Happy Birthday Dr. Dobson – Love, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Today, April 21, is Dr. Jim Dobson’s birthday.  While I neglected to get him anything a federal court in Colorado gave him a reprieve in his case against the Obama Administration’s oppressive abortifacient mandate.  The Christian Post has more . . .

 

“Family Talk and Dr. Dobson state credibly and cogently that providing the coverage required by the Mandate would violate their religious beliefs and execution and delivery of the Exemption Form, the EBSA Form 700 – Certification, which effectively exempts Family Talk from the Mandate, also would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs,” the judge said in the order.

 

The order stated that “there is a substantial likelihood that” Dobson and his ministry can show that the mandate constitutes “a substantial burden on the exercise of their religion.” “Contrastingly, the government has not shown that this substantial burden is reasonably necessary to further a compelling governmental interest.”

 

The lawsuit was filed in December by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, and it claims that the Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate violates the First Amendment as well as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, as it forces Dobson and his Christian ministry to offer coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, such as Plan B or Ella, or devices that could result in the destruction of an embryo in violation of their religious convictions.

 

Dr. James Dobson provides sound biblical advice on Christian marriages, families and parenting through the ministry of Family Talk’s radio program.   To reduce Dr. Dobson to one organization though does him a disservice, as he has been somewhat of a “Johnny Appleseed” of the pro-family movement. 

 

In his work with multiple family organizations he has had more impact on the social conservative movement in the United States than any other leader.  In 1977 he founded Focus on the Family and from that perch helped create other organizations such as Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council.   Dr. Dobson and his equally devout wife, Shirley, have two children, Danae and Ryan.  Ryan Dobson (born in California in 1970), who graduated from Biola University in La Mirada, California, is a public speaker, specializing on issues relating to youth and the pro-life movement. He was adopted by the Dobsons and is an ardent supporter of adoption, especially adoption of troubled children.   Both Dr. Dobson and his son Ryan were featured speakers at the 2014 March for Life.

 

Please join the March for Life in wishing Dr. Dobson @DrJamesCDobson  a very happy birthday!

 

 

How many Congressmen can be credited for saving hundreds of thousands of lives due to their legislative achievements?  Probably not many at all, but we know of at least one – the late Congressman Henry Hyde (April 18, 1924 – November 29, 2007), who we remember today on his birthday.

In 2007, the pro-life movement lost Hyde, a Republican Congressman from Illinois who was a stalwart defender of human life.  One of the Congressman’s great legacies is the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortions.  Now if you google “Hyde Amendment” you might have a hard time finding the truth about this life-saving legislative policy.  That’s because pro-abortion forces have a determined coalition, the National Network of Abortion Funds, to get rid of the Hyde Amendment.

Why do they want to get rid of the Hyde Amendment?  Because it’s a policy, that under conservative estimates, has protected over a million lives from abortion. Many studies, including those from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute show how funding restrictions on abortion result in a reduction of abortions, and therefore, lives saved.  Unfortunately, pro-life members of Congress have to fight to include this pro-life “rider,” as it’s called in legal lingo, on yearly appropriations bills. AND, the Hyde Amendment doesn’t apply to Obamacare.

Henry Hyde was passionate about the sanctity of life, in words and deeds. I encourage you to read his eloquent speech to Congress in 1996, urging his colleagues to overturn President Clinton’s veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. Below is one quote from the address, which is particularly poignant on the day that we remember the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for us on the Cross at Calvary.

“I am not the least embarrassed to say that I believe one day each of us will be called upon to render an account for what we have done, and maybe more importantly, what we fail to do in our lifetime, and while I believe in a merciful God, I believe in a just God, and I would be terrified at the thought of having to explain at the final judgment why I stood unmoved while Herod’s slaughter of the innocents was being reenacted here in my own country.”

On his birthday today, we remember Henry Hyde for his commitment to speaking out for society’s most vulnerable, unborn babies. May his legacy be an inspiration to each of us.

 

Today is April 15^th.  It is a day of infamies.  On this day in 1865 Abraham Lincoln died, succumbing to gunshot wounds from the night before.   In 1912 the “unsinkable” ship Titanic sank after striking an iceberg, killing between 1,490 and 1,635 people.  Lastly, of course, it is Tax Day (okay those comparisons might be a bit overdramatic.)

 

Most reasonable people understand in a democracy that taxes are necessary to help pay for services that fall under the government’s purview.  Unfortunately over time those same reasonable people would agree that the federal government has grown out of control.  While taxpayers do their duty and submit their taxes every April 15^th the federal government continues to misuse that money by spending it on shrimp treadmills, monkey houses and subsidizing the billion dollar abortion industry (man, my analogies really need some work).  

 

Most of that blood money goes to the abortion giant Planned Parenthood.  The abortion company and its defenders try to say that Planned Parenthood is there to aid and assist in the health care of women when in fact their most recent annual report (broken down by Susan B. Anthony List) admits that in 2012, abortions made up 93.8% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy services, while prenatal care and adoption referrals accounted for only 5.6% (19,506) and 0.6% (2,197), respectively. For every adoption referral, Planned Parenthood performed 149 abortions.  Prenatal care services have dropped 32% in one year, and 52% since 2009. Adoption referrals are also down 4.5% in one year.

 

The killing of unborn babies has been very profitable for Planned Parenthood.  During fiscal year 2012-2013, Planned Parenthood reported $58.2 million in excess revenue, and more than $1.3 billion in net assets. Planned Parenthood reported receiving $540.6 million in taxpayer funding, or nearly $1.5 million per day.

 

All of this money goes to Planned Parenthood despite that the organization was found civilly liable in Arizona for failure to report statutory rape. They have violated statutory rape reporting laws in Indiana and California. Planned Parenthood instructed a girl in Tennessee to lie about her age so she could get an abortion without her parents’ knowledge.  In California, Washington, New Jersey, and New York, Planned Parenthood clinics have been accused of fraudulent accounting or overbilling practices.  Thanks to the work of LiveAction undercover videos have shown Planned Parenthood employees doing various nefarious activities including apparently willing to aid human sex traffickers by coaching them on how to falsify documents and secure secret abortions for their underage prostitutes.

 

Under Obamacare that money is expected to increase, despite an ongoing Government Accounting Office investigation.  On top of the numerous slush funds the National Right to Life has also found that “Based on the number of persons who had enrolled in ObamaCare as of March 1, at least $5 billion in federal tax subsidies will be available to help purchase health plans that cover elective abortion, with the figure sure to increase as additional millions of Americans enroll.”

 

Planned Parenthood’s defenders are quick to cite rules prohibiting federal taxpayer funding for abortion, this fails to account for the fungibility of money. The receipt of conditioned taxpayer funds allows for increased spending in areas outside of the abortion restrictions. Simply put, federal funding of Planned Parenthood does not decrease abortion, it increases it.

 

Nobody is saying that Planned Parenthood cannot continue to be the largest abortion provider in America, but why do millions of taxpayers have to pay for it?

 

The most powerful person in Washington.

 

That sentence is not usually a description for a Health and Human Services Secretary, however thanks to President Obama’s health care law, commonly known as Obamacare, the HHS Secretary has virtually unchecked power.    And now Kathleen Sebelius is leaving the post in such a mess that she proves such an expansion of power was unwarranted and dangerous.  On top of the disaster that is Obamacare she also oversaw her department turn into one that prioritized a liberal agenda over the department’s supposed mission.  In one notorious example HHS for years gave grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which is one of the largest anti-trafficking relief organizations in the world. A few years ago, the Obama Administration cut off funding for the USCCB because of the Catholic Church’s pro-life views.  Friends within the program at HHS confirmed that the outside relief organizations who took over the grants from HHS have done a horrible job in keeping up with the demand of those suffering from trafficking.

However nothing gave the Secretary more power than the health care law.  When the bill passed the National Center for Policy Analysis found 1,697 instances in the bill “where the secretary of health and humans services is given the authority to create, determine or define things in the bill.”

These new powers include setting monthly costs per person, establishing an agency that will determine cuts without Congressional approval and determining if abortion is included in the government run plan.

This is an awful lot of power for a Secretary who has proven largely ineffective during the health care debate and oversaw the disastrous government roll out of what is the President’s legacy legislation.  She has always had and has maintained close ties to an abortion industry that has helped finance most of her political career and who is being well rewarded now with government funds.  Soon after Secretary Sebelius was confirmed she received a thank you letter from the head of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, thanking her for speaking to a gathering of various leaders in the abortion industry and how Ms. Richards was “grateful for your (Kathleen Sebelius’) friendship and support.”

Reviewing the record of Gov. Sebelius when she served in the Kansas Legislature, Representative Sebelius voted to weaken or eliminate even such modest measures as unborn victims, parental notification, waiting periods and informed consent.  During her time as Governor, Kathleen Sebelius has cut state funding for abortion alternatives, vetoed a bill imposing minimal sanitary standards on abortion clinics, and vetoed a bill that would have strengthened late term abortion law. These actions provide a far better indication of her views on sanctity of life issues than an incidental abortion decline that occurred under her watch. Her position is further questioned when her close ties to notorious abortionist George Tiller, known for performing late-term abortions in Kansas, are revealed. Donations from Mr. Tiller of hundreds of thousands of dollars to PACs and organizations controlled by the Kansas Governor were revealed, not by the governor during the hearing process as they should have been, but by outside sources. She has also repeatedly interfered in cases brought against Mr. Tiller, including recruiting a candidate to replace the state attorney general who was originally prosecuting the abortion doctor.

Many Republican Senators opposed the nomination however one stands out, in that he is also retiring this year as well:

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)

“I think there’s a flaw there, a critical defect in this nominee. That’s a nonstarter with me, not because I dislike her. I think she’s a wonderful lady, but I think she lacks part of the moral clarity that is required to lead this nation into the future. Her ability from the start will be compromised by her position on this issue. I have no doubt that she will be approved today, so I mark it as another sign on our way to oblivion as a nation.”

Considering how many tax dollars are being funneled to her well-heeled friends in the abortion industry I have little doubt that she will land on her feet.  The same cannot be said for her predecessor who will likely have to face the failures of 6 years of Sebelius rule.

On the positive side apparently the HHS Secretary can do PSA’s with Vice President Joe Biden whenever they feel like it.