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Published: January 26, 2009
Cellar dweller
California at bottom of list in pro-life group’s ranking of states
California is the least pro-life state in the U.S. according to an annual ranking by Americans United for Life, a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization based in Chicago. Among the reasons cited for placing California at the bottom of the list was the rejection by voters in November of Proposition 4, a measure that would have required family notification before a minor’s abortion.
“For the third time in six years, the people of California failed to pass a ballot initiative aimed at protecting minors from the harms of abortion and sexual abuse,” said AUL’s analysis for California. “The measure, entitled ‘Sarah’s Law,’ would have required parental notice before abortion. Thus, the health and welfare of minors in California is still at risk.”
 AUL also noted that the “California Supreme Court has found the state constitution provides a broader right to abortion than does the U.S. Constitution,” and that the “state also maintains a ‘Freedom of Choice Act.’ The Act mandates the right to abortion in California even if Roe v. Wade is eventually overturned, specifically providing that ‘[e]very woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child or to choose and to obtain an abortion’ and ‘[t]he state may not deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to the viability of the fetus, or when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.’” In addition, said AUL, “The California Supreme Court has mandated that taxpayers pay for ‘medically necessary’ abortions for women eligible for state medical assistance.”
The group also pointed to California’s active role in embryonic stem-cell research: “California widely funds embryonic stem-cell research and human cloning. Proposition 71, a ballot initiative passed in 2004, has created a constitutional right to engage in human cloning research. It also created a public body to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund embryonic stem-cell research and the construction of human cloning facilities.”
Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and South Dakota topped the AUL rankings, while California, Hawaii, and Vermont ranked lowest. To see the complete list, Click Here.
“While AUL's criteria covers states' treatment of all life issues, final rankings depend largely on each state's enactment of prudent and well-supported laws,” said a Jan. 22 news release from AUL. “Such laws fence in the abortion license granted by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade. Among the laws AUL looks for are informed consent, parental involvement for minors, medically-supported regulation of abortion providers, and limitations on the use of taxpayer dollars for abortion.”
“We are making progress -- state by state and law by law -- to build a culture of life in America,” said Denise Burke, AUL’s vice-president of Legal Affairs. “In states that have passed common-sense limitations on abortion, abortion rates have declined by nearly 20% over the past 10 years. These laws also underscore the growing and irrefutable evidence of the negative impact of abortion on women.”
Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 12:24 AM By Charles O'Connell
Our side could emphasize a certain specific thing to make clearer the truth of the issue of "life of the mother" provisions: If an operation or other procedure is performed that is necessary to save the life of the mother, and that inadvertently takes the life of the child, it is not directly intended to cause the child's death and therefore is not abortion. Obstetric science has progressed to the point that it is so rare that a pregnancy would endanger a mother's life as to be negligible; but if such an instance did occur, the child could be delivered early, or by cesarean. Virtually all abortions are for convenience or social rationales. Joel Brind Ph.D. studied the open abortion records of Findland ("STAKES") and found that carrying the child to term improves the mother's outlook, but having abortion increases the chance of mortality. "Health of the mother" is so broad as to be meaningless - if a mother is depressed by the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy, that can be a "health exception". "Life or health of the mother" is a red-herring.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 5:00 AM By 4unborn
With California having a "fundamental right" to kill unborn babies, don't be surprised if the overdue earthquake strikes soon.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 5:21 AM By Fr. M.P.
With Obama in office, the whole country is poised to be worse than California. Pray the Rosary and fight Obama's pro-death philosophy in the public square.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 6:57 AM By OneoftheSheep
God isn't done with California yet. We are developing a network throughout the state of Catholic Radio Stations that will allow the people to hear the truth about the life issues. I believe that the Franciscan spirit is embedded deep in the heart of this state and soon you will hear our voices as we kick the misguided folks out of the legislature, out of the Senate, and replace them with men and women of integrity. The time has come for the feckless Jerry Browns, Arnold Schwarzeneggers, Diane Feinsteins and Barbara Boxers to pack their bags and go home. We are tired of tolerating the intolerance they have shown to God-fearing families in our state. I declare a new season in California. One of hope, one of life, one of courageous vitality dedicated to the Culture of Life. Holy Spirit of God, lead us through these times and into a new time of respect for the dignity of all life on this earth.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 9:37 AM By Laurette Elsberry
It is no surprise that California is at the bottom of the list of pro-life states. (Does that mean that it is at the top of the list of the pro-death states?).....We can thank our bishops, archbishops and cardinal for California's low ranking. If you look to see what efforts to pass the parental notification measure Prop 4 were made collectively by our hierarchy in California you will find nothing! The California Catholic Conference under the bureaucracy's boss Ned Dolejsi did what they could to plow under any effort to protect young girls from secret abortions. Thanks, guys. You are helping to keep us Number 1.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 9:39 AM By SNoel
Doesn't it figure: the most pro-homosexual states are the states that are the least pro-life?
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 10:15 AM By Life Lady
I am going to double my efforts in San Diego, and do everything I can to continue to be a prayer warrior, and supporter of a Culture of Life in California. We who are workin in the trenches have to just take the hit, and keep on going. We cannot surrender, and I will not...
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 11:10 AM By tom
The answer "WHY" is obvious. Look at the leadership being provided to Catholics in California. For strong leadership, we can only hope and pray.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 1:27 PM By bud
Cheer up people. We need to be very vigilant of who we believe and who we vote for...... The Hollywood mentality and moral compass has reached into every phase of government including Pelosi and other "catholic?" hypocrits in positions of authority with the Hollywood agnostics. Not living in California, just reading and financially supporting Proposition 8 has made me realize how they want to export their poison to the rest of the US.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 6:36 PM By Charles O'Connell
OneoftheSheep, I like that comment about the Franciscan spirit being embedded deep in the heart of this state. I believe that we may continue pursuing the Francican, Blessed Junipero Serra's intervention for our state. California Catholic Daily published on June 20, 2007 the article "Although the baby was born premature, she was in perfect health -- Did intercession of Junipero Serra heal an unborn child? Doctors asked parents to consider an abortion". A google search of the terms "Junipero Serra Kayla Kellogg" yields 337 hits.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 8:50 PM By Sonja Johns
How can I express my feelings without seeming, "Non-Catholic"? Please try to understand me when I say that, if the people of our church failed to protect the children who were sexually abused by our own priests, then how could they profess to stand for the rights of the unborn? So Much Harm has been done to the children of the church and yet, no one seems to care. I have seen these poor people emotionally brutalized by catholics, which is monstrous. What did someone say last week? Clergy abuse victims did not ask to be abused anymore than fetuses asked to be aborted.
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Posted Monday, January 26, 2009 9:04 PM By cjo
Laurette and Tom are "right on target" -- no leadership by our Shepherds... Why do they seldom speak out... and then with barely a whimper? ...When was the last time you heard any of these moral issues mentioned by a Bishop or Cardinal... or from the PULPIT? Where is the Catholic Church in California?
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Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2009 1:47 PM By MarkF
Sonja-Johns, because two wrongs do not make a right. What do you propose that we do? Abandon the unborn because of a few priests and bishops? Besides the pro-life movement is composed mostly of the laity, acting in support of the clergy. I don't think we should punish the unborn with our silence just because of the clergy abuse scandal. Besides, the Pope has apologized in person in both the US and Australia for this, and has banned the further ordination of men with deep seated homosexual inclinations, or those who support the "gay" agenda.
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Posted Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:24 PM By JLS
Sonja, it was the silence and hiding the problem that facilitated the abuse. People have the obligation to inform themselves and to act to prevent evil. For example, I just checked the website of the Diocese of Lincoln Nebraska, and found innumerable organizations acting to inform Catholics. One of them was a program teaching kids how to say "no". I just skimmed the site, so I can't say much about it other than it looks like a lot of people have got that charism to love their neighbors. To hide one's Catholicism under a bushel basket is no Catholicism at all.
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