The fight has been lost; the battle continues.

On the heels of the announcement that Stupak has decided to endorse a Healthcare Bill which, in many ways, degrades and demeans the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life, due to an alleged "promise" by pro abortion President Obama, the pro-life community finds itself with a sense of false hope and a reality of true disappointment.

The facts are many, but they are clear. To understand the effects that this piece of legislation will have for our Country, is essential. Take a few minutes to do so.

To state things clearly: though the battle is not yet over, in this fight, we have lost. The casualties will be countless.

In a nutshell, the outcome can be surmised from one quote, released early this morning, by America's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, delivered by their President (who was pleased with the outcome) : "The healthcare passage will significantly increase access to [abortions]. The Executive Order is simply a symbolic gesture."

Read the full article here.

A symbolic gesture. And, one which may be disregarded by President Obama, himself, at any time. As he is the most pro abortion president in the history of the United States, I would think it irrational to believe he will uphold an order which will defend the rights of the unborn, most especially after he has pledged and proved his support to Planned Parenthood unfailingly.

However, we must still understand the consequences of this legislation. To neglect to do so, would be a serious fault.

First, the "good" of the Healthcare outcome. It, unfortunately, does not outweigh the evil:

• The final bill is not the outrageously anti-life bill originally concocted by the Democrat leadership (though it is still significantly detrimental to the pro life cause).

• The final bill did not pass last July as the Democrat leadership had originally hoped it would.

• By placing the onus on President Obama to sign an executive order which may mollify the abortion funding problems in this legislation, he will have the opportunity to demonstrate to those who remain unconvinced (as most of us do) in his habitual tendency to betray pro-life interests and the promises he has made to them.

• The health care battle has made clear the sharp divide between Catholics when it comes to the prudent application of the Church’s social teaching on the most important issues of our day. These groups, leaders and pockets of dissent are now out in the open. They have played their hand. We know where their fox holes lie.

Now, the bad:

• The Democrat leadership, on the whole, harassed their own caucus to get their way. This bill is not good for Americans, will not achieve what it claims to do, and will, both in the short and long run, hurt the quality of health care in America, and gravely endanger the vulnerable unborn.

• Stupak betrayed the pro life cause. His final vote constituted 100% of his “value” to the pro-life cause on this issue. And that vote was 100% for a bill he claimed for weeks was written in a way he could not support without violating his pro-life principles. Even if the Executive Order were to accomplish what he claims it will accomplish (which is doubtful and is yet to be seen), it does not exonerate him from the choice he made to vote this bill into law.
  
  
  
  
  
• "Liberal" and heterodox Catholics and isolated leaders of liberal religious women’s orders betrayed the bishops of the United States and smashed the possibility of a unified Catholic witness to the world on this paramount issue. Just like these organizations, leaders and their “brand” of Catholic thinking delivered to President Obama a majority of Catholic voters in this country during the presidential election, they helped him deliver – perhaps to a higher degree than any other group – the President’s “signature” legislation. If Catholics are to positively shape the world according to Catholic principles as revealed by Christ and his Church, we must set our own house in order first.

• The strong possibility of an authentic pro-life coalition emerging in the Democrat party suffered a serious, if not insurmountable setback. This pro-life coalition has destroyed its credibility as any threat to the Democrat leadership’s agenda. When the chips were down, Pelosi and her friends browbeat the pro-life Democrats into submission. Read the full article here.

For those who still believe the "Executive Order" will provide significant protection for the unborn, these facts are impossible to ignore.

The question is: does President Obama’s executive order, which obtained the votes of the Stupak coalition, change anything about the outcome? Unfortunately, it changes very little, and will have no ultimate effect.

The pro-life movement had and has several specific concerns about this health reform Act, irrespective of the Executive Order's efficacy.

• First, the Act funds abortion-covering insurance, it therefore makes abortion insurance available to thousands of women who don’t now have abortions due to lack of insurance, and it changes 32 states from ones that have laws against administering abortion insurance and turns them all into states that do administer abortion insurance.
  

• Second, the Act fails to restrict $11 Billion in funding to “community health centers” from going for abortion.

• Third, the Act vastly expands government power and funding without including a corresponding limit to stop that power and funding from making and facilitating conscience violations against pro-life health providers.

• Fourth, the Act allows HHS to define abortion into various elements of health care, like “ambulatory patient services,” “prescription drugs,” and “preventive” services.

• On the first point of funding abortion insurance and initially forcing states to assist, the Executive Order changes nothing at all. By its terms, it repeats exactly the abortion-insurance funding scheme in the Act. There’s simply no change.

In summary then, President Obama’s executive order changes almost nothing to alleviate pro-life concerns over this Act. It fully allows federal funding for abortion insurance, it cannot change the fact that CHC funds will be used for abortion, it follows HHS policy against conscience rights by utterly failing to do anything on the issue, and it does not change any of HHS’s ability under the Act to define abortion as health care.

Any pro-lifer concerned about the Act would, objectively, have the same concerns against the Act with or without this executive order." Read the full article here.

It's time to pray for our country, and make reparation for the lives that will be taken. It's also time to make our voices heard, and to stand for the voiceless.

Do not be silent. The cost of silence is already millions of lives.