Barney Frank to retire and other good news...

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/barney-frank-reportedly-to-retire/

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/how-big-a-blow-was-gerons-bombshell-that-it-is-bailing-on-embryonic-stem-ce

http://www.lifesitenews.com/blog/amazing-video-by-yale-scientist-visualizes-fetal-development-from-conceptio

As they say, "Have a good day!"  Anne

Pro-Life victory on "minibus" bill in U S Senate

Thanks to all of you who called Senator Brown's office. Since Harry Reid was trying to combine three appropriation bill into one, the bill, which included seven pro-abortion provisions, required unanimous consent to proceed. Republican Senators David Vitter, Louisiana, Jim DeMint, South Carolina, Rand Paul, Kentucky, Mike Lee, Utah and others prevented the bill from proceeding. That means the Senate will vote on the House version which does not contain any of the dangerous pro-abortion provisions. Doug Johnson, lobbyist for National Right to Life, warned, however, that there are likely to be further attempts by the Senate Democratic leadership to attach pro-abortion provisions to various funding bills for the rest of the year. "We'll be keeping a hawk-like gaze on all of these appropriations bills," Johnson said. Many of you have told me you called Senator Brown's office. Good for you - and thanks! Anne Breaking: (you won't read it in the MSM). An investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), into the Obama Administration's use of $18 million in taxpayer funds to provide funding for a group pushing legalized abortion in Kenya finds the administration broke the law.     DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com.

Congratulations to Cardinal Sean, hear Rita Marker, SCOTUS

The nation's Catholic bishops have elected Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, as the new chairman of the Bishops' Committee on Pro-life Activities. In Massachusetts, we have always valued Cardinal Sean's strong commitment to life. We at MCFL wish him every success in this most-important role. People who have heard Rita Marker speak are raving about her presentation. You may still hear her on Wednesday in Warren from noon to 2:30, lunch included, at St. Stanislaus Hall, 2270 Main Street. Rita will also speak in Quincy on Thursday night at the Kennedy Center, 440 East Squantum Street, at 7:00pm. Sponsored by the Quincy Department of Elder Services.   The Supreme Court will hear arguments next March about Obamacare. This allows plenty of time for a decision in late June, just four months before Election Day.   The justices announced they will hear an extraordinary five-and-a-half hours of arguments from lawyers on the constitutionality of the individual mandate.   In addition to deciding whether the law's central mandate is constitutional, the justices will also determine whether the rest of the law can take effect even if that central mandate is held unconstitutional. You will remember that the Democratic leadership wouldn't allow the law to go through the proper conference process after Scott Brown was elected. This means there is no severability clause. If the individual mandate is unconstitutional, then, the whole law should be.   Justice Elena Kagan served as solicitor general in the Obama administration when the law was being formulated. She should, therefore, recuse herself.   Again, best wishes to Cardinal Sean and please try to hear Rita. Anne       DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com.

Call Senator Brown today

The U. S. Senate is expected to vote as soon as Thursday, but more likely next week, on the second minibus bill that contains the State/Foreign Operations, Energy and Water, and Financial Services appropriations measures. Four amendments are expected which will help deter the federal government from financing abortions and the abortion industry. 1) Sen. Orrin Hatch, Utah, will offer a pro-life amendment to strike language in the bill sponsored by Sen. Lautenberg, N. J., that prohibits any future presidential administration from reinstituting the Mexico City Policy that Obama removed by executive order during his first week in office. Support Hatch Amendment to remove Lautenberg language. 2) Sen. Mike Johanns of Nebraska is floating an amendment to negate language in the minibus bill that would remove the current Dornan Amendment - the D.C. Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayers from being forced to pay for abortions in the District of Columbia. Support Johanns Amendment to restore Dornan Amendment. 3) Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi, has an amendment to totally de-fund the UNFPA via the minibus bill. The House had cut funding from Obama's $55 million to $40 million. Support Wicker Amendment. 4) Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma, is sponsoring an amendment which would restore the ban on coverage of elective abortions in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Support Coburn Amendment. CALL SEN. BROWN, 202-224-4543. URGE HIM TO VOTE PRO-LIFE. TELL HIM TO VOTE AGAINST THE ENTIRE MINIBUS BILL IF THE AMENDMANTS ARE NOT APPROVED. When you call, you are asking for the four items in bold. National Right to Life called the current Senate version a "cluster bomb of pro-abortion provisions" (see MCFL email of Nov 2). I want to thank our friend, Steve Ertelt at Life News for the recent analysis.   Please make your call now, 202-224-4543! Anne          DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com

Excellent new website and an apology

Our John Triolo has developed a very helpful website, http://stopassistedsuicide-ma.com/.  It has excellent information in a usable format. Yesterday a newspaper in Norwood ran an effective pro-prescribed suicide piece. The website is the perfect place for the Norwood readers to get help to write Letters to the Editor. I also want to remind you to join us for one of these events. Please register now.   Massachusetts Citizens for Life proudly presents Rita Marker, JD, Executive Director, Patients' Rights Council: Physician Assisted Suicide/ Doctor Prescribed Suicide "WORDS THAT WORK"   Sunday, Nov. 13, Assumption College, Worcester, 12:30pm to 4:30pm, La Maison Francaise Building. This year's Chapter Leadership Conference is different from those in the past. Pro-lifers and anyone who wants to be prepared for this battle are urged to attend.   Monday, Nov 14, St John's Seminary, Brighton, 12 noon - 2:30pm. Lunch in the Refectory. Presentation in the Medeiros Classroom. Clergy, pro-lifers, and concerned people.   Wednesday, Nov 16, St. Stanislaus Hall, Main Street, West Warren, 12 noon to 2:30pm. Clergy, pro-lifers, and concerned people.   All presentations include lunch, so please register at 617-242-4199 X 230 or reply to this email with your name, address and phone number. Be sure to register by three days before the event you plan to attend.   We have been making calls to tell you about the website and Rita's presentations. It seems that some of you have answered - more than once - and found no one there. I am terribly sorry - that is so annoying. Our phone company is trying to figure it out.   Please try to make one of the presentations - you'll be grateful you did. Anne     DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com.

Yesterday: election results from around the country

Yesterday was exactly a year before the "big one."  Pundits were calling it a harbinger of the 2012 elections.

Oregon first congressional district.  Pro-life Republican Rob Cornilles will face EMILY's List Democrat Suzanne Bonamici in special election, January 31, 2012.

In Virginia, pro-lifers already control the governor's office and the House of Delegates. Yesterday, Virginia voters replaced two pro-abortion state senators with two pro-life senators, giving pro-life Senators control in the Commonwealth. (Pro-life candidates easily retained control of the House of Delegates.)

The pro-abortion chair of the Senate Health and Education Committee, appears to have lost by 86 votes to his pro-life challenger, a race in which Virginia Society for Human Life PAC, a National Right to Life affiliate, played a key role.

In Kentucky, pro-life challenger state Senate President David Williams (R) was unable to defeat pro-abortion incumbent Governor Steve Beshear (D).

Pro-life Governor Haley Barbour (R) was term-limited in Mississippi, so the gubernatorial seat was open. Fortunately, there were two pro-life candidates competing. Pro-life Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant (R) defeated his pro-life challenger Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree (D).

On October 22, Louisiana's popular pro-life Governor Bobby Jindal (R) was re-elected, garnering more than 65% of the vote in a ten way race.

The Personhood Amendment in Mississippi was defeated.  MCFL does not have a position on the PA but I found this analysis from Americans United for Life very helpful, "The loss has no immediate implications as the initiative restricted what the government could do, not what individuals could do. The measure would have restrained government actions – government-funded abortions – and not abortions conducted by individuals or enterprises such as Planned Parenthood… the importance of the recognition of the humanity of a child in the womb will not falter as a result of this vote."

In Massachusetts, we will have the "Death with Dignity"/ Doctor Prescribed Suicide ballot question in 2012.  We have a wonderfully helpful web site and many presentations next week.  I'll be sending out an email about all of those shortly.

Keep up your good work!  Anne

The good news and the bad

"Pray as if it is all up to God and work as if it is all up to you" a wise neighbor of mine used to say. During the last 40 days, we saw this in action. 40 DAYS FOR LIFE has completed the current prayer campaign. Eva Murphy, Jack Rowe and I prayed in Lynn. We noticed that the number of people praying increased as time went by. At times, pro-life students from Northeastern joined the many, many others praying. Cori Connor-Morse, Lynn; John Fleury, Haverhill; Pauline Morris and Lee Crowley, Worcester; Steve Marcotte and Darlene Howard, Attleboro; and the people in Springfield all did exemplary jobs organizing and supporting the prayer warriors. George Donovan, parliamentarian par excellence, who did yeoman work at MCFL Annual meetings, has died. God rest his soul. You may have read that Dan Avila has resigned from his new position at the USCCB because of some complaints about an article he wrote for The Pilot.  I must say that Dan was an unbelievably valuable asset to MCFL's right-to-life efforts and to all pro-life efforts in Massachusetts from the time he came to work as the lobbyist at MCFL in the early 80s.  Given our experience with his clear-thinking and amazing analytical ability, I strongly suspect that any disputed points will eventually be resolved in ways that vindicate his thinking.  In the meantime, let us pray for a new employment opportunity for him where he can thrive.       DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com.

Become an expert on PAS/ DPS at a location near you!

Massachusetts Citizens for Life

proudly presents

Rita Marker, JD, international expert:

Physician Assisted Suicide/ Doctor Prescribed Suicide

"WORDS THAT WORK"

Sunday, Nov. 13, Assumption College, Worcester, 12:30pm to 4:30pm, La Maison Francaise Building.  This year's Chapter Leadership Conference is different from those in the past.  Pro-lifers and anyone who wants to be prepared for this battle are urged to attend. 

Monday, Nov 14, St John's Seminary, Brighton, 12 noon – 2:30pm.  Lunch in the Refectory.  Presentation in the Medeiros Classroom.  Clergy and pro-lifers.

Wednesday, Nov 16, St. Stanislaus Hall, Main Street, West Warren, 12 noon to 2:30pm.  Clergy and pro-lifers.

NB.  All presentations include lunch, so please register at 617-242-4199 X 230 or reply to this email with your name, address and phone number.  Be sure to register by three days before the event you plan to attend.

When this issue heats up and your friends are falling for the death arguments, you will be so grateful you had the chance to learn from Rita!  Find out more about Rita at http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/speakers-rita-marker/

Massachusetts Citizens for Life
The Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street
Boston Massachusetts 02129
United States

Very important call to Sen. Brown!

Yesterday afternoon, HR 2354 was proposed. National Right to Life calls it a "cluster-bomb of pro-abortion provisions". When you read their information below, you will see how dangerous this legislation would be. Please call Sen. Brown immediately - 202-224-4543 - Urge him to oppose HR 2354. This is top priority. Thank you! Anne   HR 2354 would repeal or weaken pro-life policies:   1.  The "Lautenberg Amendment," on pp. 479-80, added by the Appropriations Committee, would prohibit any future president from diverting U.S. population assistance funds away from overseas groups that perform and actively promote abortion.   2.  Language (on page 225) would effectively repeal the "D.C. Hyde Amendment," which was restored as part of the negotiated FY 2011 continuing resolution, replacing it with the previous meaningless language that guarantees a resumption of government-funded abortion on demand in the Federal District.   3.  The bill omits (and would therefore repeal) the ban on coverage of elective abortion in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program.  This pro-life policy has been in effect, with one brief interruption, for over 25 years. The result of the minibus language would be direct federal funding of health plans that cover abortion on demand for millions of federal employees and their dependants, including Members of Congress and congressional staff.   4.  Language that weakens the longstanding restriction on funding of abortions by the Peace Corps (page 265). In addition, the bill contains these additional objectionable and/or questionable elements:   5.  It sets funding for population assistance at "not less than $700 million" (p. 391). while the House bill provides for not more than $461 million.  The Obama Administration has turned this program into an engine for promotion of abortion.   6.  Report language on one of the component committee-reported bills, S. 1601, specifies that the UNFPA shall receive $40 million; the House bill would defund UNFPA.  As you know, the UNFPA is deeply involved in China's coercive population control program, which relies heavily on government-coerced abortions.  NRLC opposes funding for the UNFPA.   7.  The bill would make changes to the longstanding abortion-related restrictions sometimes referred to loosely as the "Helms language."  It does not appear that these changes are of great consequence, but we see no need for them and the reasoning behind them is unclear.         DONATIONS - WE NEED AND APPRECIATE THEM!     Donate through PayPal     THANK YOU!    For more information about the Pro-Life cause in Massachusetts or to get involved    please visit our website at massprolife.com.