholics (many priests and sisters), to the persecution of Christians in the far east in Laos, China and Vietnam to the persecution of Catholics in Mexico, hundreds of Christians have died for the faith.

That 750 Christians have perished in Iraq in recent times is a sad testament to how privileged we are in our country. That they have the grace to find hope in the future is a lesson to us all.

Great Comments of SlumDog Millionaire

Great Video review on the recent movie, Slumdog Millionaire:



The Cooperation with Grace - God's grace gives us what we need.

Our freedom is drawn by God - wonderful things happen when we realize that God is intimately involved in our lives and open ourselves to his love.

Watch the commentary and rent the movie - you won't be disappointed!

Pro-Abortion Law Dean Selected for Head of ND law School

Another disappointing story from the American Papist:

Exclusive: New Notre DameD Law Dean contributed to Obama/pro-abortion Catholic politicians

Notre Dame is really on a roll, isn't it? It appears that the upper administration has made yet another questionable decision.

Yesterday they announced their new Law School dean:

"The chancellor and dean of the Hastings College of the Law at the University of California has been named as the new Joseph A. Matson Dean of the University of Notre Dame Law School. Nell Newton will assume her new responsibilities on July 1. She succeeds Patricia O'Hara, who is stepping down after 10 years as dean."

And who does the new dean of Notre Dame Law support when it comes to political candidates?

[source: Huffington Post.]

That's right, she donated the maximum amount to Barack Obama for his presidential run. And she gave money to Jackie Speier who is a pro-abortion Catholic politician. And she gave money to John Kerry was was a pro-abortion Catholic nominee for President.

... and this is the type of scholar that Notre Dame chose to lead its Catholic Law School?

An informed reader contributes:

"The law school at Notre Dame has made great strides in recent years, recruiting a respectable number of folks that are drawn to Catholic orthodoxy ... The law school has been trying to fill the deanship for some time. There were hopes for an outstanding transitional figure, who could foster both academic rigor and Catholic orthodoxy at Notre Dame. Yesterday, ND announced its new law school dean, Nell Jessup Newton. She may be a gifted administrator, but there are far superior scholars on the current ND faculty ... So much for hope and change."

So much for Catholic identity and witness, too.

Record Numbers of Adults Convert to Catholicism

From the CNA today: "Tens of thousands of new Catholics are expected to join the Catholic Church in the U.S. in 2009, with many doing so at the Easter Vigil liturgies on April 11. Converts to Catholicism are known as catechumens if they have never been baptized and as candidates if they have received baptism in another Christian community and now seek full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta, where Catholics have traditionally been a minority, estimates that 513 catechumens and 2,195 candidates will enter the Catholic Church in 2009, about 1,800 doing so at Easter. The figures do not include infant baptisms.

Father Theodore Book, director of the Office of Divine Worship for the Atlanta Archdiocese, said the archdiocese has been “blessed with an authentic dynamism” during recent years. He cited the archdiocese’s annual Eucharistic Congress, saying it draws nearly 30,000 participants.

“One of the many blessings that we have received from the Lord is the large number of individuals entering the Church,” he said.

The Archdiocese of Seattle will reportedly welcome 736 catechumens and 506 candidates, while the Diocese of San Diego will baptize 305 and receive into communion 920 other baptized Christians.

The mostly rural Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama reportedly will have 445 new converts. The diocese’s Cathedral of St. Paul could not hold them and their families for the Rite of Election, which had to be held in three separate ceremonies. "

Here in Nashville we also have large numbers of new Catholics and RCIA programs are increasing in candidates. The numbers of adults entering the Church in 2009 is expected to increase from 87,363 adults in 2008.

We have 5 adults at our small, rural parish in Smyrna, TN. The Catholic Church in the Southeast is bursting at the seams. Birmingham and Nashville have record numbers of converts and full classes of seminarians. Both dioceses are struggling to build new churches and in addition to standing room only at most masses, there are now waiting lists for Catholic schools.

Amen to that!

Update:

As many as 150,000 new or returning Catholics are expected to join the Catholic Church in 2009 in the United States with many making the move at forthcoming Easter liturgies across the country.

In some cases the numbers show the growth and vitality of the Catholic Church in places where it has traditionally been a small minority, the USCCB says.