There is much debate and emotion related to the current health-care discussion in America. Politicking is in full swing, town hall meetings have turned into shouting matches, and many Americans aren’t sure who or what to believe.
With an office just off Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., your Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is in a position to help you slice through the rhetoric on this and many other critical issues that may impact your family and your faith.
We have waded through the 1,017-page bill passed by the House of Representatives [America’s Affordable Health Choices Act (H.R. 3200)] and created our own analysis from a biblical perspective.
Copies of our report are available online here (280KB PDF). It is our hope that this analysis will help you and your family better comprehend one of the largest and most complex pieces of legislation Congress has considered in recent history.
If this information is helpful to you and your family, please consider a donation to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Your investment will help to represent your interests on Capitol Hill, as well as allowing us to continue to provide you with timely, in depth reports on issues like health care–all from a biblical perspective.
But most importantly, we encourage you to pray for our work in Washington, D.C., and across our nation.
We are grateful for the opportunity God has given us to serve you.
Richard Land
As always, you can find helpful biblically informed material on erlc.com or follow us on Twitter @ethicsreligious.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Abortion Mandate
ERLC Alert: The Abortion Mandate! YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED NOW!
Through its actions this week, it has become clear that the Senate intends to mandate that every healthcare plan offered through the government's healthcare gateway provide abortion coverage. Here’s how it will work. The government creates an insurance gateway that people can enter to choose a healthcare plan. The plans the government makes available are all vetted by the government. If a plan doesn’t offer the coverage the government says it should offer, the plan doesn’t make the cut and isn’t available for people to choose from.
Activity in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee reveals that the Senate leadership intends for every government-approved healthcare plan to provide abortion coverage. The Senate liberals beat back numerous attempts to prevent the inclusion of abortion coverage in government-approved health plans. There is only one reason to reject any attempt to prevent abortion as a covered item in health care—because they expect it to be required. Here are the results of just some of the amendments proposed by some Republicans in the HELP Committee to keep abortion out of the Senate healthcare plan:
Senator Hatch amendment: no federal funds could be used for abortion or for any health plans that include abortion, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Coburn amendment: to allow conscience protection for health care providers who do NOT want to do abortions, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Coburn amendment: to ensure that state abortion laws, like parental consent on abortion laws, are not overruled by the bill, defeated 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Enzi amendment: to ensure that the bill cannot mandate abortion coverage, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Then there’s Senator Dodd’s sham amendment: to protect those who cannot conscientiously perform abortion, “except in an emergency.” But “emergency” is left undefined and so can mean anything, including a woman who is feeling emotionally distraught, passed with voice vote.
The House bill, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (H.R. 3200), is at least as dangerous as the Senate bill on many fronts, including abortion mandates. National Right to Life just released their statement, http://www.nrlc.org/AHC/HR3200NRLCfactsheet.pdf, about the abortion mandate it carries. Here is their summary statement:
“The health care restructuring bill pending in the U .S. House…contains provisions that will result in federally mandated coverage of abortion on demand in virtually all of America's health plans. Once abortion is established as a federal "essential benefit," the bill will also require "access" to elective abortion, which will require many issuers to establish and staff new abortion-providing sites. Moreover, state laws that impede "access" to elective abortion (such as waiting periods and parental notification requirements) may be nullified as conflicting with the purposes of the federal law .In addition, the bill will result in the massive subsidization of elective abortion with tax dollars.”
What You Can Do Now
Please take a few minutes to locate legislators by clicking here to send messages to your two U.S. senators (Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn) and to your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, to urge them to oppose any federal "health care reform" legislation that does not contain explicit exclusions of abortion. You can modify the suggested message as you see fit. Please contact both your two U.S. senators and representative, give your name and address, and tell their staff that you wish to be recorded as "opposed to Senator Kennedy's health care bill because it would result in mandates for virtually all health plans to cover elective abortion, and would result in federal funding of abortion on demand."
Also, please send short letters to the "letters to the editor" features of your local newspapers, in order to alert your fellow pro-life citizens to the sweeping pro-abortion mandates and pro-abortion subsidies that the Obama White House and the pro-abortion lobby are trying to smuggle into law through "health care reform."
Upcoming Webcast on the Abortion Mandate
The healthcare overhaul is turning out to be more about the radical pro-abortion agenda than making sure everyone has healthcare coverage. This is an issue every pro-life person must engage. A great way to start is to plan to participate in an upcoming webcast on the abortion mandate. The webcast will start at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 23. Numerous family group and pro-life leaders will be on this webcast to talk about their concerns, including Richard Land. You can sign up here, http://www.stoptheabortionmandate.com/.
Through its actions this week, it has become clear that the Senate intends to mandate that every healthcare plan offered through the government's healthcare gateway provide abortion coverage. Here’s how it will work. The government creates an insurance gateway that people can enter to choose a healthcare plan. The plans the government makes available are all vetted by the government. If a plan doesn’t offer the coverage the government says it should offer, the plan doesn’t make the cut and isn’t available for people to choose from.
Activity in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee reveals that the Senate leadership intends for every government-approved healthcare plan to provide abortion coverage. The Senate liberals beat back numerous attempts to prevent the inclusion of abortion coverage in government-approved health plans. There is only one reason to reject any attempt to prevent abortion as a covered item in health care—because they expect it to be required. Here are the results of just some of the amendments proposed by some Republicans in the HELP Committee to keep abortion out of the Senate healthcare plan:
Senator Hatch amendment: no federal funds could be used for abortion or for any health plans that include abortion, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Coburn amendment: to allow conscience protection for health care providers who do NOT want to do abortions, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Coburn amendment: to ensure that state abortion laws, like parental consent on abortion laws, are not overruled by the bill, defeated 11 yes, 12 no.
Senator Enzi amendment: to ensure that the bill cannot mandate abortion coverage, defeated with 11 yes, 12 no.
Then there’s Senator Dodd’s sham amendment: to protect those who cannot conscientiously perform abortion, “except in an emergency.” But “emergency” is left undefined and so can mean anything, including a woman who is feeling emotionally distraught, passed with voice vote.
The House bill, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009” (H.R. 3200), is at least as dangerous as the Senate bill on many fronts, including abortion mandates. National Right to Life just released their statement, http://www.nrlc.org/AHC/HR3200NRLCfactsheet.pdf, about the abortion mandate it carries. Here is their summary statement:
“The health care restructuring bill pending in the U .S. House…contains provisions that will result in federally mandated coverage of abortion on demand in virtually all of America's health plans. Once abortion is established as a federal "essential benefit," the bill will also require "access" to elective abortion, which will require many issuers to establish and staff new abortion-providing sites. Moreover, state laws that impede "access" to elective abortion (such as waiting periods and parental notification requirements) may be nullified as conflicting with the purposes of the federal law .In addition, the bill will result in the massive subsidization of elective abortion with tax dollars.”
What You Can Do Now
Please take a few minutes to locate legislators by clicking here to send messages to your two U.S. senators (Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn) and to your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, to urge them to oppose any federal "health care reform" legislation that does not contain explicit exclusions of abortion. You can modify the suggested message as you see fit. Please contact both your two U.S. senators and representative, give your name and address, and tell their staff that you wish to be recorded as "opposed to Senator Kennedy's health care bill because it would result in mandates for virtually all health plans to cover elective abortion, and would result in federal funding of abortion on demand."
Also, please send short letters to the "letters to the editor" features of your local newspapers, in order to alert your fellow pro-life citizens to the sweeping pro-abortion mandates and pro-abortion subsidies that the Obama White House and the pro-abortion lobby are trying to smuggle into law through "health care reform."
Upcoming Webcast on the Abortion Mandate
The healthcare overhaul is turning out to be more about the radical pro-abortion agenda than making sure everyone has healthcare coverage. This is an issue every pro-life person must engage. A great way to start is to plan to participate in an upcoming webcast on the abortion mandate. The webcast will start at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 23. Numerous family group and pro-life leaders will be on this webcast to talk about their concerns, including Richard Land. You can sign up here, http://www.stoptheabortionmandate.com/.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Hate Crimes Update!!!
A message from Pastor Paul Blair:
We have been informed by the Family Research Council in Washington DC, that the Hate Crimes Bill will be acted on this week.
Three things you can do:
First, please call your Senator. If he/she already opposes Hate Crimes, then ask him/her to join with Senator DeMint in a filibuster, if necessary.
Facts:
1) This violates the First Amendment of Free Speech. The staffer you talk to may deny this, but in every state or nation where Hate Crimes has been implemented it has been used to attack Christian thought and speech.
2) This bill violates the 14th Amendment creating a special class of protected people. All citizens have the right to equal protection under the law.
3) There is no epidemic of Hate Crimes. This is purely to promote radical social change.
For videos and more information about Hate Crimes visit:
www.reclaimoklahoma.org
http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/Where%20Are%20The%20Hate%20Crimes.htm
http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/Hate%20Crimes%20Facts.htm
The Toll Free Main Line to the Capitol 877-851-6437.
Second, call this list of senators who are considered to be "undecided" and ask them to please oppose any efforts to implement Hate Crimes.
Be polite and simply say, "Hello, my name is _________. I'd like to ask the Senator to please oppose any attempt at passing the Hate Crimes Legislation (S. 909). Thank you." Most of the time that will end the conversation. Sometimes they will ask for your home address. If you are not from that state, simply say, "I am from _________, but being that he is a United States Senator and since I am a citizen of these United States, his vote will effect me. So I ask that he vote against it." If the staffer tries to argue with you about what the bill will do, don't be fooled. Please remember the information on the fact sheets about Hate Crimes and especially this: There is no great crime wave being carried out against homosexuals, that is urban myth. All crimes proven are already punished in a court of law. Every state or nation that has implemented hate crimes has used it to suppress Christian thought and speech.
x Blanche Lincoln D- AR
202-224-4843
x Byron L. Dorgan D- ND
202-224-2551
x Herb Kohl D-WI
202-224-5653
x James Webb D- VA
202-224-4024
x Jon Tester D- MT
202-224-2644
x Kay Hagan D- NC
202-224-6342
x Kent Conrad D- ND
202-224-2043
x Mark Pryor D- AR
202-224-2353
x Mark Warner D- VA
202-224-2023
x Max Baucus D- MT
202-224-2651
x Michael Bennet D- CO
202-224-5852
x Robert C. Byrd D- WV
202-224-3954
x Russ Feingold D-WI
202-224-5323
x Ted Kaufman D-DE
202-224-5042
x Thomas Carper D- DE
202-224-2441
xTom Udall D- NM
202-224-6621
x = undecided Democrat.
y Olympia Snowe R-ME
202-224-5344
y Susan Collins R-ME
202-224-2523
y = co-sponsoring Republican.
Third, for cost of dinner (depending on where you eat) you can either fax 18 key Senators or all 100 Senators through Chaplain Gordon Klingenshmitt's ministry, Pray in Jesus Name. https://secure.conservativedonations.com/pijn_hatecrimes_drudge/?a=2624#HERE
Choosing to ignore this attack on Christian liberty is not wise. The ostrich who simply hides his head in the sand to avoid danger, still gets eaten. Please take action.
(Stand your) Watch and Pray --
Pastor Paul Blair
Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ
We have been informed by the Family Research Council in Washington DC, that the Hate Crimes Bill will be acted on this week.
Three things you can do:
First, please call your Senator. If he/she already opposes Hate Crimes, then ask him/her to join with Senator DeMint in a filibuster, if necessary.
Facts:
1) This violates the First Amendment of Free Speech. The staffer you talk to may deny this, but in every state or nation where Hate Crimes has been implemented it has been used to attack Christian thought and speech.
2) This bill violates the 14th Amendment creating a special class of protected people. All citizens have the right to equal protection under the law.
3) There is no epidemic of Hate Crimes. This is purely to promote radical social change.
For videos and more information about Hate Crimes visit:
www.reclaimoklahoma.org
http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/Where%20Are%20The%20Hate%20Crimes.htm
http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/Hate%20Crimes%20Facts.htm
The Toll Free Main Line to the Capitol 877-851-6437.
Second, call this list of senators who are considered to be "undecided" and ask them to please oppose any efforts to implement Hate Crimes.
Be polite and simply say, "Hello, my name is _________. I'd like to ask the Senator to please oppose any attempt at passing the Hate Crimes Legislation (S. 909). Thank you." Most of the time that will end the conversation. Sometimes they will ask for your home address. If you are not from that state, simply say, "I am from _________, but being that he is a United States Senator and since I am a citizen of these United States, his vote will effect me. So I ask that he vote against it." If the staffer tries to argue with you about what the bill will do, don't be fooled. Please remember the information on the fact sheets about Hate Crimes and especially this: There is no great crime wave being carried out against homosexuals, that is urban myth. All crimes proven are already punished in a court of law. Every state or nation that has implemented hate crimes has used it to suppress Christian thought and speech.
x Blanche Lincoln D- AR
202-224-4843
x Byron L. Dorgan D- ND
202-224-2551
x Herb Kohl D-WI
202-224-5653
x James Webb D- VA
202-224-4024
x Jon Tester D- MT
202-224-2644
x Kay Hagan D- NC
202-224-6342
x Kent Conrad D- ND
202-224-2043
x Mark Pryor D- AR
202-224-2353
x Mark Warner D- VA
202-224-2023
x Max Baucus D- MT
202-224-2651
x Michael Bennet D- CO
202-224-5852
x Robert C. Byrd D- WV
202-224-3954
x Russ Feingold D-WI
202-224-5323
x Ted Kaufman D-DE
202-224-5042
x Thomas Carper D- DE
202-224-2441
xTom Udall D- NM
202-224-6621
x = undecided Democrat.
y Olympia Snowe R-ME
202-224-5344
y Susan Collins R-ME
202-224-2523
y = co-sponsoring Republican.
Third, for cost of dinner (depending on where you eat) you can either fax 18 key Senators or all 100 Senators through Chaplain Gordon Klingenshmitt's ministry, Pray in Jesus Name. https://secure.conservativedonations.com/pijn_hatecrimes_drudge/?a=2624#HERE
Choosing to ignore this attack on Christian liberty is not wise. The ostrich who simply hides his head in the sand to avoid danger, still gets eaten. Please take action.
(Stand your) Watch and Pray --
Pastor Paul Blair
Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ
Monday, July 13, 2009
Hate Crimes & OK Proclamation for Morality
ERLC Updates:
Hate Crimes Update
In a conference call yesterday, Tony Perkins, the President of Family Research Council, informed us that they expected a vote on the Hate Crimes Bill this week. It passed in the House (HR 1913) and is still in committee under the title S. 909. According to Rick Scarborough, they may again try to attach it as an amendment to a more pressing bill and ram it through. It is important to call this week!!!
Perkins believes that this will be the first in a row of dominoes to fall. Let me explain.
The first target is Hate Crimes Legislation which will criminalize speaking out against homosexuality. The liberals deny that, but every state or nation that has enacted "Hate Crimes" legislation has used it to silence speech and thought. (Please watch this eight minute video from FRC. It shows what has happened already IN AMERICA with state hate crimes legislation. Two examples are included: The "Philadelphia Eleven" and a husband/father named David Ott in Wisconsin. These are shocking attacks on Christian Liberty. I will show this to our congregation on Sunday. Pastors, I would encourage you to consider doing the same.) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvhOPwceT4c)
After Hate Crimes passes, they will aggressively pursue ENDA (the Employment Non Discrimination Act) forcing you to not discriminate in your hiring practices regardless of your religious beliefs. If you think that you are protected within the church, think again. Another example of the repercussions of ENDA could be applied to a photographer that chooses not to photograph a homosexual wedding because of religious beliefs. A case like this has already happened in Arizona.
After it is illegal to speak against homosexuality and illegal for private citizens to discriminate in their business practices based upon religious belief, it would be hypocritical for the government to discriminate, therefore, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be rolled back from the military and
finally the Defense of Marriage Amendments that have been passed in 30 states will be forcibly rescinded by the Federal Government.
We can still nip this in the bud. Be encouraged and take action. The current administration hoped to ram this through without opposition before Memorial Day. It is because of the squeaky wheels of the normally silent and apathetic Christian, moral majority in America that this is still dragging on more than 7 weeks after their goal.
Congress prefers when we don't pay attention to what they are doing. It is important that "We the People" stand and let our voices be heard. Every Christian in America must call their Senators on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (July 13-15) and say VOTE NO on ANY Hate Crimes Legislation. BE POLITE, BE FIRM AND DON'T BE INTIMIDATED. For more info on Hate Crimes visit: www.reclaimoklahoma.org and look for the "Hate Crimes" announcement in the middle of the page.
After calling your own Senators, Gordon Klingenshmitt of "Pray in Jesus Name Ministries released this list of other Senators that need to be reached:
We've identified 16 Democrats below, who are NOT YET committed as co-sponsors of S. 909, so please call them today, asking to OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER any amendment to any bill that resembles S. 909. Sadly two Republicans (Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, R-ME) have joined 43 Democrats by co-sponsoring this pro-homosexual bill, so call them too, and ask them to switch.
Blanche Lincoln D- AR Byron L. Dorgan D- ND
202-224-4843 202-224-2551
Herb Kohl D-WI James Webb D- VA
202-224-5653 202-224-4024
Jon Tester D- MT Kay Hagan D- NC
202-224-2644 202-224-6342
Kent Conrad D- ND Mark Pryor D- AR
202-224-2043 202-224-2353
Mark Warner D- VA Max Baucus D- MT
202-224-2023 202-224-2651
Michael Bennet D- CO Robert C. Byrd D- WV
202-224-5852 202-224-3954
Russ Feingold D-WI Ted Kaufman D-DE
202-224-5323 202-224-5042
Thomas Carper D- DE Tom Udall D- NM
202-224-2441 202-224-6621
Olympia Snowe R-ME Susan Collins R-ME
202-224-5344 202-224-2523
Oklahoma Proclamation for Morality
For citizens of Oklahoma, go to http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/ and click on the "scroll" at the top of the page, read the proclamation, and if you agree sign it and pass it on. Pastors, please consider making paper petitions for your members that do not use the computer or have not already signed. We hope to gather 10,000 signatures to send to President Obama, Governor Henry and others reminding them of the true, Christian Heritage of our Nation and how important morality is to the Citizens of Oklahoma.
Hate Crimes Update
In a conference call yesterday, Tony Perkins, the President of Family Research Council, informed us that they expected a vote on the Hate Crimes Bill this week. It passed in the House (HR 1913) and is still in committee under the title S. 909. According to Rick Scarborough, they may again try to attach it as an amendment to a more pressing bill and ram it through. It is important to call this week!!!
Perkins believes that this will be the first in a row of dominoes to fall. Let me explain.
The first target is Hate Crimes Legislation which will criminalize speaking out against homosexuality. The liberals deny that, but every state or nation that has enacted "Hate Crimes" legislation has used it to silence speech and thought. (Please watch this eight minute video from FRC. It shows what has happened already IN AMERICA with state hate crimes legislation. Two examples are included: The "Philadelphia Eleven" and a husband/father named David Ott in Wisconsin. These are shocking attacks on Christian Liberty. I will show this to our congregation on Sunday. Pastors, I would encourage you to consider doing the same.) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvhOPwceT4c)
After Hate Crimes passes, they will aggressively pursue ENDA (the Employment Non Discrimination Act) forcing you to not discriminate in your hiring practices regardless of your religious beliefs. If you think that you are protected within the church, think again. Another example of the repercussions of ENDA could be applied to a photographer that chooses not to photograph a homosexual wedding because of religious beliefs. A case like this has already happened in Arizona.
After it is illegal to speak against homosexuality and illegal for private citizens to discriminate in their business practices based upon religious belief, it would be hypocritical for the government to discriminate, therefore, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be rolled back from the military and
finally the Defense of Marriage Amendments that have been passed in 30 states will be forcibly rescinded by the Federal Government.
We can still nip this in the bud. Be encouraged and take action. The current administration hoped to ram this through without opposition before Memorial Day. It is because of the squeaky wheels of the normally silent and apathetic Christian, moral majority in America that this is still dragging on more than 7 weeks after their goal.
Congress prefers when we don't pay attention to what they are doing. It is important that "We the People" stand and let our voices be heard. Every Christian in America must call their Senators on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (July 13-15) and say VOTE NO on ANY Hate Crimes Legislation. BE POLITE, BE FIRM AND DON'T BE INTIMIDATED. For more info on Hate Crimes visit: www.reclaimoklahoma.org and look for the "Hate Crimes" announcement in the middle of the page.
After calling your own Senators, Gordon Klingenshmitt of "Pray in Jesus Name Ministries released this list of other Senators that need to be reached:
We've identified 16 Democrats below, who are NOT YET committed as co-sponsors of S. 909, so please call them today, asking to OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER any amendment to any bill that resembles S. 909. Sadly two Republicans (Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, R-ME) have joined 43 Democrats by co-sponsoring this pro-homosexual bill, so call them too, and ask them to switch.
Blanche Lincoln D- AR Byron L. Dorgan D- ND
202-224-4843 202-224-2551
Herb Kohl D-WI James Webb D- VA
202-224-5653 202-224-4024
Jon Tester D- MT Kay Hagan D- NC
202-224-2644 202-224-6342
Kent Conrad D- ND Mark Pryor D- AR
202-224-2043 202-224-2353
Mark Warner D- VA Max Baucus D- MT
202-224-2023 202-224-2651
Michael Bennet D- CO Robert C. Byrd D- WV
202-224-5852 202-224-3954
Russ Feingold D-WI Ted Kaufman D-DE
202-224-5323 202-224-5042
Thomas Carper D- DE Tom Udall D- NM
202-224-2441 202-224-6621
Olympia Snowe R-ME Susan Collins R-ME
202-224-5344 202-224-2523
Oklahoma Proclamation for Morality
For citizens of Oklahoma, go to http://www.reclaimoklahoma.org/ and click on the "scroll" at the top of the page, read the proclamation, and if you agree sign it and pass it on. Pastors, please consider making paper petitions for your members that do not use the computer or have not already signed. We hope to gather 10,000 signatures to send to President Obama, Governor Henry and others reminding them of the true, Christian Heritage of our Nation and how important morality is to the Citizens of Oklahoma.
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