A Mito Family - Stuck Between Obamacare and a Hard Place

I first met Pattie through the Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rallies. She was an inspiration and tireless font of knowledge for us, as Owensboro citizens planned their event - all the way from North Carolina. Since then, I've gotten to know her as a fervent Catholic who advocates for LIFE and as a staunch believer in justice. The superhuman effort necessary to maintain some semblance of a 'normal' life for her family is daunting. A lesser woman might be found, in fetal position, wailing 'why me?!' Instead, Patti's two sons, who suffer from not one, but two, 'orphan' conditions play baseball, soccer, and gather with their many friends to enjoy life as teens. Her life can only be described as inspirational - even though, it makes me tired to just read about everything she manages to squeeze into the same 24 hour days so many of us squander.

In the video, 'A Mito Mother's Plight', we are made privy to some heartbreaking facts - both about what her family is facing, health-wise, but also the terrible scourge that implementation of Obamacare is on families like hers. Life-saving medication, vital to their survival, is being denied this family because of Obamacare. She makes perfectly clear that she isn't seeking pity, she just needs for the citizens of this once great nation to be aware and to "stand up and push back against a government that is overreaching".

We need to be aware, we need to be proactive. Pray, yes! But also stand up and do something!

+JMJ+

Please take the time to watch the video below. In an accompanying description we read...

by Nicole Revels - Journalist

This is the story of a North Carolina mother of three sons, two of whom have a rare bone marrow failure syndrome called Shwachman-Diamond syndrome combined with a secondary mitochondrial disease. Pattie says that she has witnessed her family's insurance coverage slip away as premiums, deductibles, and medication co-pays have drastically increased with the implementation of mandates contained within the Affordable Care Act. Pattie has now been notified that her sons' life-saving compounded medications will be dropped from coverage all together as of September 15, though her family's medications and treatments were covered with no denials for years prior to 2011. Pattie fears that her family may soon lose their employer-provided health insurance completely, forcing them onto Obamacare exchanges under which they would be denied access to their current specialists. Having read the Affordable Care Act legislation prior to its passage, Pattie says that it was evident that the mandates would generate exactly the detrimental impacts that she is now experiencing. She asserts that the ultimate goal of the legislators who adopted the Affordable Care Act was the extinction of private health insurance companies, giving rise to a single-payer system of substandard healthcare.

Read the full article, , "Obamacare Has Destroyed My Family" - A Mito Mother's Story,  here.  

http://youtu.be/9RAhCDzs-hY

Lord have mercy on our nation - be part of the solution!

How dare a government dictate that a Catholic employer must hire and serve only Catholics to be worthy of religious conscience protections? Since when is the charity that begins at home, confined to home?

The Catholic Church has done more than any other institution, religious or secular, in advancing the good of any and all people, whether in healthcare, education, or assisting the poor. If Mother Church is confined to giving aid to such a narrow demographic, the value of her services to the world would be devastated–and ineffective. We must be allowed to give succor to those who are in most need, regardless–no, despite!–the narrow parameters set by the government...more

Check out my new post at Catholic Sistas for more...

Obamacare 101 - the Roe vs. Wade Moment of this generation

It's easy to get confused about Obamacare and the HHS mandate and what exactly they mean to you and me. This is my attempt to clarify the timeline that got us here - the Roe vs. Wade Moment of this generation:

• Our country was founded on Freedom and we've been given the right to freedom from the beginning. It is a freedom granted by God (our creator) not by the government - thus states the Constitution.
• Exercise of religion - not just within the walls of our churches, but in our daily lives - is guaranteed.
• Thirty-nine years ago a flawed piece of legislation created a false right to privacy that allows murder in the womb - for all nine months of gestation - thus Roe vs. Wade was 'born'.
• Two years ago another flawed piece of legislation was rammed down the throats of Americans under the guise of helping all Americans have access to healthcare - Obamacare.
• This piece of legislation was passed without anyone knowing what was contained in it. We were told that we had to pass it, in order to find out what was in it!
• Insidious additions have been made to Obamacare - specifically the HHS Mandate - by the stroke of our president's pen. This is tyranny!
• The HHS Mandate forces ALL employers - specifically Catholics - to provide abortifacients,  contraception, and sterilization to their employees (through insurance plans). There are VERY narrow exceptions but there has been NO COMPROMISE.
• The 'exemption' only covers those entities who serve exclusively Catholics and who employ exclusively Catholics. Since the Catholic Church lives the mission of serving ALL people and hires non-Catholics, all of her hospitals, schools, and charities do not qualify.
• The so-called 'compromise' simply places the burden of providing these 'services' onto the the shoulders of the insurance company rather than directly on the employer - this is simply an accounting trick because the outcome is the same...Catholic entities, forced to pay for something that they find morally reprehensible.
• Other faiths are exempt - the Amish for example.
• Abortion will also be covered - by some insurance companies - in the 'pool'. Yet the consumer will not know if a specific policy includes this coverage because they will not be told until AFTER they have signed up! Once you are signed up for your policy, you will not have the right to change companies.
• Refusing to have a health insurance policy will make the citizen subject to heavy fines. There is simply no way out!
• This immoral piece of legislation tramples our freedom of religion and our right to live our daily lives according to our consciences.
• The Catholic Church is not trying to outlaw contraceptives or sterilization or to force others to live according to 'her rules'. We simply want the freedom to refrain from paying for what we know to be immoral acts.

This week, the Supreme Court has been hearing arguments concerning the constitutionality of Obamacare. We must fervently pray that the Justices come to the morally right decision and send this illegal affront on religious freedom packing.This is the defining moment for the current generation - may they be more successful than the one who allowed Roe vs. Wade to become the law of the land!

Stand Up for Religious Freedom - OWENSBORO

Defending the Catholic Church from the HHS Mandate

Oh my goodness! How do I begin? Last Friday night - yes, SEVEN days ago - one of my acquaintances sent an inbox message to me via Facebook. She asked if there would be a Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally in our town, Owensboro, KY (population 56,000). Since I have a decades-long reputation of being a pro-life 'fanatic' and have had similar short-notice brainstorms myself, I suppose I was a logical choice as a recruit for co-captain. I must have been asleep at the wheel because I had not really considered being involved in planning a Rally; I was simply planning to grab a few friends and cross the river into Indiana to attend the rally being held in nearby Evansville.

The Holy Spirit and Rachel, however, had other plans! So with a night to 'sleep on it' we agreed to check out our prospects the next day. In the bright sunshine of morning, the 'PLAN' emerged and our creative juices really started flowing. Rachel is a young mother of six children and in her thirties. I, on the other hand, am a 50-something Nana who is a stay-at-home 'mom' for the second time around - with my grandchildren. Both of us, with children literally at our feet, began the planning process. The national coordinators of the Rally had a tremendous amount of resources available - everything from press releases, fact sheets, signs, poster ideas, and liaison suggestions - so we had a place to go for covering all of our bases.

The Holy Spirit had already been working on this without my knowledge anyway. In a horrible op-ed piece in our local newspaper, a female lawyer opined that the terrible, old, white men in our state legislature were forcing women to remain 'second class citizens' with their pro-life bills. She even used the term 'barefoot and pregnant' - yes, she went there! This had spurred an undeniable urge for a response in me. Since our diocesan Gospel of Life meeting just 'happened' to be the next night, I had decided to ask their permission to submit an op-ed response, using their name in my signature. I had some doubts about 1) that they would agree to allow me to 'speak' for them and 2) that the newspaper would give me the space. To my surprise, I received enthusiastic permission for both!

As this spur of the moment miracle began to take shape, not only was my op-ed piece published the following Monday, the newspaper also published a front page news article about the upcoming Rally - on the same day. The pressure was on! All I can say about the following week is that I'm very happy that I have unlimited texting, mobile minutes, email, and Facebook. Rachel and I burned up the atmosphere with our flurry of communication. By some miracle, we each worked without any face to face contact and 20+ miles apart. We balanced the duties, each using our particular skill set and things fell into place with very little conflict from anyone we contacted and no setbacks. The slate of participants she came up with - on short notice - was phenomenal!

This is it! SHOWTIME!

Morning broke with a 60% chance of rain! As I gathered my cache of handmade posters, umbrellas, and other necessities I shrugged and decided that the Holy Spirit would handle this too. Right on schedule I headed into town and, as the black clouds began to gather, I prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Out loud I said, 'Jesus, we're doing this for you! Please hold off the rain, not for us but for your glory'. I made a quick call to my husband, who is in New York for business, and arrived a few minutes early. As our faithful helpers arrived, the clouds parted and the sun began to shine!

Soon the stage was up, balloons were tied, flags were waving and the people began flocking in. The noon siren sounded and it was time to begin. We had a nice variety of participants from various churches, schools and organizations:

• A letter from our Bishop William Francis Medley and a prayer from the USCCB
• Star Spangled Banner - Jenny Beth Willis, Owensboro Catholic HS sophomore
• The Pledge of Allegiance led by students from Maximilian Montessori Academy
• A wonderful message given by Fr. Gerald Baker, St. Ann Parish, Morganfield, KY
• Proud to be an American - Christianne Bueler, Bellevue Baptist Church, Owensboro
• An inspiring message - Pam Hemmersback, River City Church, Owensboro
• My Country 'Tis of Thee - Lydia Mills, Catholic Middle School and Lauren St. Clair, homeschooled 
• A message from an area pro-life physician, Dr. Eddie Prunty from Greenville, KY
• A letter from our US Congressman Brett Guthrie
• God Bless America - Fr. Baker
• A message and call to action - Dana Goodlet,executive director Right to Life of Owensboro
• Closing prayer - Jamus Edwards, pastor of Pleasant Valley Community Church

Nana (that's me) and two of my kiddies*

Our rally ended right on time - 1:00 PM and many of the participants stayed for quite some time afterward to discuss the HHS Mandate and where to go from here. Our attendance count was at least 300 citizens, eager to preserve our religious liberty! We were blessed to have Channel 14 News - a local television station, there as well as iSurfKY - an internet news outlet, and a reporter for the Western KY Catholic - our diocesan newspaper. 

I am pleased beyond words and so grateful to have been a part of the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally. Thank you, Rachel, for thinking of asking me to be your cohort! Thank you, Holy Spirit, for allowing us to do this and for making the puzzle pieces fall into place. All for the glory of God!                                
                  In His Name for Life, Birgit J

Links to coverage (I will add to this as I find more):

• Messenger-Inquirer - article about our plans to hold a SURF Rally (Sorry, this is the text version. They require a paid subscription to read their publication online)
• Messenger-Inquirer - my 'In My View' op-ed piece (They require a subscription so here's the entire text published in my blog.)
• Diocese of Owensboro - information about the rally on official diocesan website news feed.
• Ch. 14 News - local television station - includes video
• iSurfKY - online news source (their article is really great!). I think we've got a friend in them!
• Gospel of Life - Facebook fan page
• Gospel of Life photo album - Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally
• EWTN - we've been tweeted!!! Wow! Over 500 'likes' and 27 'shares' so far! 
• YouTube - video will be available as soon as it can be updated - the link will go live then.

An entire photo album is available here. More will be added as they come in.

This Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally was just the beginning. Now that we have helped to inform citizens across the nation, the real work begins. Use your knowledge to continue to fight for our First Amendment rights - if we don't stand up now, Religious Freedom will be lost forever!

Stand Up for Religious Freedom also reported on the Catholic Sistas blog!

*Photo by Luke Short, iSurfKY News Group

Contraceptive mandate violates civil, religious rights

A few days ago our local newspaper published an op-ed, written by a female attorney. In this 'In My View' piece she referred to the attempt, by 'old white men' in our KY legislature, to force women into a 'second class citizen' status. She went on to claim that the pro-life bills held up in committee by the Senate  were an attempt to keep women 'barefoot and pregnant'. Our diocesan Gospel of Life Committee meeting happened to be the next night and I was given permission to officially counter her with an  op-ed, 'In My View' rebuttal.Our newspaper requires a paid subscription for online viewing so I have simply rewritten it below:

Contraceptive mandate violates civil, religious rights

The recent debate, over what has mistakenly come to be known as the ‘Contraception Controversy’, is an underhanded attempt to enslave women (as well as all people of faith) instead of freeing them. In reality, the HHS Mandate creates a third class of citizens – men and women who are allowed no conscience protection.  This violation of personal civil rights flies in the face of every Catholic man and woman.  By coercing them to be a party to providing ‘services’ contrary to their beliefs, they are being enslaved by a culture that disagrees with how the Church teaches them to live their daily lives. Despite the sleight of hand arguments, the question isn’t about how many Catholics obey every teaching set forth by the Church; nor is it about the Church forcing her beliefs upon others. It is about the right of the Catholic Church to maintain the identity of her institutions and schools while operating in a secular world. This coercion via government mandate attempts to force Catholic employers to provide abortifacients, sterilization, and contraceptives to their employees. Whether this is through the payment of premiums or as insurers themselves, cooperation by Catholic employers would be tantamount to sponsoring an intrinsic evil.

The stakes are very high. The First Amendment and the promise of Religious Freedom provide US citizens with protection against such coercion but that has not stopped the Administration from pushing the point. The Catholic Bishops have done their level best to work out a ‘compromise’ but have been thwarted at every turn. In fact, they were never consulted about the supposed ‘compromise’ at all! They will, however, continue to fight this unconstitutional intrusion into the rights of all people of faith. This is no longer a Catholic issue – it is an American justice issue. Religious rights and the right to live by our belief systems belong to all citizens!

Some, such as Ms. Forrest Roberts in her recent ‘In My View’, express their resentment of being told what to do, as women. This mistaken impression of what truly constitutes justice and respect has been amplified by those who would have you believe that concern for the health and well-being of women is an intrusion rather than a safeguard to be afforded all citizens. 

As SB102 (Face to Face Informed Consent bill) and SB103 (Ultrasound Informed Consent Bill) attest, these are not measures to prevent action by the woman. What these bills do propose to do, is to arm all women with the power of knowledge.

• ·         Just as is the case with all expectant mothers, a woman considering abortion already has an ultrasound, as a tool to date the gestational age of her child. SB103 simply affords the woman the opportunity to view her pre-born baby. The lack of opportunity to view her child is lamented time and time again by those who would have opted for life had they seen the truth! Rachel’s Vineyard and other post-abortion resources are filled with traumatized women who feel betrayed by this lack of information.
• ·         SB102 has also been maligned as an invasion of a woman’s right. What this bill actually does is no more than the opportunity afforded to any patient who is planning a surgical procedure.  A face-to-face discussion about abortion and the ability to dialogue with a doctor is a standard of care that is expected – that is, outside the realm of abortion for profit.

Contrary to forcing women into a subservient role in society, measures such as SB102 and SB103 provide a standard of care that is sadly lacking in today’s abortion culture. If the true agenda is the freedom of choice, why oppose steps to bring the regulations for abortion clinics up to the standards required of every other medical facility in the land? Fear of a woman armed with knowledge and the ability to ask questions, drives those who push the abortion agenda to misstatements and fallacies in an effort to subdue women. After all, knowledge is power! Let’s give the power back to the women. We are intelligent enough to employ the facts and make an informed decision. Let’s give the power back to our churches. They deserve the protection afforded to them by the Constitution of the United States!

Follow up post found here --> Stand Up for Religious Freedom – OWENSBORO and
                                 here --> Defending the Catholic Church from the HHS Mandate

It's here, it's HERE!!! 'I have a say' VIDEO is live!

On Friday I posted about the 'I Have a Say - Don't Speak for Me Ms. Richards!' photo drive. Several of us collectively began to solicit photos in opposition to the HHS Mandate and its unjust imposition of imoral requirements on Catholic institutions. The attempt is to force Catholic hospitals, Catholic universities, and other Catholic employers to provide contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients to their employees through insurance policies - something that has always been considered an intrinsic evil of the highest level according to Church teaching.

The photos rolled in from all over the country and, with the help of the Gospel of Life Committee - Diocese of Owensboro, were gathered for a common cause - a video decrying this defiance of the First Amendment (Freedom of Religion) and the Conscience Rights it gives all US citizens. The resulting video montage is very inspiring indeed...

It's here, it's HERE!!!!
The 'I have a say...here comes the Catholic Church' video has gone live over at Catholic Sistas. What a wonderful testament to our Catholic Faith! A big THANK YOU for all who submitted photos. You can keep them coming, by the way, as our campaign is just beginning...

Our bishops have united, like never before, to fight this travesty to the end!

In His Name for Life,

Birgit J

President Obama, LET US BE CATHOLICS!

As this newly minted Lent marches toward its first Sunday, I am refreshed from these few days of following my Rehab PROMISES. Although it has been more of a struggle than I would have thought, my Friday was faithful in adherence to these self imposed rules. I did begin to appreciate the quiet that comes from leaving all things electronic behind - or at least only using them for moral obligations.

One thing that I will not let rest, however, is my pursuit of justice for the unborn. In that vein, one of my friends sent an email to me that contained a link to the following video. You would have to live under a rock not to be familiar with what the Obama Administration, guided by Kathleen Sebelius, a pseudo catholic, is trying to do to religious liberty under the guise of 'healthcare'. His unholy tyranny is truly a frightening thing to behold and solidifies our belief that the devil is certainly at play on this earth.

Our reassurance comes from finding that there are true warriors for the Gospel out there in our churches, who will stand ready to fight! One such Champion of our Mother Church is Father Sammie Maletta, who delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana. As the description on YouTube states, "(t)his Homily addressed how President Obama is threatening our Religious Freedom and declaring war with the Catholic Church."

I, for one, feel totally invigorated when I hear such a homily from one of our priests. It makes me proud and also brings an urgency to share and encourage more of this type of strong conviction! Give a listen and see if you don't feel the same...and then pass it on. Perhaps even to a priest, who might find this to be just the nudge to declare his passion as well!

God bless Fr. Maletta for standing strong!

‎"In the United States, religious liberty does not depend on the benevolence of who is regulating us. It is our 'first freedom' and respect for it must be broad and inclusive-not narrow and exclusive. Catholics and other people of faith and good will are not second class citizens. And it is not for the government to decide which of our ministries is 'religious enough' to warrant religious freedom protection."                                ~Cardinal Timothy Dolan

President Obama, LET US BE CATHOLICS!

On February 5, 2012 Father Sammie Maletta delivered a Homily at St. John the Evangelist Parish in St. John, Indiana.  Please take a few moments to listen. No one sums it up quite like Father Maletta.
Go to http://bit.ly/zPdgpw to fight the HHS Mandate.

RELATED LINKS:

• USCCB - Conscience Protection: Fight the HHS Mandate
• Obama Faces More Lawsuits Over Pro-Abortion HHS Mandate
• Obama HHS Paves the Way to Taxpayer Funding of Abortions
• Sebelius: Didn’t Talk to Bishops About Obama Mandate
• Dem. congressman lectures bishop, rabbi, Christian leaders on HHS mandate
• HHS mandate means ‘ongoing, comprehensive government surveillance’: two new colleges sue