Below is a letter written by Vox Nova’s Henry Karlson and signed by many fellow Catholics. We have sent this letter to numerous media outlets and hope it gets picked up. If you wish to add your name to the letter, please let me know here, or at the original post located here at Vox Nova. Feel free to post this letter on your blog, get the word out, and keep the pro-life movement in your prayers. Thank you.

November 14, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama,

As American Catholics, we, the undersigned, would like to reiterate the congratulations given to you by Pope Benedict XVI. We will be praying for you as you undertake the office of President of the United States.

Wishing you much good will, we hope we will be able to work with you, your administration, and our fellow citizens to move beyond the gridlock which has often harmed our great nation in recent years. Too often, partisan politics has hampered our response to disaster and misfortune. As a result of this, many Americans have become resentful, blaming others for what happens instead of realizing our own responsibilities. We face serious problems as a people, and if we hope to overcome the crises we face in today’s world, we should make a serious effort to set aside the bitterness in our hearts, to listen to one another, and to work with one another

One of the praiseworthy elements of your campaign has been the call to end such partisanship. You have stated a desire to engage others in dialogue. With you, we believe that real achievement comes not through the defamation of one’s opponents, nor by amassing power and using it merely as a tool for one’s own individual will. We also believe dialogue is essential. We too wish to appeal to the better nature of the nation. We want to encourage people to work together for the common good. Such action can and will engender trust. It may change the hearts of many, and it might alter the path of our nation, shifting to a road leading to a better America. We hope this theme of your campaign is realized in the years ahead.

One of the critical issues which currently divides our nation is abortion. As you have said, no one is for abortion, and you would agree to limit late-term abortions as long as any bill which comes your way allows for exceptions to those limits, such as when the health of the mother is in jeopardy. You have also said you would like to work on those social issues which cause women to feel as if they have a need for an abortion, so as to reduce the actual number of abortions being performed in the United States.

Indeed, you said in your third presidential debate, “But there surely is some common ground when both those who believe in choice and those who are opposed to abortion can come together and say, ‘We should try to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing appropriate education to our youth, communicating that sexuality is sacred and that they should not be engaged in cavalier activity, and providing options for adoption, and helping single mothers if they want to choose to keep the baby.’”

As men and women who oppose abortion and embrace a pro-life ethic, we want to commend your willingness to engage us in dialogue, and we ask that you live up to your promise, and engage us on this issue.

There is much we can do together. There is much that we can do to help women who find themselves in difficult situations so they will not see abortion as their only option. There is much which we can do to help eliminate those unwanted pregnancies which lead to abortion.

One of your campaign promises is of grave concern to many pro-life citizens. On January 22, 2008, the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, when speaking of the current right of women in America to have abortions, you said, “And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president.”

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) might well undermine your engagement of pro-life Americans on the question of abortion. It might hamper any effort on your part to work with us to limit late-term abortions. We believe FOCA does more than allow for choice. It may force the choice of a woman upon others, and make them morally complicit in such choice. One concern is that it would force doctors and hospitals which would otherwise choose not to perform abortions to do so, even if it went against their sacred beliefs. Such a law would undermine choice, and might begin the process by which abortion is enforced as a preferred option, instead of being one possible choice for a doctor to practice.

It is because of such concern we write. We urge you to engage us, and to dialogue with us, and to do so before you consider signing this legislation. Let us reason together and search out the implications of FOCA. Let us carefully review it and search for contradictions of those positions which we hold in common.
If FOCA can be postponed for the present, and serious dialogue begun with us, as well as with those who disagree with us, you will demonstrate that your administration will indeed be one that rises above partisanship, and will be one of change. This might well be the first step toward resolving an issue which tears at the fabric of our churches, our political process, our families, our very society, and that causes so much hardship and heartache in pregnant women.

Likewise, you have also recently stated you might over-ride some of President G.W. Bush’s executive orders. This is also a concern to us. We believe doing so without having a dialogue with the American people would undermine the political environment you would like to establish. Among those issues which concern us are those which would use taxpayer money to support actions we find to be morally questionable, such as embryonic stem cell research, or to fund international organizations that would counsel women to have an abortion (this would make abortion to be more than a mere choice, but an encouraged activity).

Consider, sir, your general promise to the American people and set aside particular promises to a part of your constituency. This would indicate that you plan to reject politics as usual. This would indeed be a change we need.

Sincerely,

Deal W. Hudson
Christopher Blosser
Marjorie Campbell
Mark J. Coughlan
Rev. James A. Nowack
Craig D. Baker
Susan DeBoisblanc
Megan Stout
Joshua D. Brumfield
Ashley M. Brumfield
Michael J. Iafrate
Natalie Navarro
Matthew Talbot
Paul Mitchell
Todd Flowerday
Henry C Karlson III
Darren Belajac
Adam P Verslype
Josiah Neeley
Michael J. Deem
Katerina M. Deem
Natalie Mixa
Henry Newman
Anthony M. Annett
Mickey Jackson
Veronica Greenwell
Thomas Greenwell PhD
Robert C. Koerpel
Nate Wildermuth

Please, please pray for us in California right now. As I’m sure you’ve heard on the news by now, Southern California is besieged by fires, from Santa Barbara to Orange County. Wildfires are pretty much a common thing here, especially with how dry our state has become over the last few years, but I have never seen so many fires burning in different locations in my entire life. I awoke to an orange sun yesterday here in North Orange County. By mid-morning, the fire had hopped across the freeway from Corona to Yorba Linda due to the high winds. Two hours later, the sky was black, ash covered our cars and the ground, and the air was unbreathable. The fire is currently holding steady since the winds have died down, and remains about 10 miles away from me due north and east. I have friends in the impacted area of Anaheim Hills, and have not been able to get any updates since last night regarding if they still have a house. In a city north of Los Angeles, over 500 mobile homes were lost, and that fire is headed toward the Angels National Forest. Over 10,000 acres have burned in Orange County, parts of the freeways are closed, and over 20,000 people have been evacuated. You can view a map of it here for a better idea. Please pray for all those that have lost their homes, those that have evacuated, the possible loss of life, and for our brave firefighters. Thank you.

In a direct challenge to President-elect Barack Obama, America’s Roman Catholic bishops vowed on Tuesday to accept no compromise for the sake of national unity until there is legal protection for the unborn. 

About 300 bishops, gathered in Baltimore for their national meeting, adopted a formal blessing for a child in the womb and advised Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George, president of the conference, as he began drafting a statement from the bishops to the incoming Obama administration. That document will call on the administration and Catholics who supported Obama to work to outlaw abortion.

“This is not a matter of political compromise or a matter of finding some way of common ground,” said Bishop Daniel Conlon of Steubenville, Ohio. “It’s a matter of absolutes.”

The bishops, long one of the leading political forces against abortion, spent the first part of Tuesday behind closed doors reportedly debating the merits of “Faithful Citizenship,” a nuanced guide for Catholic voters issued last November.

Though the document made clear that “the direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many,” it also advised Catholics to weigh issues like poverty, war, the environment and human rights when choosing candidates.

But some bishops said they were surprised to see Catholics cite the document as justification for selecting candidates–like Obama–who support abortion rights. A slim majority of the nation’s Catholics voted for the Democratic candidate.

Several bishops said that Catholics could not in good conscience vote for a candidate who favored abortion rights after Obama pledged to pass legislation that would overturn state’s restrictions on abortion such as late-term abortion bans and requirements of parental consent.

“Any one of us here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow–die tomorrow!–to bring about the end of abortion,” said Auxiliary Bishop Robert Hermann of St. Louis.
…
They vowed to oppose any law or executive order that might loosen restrictions on abortion.

They emphasized that efforts to advance abortion rights would “permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans and would be interpreted by many Catholics as an attack on the Church.” They also urged Catholics in public life to be committed to the teachings of the church.

Read the rest of the article here.

LifeNews talks about Obama likely restoring funding to the UN’s Population Fund and Planned Parenthood awaits “change”, via rescinding the Mexico City Policy.

An article about the Vatican warning Obama on the ethics of ESCR can be found here, and Priest for Life’s Fr. Frank Pavone receives a death threat here. Guess it’s still Friday…

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I believe one of the many, and perhaps the prime reason, why so many Catholics opposed Barack Obama’s candidacy is his support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).

Now that he’s been elected president, will Obama fulfill his promise to Planned Parenthood?

Some analysts believe he must show restraint on FOCA, and govern as a centrist. Others say that the people mandate “change” and that Obama is free to push leftist agenda. His selection of Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, a veteran of the Clinton administration and strong abortion advocate, is telling.

Regardless of how that plays out, pro-lifers can start acting now. I’ve included an ad from Fight FOCA in my sidebar and signed the petition. With Nancy Pelosi leading Congress, the play will be hers to call over when the FOCA ball starts rolling. I strongly doubt Democrats will be stupid enough to place FOCA at the top of their agenda, or that every Dem. would sign it. Nonetheless, the battle for life will wage on.

H/T to Heather at The Practicing Catholic for the FOCA blog widget!

The fact that California’s 55 Electoral College votes went for President-elect Barack Obama was of no surprise on Tuesday. What has confused liberals in our state and across the nation is the passage of Proposition 8, amending our Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. And those on the opposing end have taken to visibly demonstrating their anger, targeting the Mormon church.

Outside the Los Angeles temple Thursday, dozens of protesters screamed “Bigots” and “Shame on You” at half a dozen men in button-down shirts and ties who looked out at the demonstration from behind the temple’s closed gates.

Opponents organized a similar rally outside the Salt Lake City temple , as well as launching groups on Facebook and a website to challenge the church’s tax-exempt status. Least we not forget their call to boycott Utah’s tourism industry and Sundance Film Festival, despite the fact that the proposition was on the California ballot. Whether their efforts are successful or not, it’s interesting that gay marriage advocates have chosen to blast their discontent solely at the LDS church. Several organizations and churches endorsed Prop. 8, including the Roman Catholic Church (with $1 million coming from the Knights of Columbus), Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and Focus on the Family.

True a large number of contributions came from Mormom individuals, as well as non-Californians, but is the outrage directed at Mormons due to past prejudice? Should Catholics be prepared for protests outside our parishes on Sunday? Perhaps, but have these activists forgotten to field a protest in Compton, with polls showing 7 out 10 African-Americans voted in favor of Prop. 8? Or are they waiting to take the streets of Santa Ana in storm because it would only be “fair” to call the more than half Latino population that also supported Prop. 8, “bigots?”

I’ve come in rather late to fully discuss the 2008 presidential election, and with ballots already cast, what’s done is done. As the majority of my friends and family embraced Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy, so too did many of my fellow Catholics. The economy, the unpopularity of President George W. Bush, the rise of the Latino voting bloc in key battleground states, and the confused campaign of Senator John McCain, all played a role in the forming of the perfect storm that ensured the election of our nation’s first African-American. And while the possibility of electing our nation’s first minority president was compelling being the daughter of Latino immigrants, as was the need for change, I was unable to look past Obama’s radical pro-abortion stance. As concerned I was for the state of our nation’s economy, the rising cost of health care, and the need for immigration reform, I could not in good conscience cast my ballot for my fellow Democrat (note- I identify myself as a pro-life Democrat, but more on that at a later time). So where does the election of our president-elect leave me? I believe the following article by Deacon Keith A. Fournier raises an excellent point.

What is clear is that Barack Obama will now be my President as well as the President of all those who voted for him. I will pray for him and respect his office. I will do all that I can to influence him and his administration concerning the truth of this fundamental human right to life. I will also do something else. I will join with others in building a new movement which recognizes the failures of both major political parties and seeks to build a new alliance of Americans. This alliance will insist upon the primacy of the fundamental human right to life – not as a single issue – but as the very framework and foundation of a truly just society.

The movement to end legal abortion and recognize the right to life, at every age and stage, will not go away. In fact, I predict that the election of this new President with such an extreme approach to this fundamental human rights issue assures a new birth of a new movement unlike this Nation has ever seen.

So to my fellow Pro-life Americans who are tired, disappointed, distraught and dismayed, I say never lose hope. Our position concerning the humanity of children in the womb is revealed in the Natural Law and confirmed by medical science. It is true. It will be recognized and prevail as certainly as the truth concerning the intrinsic evil of slavery came to be recognized and prevailed in this Nation.

There is a lot to analyze in this election which will, if honestly assessed,help us to learn from our failure and become more effective in our work. In the next few months, let us do just that.

As for this evening, President Elect Barack Obama Makes History. Tomorrow let the work to build a true Culture of Life begin again.

Neither major party candidate advocated a complete 100% pro-life platform, and as Fournier points out, both parties have failed on that end. Would America benefit from a parliamentary system, if it broke from the present two-party rule? It could easily be argued so, but until such a time comes, Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden are in need of our prayers. Now, perhaps more than ever.

Right. So I’m back and amazed at all the changes WordPress has made. Stay tuned…