September 2011 – Page 4 – Madison Catholic Herald

This year Labor Day falls on September 5, shortly before the 10th anniversary of 9-11. Most who died in these terrorist attacks were working when they died. On Labor Day, we can honor their memory by prayerful reflection on the value of work and workers.

Labor Day is a national holiday during which we honor the dignity of workers and the quality of their work. According to Hilda Solis, secretary of labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882, to honor the social and economic achievements of American workers.

On September 1, 2011

Sr. Rosalie Bauer

Former Planned Parenthood worker inspires action

To the editor:

I couldn’t put Abby Johnson’s book down, unPlanned, I needed to share the following:

I quit: Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion mill in Texas, may not have said, “I quit,’’ however, her actions proved she did. Abby, an R.N., had been named as “employee of the year,’’ being valued as a committed, energetic, caring person. “Wearing many hats,” one day she was asked to help in the surgical room, where abortions were performed. Helping with an ultra-sound guided abortion, she expected to learn something. And indeed she did!

On September 1, 2011

John Garvey

What happened to freedom of religion?

Is pregnancy a disease? Should Catholics, purchasing insurance for themselves or their employees be forced against their consciences to subsidize its prevention?

These questions lie at the heart of new regulations just issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which will administer President Barack Obama’s new health care law.

Ethics of reproductive health care

The regulations include a list of “preventive services” that all group health plans must provide without any co-pay. The list includes female surgical sterilization, plus all FDA-approved contraceptives, including some (like the prescription drug ella) that can act as abortifacients.

On September 1, 2011February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler

Take action to support conscience rights

A new federal mandate on health care coverage is posing a threat to the religious freedom of Church-affiliated employers, including Catholic hospitals, universities, and charitable institutions.

Health insurance plans are being required to provide reproductive services for women including contraceptives and sterilization procedures, as well as for drugs that may cause an abortion both before and after implantation.

On September 1, 2011

John Huebscher

We celebrate Labor Day for very good reasons

Years ago, when we were packing for one of our family vacations, I asked my mother where she went for vacations when she was a little girl.

“We didn’t take vacations when I was little,” she said. “Your grandfather worked for a railroad, and if he wanted a day off, they would give his job to someone else.” She paused a moment and said, “Later when the union came, we got to take vacations.”

Enjoy benefits won by others

I think of that moment from time to time, usually around Labor Day. It’s useful to recall that what many of us enjoy today is the result of victories won by others years ago.