Avatar wrote:Haha, the GF said to me the other day, "seeing how many people are wearing their masks wrong, [she] understands how birth control fails so often."
--A
Truth
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, processes at the conclusion of the opening Mass of the National Prayer Vigil for Life Jan. 23, 2020, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. (Credit: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic)
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has released its second report on implementation of its Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, which bans all foreign nongovernmental organizations that receive U.S. foreign aid from using the funds to perform or promote abortion as a method of family planning in other countries.
The report shows the vast majority of foreign nongovernmental organizations -- 1,285 out of 1,340 -- have complied "with this policy with minimal disruption of health services and no reduction in funding."
In response to the report, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City , Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said the Trump administration "deserves our praise for ensuring that U.S. global health assistance funding actually promotes health and human rights, and doesn't undermine them by promoting abortion."
"Killing innocent and defenseless unborn children through abortion is not health care," Naumann said in an Aug. 20 statement. "Abortion violates an unborn child's most basic human right, the right to life, and it also can wound the mother emotionally and physically."
By executive order Jan. 23, 2017, President Donald Trump reinstated the so-called "Mexico City Policy, which had been suspended by President Barack Obama, and expanded it to create the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy.
Under this expanded policy "global health assistance" includes funding for international health programs, such as those for HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health, malaria, global health security, and family planning and reproductive health. Opponents of the policy call it a "gag rule" on "pro-choice" groups.
In his statement, Naumann said that "an overwhelming majority" of Americans them oppose giving tax dollars to organizations that are more committed to promoting abortion than providing health services."
The policy expanded by Trump was initially named for Mexico City because it was unveiled at a U.N. conference there in 1984. It was instituted by President Ronald Reagan.
[...]
Herb Geraghty, director of communications at Rehumanize International, holds a sign during a pro-life demonstration in Milwaukee Aug. 15, 2020, outside the convention center where the Aug. 17-20 Democratic National Convention was to have been held. (CNS photo/courtesy Maria Oswalt)
On Aug. 17, Democrats for Life of America, a nonprofit activist organization that advocates for pro-life policies, began a series of protests both online and in Milwaukee, where the pared-down Democratic National Convention is being held. Protesters are criticizing the pro-choice positions held by Democratic Party leaders, which include expected presidential nominee Joe Biden and his pick for a running mate, Kamala Harris.
Last week, D.F.L.A. sent a letter signed by over 100 current and former Democratic lawmakers to the Democratic National Committee, asking for a recognition of the pro-life caucus's views in the party platform. The letter called for the Democratic Party "to avoid divisive policies, such as passing a law in Congress defining a right to abortion." But they received no response, and the pro-life caucus was not given an official presence at the convention.
D.F.L.A. opted instead to hold a virtual and unsanctioned caucus of their own with a panel of pro-life speakers at the same time as the D.N.C. In addition, they held in-person protests attended by members of D.F.L.A.'s senior membership in front of the Wisconsin Center, the production hub of the mostly virtual convention.
"It was fabulous," said Kristen Day, the executive director of D.F.L.A., of the virtual caucus. "It was so inspiring to hear from all these people who agree with us that the Democratic Party needs to moderate its position [on abortion]."
Ms. Day, who has been to every Democratic National Convention since 1996, felt that pro-life Democrats are not being heard by Mr. Biden. "We want Joe Biden to understand that votes are earned," she told America. "We're very concerned about the extreme views on abortion within the [Democratic] platform."
[...]
"We're going to continue to be vocal," Ms. Day said. "For a long time, pro-life Democrats were silent because they were afraid of pushback." Now, Ms. Day explained, figures like Mr. Edwards and U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, a pro-life Democrat from Illinois, have given them the courage to speak out. Though Mr. Lipinski lost his seat in a primary contest against Marie Newman, a liberal pro-choice Democrat, Ms. Day said that it was inspiring to pro-life Democrats that he stuck to his position and kept his integrity.
"I'm tired of being silent," Ms. Day said. "I'm tired of the party saying that we don't belong."
Ms. Day was firm in her belief that Mr. Biden could not win the election without pro-life voters.
"The ball's in our court," she said. "If we want to win, we have to be the big-tent party. Why are we turning away 21 million pro-life voters? The party has to decide if they want to die on this hill. If we lose, it's going to be because of this issue."
Pro-life millennial women speak out [YouTube: 5 min]
Far, far more than that.Avatar wrote:Abortions are free here. Or can be. It didn't result in suddenly huge numbers of abortions either. Current rate is something like 0.1% of live births.