A Letter to the Editor of L’Osservatore Romano
Yes, I actually sent this — by e-mail this afternoon. Rocco’s got the whole text of the editorial in the Vatican’s semi-official newspaper that has touched off a mini-firestorm, called “The 100 days that didn’t shake the world,” by Giuseppe Fiorentino. I wrote:
Dear Signore Fiorentino:
I write this as an American Catholic who had the pleasure of having an article of my own accepted and printed in the Italian edition of L’Osservatore Romano in 2006, for the celebration of the 8th centenary of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, the patron saint of my order, The Secular Franciscans. I have always had a great admiration for your newspaper.
At the same time, I am also dismayed at the very inadequate and even erroneous commentary in your recent editorial on President Obama’s first 100 days in office. I share the dismay of many other American Catholics at President Obama’s record on policies and legislation in the area of medical ethics and the protection of human life in the first 100 days of his administration. Your editorial scarcely gives an adequate description of these policies and the distress they are creating in American Catholics.
You seem to think Obama’s record so far on life issues is not as alarming as it originally promised to be. This may be because you rely too much on news reports in the American media which are almost always extremely biased and inaccurate.
In reality, both U.S. Catholics and their bishops are very alarmed at the ferocity with which President Obama is fulfilling the desires of the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood.
In fact, just a few days ago, a pro-life feminist organization in the U.S. the Susan B. Anthony list, compiled a statement showing that Present Obama, in just the first 100 days of his administration, has fulfilled or is on his way toward fulfilling 10 of the 15 agenda items outlined in a December report from over 50 abortions rights organizations submitted to his incoming administration. These items include:
* Reverse the pro-life Mexico City Policy - Accomplished by Executive Order on January 23, 2009.
* Restore funding to the UNFPA - Accomplished in the FY 2009 Appropriations Omnibus bill;
* Increased funding 25% to $50 million. More funding requested For FY 2010.
* Increase Title X Funding (Planned Parenthood Funding Stream) to $700M - Title X Domestic Family Planning received an increase of about $7.5 million for a total of $307M. (2.5% increase) More requested for FY 2010.
* Rescind Conscience Protections for Medical Providers - Rule reversal published in the Federal Register on March 9, 2009.
* Strike Abortion Budgetary Restrictions – Kemp-Kasten language limiting funds for organizations connected to coercive abortion practices weakened in FY 2009 budget.
* Provide $1B for International Family Planning - International Family Planning received an increase of $88 million for a total of $545 million. (19% percent increase over $457 million in FY08).
* Select Pro-Abortion Judicial Nominees – David Hamilton nominated for U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
* Choose Pro-Abortion Federal Appointees – Achieved with nominations of Kathleen Sebelius, Janet Napolitano, David Ogden, Elena Kagan, Ellen Moran, Dawn Johnsen, and more.
* Review Policies that Restrict Access to Emergency Contraception – FDA approved access to Plan B for 17 year olds.
* Reduce the Cost of Birth Control at College Health Centers – Nominal drug pricing for university and community clinics included in the FY 2009 Budget.
Since this list was published on April 29, word has come of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, paving the way for Obama to appoint yet another pro-abortion justice, allowing the court to continue to uphold Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision authorizing abortion on demand in the U.S.
Your editorial also made no mention of FOCA, or the Freedom of Choice Act, which all denials from the media to the contrary, is actually being prepared for introduction in Congress. It is very unlikely to pass as it is, but the rabid pro-abortion Democrats are prepared to put the main points of the act through in other legislation, piece by piece if necessary. Not to mention that FOCA-like legislation is being introduced in a number of U.S. states, including my own state of New York, where the legislature is encouraged by President Obama’s support for the bill. It is true that the President has backed down slightly from the high priority he has given the act in the past few days, but this is largely to the negative outcry from Catholics and other pro-life groups in the U.S. who are accurately informed and vigilant in response to his pro-abortion views.
You mentioned Obama’s executive order on embryonic stem cell research, which you say is “less permissive” than feared. You also say that its guidelines “don’t permit the creation of new embryos for purposes of research or therapy, for cloning or reproductive ends, and federal funds may be used solely for experimentation with surplus embryos.” These statements are incorrect. The guidelines do permit creation of embryos for research and go far beyond the use of surplus embryos. They also leave the door open to cloning embryos for research.
This same executive order has been denounced by Justin Cardinal Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, and chair of the Pro-Life Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who finds it the broadest legislation ever proposed by a President or Congress on the subject. He says:
“Parents will be invited to consider donating their embryonic sons or daughters for research at the same time that they are considering whether to save them for their own later reproduction or donate them so another couple can have a baby. The new guidelines will encourage destruction of some embryonic human beings who could otherwise have lived and grown up to adulthood. In key respects, these guidelines are broader than any proposed in the past for destructive embryonic stem-cell research by any president or Congress.
Through his executive order of March 2009, President Barack Obama also authorized the NIH to broaden the policy later, to include, for example, the use of stem cells from cloned embryos specially created for research. Tragically there is significant support in Congress for such further expansion as well, and pro-life Americans will be called upon to defeat such legislation.”
The rest of the Cardinal’s remarks can be read here:
You were right to mention the Pregnant Women’s Support Act, but it was in no way created or introduced by the Democratic party, the leadership of which is unequivocally pro-abortion. It was created by a group called Democrats for Life, which includes pro-life Catholic and other members of the party; it was not created by Democrats in Congress. It was co-sponsored in Congress by members of both parties and very much needs our support. But the Obama administration certainly had nothing to do with it.
The whole world pays attention to what L’Osservatore Romano says on Catholic issues because rightly or wrongly, it is considered the voice of the Vatican in the media. I’m afraid your newspaper is not doing very good reporting and analyzing of events concerning the Church in the U.S. when it does not pay enough attention to details like these. This has caused a furor and even scandal among U.S. Catholics in the past few days.
As I said, the secular news media in the U.S. does not get the facts straight. I hope that in the future you will pay more attention to the online Catholic media and commentary to get the details.
I apologize for not writing in Italian, although I can read the language well; it took me and hour and a half to write the above; it probably would have taken me several more hours to write the above in Italian. I would welcome a reply, however, and would encourage you to do so in Italian.
Again, thank you for your paper’s dedication to serving the media needs of the Church and the world.
Sincerely,
Lori Pieper, SFO
Bronx, New York
If you’d like to respond as well, the e-mail address for the editorial offices of L’Osservatore Romano is ornet@ossrom.va.
