Hopeful Update On The Margo Naranjo Situation

LifeSiteNews has informed us that St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell Texas cancelled the planned funeral for Margo once they learned that she is not actually dying yet.  Whoever called the church to make that arrangement indicated that Margo was in her final stages of life - in other words, they lied to the parish employees.

A priest contacted her parents to offer support, and to make clear that the Church condemns the withholding of nutrition and hydration as a form of euthanasia.  The parents' guardianship of Margo has been suspended and a court order was issued to prevent the cessation of the food and hydration.  It is unknown whether or not the parents will still attempt the murder of their daughter.

Please keep praying for this situation.  Texas Catholics, please stay alert to this situation.

The Deception Known As Brain Death

A man in London, after an auto accident, was thought to be in a comatose state.  In reality he was simply unable to communicate.  Another auto accident victim was thought to be brain dead.  She woke up - just as doctors were starting to harvest her organs.  A 39-year old woman suffered a stroke and was thought to be brain-dead.  She could hear everything and feared that her life support would be removed.

There are many stories like these.  But these are the lucky ones, the ones who came out of their comas (some just in time) and/or had loved ones who refused to give up on them (like Aden Hailu, mentioned a few days ago).  Countless others haven't been so lucky.  With a medical system that is shifting its focus from treating people to increasing their bank accounts, we have well-founded reason to fear that our loved ones - and ourselves - may be deemed "too expensive" or our organs deemed "useful" and will be euthanized.  The following is another talk, this one given by Dr. Paul Byrne, a physician who has faced down this aspect of the culture of death.  His website is www.lifeguardianfoundation.org.

Combating Murder At Later Stages In Life

Last weekend I attended a conference spearheaded by the Catholic Media Coalition (of which this blog is a member) dealing with the threats against innocent life at the other end of the life spectrum.  So many of us have been focused on the murders of babies that we may not have noticed the culture of death as it targets the old and infirm among us.  Starting now, I'll be posting videos dealing with this topic.  Some of them (like tonight's) are from the conference that I attended.

One of the things that Mary Ann mentioned in the video is the two-pronged motive that hospitals are adopting as they glom onto the culture of death: 1) not wanting to incur costs for treatment of very sick people and 2) seeking organs for transplant.  Both of these in turn have a common denominator - $$$!  I'll post a story about co-joined twins being separated.  One detail almost slips by - that the parents were encouraged to abort the babies.  They didn't and the little girls were successfully separated.  Let's not gloss over the fact that the one set of doctors wanted to take the "easy (and most economic) way out" and murder the babies.

I'll now post Mary Ann's opening address and below that, a video of Bishop Gracida's talk that she mentioned in the course of her talk.

We CAN Help #SaveAdenHailu

I posted a few days ago regarding the plight of Aden Hailu, who is apparently being targeted by a Reno NV hospital for her organs.  The Nevada Supreme Court ruled against the hospital and is preventing them from removing her life support.  She is still not receiving the proactive treatment she needs to heal.  I refer you to the post from my colleague at Les Femmes for more details.  We need to pray, to spread the word and to contribute to the GoFundMe account to which Mary Ann links.  I'd suggest the latter in lieu of the CCHD collection this weekend.  Why not give to a cause that will actually save a person rather than undermine the Christian underpinnings of western society?

Time is of the essence.  Pass these posts along and share them on your own social sites.

Culture Of Death - Preying On Elderly And Sick

A number of states have been legalizing "assisted suicide" measures.  Recently California joined those deadly ranks.  From Church Militant we hear that the Catholic bishops of California are initiating actions to put the measure to referendum.

Another facet of the threats to life at the "other end of the spectrum" is that posed by hospitals - some hospitals, that is.  Watch these two videos to learn some of the insidious background to the increase of "brain death" diagnoses in various hospitals; some hospitals and doctors are being motivated by considerations completely at variance with the Hippocratic Oath.

Donor Death "Not Required" For Organ Donation?

That's what three authors of a paper submitted to the American Journal of Bioethics propose.  See this Lifesite News report.  It's been no secret that "live" donation has been going on for some time now, as organ integrity starts to wane soon after death.  Basically they're saying "let's drop the pretenses.  As long as the donors are beyond suffering (whatever that means) and their integrity is respected". 

I believe they'd anesthesize the "donor" - how nice!  They're that considerate - but when would that pretense fall by the wayside?  And precisely how is the donor's "integrity respected" when the little Frankensteins only see him/her as an organ bank?

The fact that these doctors (using the term loosely) can speak so brazenly of their disrespect for the lives of their organ sources with little outcry of indignation from the populace at large is chilling.  I don't know what is worse: the murderous mindset of these "doctors" or the apathy of the citizenry at large.

Baby Joseph Maraachli - Requiescat In Pace

Baby Joseph Maraachli, who defied the mongers of death in the Canadian health and legal system (aided by the determination of his parents and pro-life leaders, most notably Father Pavone), died peacefully at home yesterday.  LifeSite News gives the final details; they too have been instrumental in spreading the news of Joseph's plight several months ago and caused an outcry that helped save him from a brutal and inhumane death.

He died in peace and dignity, surrounded by his family who loved him.  Most importantly, he was baptized in the Catholic faith.  Having been incapable of sin in his short life, he is now in heaven - by definition, he's a saint.

We pray for God's consolation for his family and in gratitude for their struggle - a struggle that will benefit those who will find themselves in Joseph's shoes as they face down the culture of death.  Let us also ask little Joseph's intercession for this, and for his intercession for Father Pavone and his current predicament.

Urgent Prayer Request For A Fellow Blogger

In this post a fellow Catholic blogger relates that her godfather, in the Netherlands, is scheduled to be euthanized - that is, murdered - this Friday.  What are we coming to, and how can we now avoid God's judgment?

Pray for this poor woman and her godfather.  And pray for our poor deluded world.

British Columnist's Murderous Kind Of "Maternal Love"

I didn't think anything could go lower than the clip from this past Saturday.  However, this has to be watched in order to be believed.  Virginia Ironside is a British columnist who opines that a good mother, to end the suffering of her child, should "put a pillow over its head".  Notice how she talks glibly about a "clump of cells".  Here we are, careening down that slope as the forces of murder become more open and brazen.  (Click here if you can't see embedded video)



Thanks to American Papist for the alert.  Click on the link for more commentary, and follow their link to Glen Beck's piece on this madness. 

If we don't think it can't happen here, I point out it's already here!  Remember Terry Schiavo, over five years ago?  Closer to home, in Manassas VA, remember Hugh Finn, over twelve years ago?

These elections in November are critical.  Even more critical is the need to pray for God's mercy, and then to speak out.

The Broadening Scope of Child-Killing

Remember back in 1973, after Roe v Wade passed, how truly intelligent people realized that the floodgates were just opened for legalized murder?  The pro-abortion wags tried to pooh-pooh our concerns, saying, "Oh, it's just the first trimester."

Comes now Ozzy Osbourne, a heavy metal rocker, who wrote a song about the very topic (inspired by a Canadian convicted of murdering his 13-year old daughter with cerebral palsy).  Get what he says.  "To put your child to death is a big decision. I'm not one to go, 'You're wrong, you shouldn't do that,' or 'You did the right thing.  I'm in the middle of the road. I question myself, thinking 'How would I deal with that?' It's a very big decision to make."

He'd better keep on questioning himself.  Some questions he ought to ask are:
"How could I have taken leave of common sense and morality?"
"Since when is murdering your child a big decision?  You simply don't murder other people!  That is not rocket science!"

The folks who mocked our concerns in 1973 knew damned well that this was just a matter of time.  This is how the culture of death proponents planned this, to allow for (not so) gradual dulling of consciences and stupifying of intellects.  As I look at Osbourne's picture to the upper right, it would appear that he is indeed a few sandwiches shy of a picnic.  By the way - I understand he has a new album coming out, entitled "Scream"; rather makes sense, doesn't it?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a lot of work.  Do we all realize that the groundwork for Osbourne's macabre beliefs are ensconced in the current Hell Bill (the one that Sr Carol Keehan and other CINO's are so gaa-gaa over)?  It's the death panels.  We have elections coming up this November.  They are critical as we try to stop the train wreck that is even now underway in our civilization.  We must work for decent candidates and then hold their feet to the fire.  We must pray for God's mercy on our nation as never before.  Let's get going!

NARAL Gaffe - Mere Grammar Error Or Freudian Slip?

Our colleagues at American Papist (look at right side bar) reported on some poor wording in an online petition that NARAL features on its web page. The language in question reads, "Anti-choice extremists at the Family Research Council are launching an outrageous media and lobbying campaign claiming that Congress' health-care reform bills will deny seniors the medical care they need in order to pay for abortion."

Then the American Papist opines, "I'm very sure that Family Research Council is not worried that seniors will be paying for their own abortions. Seniors paying for abortions out of their medical coverage, after all, does not seem to be a very large demographic."

Well, I for one hope and trust that the Family Research Council is taking the safety of the elderly very seriously. Under Obamacare, they're in danger of undergoing their own abortions, that is, euthanasia. Look closely at the sections that call for mandatory "end-of-life" counseling. What do you that that is about???

There are two other considerations.
1) The elderly will most likely be paying taxes for their own extermination.
2) Sooner or later, each one of us will be there one day.

Perhaps NARAL simply tipped their hands!

Senate Vote Tomorrow on Obama Death Bill

The Senate Finance Committee is set to vote on its version of the Health Care bill. If any of your senators are on this committee, ask - no, INSIST - that they kill this bill. Unlike other Catholic and/or pro-life activists, I'm not suggesting that you tell them, "Vote against it if it doesn't exclude abortion and euthanasia." It matters little if these provisions are removed. We need to understand and accept that socialized medicine is, by nature, anti-life. There are no safeguards for life once government has authority over its citizens' health care. It matters little, again, how benign the particular government may be. Remember the Patriot Act, how harmless and even beneficial folks thought it was under Bush? Well, now that the Messiah Most Miserable is sitting at the helm, we all see what a disaster it is now. Hindsight is always 20/20 vision!

The only way that life will be respected here is if the Author of Life is respected. That means that government must stop usurping His role in our private and civic lives.