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Dear James,
Thanks for reading the May
edition of the People of Life
e-newsletter, and welcome to our
new subscribers. Get involved,
meet our staff, find new
prayers, and more! In this
edition, we bring you the latest
on pro-life issues, people,
events, and the bishops' plan to
fix the flaws in the health care
reform bill.
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NEW! - "PEOPLE OF LIFE" STUDENT
LEADER AWARDS |
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WASHINGTON
- - Two Catholic University of
America students received the first
ever "People of Life" Student Leader
Award at the Office of Campus
Ministry Appreciation Dinner last
month. Lauren Roselli, a senior,
and Thomas Nellson, a junior, were
recognized for their continuous
pro-life commitment and witness to
fellow students and to the D.C.
community.
The People of Life Award recognizes
those who have answered the call
outlined by Pope John Paul II in The
Gospel of Life by dedicating
themselves to pro-life activities
and to promoting respect for the
dignity of the human person.
Roselli served as president of the
campus group Students for Life for
the past 3 years, and organized 458
students, the most ever, who
attended the annual March for Life.
She also trained and coordinated
over 200 student volunteers who
organize hospitality for the
thousands of pilgrims who attended
the National Prayer Vigil for Life
in January.
Nellson coordinated a team of
student volunteers who handle safety
and activities for over 1200 youth
hosted overnight in CUA's athletic
center during the National Prayer
Vigil. In addition, his team
organized events to help the high
school students grow in faith and
their understanding of life issues.
Mary McClusky, Special Project
Coordinator of the USCCB Secretariat
of Pro-Life Activities, presented
the Student Leader Awards and
. . . finish article.
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Bishops "Refuse to Choose"
Latest Efforts to Reform Health Care
Bill |
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"Life Issues Forum" column
by Richard Doerflinger
Some teachers like to
pose riddles to their students on
"lifeboat ethics." People of various
ages and professions - a sea
captain, a cabin boy, etc. -- are
drifting at sea in a lifeboat, with
limited provisions, and we have to
decide which passenger to kill so
the others can survive.
The final situation with
health care reform this spring might
have been crafted to stump these
students. The House of
Representatives had passed a reform
bill that the Catholic bishops
commended for ensuring access to
health care for the poor and
immigrants, and for respecting
longstanding current laws on
abortion and conscience rights. But
the Senate refused to consider this
bill. Instead it approved its own
version that was deficient in all
these areas, and said: This is our
final answer. Due to a change of
one Senate seat, that chamber said
it no longer had 60 votes to pass a
bill with further substantive
changes (though it could make purely
fiscal changes under a
"reconciliation" process requiring a
simple majority).
So the final "take it or
leave it" bill could be improved on
affordability for the poor. But it
would perpetuate injustices to both
legal and undocumented immigrants.
It excluded a conscience rights
provision that keeps government
entities in other federal health
programs from discriminating against
doctors, nurses and hospitals that
don't provide abortions. It refused
accommodations for religious
institutions that need to purchase
health coverage consistent with
their moral values. And it violated
the Hyde amendment, which keeps
every other federal program from
funding elective abortions and
health plans that cover such
abortions. The federal government
would now subsidize plans covering
abortion, and require those plans to
collect a special fee for such
abortions from every purchaser
whether they object or not. Finally,
the bill appropriated its own new
funds from the Treasury that were
exempt from the Hyde policy,
including billions of dollars for
community health centers serving the
poor.
So who would the
Catholic bishops throw off the boat?.
. . keep reading.
To receive Life Issues Forum
columns bi-weekly through e-mail,
please send a note with name,
diocese, and e-mail address to to
prolife@usccb.org. |
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Commemoration of Roe v. Wade
Events in January |
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Mark your calendars to join us
for the National Prayer Vigil
for Life on January 23-24, 2011
in Washington, D.C.
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If you can't make it to
Washington,
contact your diocesan pro-life
office to participate in
local events.
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Sponsor your own parish prayer
vigil or witness at your local
abortion facility.
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About People of Life |
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People of Life
is the pro-life action campaign of
the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops. Our mission is to
promote respect and legal protection
for all human life, from conception
to natural death. For more
information, visit
here.
"We are a People of Life because
God, in his unconditional love, has
given
us the Gospel of Life, and we are
called to act accordingly."
- Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of
Life |
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Meet the Intern |
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Intern Susie Oppelt |
As an intern, Susie Oppelt
spends her time researching and
writing on pro-life topics,
including crafting the monthly
Word of Life series. She earned
her undergraduate degree in
theology at the University of
Notre Dame. Though originally
from Colorado Springs, CO, she
currently lives in Silver
Spring, Maryland and just
completed her first of two years
studying for her Masters in
Theological Studies at the John
Paul II Institute for the
Studies of Marriage & the
Family. "This internship has
reignited my desire to serve the
Church and do all I can to fight
for the dignity of life, both
now and in my future career,"
said Susie. As a member of the
internship program, she is an
essential part of People of
Life's important work supporting
the bishops in their mission to
spread the Gospel of Life and
build up the culture of life.
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Prayer Corner: Word of Life |
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Pro-Life Petitions for May 30
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
For all who suffer with depression,
grief, or anguish following an
abortion: that they will turn to the
Lord who will wipe away all their
tears through an outpouring of His
merciful love, we pray to the Lord .
. R: Lord, hear our prayer.
The Word of Life series is a monthly
liturgical resource containing
prayer intentions, bulletin quotes,
and occasional homily notes for use
in the parish. To subscribe, send a
note to
prolife@usccb.org
For more pro-life prayers, visit our
Prayers for Life page. |
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Upcoming Events |
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May 31,
The Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
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Help Us Spread the Gospel of Life! |
Be sure to click on the blue
"Forward this e-mail to my
friend" link at the bottom to
help us reach others with the
bishops' message of the Gospel
of Life!
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