I know your deeds,
that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—
I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:15-16
Dear God, please protect us from our friends.
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| Catholics: Pelosi and Sebelius |
With the defeat of the Blunt Amendment in the U.S. Senate, the assault on religious liberties continues. However, this unprecedented attack could not have been accomplished without the unwavering support of our Catholic friends in our government's highest positions of power.
In the House of Representatives, anti-life zealots can always count on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (a self-described 'devout Catholic') to lead the charge for any measure that will kill or prevent human life in the womb.
The Administration's go-to gal for ramming this legislation down our throats is another Catholic: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
Now, as reported HERE and HERE, a senate amendment that would have protected those who oppose providing contraceptive coverage in their health plans could not have been defeated without the votes of 13 Catholic senators, including: Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), Patty Murray (D-Washington), and Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island).
Keep in mind that this is not just a contraception debate. At the heart of the controversy is also the abortion issue because abortifacient drugs are included with contraceptive coverage. (Pharmacists for Life International has an informative fact sheet called The Pill -- How it works and fails.)
Also, this is not just a religious, or Catholic, debate. Some thoughtful people resist the modern world's rush to oral contraceptives for health reasons. Studies have left little doubt, now, that "the risk of breast and cervical cancers is increased" with the use of oral contraceptives. (See the National Cancer Institutes' "Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk: Questions and Answers.")
So, why are some of our representatives so hell-bent (no pun intended) on proliferating abortion and cancer? One observer suggested that if we could de-couple abortion from sex, its outspoken support would disappear. I tend to agree. We are denying the most fundamental human right -- the right to life -- because our pleasures are more important. Call it what you will -- sin, addiction, or just your everyday variety of selfishness -- it's wrong. But sexual restraint is not a popular issue at the polls.
The verse at the top of this post is not aimed at these politicians. They are not lukewarm. In fact, they tend to be red-hot zealots for the life prevention lobby. No, that verse is aimed at all of us Catholics who pretend we are pro-life but keep voting them back into office.
(More on this subject was reported HERE.)