Long-time Pro-Life Action League friend and volunteer Marie Smith has died at the age of 86. She passed away Monday night after a heart attack.
Marie Smith Enters Into Eternal Life
Despite her many health problems, Marie was able to attend Mass and go to confession the day before her death. After Mass she commented to her son that she hoped she would die before her favorite priest, so he could celebrate her funeral Mass at her favorite church, St. Mary of the Angels.
Marie is the mother of eight children and many, many grandchildren. Her husband died while her children were still little, and she basically raised them herself, while working nights to pay the bills. Even with her declining health, she kept others in the front of her mind, constantly clipping articles and taping shows that she thought would be of interest to her children and her friends. She would come to the office on Tuesdays with a box of Dunkin Munchkins for the staff and would read and sort articles for our files.
Please pray for the repose of Marie’s soul, that she may soon enter Heaven to be with her loved ones and the babies she worked to save. Pray for comfort for her family and for all families who are suffering with loss at Christmas time.
I remember seeing the Pieta at St. Peter’s in Rome. Mary was filled with sorrow for the death of her son, but above her the angels were rejoicing. The death of someone holy like Marie should fill us with both sorrow and joy.
Arrangements for her funeral are still being made, but we have been told it will be on Saturday. Please call our office if you’d like to be informed of all the details when they are available.
Healthcare’s Crazy Compromise
The healthcare bill continues to be a concern for many people. A Washington Post article makes several interesting points. They write, “serious questions are already being raised about how the new language would work in practice and whether it would even be feasible to implement. ‘This is why it’s being attacked by both sides—not because it’s so moderate but because it’s crazy,’ said Richard Doerflinger, a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Sara Rosenbaum, a George Washington University professor of public health and law who criticizes the language as too restrictive, echoes that conclusion: ‘None of how this is supposed to work is even remotely in the bill'”
Apparently Nelson’s compromise special deal with the Democrats “would allow. . .people to purchase insurance plans with abortion coverage. But they would have to write two separate premium checks—one to cover the bulk of their plan and the other to cover the sliver for abortion coverage, probably a dollar or so per month.”
This poses a practical concern, since all men and women, including those outside of child-bearing years, would need to write this bizarre second check every month in order to be in a plan that covers abortions for other women.
According to the Post, “Abortion rights supporters suggest that would prompt frustration and, in turn, reduce demand for such plans. Eventually, they argue, insurers may decide not to offer abortion coverage at all.” That seems like a logical conclusion to reach, in my estimation. Of course, that prospect makes me happy, while it makes the pro-aborts fume.
The National Review also made an significant point in an editorial on the topic:
“If this bill passes, abortion will become a cheaper option for millions of women. We know that the demand for it is sensitive to price. Abortion rates will increase. For almost two decades, many Democrats who favor legal abortion, including Presidents Clinton and Obama, have said that they want to see that rate drop. They have a funny way of showing it.”
I pray you will have many blessings this Christmas. Thank you for your support of the League, with your prayers and your donations of your money and time.
