The Bad News First

In the scant week and a half since the March for Life, two major happenings have swept through the pro-life world.

First, the decision of HHS to include contraceptives and sterilization in their idea of basic healthcare, which employers are required to provide.  While an exception is made for churches that condemn contraception, the exception does not extend to religious institutions such as schools and hospitals.  This is a problem in the Catholic world because paying for contraception or sterilization is material cooperation in evil.  (You can sign a petition here asking the administration to rescind this mandate.)

The Catholic world has exploded in outrage over this mandate, and with good reason.  Catholic institutions are being asked to choose between an authentic Catholic identity and their very existence.  The history of the Church proves that people choose an authentic Catholic identity over life itself.  In this choice, however, the Church is hindered in her desire to help and heal people in the here and now.   That being said, I want to pose a thought from one of the ladies in my women's group.  No matter how hostile we as Christians find the world (and it is hostile), we can't give in to a victim-mentality.  Every hostility is a sign of the necessity of our primary mission: to bring others to Christ.  We're not victims in a harsh world -- we are prophets bringing life to the desert.  We can't be off-put by the existence of the desert.

Second, on a happier note, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has announced that they are no longer going to fund Planned Parenthood! They are wary because of the Congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood.  While the decision is not explicitly pro-life and I wouldn't claim Komen as a pro-life ally (except inasmuch as they are fighting for the dignity of life by fighting to end breast cancer), it does take money from the nation's largest abortion provider and signal that not everyone looks at Planned Parenthood uncritically.  A critical glance at them, for many, would be a very good thing.

Update, 02/07/2012:  Susan G. Komen may have reversed their decision.  Then again, they may not have.  Grants for this year have been awarded and will not be revoked, but the future relationship of Planned Parenthood and Komen is  unclear.