Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A letter to the New President.


Maybe you would like to send this (with your own edits of course) to the new President, let him know how you feel about life. If you do decide to send it to the President, drop a note in the comments so I can track about how many people decide to let the new President know how people of faith feel about he primacy of life in all its forms. This is a good way to dialogue with someone who does not share all our views on life. Also don't forget to pray for him as well. Peace.

UPDATE: I did not write this letter, I got it here.
_________________________________________________________________

The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States

President Obama:

As one who supports a consistent pro-life ethic, I wish to commend your efforts to reach out to those who do not agree with you on issues such as abortion. While I oppose Roe v. Wade and believe that it is wrong for the law not to protect the lives of the unborn, I have not failed to notice your calls for dialogue on this issue, and for both sides to attempt to reach common ground on ways to eliminate the circumstances that lead women to make this often-tragic choice.

However, some of your campaign promises, and your actions since taking office, are matters of grave concern to those of us who sincerely wish to work with you to reduce the abortion rate in the United States. In particular, your stated support of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), your repeal of the Mexico City Policy, your promise to fund ethically questionable research on human embryos, and your failure to support legislation to aid pregnant women who choose not to abort may inhibit your ability to work effectively with the pro-life movement. I regret that this is the case, because pro-life Americans are eager to work with you. For this reason, I ask you to take the following actions:

  1. Announce your support of the Pregnant Women Support Act (S.270), which was recently re-introduced by Senator Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA) and will soon be introduced in the House by Representative Lincoln Davis (D-TN). The PWSA seeks common-sense solutions to the abortion issue by, among other things, promoting adoption, helping pregnant teen mothers finish high school and college, providing shelter to pregnant women in abusive situations, establishing a national awareness campaign to inform women of options and resources available should they face an unplanned pregnancy, ensuring the availability of pre- and post-natal care by eliminating pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, and fully funding already-existing nutrition and health care programs for women and their children.
  2. End your support of the Freedom of Choice Act, which will go beyond merely codifying Roe and alienate pro-life Americans by, among other things, requiring taxpayer funding of abortion and mandating that hospitals perform abortions, even when, as in the case of Catholic hospitals, to do so would be a violation of the sacred principles upon which they are founded. Ultimately, FOCA will increase, not decrease, the number of abortions in the United States.
  3. Encourage Congress to fund research using adult, cord-blood, and amniotic stem cells, which carry none of the ethical problems involved with the destruction of human embryos and which, according to the world’s foremost researchers, offer the same versatility and the same hope for great medical progress as embryonic stem cells.

Mr. President, I believe that, despite our disagreements, there is much that can be accomplished by a respectful and productive dialogue between your Administration and the pro-life constituency. Particularly in the case of the Pregnant Women Support Act, we hope that you will be a firm advocate for measures that have been proven to reduce the abortion rate in states where they have been enacted; we also hope that, in case case of FOCA and embryonic stem cell research funding, you will take the time to educate yourself as to the appropriateness of such measures. In summary, sir, I ask that you consider your general promise to the American people, your promise to reject partisan “politics as usual” and focus on pragmatic, compassionate solutions to the problems that vex our age. In the case of the abortion debate, this would indeed be a change we need.

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