Archive: “Election 2012” Category
Posted by Eric Scheidler (November 30, 2012 at 10:00 am)
Note: Stand Up Rally co-director Eric Scheidler published this article on the Pro-Life Action League website shortly after the 2012 election. Since the pro-life and religious freedom movements are so closely allied, readers of this site may be interested in Eric’s remarks.
Several liberal commentators and even a few conservatives are gleefully reporting exit polls for last week’s election showing 59% of voters say they believe abortion should be legal in “most or all cases,” a sure sign that the pro-life movement is losing and that the advantage on social issues has swung to Democrats.
That’s one way to add up the numbers, recruiting the 30% of voters who say abortion should be legal in most cases to legitimize the more hard-core pro-choice position that there should be legal in all cases, as 29% of voters polled believe.
But here’s another way to do the math: add that 30% who believe abortion should be legal in most (but not all) cases to the 24% who believe it should be illegal in most cases and the 13% who believe it should always be illegal, and you find that 66% of voters believe abortion should be illegal in at least some cases.
2012 Exit Poll on Abortion
Which comes closest to your position? Abortion should be:
Legal in all cases: 29%
Legal in most cases: 30%
Illegal in most cases: 23%
Illegal in all cases: 13%
Source: Fox News
In other words, fully two-thirds of thirds of the electorate holds a position on abortion contrary to that espoused by either President Obama or Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, who will not name a single case in which abortion should not be a woman’s choice. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Eric Scheidler (November 1, 2012 at 12:39 pm)
Today, drawing on the themes of today’s Feast of All Saints, the Roman Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania issued a strong statement on the duty of Catholics to bring the traditions of their faith to bear when they go to the polls next week. In recent weeks, Pennsylvania has emerged as a battleground state in presidential election.
Here’s an excerpt:
Today it is no longer the case, as it was for our country’s Founders, that religion can provide a shared moral framework and vocabulary for a pluralistic democracy. In fact, Americans would do well to realize that many of our country’s leading thinkers in law, higher education, and the social sciences simply no longer believe in the idea of inalienable natural rights guaranteed by a Creator higher than the State—one of the cornerstone principles of the American experiment.
This has serious implications because many of our most urgent political issues—ranging from the economy, immigration, and abortion to global security—raise profoundly moral questions. These questions cannot be resolved without a common understanding of right and wrong. Consider today’s aggressive efforts to redefine the nature of marriage, to exclude parental authority in the choice of the best education for their children, and to force Catholic healthcare and social services to end their ministries unless they violate their religious identities through mandated support of practices contrary to the very sanctity of human life.
Religious liberty itself—”our first, most cherished freedom”—is no longer secure. At first glance, this may seem otherwise because religious freedom is so deeply ingrained in our national history. But democracy has no special immunity to losing its soul by little steps.
Read the whole thing, and then share it with your friends and family in Pennsylvania and other battleground states where heeding the bishops’ call could make a difference on Election Day.
Posted in Election 2012 | Comments Off on Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania Issue Strong Statement on the Elections
Posted by John Jansen (November 1, 2012 at 11:19 am)
Election Day is only five days away, and there’s plenty of work to be done to make sure that pro-life, pro-religious freedom candidates get elected.
The difference in this election is going to come down to boots on the ground: volunteers who are willing to make phone calls, distribute voter guides, and utilize social media to get out the vote on Election Day.
This upcoming weekend is a great opportunity to get voter guides into the hands of your fellow citizens. Here are several that we recommend:
There’s also this flyer [PDF] available from Citizens for a Pro-Life Society titled “Why Respect for Life Is the Preeminent Political Issue.”
Find a flyer you like, get several hundred copies printed, and pass them out following church services—or simply deliver them door-to-door in your neighborhood. [Continue reading …]
Posted in Election 2012 | Comments Off on Do Your Part to Get Out the Vote
Posted by Rachel Evans (October 23, 2012 at 10:12 am)
Stand Up Rally #3
Having secured speakers for the third Owensboro Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally, we expected a letter from our U.S. Congressman to be read to us by one of his staff members.
Moments before noon, she informed us that the Congressman was on his way to our rally! We were certainly pleased that he had rearranged a full schedule to come join us! Rep. Guthrie told the crowd that he would continue representing his constituents by vigorously fighting against the HHS Mandate.
“Rest assured I am doing my part in Washington to help overturn this destructive rule. As many of you know, I am a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Health Subcommittee which has held several hearings on this rule during which I have expressed my opposition. Additionally, I have cosponsored the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, which would reverse this rule by allowing health plans to decline coverage of contraception when it conflicts with their religious beliefs. I will continue to hold the Obama Administration accountable and will continue to encourage my colleagues in Washington to do the same.”
[Continue reading …]
Posted by Matt Yonke (October 19, 2012 at 2:43 pm)
Stand Up Rally co-director Eric Scheidler had an op-ed piece published in the Washington Times today, calling on liberals and moderates to take seriously our concerns over the erosion of religious freedom in our country.
The article was published under the title “Religious freedom attacks threatens every American: HHS mandate is only the beginning.” Here’s an excerpt:
Despite 10 months of controversy — including a public clash between the White House and the U.S. Catholic bishops, countless rallies and protests across the country and the filing of dozens of federal lawsuits — many liberals and independents remain puzzled by the fight over the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. They don’t understand how conservatives can insist that the HHS mandate constitutes an unprecedented attack on religious freedom.
The mandate, announced by the Obama administration in January and finalized in February, requires nearly all employers to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs through their health plans, regardless of any moral objections. This includes religious employers such as Catholic hospitals and universities, despite the fact that paying for such “services” contradicts settled Catholic doctrine.
Indeed, few Americans, whatever their political persuasion, understand or have much sympathy for the Catholic teaching that it is a sin to use contraception. In fact, it has come as news to many that the Catholic Church still teaches this. Sadly, few bother to ask why — or why it matters so much to the Catholic bishops that they insist they would rather shut down all those universities, charities and not-for-profit hospitals than comply with the HHS mandate.
This is exactly the question all Americans should be asking right now . . .
Read the whole thing here.
Posted in Election 2012, News and Commentary | Comments Off on Stand Up Rally Co-Director in Washington Times Today
Posted by Eric Scheidler (October 19, 2012 at 2:00 am)
World renowned evangelist Billy Graham has added his voice to the chorus of religious leaders calling on Americans to vote in accordance with their values on Election Day.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will publish ads in key locations around the country over the coming weeks featuring Graham’s familiar image and his strong statement for Christian voters:
On November 6, the day before my 94th birthday, our nation will hold one of the most critical elections in my lifetime. We are at a crossroads and there are profound moral issues at stake. I strongly urge you to vote for candidates who support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and woman, protect the sanctity of life, and defend our religious freedoms. The Bible speaks clearly on these crucial issues. Please join me in praying for America, that we will turn our hearts back toward God.
Let us pray that voters will heed the words of this great evangelical leader, one of the most respected religious leaders in the world, whose ministry over the past seven decades has exemplified the value of religious faith playing a special role in the public square.
Posted by John Jansen (October 12, 2012 at 11:57 am)
Going into last night’s debate, everyone knew there was a rather stark difference between the two presidential tickets on the issue of religious freedom.
Following the debate, that difference is now even starker. On the one hand, Rep. Paul Ryan spoke clearly about the assault on religious freedom that is the HHS Mandate, and, on the other hand, Vice President Joe Biden flat out lied about it.
On the heels of last night’s debate, we’ve beefed up our Voting and Elections Resources page by adding several Election Day voter guides from some great organizations: [Continue reading …]
Posted in Election 2012 | Comments Off on New Resources Added to Elections Page
Posted by John Jansen (October 12, 2012 at 8:00 am)
At last night’s vice presidential debate, Rep. Paul Ryan deftly raised the issue of the HHS Mandate after he was asked to explain his position on abortion.
Ryan said:
What troubles me more is how this administration has handled all of these issues. Look at what they’re doing through Obamacare with respect to assaulting the religious liberties of this country. They’re infringing on our first freedom, the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities, Catholic churches, Catholic hospitals. Our churches should not have to sue the federal government to maintain their religious liberties.
A few minutes later, Vice President Joe Biden said something truly astonishing:
With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear: no religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy Hospital, any hospital, none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.
No, it’s not a fact. It’s a lie. [Continue reading …]
Posted by Eric Scheidler (September 19, 2012 at 12:47 pm)
President Obama has just released a new web ad, in which he he claims to be a defender of religious freedom and a great admirer of the contribution of faith in our public life.
I take great encouragement from President Obama’s latest web ad—not because I believe a word he says, but because it shows that our massive, grassroots campaign to stop Obama’s HHS Mandate and restore religious freedom is working.
President Obama realizes he’s vulnerable on the religious freedom issue. It shows he’s worried—and he should be, especially with the next wave of nationwide Stand Up for Religious Freedom rallies coming on October 20, just 17 days before Election Day. [Continue reading …]
