I hope you all had a relaxing summer. For those of you who couldn’t make our annual picnic, you missed a great time of food and fellowship, not to mention an outstanding homily done by my husband, Deacon Gary.
But I want to update you all on what is going on. First, upcoming events.
Board Meeting
Our September board meeting will be held Monday September 26 7:00 PM at St Camillus. Among things to discuss will be the resolutions that will be presented at the delegates meeting following the annual CMA meeting. Since I am your representative, I will pass on to you what I get and would appreciate any and all feedback.
Annual CMA Meeting
The annual meeting will be held this year in Washington DC October 13-15 with a preconference symposium on Natural Family Planning organized by our own Dr. Richard Fehring. I went last year and it intellectually provocative, faith renewing, and fun–all at the same time!
For those of you who are going. The Wisconsin guilds hold a dinner during the convention. This time it will be on Thursday Oct. 13th. Please email Charlie Peters from Lacrosse at [email protected] so he can get an idea as to how many are coming and find a restaurant in walking distance that can take us.
White Mass
Our White Mass celebrating the Feast of St. Luke will be held at Christ the King church 2607 N Swan Blvd Wauwatosa on Tuesday October 18th at 6:30 PM. A reception will follow with a talk by Fr. Juan Velez entitled “The Physician and the Spiritual Dimension of Healing”. All in healthcare are invited to attend so spread the word! I recently sent the flyer to you all to copy and hang up wherever you can.
Thanks for Drs. Jim Linn and Richard Fehring for their work on setting all up such a wonderful evening of prayer and intellectual stimulation!
End Of Life Conference
It was disappointing that St. Camillus had to withdraw their support due to ongoing construction and lack of space. However, Human Life International and the Wisconsin Guilds have taken over. We decided on a more central location for not only the WI guilds, but for Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota as well, so it is going to be held in Madison. The date is Saturday March 4 and will be an all day event.
More information to follow.
Lenten Spark Retreat
There was so much interest among the attendees at our last retreat, we decided to do it again. This year, it will be held the morning of Saturday March 25th, which is also Latare Sunday weekend. We will pray again at St. Camillus. Jennifer Christ will be giving the talks on the 3 Theresas: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Liseux, and St. Theresa of Kolkuta. We will also have adoration and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
Save the date!
Election of Officers
In January, we will have an election of officers, including president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and part of the board. To be a member of our board/officer, you have to be a member in good standing with both the local guild and the national Catholic Medical Association.
If anyone is interested, please contact me at [email protected]. I don’t need to know right now, but wanted to give anyone who might be interested a heads up.
So when Todd comes round and asks for dues, make sure you pay!
Other Matters
Conscience Protection Act
A bill before Congress to protect the conscience rights of health care workers is being considered. For example, a nurse was traumatized when she was forced to assist on an abortion or face being fired. Because the hospital changed its policies after the fact, there was no penalty and the nurse was unable to sue for damages.
This last session of the legislature is short, so contact your representative now. It would also be nice if someone could volunteer as a point person for each legislative district so we can start building relationships with our representatives (whether they really represent us or not).
The contacts are:
1st district – Paul Ryan; phone – 262-654-1901
4th district – Gwen Moore; phone – 414-297-1140
5th district – Jim Sensenbrenner; phone- 262-784-1111
Realize that our ability to act according to our consciences formed by Church teaching is at stake. All over the country, even at the state level, laws are being considered to force us to conform. In Illinois, a law was passed where pregnancy centers and healthcare workers must tell patients and clients the benefits of abortion and where the abortion facility is if the woman requests. In Massachusetts, a law is being considered where, if your church has a spaghetti dinner or fish fry open to the public, they must have transgendered facilities.
AMA Reconsidering Their Opposition to Physician Assisted Suicide
I am including this memo I just got from WI Right to Life. Even if you are not a member of the AMA, you still can comment!
Memo
From: Jennifer Popik, J.D. Director of Medical Ethics at National Right to Life
Re: URGENT emails and phone calls needed to the American Medical Association (AMA) over next several weeks
Date: September 15, 2016
Background: There is an effort currently underway within the American Medical Association (AMA) to abandon its decades-long position opposing assisted suicide and take a neutral stance. At its July 2017 annual meeting, the AMA will consider taking a “neutral” position which essentially sends a green light to the states that legalizing is acceptable. However, we have recently been made aware that the AMA will hold an interim meeting on November 13 and 14 in Orlando where a special breakout session will be held on assisted suicide.
Both the national and state medical societies’ opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide have been instrumental in stopping the spread of these dangerous laws. In fact, when the Vermont and California medical societies took neutral positions, it was devastating to the efforts in the legislature to block legalization. Assisting suicide is now legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and California, and the practice may have some legal protection in the state of Montana.
Action Needed:
We are asking the following things:
1. Please contact one or both contacts below via phone or email.
2. Please restrict arguments to the suggested bullet points, in your own words.
3. Speak with any physicians you know and urge them contact the AMA.
4. Ask for a written response/report any information received back to NRLC.
1.) Who to Contact
1.) Dr. Andrew W. Gurman, MD, AMA President
[email protected]
330 N Wabash, Ste 43482
Chicago IL 60611-5885
312.464.5618 ph — 312.464.4094 fx
2.) Bette Crigger, PhD, CEJA’s [email protected]
Secretary, Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs
American Medical Association
330 N Wabash, Ste 43482
Chicago IL 60611-5885
312.464.5223 ph — 312.224.6911 fx
2.) Share Our Arguments
Based on both polling and the positive experience of many states fighting these assisted suicide laws, please try and restrict your arguments to one or two of the points below. Feel free to re-word or add your personal thoughts:
The AMA should retain its longstanding position in opposition to the legalization of assisted suicide because:
- Medical professionals should focus on providing care and comfort to patients – NOT becoming a source of lethal drugs. I would not want my doctor to have this power and suggest suicide to me as an “option.”
- Will the government and insurance companies do the right thing – pay for treatment costing thousands of dollars – or the cheap thing – pay for lethal drugs costing hundreds of dollars?
- Everyone knows someone who has been misdiagnosed or outlived a terminal diagnosis.
- Wanting to die because of depression is treatable. Millions of people are living proof.
- Everyone agrees that dying in pain is unacceptable, however nearly all pain is now treatable. A patient in pain should find a new doctor.
- Oregon is proof that general suicides rise dramatically once assisted suicide is promoted as a “good.”
- My family member could die from taking lethal drugs and I wouldn’t know about it until he/she is dead because no family notification is required in advance.
- Assisted suicide is a recipe for elder and disability abuse because it can put lethal drugs in the hands of abusers.
- A relative who is an heir to the patient’s estate or an abusive caregiver can pick up the lethal drugs and administer them without the patient’s knowledge or consent. There is no oversight and no witnesses are required once the lethal drugs leave the pharmacy
3.) Ask Physicians You Know to Contact AMA
If you know any physicians who stand against the dangers of physician-assisted suicide, please forward this email to them!
4.) Report Back
Ask for a response from the AMA officials you contact.
Please send any replies to [email protected]!
Thank You!
The Problem with “Personally Opposed”
First of all, I want to remind all of us that we have a personal obligation to vote as citizens of this country. There is much at stake including the future of immigration, care for the poor, the Supreme Court, and religious liberty.
We are again faced with a Catholic politician who states that he is “personally opposed…, but”. Funny, how they are personally opposed to abortion, but will do nothing to stop it. However, I don’t see them saying that they are personally opposed to other injustices (like the death penalty), stating that there are those who support it and the Supreme Court has ruled, so they will do nothing to end it.
It is one thing to be personally opposed to a plank of one’s party. It’s another to just shrug one’s shoulders, turn one’s back, and let the horror continue. I don’t agree with everything the Democrats or Republicans have to say, and I will do everything in my power as a voting citizen to make sure that my voice is heard and that I will work for a just society for all–from fertilization to natural death.
When I was growing up, we had one word for people who said they believed what their church said on Sunday but would do nothing to promote it on the weekday. We called them hypocrites.