Beware of Passive Euthanasia

1. Here is a very important document from a group of solid, faithful Catholic bioethics experts. The issue is the proposal being considered by the Bishops in their June meeting to bring the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health care into conformity with the Holy See's teaching on the care due to those in a persistent vegetative state. A few months ago a group calling themselves "the Jesuit Consortium" published a very dangerous piece that, if implemented in the ERD's, would lead to passive euthanasia being countenanced. Pray that our bishops get this right.

2. Follow-up on a previous story: Cardinal O'Malley of Boston has said that the Catholic health plan is attempting to make modifications so that it's arrangement with the secular entity won't violate Catholic moral doctrine.

3. Americans United for Life have a page up with all sorts of information about the Supreme Court nominee.

4. I guess work is a little light around NASA these days, what with fewer shuttle missions, and no moon shots in the near future, so they decided to have a "LGBT Pride Month". Did these people ever hear of the concept of staying on mission?

5. The bishops of Peru have asked the bishops of Canada to stop funding pro-abortion groups. Yes, you read that correctly -- one of the bishops' charities, the Canadian Catholic Organization of Development & Peace, has been documented to have given financial support to groups promoting abortion and contraception in Peru. The bishops of Canada have been investigating these claims since March, but no results have been announced.

6. Elsewhere in Latin America, the Dominican Republic has reaffirmed the true definition of marriage.

7. The legitimization of "a duty to die" continues to progress, which is especially dangerous as health care rationing looms on the horizon.

8. Why won't Notre Dame University make an effort to show mercy to those who were arrested on campus protesting the President's honorary degree?

9. Fr. James Martin, SJ, got whacked around a bit recently by pro-lifers (self included, mea culpa), but he wrote a really beautiful piece today about how happy he is to be a priest, in honor of his tenth anniversary of ordination. May God bless him and all our priests.

10. Chaos continues in Albany. Our hope is that their concern about their phony baloney jobs will distract them from doing mischief like same-sex "marriage" or a state FOCA. Pray, write, pray. I'll blog again about that today, and about the wicked decision by the NY Stem Cell Board to pay women to donate eggs (against the advice of the invaluable Fr. Thomas Berg).