"Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3: 16)

2/19/17, 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

• An updated version of the Vatican's 1994 Charter for Health Care Workers has been long awaited (eg., Catholic News Service, 11/13/2012); The DivineMercy, 5/6/15):


• "At a Vatican press conference on February 6, the new dicastery for Integral Human Development introduced a new Charter for Health-Care Workers....The Charter provides encouragement and guidance for health-care workers in coping with three stages of human life: 'generating, living, dying.' Regarding 'generating,' the document affirms the Church’s teaching on the immorality of abortion and destructive embryo research. It calls for treating infertility problems only by natural methods, and without destroying unborn lives.  The 'living' section includes articles on topics as diverse as anencephaly, ectopic pregnancy, embryo reduction, vaccines, regenerative medicine, and the treatment of rare diseases with 'orphan drugs.' The section on 'dying' stresses the need to respect the dignity of the person, providing care but not extraordinary or burdensome treatment for those who are terminally ill." (CatholicCulture.org, 2/16/17)

By our actions, all of us need to be authentic witness to the sanctity of human life proclaimed by Catholic medical ethics.

• While we need to be authentic witness to the sanctity of human life, we see disturbing situations hospitals in our own archdiocese. 
  
  At last check with our hospitals,
  1) there is a paucity of nfp-only obgyns;
  2) there are privileges for ivf specialists and associates of a practitioner involved with the glibly called ''fetal reduction'';
  3) Holy Redeemer's ''Making Your Own Health Care Decisions'' fails to specify that immoral advance directives cannot be honored, while Saint Mary's ''Advanced Directives and Living Wills'' fails to specify teaching on nutrition and hydration. 
  
  Ads for providers of contraceptives should have no place in ''Catholic'' media, including parish bulletins - ESPECIALLY BECAUSE SOME PRODUCTS SOLD AS ''CONTRACEPTIVES'' CAN ACT AS ''ABORTIFACIENTS''! (Is this happening due to inadequate notions about ''cooperation''?). 
  
  Any use of so-called emergency ''contraception'' in Catholic hospitals should cease, because of the danger of abortion.
  
  On the right side of the home page is a link to email USCCB President Cardinal DiNardo, USCCB Pro Life Chair Cardinal Dolan, USCCB Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth Chair Archbishop Chaput, and National Catholic Bioethics Center President John Haas, PhD, STL.

•  The Pa Catholic Conference rhetorically asks " Should Doctors Be Neutral on Suicide?", asking us to urge the AMA to "Remain Opposed to Doctor Prescribed Suicide."

• "Her real name never appeared on the Supreme Court case that led to legalizing abortion nationwide ....In the end, she came out as a strong opponent of abortion and claimed that she had been used by lawyers working to overturn state restrictions of the practice....'Norma has been a friend of mine, and of Priests for Life, for more than 20 years,' said Father Frank Pavone....McCorvey called Father Pavone 'the catalyst that brought me into the Catholic Church'" (Norma McCorvey, plaintiff in legalizing abortion who later turned pro-life, dead at 69, Aletia, 2/18/17).

• Battling pornography: strategies for home and classroom (MercatorNet, 2/7/17)
• NaPro-TECHNOLOGY, New Hope in Infertility

   

• "Before he left office, Obama pushed through an HHS regulation that essentially forces states to give Planned Parenthood Title X funding....Rep. Diane Black, R-TN, introduced H.J. Res. 43 to overturn what pro-life groups call the Obama administration's 'parting gift' to Planned Parenthood....'While this is merely taking back the small parting gift that President Obama left Planned Parenthood, the real prize is getting the Reconciliation bill passed by both Houses and signed by President Trump,' said Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. "We are hopeful this bill is a step towards ultimately defunding the nation's abortion giant" (U.S. House votes to overturn Obama regulation forcing states to fund Planned Parenthood, Life SiteNews, 2/16/17).
• From Pennsylvania, kudos to Barletta, Costello, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Rothfus, Smucker, Shuster, and Thompson.  Shame on  Brady, Boyle, Cartwright, Dent, Doyle, and Evans (cf, http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll099.xml)
• "Two Republican U.S. Congressmen voted against a Planned Parenthood defunding measure on Thursday, in opposition to the majority of their party....U.S. Congressmen Charlie Dent, of Pennsylvania..., and John J. Faso, of New York, are the only House Republicans who voted against the legislation on Thursday....In 2015, Dent was one of the Republican lawmakers accused of sabotaging a U.S. House vote on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" (These Two Republicans Voted to Force States to Fund Planned Parenthood, LifeNews.com, 2/17/17)

• "Without question, Planned Parenthood provides some morally unobjectionable health services to women. However, this statement is not unlike saying that a man who beats his wife sometimes gives her flowers....When individuals, particularly those in political office, gloss over or ignore the core issue of whether or not taxpayers should be funding the world’s largest abortion business by citing Planned Parenthood’s other services, they are engaging in obfuscation that is, at best, confused and, at worst, dishonest.  And when such individuals publicly hold themselves out to be Catholic, their local bishop has a responsibility to offer correction, both for the well-being of the individuals’ souls and to avoid scandal among the Catholic faithful" (Most Rev. Edward Scharfenberger, 2/13/17).

• Boycott Target and boycotts/actions from America Needs Fatima and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation

 

As per our bishops, we should contact the White House:

• "On Thursday, February 4, President Trump, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, spoke out against the Johnson Amendment. The Johnson Amendment was an addition to the United States tax code promulgated in 1954 and continued in most revisions of the U.S. tax code since then, the aim of which was to prohibit non-profit organizations, including religious institutions, from openly or publicly endorsing a particular political candidate for office" (OnePeterFive.com, 2/17/17)
• Urge President Trump to Sign Executive Order Respecting Religious Freedom (Contact the President and Vice President Today and Urge Them to Support Religious Liberty!)
• Tell your legislators to suspend the refugee executive order!

As per our bishops, we should contact our elected representatives in D.C.:

• No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion
• Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017! (Urge Congress to Enact the Conscience Protection Act of 2017!)
• Urge Congress to Protect Human Dignity and Combat Human Trafficking!
• In Solidarity with Refugees
• Tell your legislators to suspend the refugee executive order!
• Urge Congress to Address Hunger and Climate Change Now!
• Urge Congress to press Israel to stop confiscation of Christian lands in Cremisan Valley

On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to the offices of Pa's congressional delegation, regarding federal positions backed by our bishops (cf., Pa Catholic Conference, USCCB, USCCB's Justice for Immigrants, USCCB's Catholics Confront Global Poverty, Human Life Action, Human Life Action's 12/16/16 email.).

• Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch are expected to start on March 20.  As per the Pa Pro Life Federation, "Please call and email U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and let them know you want them to support Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. We recommend you call the Washington office and at least one of the local offices. If you get a recording, please leave a message. If the voice mailbox is full, try again later and make sure you send a written message through the link at the bottom of the phone list.
  
  "Here are the numbers to call for Senator Casey:
  (202) 224-6324--Washington office
  (610) 782-9470--Allentown office
  (814) 357-0314--Bellefonte office
  
  

  (814) 874-5080--Erie office
  (717) 231-7540--Harrisburg office 

  (215) 405-9660--Philadelphia office
  (412) 803-7370--Pittsburgh office
  (570) 941-0930--Scranton office
  
  "To send a written message to Senator Casey, go to his contact form here.  
  
  "Here are the numbers to call for Senator Toomey:
  (202) 224-4254--Washington office
  (610) 434-1444--Allentown office
  (814) 453-3010--Erie office
  (717) 782-3951--Harrisburg office
  
  

  (814) 266-5970--Johnstown office
  (215) 241-1090--Philadelphia office  

  (412) 803-3501--Pittsburgh office
  (570) 941-3540--Scranton office
  
  "To send a written message to Senator Toomey, go to his contact form here" (Pa Pro Life Federation, 2/1/17)

 As per the Pa Catholic Conference,

• End Brutal Dismemberment Abortions
• Oppose Unfair Retroactive Statutes of Limitation Amendments
• Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Religious Liberty
• Invest in Success: Expand EITC and OSTC Scholarships

As per the Pa Pro Life Federation,

• Let your state Senator know you don't want your right to vote for judges to be taken away (2/16/17)
• Gov. Wolf defends inhumane dismemberment abortions (2/18/17)

On the right side of the home page is a link to send a combined email to Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, asking for support of positions backed by the Pa Catholic Conference and/or the Pa Pro Life Federation.

Act now to stop assisted suicide (Diocese of Trenton, 11/4/16)