Mary Waldorf, a California grandmother who runs a local 40 Days for Life group, is organizing a petition against a hospital in Chico that is offering second-trimester abortions.
Mary Waldorf didn’t know anything about organizing petitions, but when a hospital worker and fellow parishioner told her that staff were forced to participate in second-trimester abortions, she felt called to do something.
Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California, about 80 miles north of Sacramento, is the primary hospital in the area.
“It’s the only hospital in a huge county. We all have to use it,” Waldorf told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”
Waldorf still remembers how she felt the day she found out about the abortions being performed there.
“I spent the rest of the day just bawling because I know what a second-trimester abortion is,” she said.
“Everybody was shocked,” she added.
Waldorf went with a small group to peacefully protest in front of the hospital, holding signs. Hospital staff approached, asking why they were there.
“They didn’t even know” about the later-term abortions being performed at the facility, Waldorf said.
Waldorf claimed that local media will not cover the controversy. She said she has sent several letters to the editor of local papers but described the situation as a “media blackout.”
A pediatrician at the hospital told her the hospital administration might reconsider if there was enough concern. “Why she told me, God only knows,” Waldorf said. “But I thought, well, if that’s the case, then what if we do a petition?”
“I’m just somebody who goes to church, has grandkids, goes to work — I don’t know how to do [a petition],” she told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.”
“I am not a media [figure]. But when God gives you an opportunity, you got to go for it.”
The petition had about 800 signatures as of March 27. Waldorf is aiming for 10,000 — 10% of the size of the town.
Waldorf said staff members have told her that the hospital allegedly has refused to allow some medical workers to opt out of assisting with abortion procedures.
“They were told that the pre-op and the post-op nurses and personnel could not opt out,” Waldorf said.
Waldorf runs a local chapter of 40 Days for Life, a nationwide effort aimed at praying for women seeking abortions and for their children, usually in front of abortion clinics during Lent. She says she wants women to have “true choice.”
“If the mindset of people is about death, they don’t consider the child — and you have to consider both,” Waldorf said. “They’re not counseling these women. What about giving them true choice?”
“The dignity of the human person is so paramount,” Waldorf added. “And I think that that is what’s being lost here completely.”
From EWTN News
Imagine the horror of this story. The hospital staff are forced to take part in the killing of the unborn. The whole county should sign this petition to end the killing of the unborn. End Abortion Now! Adoption is the option.
Off-topic. Pope Leo just said that God rejects prayers of leaders who wage wars.
He must not know history. The Crusades (ca. 1090-1290) were launched by the Papacy against Muslim forces.
I am compelled to say that this Pope is an intellectual lightweight who doesn’t know his brass from his woodwind.
Pope Leo said nothing as the Iranian regime murdered 30,000 of its own people in the weeks before Israel and America attacked. Pope Leo is merely a lib globalist in a mitre.
The pope is flatly wrong. The only way the pope’s assertion would be true is if all war is intrinsically evil. The church desperately needs to articulate a theology of moral violence. Just War Theory attempted to do that. However, the theory needs to be updated to account for the fact that hostilities that require an armed response might be latent or concealed while being no less grave and imminent. In the past, attacks were almost always overt. Nowadays, with advanced, small, concealable modern weapons, attacks can be covert until the moment of actual detonation. The pope seems not to understand that violence can be moral. If there is such thing as moral violence, then God surely hears the prayers of those who use violence in the service of the moral good.
The Crusades were well-meant– but ended up as a failure. Here is how I viewed Pope Leo’s Palm Sunday homily. It is always the Pope’s job, to preach peace, and an end to all wars. The Pope said that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage wars, as their hands are full of blood. And he condemned using religious faith to justify violence. He quoted from Sacred Scripture: “Though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1-15) He then said, “Jesus is the King of Peace, Who rejects war, Whom no one can use, to justify war.” The Pope called for a ceasefire, and for a dialogue to begin, as a pathway to peace. Pope Leo was appealing to all involved in the current wars, and the evils of the violent Iranian Muslim leaders– as well as America’s military leadership. I disagree with the Pope on the idea of an immediate ceasefire for American military leaders– this may be too dangerous, right now. But I don’t think the Pope knows much about how the military works. America wants to end the war with Iran quickly– but Iran is very violent and dangerous– and our military leaders know what will work best. In the end, I know that we have the same objectives for peace, that the Pope preached about.
The Pope’s impassioned homily, after the Palm Sunday reading of the Passion of Christ– made me cry, for all the poor victims of war, and for Christ’s love for us all, crying for brotherly love and peace among mankind, while dying for us all, on the Cross. It was beautiful. I don’t expect the Pope to understand the military, though. Iran is so horrible– killing millions of its own people. May Christ love and care for those poor, suffering souls! America is a hope to stop the evils of Iran and the violent Muslim leaders. But I don’t expect the Pope to encourage American bombs and military strength, to stop the evils of Iran– even to prevent a nuclear holocaust. I just expect him to preach to the world, that all wars and violence must end—- and Christ’s brotherly love and peace must prevail.
I wonder if Pope Leo has not addressed Muslim atrocities because to do so would to give traction to the United State’s war effort. That’s my guess, anyway. Apparently Iran’s killing of its own citizens does not constitute a war against them (just like abortion does not consitute a war on the unborn).
St. Michael the Archangel, all the angels and saints — and Christ and Our Lady– have always heard the desperate cries and prayers of those in danger, and have helped mankind defend himself, his family and his country, against Satan and his evil minions. Defending the innocent is a courageous, virtuous, selfless act, a moral obligation to God. At the Battle of Lepanto, on Oct. 7, 1571, the recitation of the Holy Rosary — requested by Pope Pius V, of Catholics all over Europe– is credited with the victory of Christians over the evil Muslim Ottoman Empire. Later, Oct. 7th was declared as the Feast of the Holy Rosary. (Poor old “timid” Pope Leo needs a much deeper perspective– but he does have a true Christian faith, and is desperate to stop the wars and violence, hurting millions of innocent people and their children. That hurts him a lot, I think.)
Pope Leo’s father, Louis M. Prevost, would understand the current war situation with the U.S. and Iran, etc. He was a Naval Reserve officer in WWII, and participated in the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944 (as part of Operation Overlord), as the executive officer of a tank landing ship. He also commanded an infantry landing craft, which the Allies used to land infantry soldiers and Marines onto beaches, during the war. Later, he participated in Operation Dragoon in Southern France, on Aug. 15, 1944, to secure ports for supplies. He served in the Naval Reserves until 1956.
Godly men must be warriors, both literal and figurative. Scriptures show that fierce struggles on battlefields are nothing new to God’s people. Joshua was the Israelites’ military leader, leading an army for seven years for the conquest of Canaan. The modern-day Western Allies battled the evils of totalitarianism, while the US fought Japanese imperialism in the Pacific.
Of course, as Godly people we must also adhere to “jus ad bellum”, requiring us to follow a moral law of just cause and proportionality.
There are actually different classes of men in our society, meant for different purposes. A clerical leader is devoted to God, and God’s work. He is spiritual, holy, and deeply prayerful, and is not involved in worldly affairs of the secular society. The priest and prelate is not meant by God for the purposes of the “warriors,” the military men, the police, the Swiss Guards, etc. The “warriors” of our society are secular men– policemen, military men, Swiss Guards, etc. They protect our society, and Swiss Guards protect the Pope. Our priests and prelates are meant by God to bring us to Christ. Each has a different role. The priests and prelates fight Satan and his evils by their fiery or stern sermons, Masses and Sacraments, prayers, books and written materials, and religious activities.
The post-Conciliar, Modernist (“aggiornamento”) Church is too babyish and immature– and too heavily secularized, with babyish humanism. Oh, the “Great Hedonistic Me,” the “Great Human Being” and all my personal, narcissistic feelings, rights, dignity, and personal freedoms.. let’s dumb everything down, for the convenience of the immature Modernists….. no responsibility, no leadership, babyish thinking… everything in the modern world is just “too hard.” No more full-grown, fully-mature adults… isn’t the “New Church” and its leaders just great? Wait ’till it all collapses, with the final implementation phase, of the Synod on Synodality, in all Catholic parishes, worldwide.
With too much emphasis on humanism, and a focus on personal human (“me”) needs, rights, dignity, etc.– Catholics forget that they are of Christ, mere “vessels of clay” to serve Him, empty of self, to be filled with Him. His spiritual power is tremendous– but it is not human. He operates in a “super-human,” supernatural manner. Christ can do tremendous things, working through the minds, hearts, eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. of His Saints. In Ephesians 6:10-18, St. Paul tells us that we are not fighting people, “flesh abd blood”– we are actually fighting demonic forces. We must “put on the armor of God” (etc.) and be filled with His heavenly, supernatural, spiritual power, to fight this great battle, constantly filled with prayers. Violent Iranian Islamic leaders are filled with demonic power, at itheir roots– and that is what we must truly fight, to defeat– beyond physical fighting. But God can eventually win this battle.