The problem with political obstructionism is that it has real consequences for people’s lives: this is true whether it is the party trying to get the bill passed, or the party blocking it. Whether the effect is good or bad depends on what the content of the legislation is.

When it comes to good and evil it is a far, far more serious matter. When an intrinsically evil action is being advanced, then it becomes the moral obligation of those who know and recognize it to be evil, to block its progress.

This was vividly displayed when Pro-Life Democrats in the House of Representatives successfully blocked the forward movement of health care legislation that would have permitted government sponsorship of abortion. That any government, which principal responsibility is to protect its citizens, attempts rather to kill or harm those citizens, that action must be impeded and ultimately stopped.

Whether or not those Democrats will be ultimately succesful remains to be seen, but Rep,. Stupak and others with him have done what emmbers of the government are supposed to do. In other words, they had a moral obligation to be obstructionist.

Throughout salvation history we see heroic acts of obstructionism. Moses obstructed Pharaoh’s progress toward destroying God’s people. Mordecai obstructed Haman’s intentions to commit genocide against the Jews. John the Baptist obstructed Herod’s evil machinations and our Lord Jesus obstructed Satan’s evil designs for the condemnation of the world!

So, obstructionism is not always bad - after all, more than half the world mobilized to obstruct Adolph Hitler’s advance on Europe. And we must obstruct Satan’s purpose to pervert human society and build a culture of death.

St. Augustine so aptly described evil as the absence of good. Evil advances when good people do nothing. That makes obstructionism a good thing.

Pro-life people are pretty anxious right now, with pro-abortion, embryonic stem cell research and even some pro-suicide leaders of Congress in control of the agenda. I admit, if you rest your hopes for a culture of life on the political process, especially the federal government, there isn’t much cause for optimism. But that is just the thing: we shouldn’t, we mustn’t, we better not be putting our hope in Washington. Capitol Hill and the White House are magnificent examples of human foibles - conflicting motivations, the dominance of personal ambition, fear of the next election, the influence of powerful lobbies and special interests, very little at all of duty to the Common Good.

But Washington is vastly outnumbered by the ordinary people who carry on the daily life of the nation, moms and grandmas, minimum wage earners and young, idealistic students, dedicated family men and selfless hard workers, courageous law enforcement and long suffering teachers…and on and on. These are the neighbors, schoolmates, nurses and servers we work, study and play with each day. Unlike the cynical, hard bitten pols on Capitol Hill (a lot of private suffering up there in the political stratosphere), these folks are emerging as decidedly pro-life.

Young people are not turning first to the fortified, police-surrounded and politically protected abortion clinics when they’re faced with an unexpected pregnancy - instead, they’re surrounding the mom with support and even moving into lofts and communally raising the child. Not the best situation, they should be married, should be leading chaste lives, shouldn’t have compromised their virtue and had sex before they were ready to make a lifetime loving commitment, but the mistake was made and now a human being has come into being - and they’re God given instincts to embrace new life kick in.

I always say, everyone you’ve ever met, everyone you’ll ever meet and everyone you know right now was born pro-life! No one is born pro-death, it is contrary to our nature and our conscience. Instead, they have to be talked out of that. Fewer and fewer young people are falling for the twisted logic and false rhetoric of pro-death, pro-abortion razmataz. Instead, young people are quietly, unpolitically turning pro-life. Politicians can’t coopt that natural move towards life, and if any try to, they will be rejected - and that goes for all parties!

Pro-life is a-political, it really has nothing to do with electoral politics, it has to do with the heart, the soul and the nature of human beings. There is an emerging Culture of Life, but it is illuding the political culture on Capitol Hill. Eventually, just like with Jim Crowe and civil rights, pols will be forced to confront it, but by then, they will be relatively powerless to control it.

The National Pro-Life Action Center has already made contact with the Haitian Embassy in Washington indicating our concern and pledging our support to the people of Haiti.

This tragedy touches my life personally. I worked with two churches that have outreaches to Haiti. I also speak French and ministered among Haitian immigrants in Florida. Many young expectant mothers, children and elderly are particularly vulnerable to injury, disease and exposure.

This is a pro-life emergency. The pro-life movement is often misrepresented as only being concerned with the plight of the unborn. This is an opportunity to prove them wrong!

Please make a special contribution NOW for the people of Haiti. 100% of your gifts will go to support the critically needed emergency relief efforts now mobilizing to provide water, food, shelter, and medical care.

The Haitian people are overwhelmingly Catholic. They marry young and have big families. The images of dazed and bleeding children, homes and churches flattened, entire neighborhoods wiped out in an instant touch all people of faith, but particularly Roman Catholics. The Church is suffering in Haiti and your help is needed now.

That’s why I ask you to act now and make the most generous contribution possible to help our Haitian brothers and sisters in this unparalleled disaster.

To make your tax-deductible, emergency-assistance contribution for Haiti, please click here. Remember, 100% of your gift will go to help in the relief efforts.

Dans Jésus, notre Guérisseur,

Dr. Paul CB Schenck
Chairman

An article that recently appeared in The Times of London is another case in point. The Times reported on a European study published in Current Biology (vol. 19 issue 20, 3 November 2009) which indicates that babies cry in patterns that reflect their mother tongues. Researchers studied French and German newborns and determined that their cries conformed to their mothers’ languages. The research led the scientists to propose that the basics of language are begun to be learned in the womb. So the child is beginning her or his orientation to verbal communication before birth!

The Psalmist sings movingly of the miracle of the creation and development of one’s life and personality before birth (Ps. 139) –

“For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

And Jeremiah says that he was personally known by God before he was born (Jer. 1:5); “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Being a prophet presupposes speech, so God already began forming Jeremiah as his spokesman while he was in the womb! St. Paul too was called before birth (Gal. 1:15).

A dramatic example of communications in utero is the Visitation of Mary with Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-44). Elizabeth exults in the encounter between the preborn John in her womb and the preborn Jesus in Mary’s (Luke 1:44) – “For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.” Is it possible that the unborn Baptist heard the greeting of the Mother of God and responded? According to the French and German researchers it is indeed.

Fetal language development demonstrates the intelligence of the preborn child. Speech distinguishes humans from even the closest primates. Anthropologists point to the uniquely human capacity for speech as one of the most important features of human personality.

In 1973 Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in Roe V Wade that the life of the unborn could not be determined “at this point in the development of man’s knowledge.” The new research takes us beyond that point. In this respect, the French and German study once again helps science catch up.

Which put the Church between a rock and a hard place when President Obama proposed universal access but Congressional leadership wanted to include abortion. There were three problems for the Bishops: abortion is not health care, abortion preys on the most vulnerable, mostly poor and minorities, and bean counters would favor abortion over childbirth which is 10x as expensive.

So the Catholic Bishops had to weigh in because they wanted to support and promote the Democrat proposal but couldn’t support an abortion laced bill.

Now as much as I would like our Bishops to get all the credit, that’s hardly the case. The fact is the country, especially the emerging youth generation don’t favor abortion. They may tolerate it, but if you’re providing care for all, it should mean all - including the preborn.

So, the media is widely crediting the Bishops, but I suspect others made this a reality too, and one I’m very suspicious of is right out front on this measure. I want to know, just what did President Obama tell Dems today that led 65 of them to believe they could vote pro-life on the amendment? And why?

Pope Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate

In the increasing heat of the debate over health care “reform”, it is more and more important to try to clear away the smoke, silence some of the fireworks and get clarity about the moral issues involved. There are legitimate differences of opinion when it comes to how to structure or pay for health care. There are not however, legitimate differences about what constitutes true and moral health care and what doesn’t. The Catholic Bishops have consistently taught, stated and publicly advocated for a system that respects, protects and cares for all human life from conception to natural death. That means there is no place for abortion, euthanasia, suicide or lethal scientific research in health care reform.  The Bishops are emphatic on this point and have called for health care reform that reflects that moral precept.

Still, some are being understood to say that the very concept of universal health care is unacceptable to Christians. This is false. The Catholic Bishops have consistently affirmed access to basic health care as a fundamental human right. In their “Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform” the Bishops state, “Every person has a right to adequate health care. This right flows from the sanctity of human life and the dignity that belongs to all human persons, who are made in the image of God.” Allowing even one innocent person to die because they cannot obtain basic health care, either through a hospital, clinic or other service is morally unacceptable. That they should die because they do not have a means to pay or lack proof of ability to pay is as wrong as paying to have someone killed.

Access to basic health care is a pro-life concern. It is important that pro-life advocates be able to explain the distinctive between mere access to medical services and providing health care on the basis of the sanctity of innocent human life and the dignity of the person. Human beings are entitled by right to health care that morally and ethically respects, protects and promotes human life and dignity. Pro-life people will be careful to support health care reform that reflects the Bishops’ teaching in this regard. Rejection of abortion, euthanasia, suicide and lethal research is not a rejection of the right to health care. To the contrary, health services that respect life guarantee that all will receive the care and respect they deserve.

Below are links to basic documents that pertain to this topic.  You may wish to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the main themes of the Bishops’ perspectives.

Current sources from the USCCB on Health Care Reform legislation

A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform: A resolution of the Catholic Bishops of the United States

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: IV. HUMAN RIGHTS

-Dr. Paul CB Schenck, MEV