Author Archives: rocklandrtl
NY Assembly Committee Votes to Advance Assisted Suicide
Albany, NY – With very little notice and few specific details, the Assembly Health Committee scheduled a vote on a bill to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide for the terminally ill today and approved the measure by a 14-11 vote. Now the bill moves on to the Codes Committee.
Assemblyperson Ellen Jaffee of Rockland, a member of the Health Committee, voted to approve the measure (A-10059).
The New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide noted that the measure passed by only three votes.
“Thankfully, many members of the Health Committee have demonstrated their grave concern for vulnerable New Yorkers who may be harmed by this dangerous public policy, or worse yet, whose autonomy will be compromised and who will feel as though the healthcare system gives them no choice but to kill themselves,” said JJ Hanson, president of the Patients’ Rights Action Fund.
Read “Aid in dying bill passes Assembly Health Committee” (Times Union).
NY Laws Banning Assisted Suicide Ruled Constitutional
From Ed Mechman, Esq., Director of Public Policy for the Archdiocese of New York:
Yesterday, there was an important victory in the courts. The Appellate Division in Manhattan (our intermediate appeals court) ruled that New York’s laws against assisted suicide did not violate the NYS Constitution, and were thus valid and enforceable.
The court found that despite the advocates’ attempt to change terminology to such things as “aid in dying”, the reality is that suicide is suicide, and the law makes that perfectly plain. The court also ruled that it was perfectly reasonable for the law to distinguish between suicide and declining medical treatments.
This is a major decision. Although the suicide advocates may appeal it to our Court of Appeals, it will strengthen our arguments to legislators that this debate is all about suicide, and nothing else.
Thanks be to God for a wise court!
Daily News: Court ruling doesn’t allow doctor-assisted suicides in New York State
Bad News from FDA, Good News from Supreme Court
The past two days brought both bad news for women and their unborn children, but hope for the Little Sisters of the Poor religious freedom case.
FDA’s abortion pill expansion targets babies up to 10 weeks into pregnancy
A hopeful sign? New development in the Little Sisters’ court case
What Would Happen If Abortion Were Illegal?
In the wake of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments about “punishing” women who had an abortion should abortion ever become illegal, there has been much discussion about who actually would be held responsible in such cases.
As Trump and his campaign quickly released statements to correct his remarks, prolife leaders spoke out to make it clear that during the years abortion was banned prior to Roe v. Wade, women were NEVER prosecuted. Abortionists, who performed the procedures, were the exclusive target of the laws. Women and their unborn children were both considered victims.
For a comprehensive discussion, please read this: When Abortion Was Illegal, Women Were NOT Jailed for Having Abortions. Here’s Why.
Bishop Lagonegro to Open Good Friday Prayer Vigil at Noon
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Little Sisters of the Poor v. Obamacare at the Supreme Court
Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Zubik v. Burwell, a case testing the constitutionality of the Obamacare mandate that requires employers to offer health insurance that includes contraceptives, sterility treatment, and drugs considered abortifacients.
The employers who brought the suit include the Little Sisters of the Poor, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh, the Archdiocese of Washington, and several Christian colleges — all religious nonprofits. Churches and parish schools are exempt from the mandate.
The Obama administration had offered these nonprofits an “accommodation.” If they signed a form stating their objection, the government would require their insurers to provide the services free of charge so the nonprofits wouldn’t be paying for it themselves.
The plaintiffs, however, refused the accommodation on the grounds that no matter who was technically paying, by having to sign the form they were still being forced to cooperate in seriously immoral actions.
As Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor, said: “I can’t sign a piece of paper that makes somebody else do what I cannot do myself. It’s my conscience, you know.”
Nonprofits affected include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, dioceses, Catholic universities, and hundred of hospitals and charities, such as the Little Sister of the Poor.
The ruling is expected to come down in June.
For more news about what happened at the Supreme Court see “Supreme Court Justices: Will the Government ‘Hijack’ Little Sisters’ Health Plan?”
A St. Patrick’s Day Surprise!
What could be a better time to celebrate life than St. Patrick’s Day!
It didn’t seem that way at first.
As the marchers assembled for the annual Rockland Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Day in Pearl River last Sunday, it was grey, bleak and raw, with the odd snowflake, and predictions of a storm on the way.
Ah, but keep the faith!
No sooner had the ‘Respect Life’ group left the Pfizer parking lot and marched up the hill to Middletown Road than the skies cleared, the sun came out, and the parade continued in glorious, golden, first-day-of-spring weather! St. Patrick was looking out for us all!
The crowd was a little sparse at the very beginning of the parade, but by the time we got to downtown Pearl River, the celebrants were out in full force. And our ‘Respect Life’ group was met with applause along the entire route!
Assisted Suicide — What’s at Stake? Come Learn the Facts on Tuesday
Assisted suicide continues to be in the forefront of legislative issues being considered in Albany. Some claim it is simply “medical assistance in dying” and not suicide. But what is really at stake here?
Join us as we host Educational Evenings throughout the Archdiocese to learn the facts. We will look at the actual legislation and all of its medical, legal and ethical implications. Sponsored by the Family Life/Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of NY with main speaker, Ed Mechmann, Esq. Public Policy Director and Sr. Lucy Marie, Respect Life Coordinator.
Tuesday, March 15, 7:30-9 pm, at St. Gregory Barbarigo Church, 29 Cinder Road, Garnerville 10923. Please park in the gym parking lot.
RSVP required to Sr.Lucy.Marie@ArchNY.org
40 Days for Life: Week 5
The purpose of the 40 Days for Life is to pray for an end to abortion in America and in our world. How and when that will happen is known only to God.
People get that, but they sometimes have a follow-up question: “Well, if it’s all about prayer, you can pray anywhere — in your home or church, right? Why do you need a public place, on the side of a road in Spring Valley?”
The answer to that is explained in the “outreach” part of our campaign: it’s to send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion.
40 Days for Life vigils take place near Planned Parenthood offices or other abortion facilities to remind our neighbors that the dispersing of drugs to cause an abortion or, in some places (not in Spring Valley), actual surgical abortions themselves are happening among us every day.
And in light of that fact, we pray among signs bearing messages that can provide both hope and a call to stop and think: a phone number offering help with a crisis pregnancy, an image of an unborn child, a reminder that adoption is an option, a request for everyone to pray, a reminder that God’s love is for every one of us — that He forgives and heals.
Maybe a message will touch someone’s heart immediately; maybe a sign will be remembered one day when the message is needed. We just don’t know — but we pray.
So a single week, how many people pass by and see the signs posted at the 40 Days for Life site outside the Pascack Plaza in Spring Valley?
Would you believe 90,000 maybe?
This week we did a little fun math. We counted the number of cars that went by in a 5-minute interval. We did this two times: between 2:40 to 2:45 on Thursday and 12:10 to 12:15 on Saturday. The numbers were 56 and 60, respectively.
To keep the math simple, we used 60 as the base number of cars going by every 5 minutes.
Then multiply that by 12, and you have 720 cars an hour.
We’re there for 9 hours, so 9 x 720 is 6,480 cars a day.
That’s 45,360 cars a week. Say there’s an average of 2 people per car. That comes out to a grand total of 90,720 people in all!
Now, of course, this is hardly a scientific survey. Our sample is too small and who knows how representative the 5-minute intervals we started out with were. Also, it’s unlikely the traffic volume stays constant throughout the day, and we really have no idea how many people are in each car.
But you see the point. I think it’s safe to say that tens of thousands of people drive by and see our messages every week, and probably a lot of them will think for a moment about the issue. How long would it take to go around ringing that many doorbells, or how much would it cost to mail out that many flyers?
This could be one of the simplest and most effective things a person who wants to end abortion can do.
God bless all the 40 Days for Life volunteers who have stood among these signs to give them a human face. There’s one week left, so it’s not too late if you’d like to help. The final day is Sunday, March 20.
Please join this peaceful campaign of prayer and fasting.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Perlman Drive, Spring Valley (on public property)
6 p.m. to 9 a.m. — Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at St. Gregory Barbarigo Church, 21 Cinder Rd., in Garnerville.
For information call 845-429-6709.
40 Days of Life — Day 1 Week 1 Week 3 Week 4
ROCKLAND RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE 