Maryland Citizens! Action Needed TOMORROW, Wednesday Feb 14

An assisted suicide measure is meandering its way through the Maryland legislature and we must stop it now.  Please see the alert below from Maryland Right to Life.

ASSISTED SUICIDE ACTION ALERT

Cassilly: Md. ‘End-of-life Option Act’ about money, not compassion By READER COMMENTARY - Baltimore Sun February 8, 2024 at 6:38 a.m. The General Assembly is about to vote on whether we should encourage suicide by the aged and poor to reduce our medical costs. Advocates for Senate Bill 443 misleadingly proclaim the bill is all about allowing the terminally ill to die without pain. But the truth behind this misguided effort is clearly exposed by the provisions of the bill and the current law. Read the article in full HERE

Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly. (Matt Button / The Aegis/Baltimore Sun Media)

This Friday, February 16th, the House HGO and Judiciary Committees will hold a joint virtual legislative hearing on HB403, the House version of proposed Assisted Suicide legislation. Written testimony must be submitted TOMORROW 2/14 from 8AM - 6PM. PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS TO OPPOSE ASSISTED SUICIDE IN MARYLAND 1) Please go to the TAKE ACTION tab at MDRTL.org to learn more and to send a pre-written, editable, message to hearing committee members as well as your state Representatives and Senator. We need to send thousands of emails and phone calls, and YOUR VOICE MATTERS. REMEMBER - Your voice is strongest when you CALL legislator offices and inform the legislative aid that you OPPOSE Assisted Suicide and urge a "NO" vote. You will not be required to debate. Phone numbers for your legislators office will display when you click the phone icon after sending the email message. 2) To submit written testimony, you must create a MyMGA account and then sign up online TOMORROW, Wednesday 2/14 from 8AM-6PM using the following user friendly tutorial links and sign up page: Tutorials: MyMGA New Account & Witness Signup Sign In to MGA Tracking for Written Testimony OR CONTACT Julie@mdrtl.org, 410 269-6397 for assistance. We are here to help you!

TAKE ACTION

Please take the time to create that MyMGA account, as it will be useful in future legislative actions.

Maryland Citizens - Action Needed On Assisted Suicide Bills In Annapolis

The pro-death cartel keep hammering away, trying to snuff life out on the older end of the spectrum.  As persistent as they are, we must be no less so.

Tomorrow, Tuesday Jan 30, Maryland citizens, guided by Marylanders Against Assisted Suicide, will be conducting in-person lobbying in Annapolis.  The details that I received today are below:

Maryland Right to Life has some instructions regarding emails and phone calls, along with important dates and deadlines.

Additionally, there is a mechanism by which written testimony can be submitted by those who cannot make the trip to Annapolis.  The directions are below:

INSTRUCTIONS TO GIVE TESTIMONY

1. Go to Maryland General Assembly  (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/)

2. Go to the upper right hand corner and click "MYMGA" Sign in or create an account. Name, address and password. Follow the prompts to confirm through your email. this will take you to the next page.

3. On the next page click "witness signup" and SCROLL TO FIND THE CORRECT SENATE OR HOUSE BILL.

4. Go to the "position" dropdown and choose the appropriate one

5. Go to the next drop down "testimony" and choose "written" (if giving written testimony, if not, choose neither written or oral testimony.)

6.  In a separate PDF file on your computer WRITE A SIMPLE PARAGRAPH AS TO WHY YOU ARE FOR/AGAINST THE BILL. (If you choose to give written testimony)

7. Upload the testimony PDF file and hit "OK". 

8. On the upper left hand corner of the witness sign up page click "SAVE"

9. A pop-up box will appear.  click "OK" (the pop up box will go away)

10. Look for the "signed up items" tab and click on it.  you will see your bill, your position and your testimony.

The bill numbers, for House and Senate are SB0443 and HB0403 respectively.

As citizens, we have certain rights, but with these rights come serious responsibilities.  We cannot afford to give legislative matters our attention only during elections.  

Maryland Literally Dodged A Bullet Today

A few weeks ago I posted on the "murder by doctor" bill that was winding its way through the Maryland legislature.  It passed the House of Representatives and in the Senate made it out of committee.  It failed a Senate roll call vote today.  We thank God for His mercy, but we must understand how perilously close we came to legalizing yet another form of murder.

The vote was a tie vote.  One Democrat abstained from the vote.  That's right.  The measure bombed by one vote.  Some lessons?

• Elections matter, even on the local level.  What if the Obie Patterson, a PG County Democrat, was not in that seat but instead there was a more hard-core Democrat?  Well then, we would have been praying that Hogan remember who elected him.  We've got to clean out this progressive cabal that skulks about Annapolis.  That means Montgomery County especially, for it was MC Democrat Will Smith who was a main sponsor of that bill.
• Our lobbying voices matter.  Perhaps Patterson heard enough from good people who told him that his political future depended on him not voting for "murder by doctor".

When we pray our Rosaries, let's remember gratitude for today's respite and remember to pray for a culture of life in Maryland and this country.

Physician Assisted Suicide Before Maryland Legislature

In the Maryland House and Senate, a "physican-assisted suicide" bill is in the hearing process.  Note: I will now cease usage of that lovely-sounding language and call it what it is - murder by doctor.  The bill numbers are:

• House - HB 1021, being heard by the Judiciary and by the Health and Government Operations Committees.
• Senate - SB 676, being heard by the Judicial Proceedings Committee

I linked to the bills so that you can study them.  I also linked to the memberships of the pertinent committees so that you can lobby these members for opposition to "murder by doctor".  Make no mistake about it - it's murder, pure and simple.  We cannot allow this bill to be passed - at least not without a valiant effort to prevent even more legalized murder in Maryland.

I was given the information above by an email alert from the Maryland Catholic Conference.  For that I am grateful, but the delivery of the information causes me great concern.  I'll post the relevant section of the email below.

Do you see the problem?  Two bills are being put forth for action as though they have equal weight in importance.  Clearly they do not.  One, the "murder by doctor" bill, involves the legalization of actions that are always intrinsically evil.  Of course Catholics and all good people must oppose this.  The other involves issues that are subject to prudential judgment by individuals.  Because the Maryland Education Tax Credit does not touch upon matters of inherent morality or immorality, good people can disagree when it comes to support of this bill.  The MCC has always had an unfortunate "laundry list" approach to various issues, treating all issues as though they had the same importance.  For this reason I do not participate in their Lobby Nights in February; I believe we must focus all energies and efforts to driving intrinsic evil from our laws.  Other matters can wait.

What The Maryland Catholic Conference Calls "Success"

Today I received a cheery little email from the Maryland Catholic Conference celebrating the end of the "successful"  (???) 2013 General Assembly.  They reproduced it on their web page and I now link to it for your reading (dis)pleasure.

So what does the MCC consider to be hallmarks of "success"?  Here's the list:

• Death penalty repeal - for hardened criminals, that is.  Innocent babies are still fair game.
• Textbook funding - the "thirty pieces of silver" for which they literally sell their souls
• Drivers' licenses for immigrants - undocumented immigrants, that is.  In other words, criminals
• Gun violence - in other words, they lent their voices so they could shill for Obama's gun grab

Some of you might recall the post I produced a few days ago illustrating why I believe "gun control" actually runs counter to Magisterial teaching.  I believe the push for death penalty repeal also constitutes departure from Church teaching.  I will have a post on that shortly.

But the MCC acknowledges that not all was peaches and cream during this session.

• Abortion statistics keeping and ban after 20 weeks - failed
• A bill to require information on adoption for expectant mothers failed.

These last two items aren't minor disappointments, in my opinion.  The lack of action on these (plus what the MCC calls "successes") rendered this Annapolis session to be an abominable failure.  Unless there are changes of faces in 2014, we can expect more legislative slop.  Will we also have to expect that the MCC will drool enthusiastically over that?

Good News For Maryland

HB235, the Maryland "gender identity" bill, was recommitted back to the Judicial Proceedings Committee - and the session is now over.

It will probably rear its ugly head next year, and we'll be ready!

HB 235 On The Maryland Radar Screen Again

It now appears that HB 235 is back in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee again.  This is a far more liberal committee.  A few weeks ago I posted the committee members; please go back to that post and start the phone calls and emails up again.  For the sake of our families, churches and children, we must send that bill down in flames.

Abortion Bill In Annapolis Needs Our Immediate Attention!

Several weeks ago Virginia's Governor McDonnell signed into law a measure that would require abortion centers in Virginia to meet the standards required of other stand-alone surgical centers.  Prior to that, they were only required to meet the standards of doctors' offices.  If the pro-abortion proponents were truly solicitous of women's safety, they'd be all for these professional standards that would increase the chances of a "safe procedure".  They show their true colors (and those of the abortuaries) by bemoaning the costs and their "fears" (our hopes) that the bulk of the Virginia abortuaries would close.

We of Maryland have that same opportunity!  In Annapolis, the House Health and Government Operations Committee has recently heard House Bill 23 and much testimony from families of abortuary victims.  They will vote on it very soon.  Maryland Right to Life has a list of Delegates who are on that committee and their contact information.  Contact these delegates and urge them to support HB 23.  If they truly care about women, as most of them claim, tell them this is one way that they can prevent the Brigham and Ferrer debacles from repeating themselves.

The parallel Senate bill is SB 505.  We'll be following that too.

Good people of Maryland showed much energy and determination with the gay marriage bills recently.  Let's bring that same commitment to bear on this matter, also.

Marriage Preserved In Maryland, By The Grace Of God...

And also by a lot of hard work by many concerned citizens over these past several weeks!  Democrat leaders in the House, not wanting to have a failed vote on the measure designed to pervert the definition of marriage, moved it back into committee, putting it into abeyance for the year.

Some are laying the "blame" on Catholics and black churches.  If such be the case, I for one accept such "blame" with glee.

This is the sort of thing that can happen when enough good people stand up and take action and raise our voices - and rely on God's grace.  Now make no mistake - this bill is NOT dead.  It is merely put on mothballs for a while.  The progressive elements will trot this thing out again, most likely next year.  We must be just as vigilant and just as ready to take firm, sustained action.

Act NOW To Save Maryland Marriage - Keep On Lobbying Your Representatives!

We're getting down to the wire in trying to preserve marriage and family life in Maryland.  Your calls and emails are desperately needed.  I have it on good source that your calls and emails are having an impact, but we cannot let up now.  The progressive, anti-Christian forces are rallying assistance from outside the state; we must continue to let our representatives know that for the sake of our society, we won't stand for the notion of marriage being bastardized.

The focus is on the House of Delegates in Annapolis.  The Senate passed their version a few days ago.  We must stop it in the House.  Else, if it passes the House, Governor O'Malley has indicated that he will sign it into law.

My previous post on this matter linked to the actual House bills; read them.  Then contact your particular representatives.  If you don't know who they are, go here and follow the instructions.  Then call and email your representatives right now.

Immediate Action Needed To Protect Marriage In Maryland

Let me just repost an alert from the American Family Association below.

Two identical bills - SB 116 and HB 55 - have been introduced in the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates, which will redefine the God-ordained institution of marriage of "one man and a woman."


Ironically named the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act," the two bills would strike from the existing marriage law the words "a man and a woman," and replace them with the words "two individuals who are not otherwise prohibited from marrying."

The bills also purport to protect "religious freedom" by allowing members of religious bodies to refuse to perform same-sex marriages - but only if and to the extent that such members already enjoy that right under the U.S. or Maryland Constitutions.

The bills would thus allow Maryland human rights agencies and judges to require a priest or pastor to perform such marriages, or to punish the refusal to do so, unless (s)he could establish an existing constitutional right to be free from that requirement - a showing that would likely require protracted, expensive litigation.

Because Governor Martin O'Malley has already indicated he would sign such a bill if it reaches his desk, it will be important to stop the legislation in the General Assembly.

Take Action.  Do your part to protect the institution of marriage in Maryland!

Email your Maryland Senator and Delegates now, asking them to vote against changing the definition of marriage in Maryland.

To find your particular representatives, click here.


A note to Montgomery County Residents/Voters:
In my last post I urged that the Montgomery County Council be voted out in 2014.  Today I received affirmation of my suggestion, particularly for Nancy Floreen.  She introduced today a resolution asking the Maryland legislature to legalize same-sex marriage.  Read her own blog post on the matter.  See how the moral rot has infested Montgomery County?  Isn't it high time that the cleaning/fumigation commence?

Please follow the site http://maryland4marriage.com/