THE PILL FROM HELL

Today, December 16, 2003, is an important day in the United States. After listening to numerous pro life doctors, bioethicists and leaders warn of the dangers of allowing the abortifacient pill "Plan B" to be sold over the counter, the U.S. advisory panel to the FDA voted to recommend allowing the "morning after" contraceptive pill to be sold without a prescription. The pill is intended for use by women within 72 hours after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy.

It's incredulous how these US advisors for the FDA could have made such an evil decision after having listened to the good Judie Brown testify that "these high doses of artificial hormones can and do terminate the lives of human beings after their lives have begun at conception/fertilization; these pills are dangerous for women, particularly adolescent women, and the damage to family life would be severe. Emergency contraception is not contraception...the Food and Drug Administration has a moral and ethical responsibility to assure, to the best of its ability, the health and welfare of every member of the human family."

The USCCB read a statement before the advisory panel as well, saying that changing the abortion pill's status to an over-the-counter drug prevents any medical oversight that otherwise would be provided for by doctors and sends "the message that the drug is not medically or morally controversial." As the USCCB points out, such access, "may also increase risk-taking behavior and promiscuity," further endangering health and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.

Illinois Leader's editorial team member Jill Stanek, testifying against the over-the-counter sale of these drugs said, "As a registered nurse, I have seen for myself the devastation when young girls who have been sexually abused by older men," Stanek said while waiting for her plane to take off on Monday. "If these drugs are made available over the counter, criminal rapists and sexual abusers will be able to cover their crimes and continue their behavior. This is the point I will be making at the hearing tomorrow."

Were these FDA appointed advisors not listening? How could they so easily refute the scientific and medical facts regarding this murderous, evil drug? Why were these truths so unintelligible to the FDA's advisory panel? It's because these Godless people, knowing well that what they do is wrong, still, perversely, reject these moral teaching (teachings that they have had written in their hearts since God created them in womb) and because the sinful will reject the moral teaching of Christ and His Church. Those who commit these sinful acts don't really think that what they do is good; they tell themselves that what they do is excused. Secular humanism.

Seeing things as God sees them, with the eyes of eternity, Pope John Paul II has said often: "This is the supremacy of the strong over the weak. If we continue to promote contraceptives, civilization will revert to barbarism."

Today reminds me of another time, not so long ago, of the horrific actions that our U.S. President Clinton committed just moments after the world famous speech that Mother Teresa gave before the President and US Congressmen, senators, State Heads and other dignitaries on February 3, 1994.

It was the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., held at the elegant Shorham Hotel. Although the participants were mainly Christians, the event is always inter-religious and open to adherents of all faiths. Hundreds of our government's brightest, sans pareil, were in attendance. This was a time in our nation when the culture of death was promoted by the highest levels of government.

By the grace of God my husband and I saw this hour long event live on CSpan. We will never forget the demeanor of that saintly, tiny, consecrated nun nor her memorable address that rocked an audience of powerful politicians. Mother Teresa, always so humble, so wise, graciously refused the invitation to sit on the dais with President Clinton and Hillary, VP Gore and his wife and with many other 'distinguished' politicians, where so-called 'honorary' seating is always reserved for the event's keynote speaker. Mother preferred to remain hidden behind the stage, without the benefit of having had anything to eat.

When they introduced Mother, then age 83, to come to the podium, she humbly approached from behind a large heavy curtain backdrop behind the dais. In her simple white linen sari trimmed in blue, which cost $l in India, this holy diminutive nun was barely visible to the several hundred in the audience over the top of the podium. I thought of the scripture verse: "For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Lk. 14:10a, 11)

Mother Teresa didn't care that in America it's not PC to criticize the President and VP about their policies of killing babies in their mother's wombs...she didn't care that she might shock the nation's leaders and take on the 'culture of death' in Washington, D.C..... she spoke as Jesus would expect any faithful follower to speak. "The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion. Abortion never solves problems, it just leads to more abortion," the living saint said. For Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to the succor of the sick, the outcast, the lonely, the unwanted, earthly opinions meant nothing to her. She spoke without notes and pleaded for America to save the babies, not throw them away, "Please don't destroy the child; we will take the child." Her entire address is given below.

Many in this audience were caught up in the historic moment with sustained applause. They gave her three thunderous ovations. Mother Teresa dared to say what no one there dared to say. Most gave her three thunderous ovations, but, President Clinton and Vice President Gore & their wives did not. They just sat there, unresponsive, in stony silence. No American President and First Lady had ever been more vocally pro-abortion than Bill and Hillary. Our President and Vice President clearly resented Mother Teresa and hated even more her warning message. (A VHS copy of this event can be purchased from C-SPAN.)

Immediately following this incredibly powerful speech by Mother Teresa, Clinton takes the podium and spoke briefly, praised the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, but did not directly respond to her statements on abortion. Instead, he thanked her for her "moving words and, more importantly, for the lifetime of commitment" that he said she had "truly lived."

"If Christ said we would all be judged by how we treated the least of these -- the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the strangers, the imprisoned -- how can we meet that test in a town where we all spend so much time obsessed with ourselves and how we stand on the totem pole and how we look in the morning paper?" Clinton said. "It is important to reaffirm that in this nation where we have freedom of religion, we need not seek freedom from religion." Quoting from Professor Stephen Carter's book, "The Culture of Disbelief," the President stated that "we should all seek to know and to do God's will, even when we differ." What hypocrisy!

Here is something that few people know about, because only small mention of it was made anywhere in the World newspapers the next day. Incredulously, this is a factual account.

Clinton closed the meeting, and, get this, this terrible man then walked outside and crossed the street to the World Population Planning committee and signed a U.S. Presidential commitment to spend in the next year of l995, $500 million dollars of American taxpayers' money to International Planned Parenthood for abortion facilities in Third World countries, with the stipulation that if these third world countries did not accept these abortion facilities of Planned Parenthood into their nation's cities, the U.S. would withhold all monies promised to them to feed their hungry and clothe their poor. Incredible. Did Clinton not listen to the profound warnings, pleas and admonitions just minutes before from Saintly Mother Teresa? The Pope a day later exclaimed that Clinton and the United States was the 'most evil of all evil imperialisms in the world' and the Pope denounced Clinton's actions. Clinton, who said he wanted to be remembered most as "the abortion President" did exactly what he promised his Democratic party he would do and the world stood by and watched with barely a whimper, except for the Vatican's condemnation. Let us remember this when someone tells us they hope Hillary runs for President.

The comparison is too great not to be remembered. Today, December 16, 2003, great leaders in pro life movement gave factual testimony to the many reasons why the evil abortifacient "Morning After Pill" should not be allowed to be sold over the counter. Yet, within minutes, the FDA's advisory panel proclaims that they've OK'd the Pill to be sold over the counter. Were these government people not listening to the profound medical and scientific warnings and admonitions just minutes before? "If we continue to promote contraceptives, civilization will revert to barbarism," said John Paul II.

The greatest sin of the world, said Pius XII, is the "sin of the century." "The sin of the century," the Holy Father told a catechetical congress meeting in the United States in 1946, "is the loss of the sense of sin" (Pius XII, Radio Address to the United States Catechetical Congress held in Boston [26 Oct., 1946: AAS Discorsi e Radiomessaggi, VIII (1946), 288] ).

Mother Teresa died of a heart attack on September 5, l997, on the Feast of 'Mary, Queen of the Apostles.' At the time of Mother Teresa's death, the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity numbered 3,914 members and were established in 594 communities in 123 countries of the world. Today, those numbers have greatly increased. Mother was elevated to Beatification as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta by Pope John Paul II in Rome on World Mission Sunday, October 19, 2003.

~ Barbara Kralis

December 17, 2003

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