Update on Obama's activities

Since it's been a while ... here are two major things that have occured: here are two articles from CNA

- Obama appoints Kansas Pro-Abortion Governor as HHS secretary
- Obama lifts ban on development of new embryonic stemcell ban - while removing funding for adult stem cell research


- Appoints Kansas Pro-Abortion Governor as HHS secretary
Washington D.C., Feb 28, 2009 / 09:38 pm (CNA).- Saturday evening it was announced that Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a professed Catholic who supports abortion, has accepted a position in President Obama’s Cabinet as secretary of health and human services.
The Washington Post has reported that Gov. Sebelius was nominated for the position by the President and will join the Cabinet upon receiving the Senate’s approval.
A senior administration official told FOX News that "Governor Sebelius brings extraordinary qualifications to this role: As a popular two-term governor known for her bipartisan approach, and as an insurance commissioner charged with standing up for better health care for her state, the governor has unique insight and experience to draw on as President Obama's partner in lowering health care costs and expanding coverage."
While the governor is lauded for reaching across the aisle, her extreme pro-choice support has landed her in hot water with the Catholic Church, particularly the Archbishop of Kansas City Joseph Naumann.
In the Spring of 2008, Archbishop Naumann met with Sebelius to ensure that she understood the gravity of her pro-choice support as a Catholic. Following the meeting, the prelate asked her to refrain from receiving Communion until she makes a worthy confession and publicly repudiates her stand on abortion.
He later clarified that his request to her was not directed toward one particular action, but rather, it concerned her "30-year history of advocating and acting in support of legalized abortion."
According to the Catholic League, Archbishop Naumann hasn’t been the only Kansas City prelate to speak out against her actions. "Sebelius’ support for abortion is so far off-the-charts that she has been publicly criticized by the last three archbishops of Kansas City," the organization remarked. "In 1992, when Sebelius was a state legislator, Archbishop Ignatius Strecker rebuked her for leading what he dubbed a ‘death-march of the unborn.’ When Sebelius became governor in 2003, Archbishop James Keleher, citing her abortion record, asked her to move her inauguration interfaith service from Topeka’s Assumption Catholic Church. She refused. The current archbishop, Joseph Naumann, called her out on the issue: he challenged her to name one instance in her long legislative career where she supported limiting abortion rights. She could not. He subsequently asked her not to go to Communion."
Sebelius is also known to have close ties to Dr. George Tiller, an abortionist who performs late-term abortions and is the subject of a Kansas Supreme Court case for allegedly violating the state’s laws on late-term abortions.
In a statement to CNA, Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), emphasized the governor’s relationship with Tiller. "Governor Sebelius threw parties for George Tiller, the notorious abortionist who specialized in partial birth abortions. It is astounding to me that people like Dour Kmiec are still lauding this president as a compromiser on abortion. He is proving in spades to be the most pro-abortion president in our history."
Also commenting on Sebelius’ nomination, the director of the Christian Defense Coalition, Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney noted that the President is continuing his "losing streak" of Cabinet appointments with Governor Sebelius’ nomination.
"The President also affirms his status as ‘The Abortion President’ by nominating a radical extremist on abortion rights to oversee the nation's health care and social programs," he continued.
Mahoney also noted the governor’s abortion record. "The Governor has blocked legislation that would have stopped late-term abortions, she impeded the investigation into the death of a young woman at Dr. George Tiller's abortion clinic and Catholic Church officials have told her not to receive communion because of her radical support of abortion."
He went on to ask why "President Obama would nominate such a divisive and extremist candidate after he campaigned on brining unity and civility to government."
"If the President is looking for a fight with the pro-life and pro-family movement, he certainly is going to get one."
President of the pro-life organization, Operation Rescue, Troy Newman, also weighed in. "Obama's lack of judgment when it comes to cabinet appointments is especially evident in his choice of Sebelius."
"Operation Rescue vows to aggressively oppose Sebelius' confirmation in the Senate. Her cozy connections to late-term abortionist George Tiller and involvement in numerous abortion scandals makes her unfit to serve," the statement concluded.

- Obama ban on development of new embryonic stemcell ban - while removing funding for adult stem cell research


Obama’s embryonic stem cell decision ignored pro-life Democrats
Washington D.C., Mar 12, 2009 / 06:03 am (CNA).- After being excluded by the Obama Administration from the conversation on embryonic stem cell research, Democrats for Life of America is expressing its absolute opposition to the President’s executive order lifting restrictions on the practice. The snub is causing many pro-life Democrats to reexamine their support for President Obama as they ponder the future direction of their Party.
The pro-life Democratic group voiced its surprise that the Obama administration did not give them an opportunity to comment on the policy change, after his team had consulted them over the Mexico City Policy.
The group said in a Monday statement:
“DFLA is against President Obama’s decision, period. There are workable and successful options available to private sector research operations that use umbilical cord blood and non embryonic stem cells. To frame this decision as a necessity to cure finding medical research is not accurate.
“While we have zero confidence that a call for reversal of this Executive Order will prevail, we are hopeful that the President will heed our call for common ground solutions in dealing with pro-life Democrats.”
DFLA said it had an opportunity to state its concerns on the proposed Mexico City Policy reversal in discussions with representatives of the Obama Administration. However, President Obama’s expansion of embryonic stem cell research funding “came as a surprise” to the group.
“DFLA has had a productive relationship both with the campaign and the early stages of the new Administration. To have no opportunity to weigh in on this controversial issue signals a cooling of our relations,” the group said.
An essay published on the DFLA web site on Jan. 26 attacked the embryonic stem cell research debate’s “false dilemma” between being pro-science and pro-life. It argued that policymakers must not push aside ethical issues concerning the creation, cloning and destruction of human embryos.
DFLA again pointed to new research which can produce stem cells similar to embryonic stem cells while avoiding “many moral and practical problems.”
“Supporters of embryonic stem cell research seek to avoid the moral and ethical objections by arguing that the end – the possibility of a breakthrough that might advance medicine – justifies the means – destroying human embryos to harvest stem cells,” DFLA writes, calling this a “dubious argument.”
The DFLA also warns that some backers of embryonic stem cell research advocate “therapeutic” cloning in which embryos cloned from a patient are destroyed for their stem cells.
“Recent developments may well make embryonic stem cells obsolete. At a minimum, scientists must be encouraged to harness the enormous potential of powerful new stem cells created without destroying human embryos.”
In its Monday statement, DFLA suggested the Pregnant Women’s Support Act (PWSA) would be an area of cooperation with the Obama administration.
“We believe this should be put on the front of the legislative burner,” DFLA said.
“We will work with the President to pass this landmark abortion reduction bill and we are hopeful that he will see the PWSA is a far better way to work with pro-life Democrats than focusing on divisive issues that highlight our differences on issues dealing with life and the unborn.”
Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) Executive Director Kristen Day told CNA in a Wednesday phone interview that the decision has prompted many pro-life Democrats to report that they are re-examining their recent support for President Obama as they contemplate the direction of their party.
Saying that the overturning of the Bush-era executive order was “a little disappointing,” she added, “We were hoping that Congress could have an opportunity to look into this.”
Although President Obama said in his speech announcing the executive order that the limitations implemented by President Bush forced "a false choice between sound science and moral values," he did not specify how moral values could allow the scientific experiments, but merely ignored any moral objections in the name of science.
Kristen Day explained to CNA that “There are moral concerns here. We’re using human embryos. Is it okay to sacrifice one life or many lives to save another? This is something we really should be treading carefully on.
“We’re opposed to using the human embryos and experimenting on them. The end doesn’t justify the means.
“The unfortunate thing about this whole debate has been the confusion around it. Media reports talk about ‘stem cell research’ and there’s no distinction made between adult stem cell research and embryonic stem cell research.
“If people started to distinguish between them, I think there’d be a big shift in support.
“So much has been done and so many cures using adult stem cell research… If you look at adult and umbilical and placental stem cell research, we have cures. Cures for leukemia, cures for sickle-cell anemia.
“We should really be focusing our time and effort on what works. We should probably be using our limited funds, especially in this economy, to use things that are actually working.
CNA asked about legislators’ proposals to codify the president’s executive order in law.
“Really I think a better effort would be to step back. Let’s not rush anything,” Day said. “A lot of people need to be educated about what is going on.”
Day also lamented the “false hope” generated by the claim that President Obama’s executive order is going to cure people.
Asked about other proposals on embryonic stem cell research, such as efforts to overturn the Dickey-Wicker Amendment which bars funding for research which creates or destroys human embryos, she replied:
“We suspected they would come up, given the way things have gone this Congress so far.”
Day said the DFLA had been talking to Obama staffers during the presidential campaign and during the presidential transition on the Mexico City Policy, but not on embryonic stem cell research policy.
“We had no chance to comment on this at all. It’s a little questionable about where we are going.
“We’ve had a good working relationship, which we would like to continue to advance the Pregnant Women Support Act.
“There are a lot of pro-life Democrats who supported the president and voted for him. And I’m hearing a lot of comments from people now who are thinking that was a mistake. They’re wondering where our Party is going.”
CNA asked Day about being in the position of a Democrat who is defending a Republican president’s policy against a Democratic president’s changes.
“The pro-life issue should not be partisan,” Day stated. “There are definitely differences between the parties on raising minimum wage and health care. When you’re talking about pro-life, it should not be a party thing. It cannot be a party thing, because we’re talking about human life here.
Asked to give advice for those opposed to embryo-destructive research, Day said:
“Talk to as many people as you can and share real information about what this does. And really try to advocate for more funding for stem cell research that does work.”
People should especially talk about the distinction between embryonic and non-embryonic stem cell research, she counseled.
“There is really a lot of misinformation out there. People believe ESCR has cured things and it hasn’t. Be careful, and read closely.”
Day specifically advised pro-life Democrats to contact the Obama administration and share their concerns and to write to the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee “as a pro-life Democrat.”
“We are Democrats and we are Pro-life and this is a consistent position for our Party to hold.
“We’ve been too quiet for far too long and we really need to be more forceful and speak up more.”