The AMA meeting is now over. The delegates have left. The AMA has a clear message for America: “we are dead inside.” By a 363-71 margin, the AMA physician leaders stood against life itself, rejecting a call to defund the corrupt abortion group, Planned Parenthood. Every effort was made to prevent the AMA from revealing their true nature. As predicted, parliamentary maneuvering, political threats and mockery were used in an attempt to prevent even an open discussion and vote on the matter. The AMA does not really want America to know that they occupy a dead zone on life, one illustrated in practical and symbolic terms at the meeting itself.
Tricks and tactics
The cover-up attempt was all for naught however, since in the end the debates occurred before all of America and God. The proud lieutenants of Planned Parenthood rose in solidarity with corruption and indisputable acts of evil. The debate was sparked by a resolution I proposed as AMA delegate. Resolution #220 asked that “the American Medical Association actively support legislation to immediately end federal and state funding of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc.” The AMA politicians were prepared. They knew that having such a discussion at the AMA was dangerous. They didn’t want America to know that most of the AMA physician leaders supported abortion and would vociferously defend Planned Parenthood’s heinous activities.
They first attacked by resorting to an arcane parliamentary maneuver to have 220 “tabled”—with no debate allowed. As the author, I fought back repeatedly, using parliamentary maneuvers to my advantage. I forced the house time and again to stand and vote on arcane parliamentary procedures. At one point I forced a debate on whether it was legitimate to suppress free speech in this manner. In the end, the hour of forced debate paid off. I knew the Planned Parenthood team had a counter-resolution supporting its funding—they intended to table it as well to avoid all debate on the matter. However, after the hour of forced debate and votes, the AMA HOD (House of Delegates) was worn out and impressed with the inherent dangers in using such tactics to stifle debate. The vote to table resolution 220 failed overwhelmingly. The debate was on!
Orthodox. Faithful. Free.
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The previous night, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta celebrated the Saturday night Catholic Mass traditionally held at the AMA. The first reading served as an inspiration to those whose ears were open: “But the wise shall shine brightly, like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever” (Daniel 12:3). His homily reminded people to stand up for justice even when the times were difficult. With these instructions, a small group of brave souls rose to speak on Sunday morning after the failed attempt to quash all debate on Planned Parenthood.
The AMA Reference Committee on Legislation was assembled at the front of the packed room. When the issue arose, the two microphones were packed with those ready to testify in favor of Planned Parenthood. The courageous stood against funding of Planned Parenthood. They included myself, Dr. Peter Morrow (president of the Catholic Medical Association), Dr. Vernon Zwick, a joint AMA and CMA member, and a small number of AMA delegates to the meeting. The many corrupt activities of Planned Parenthood dating back at least ten years were described to the committee. The pattern of corruption at Planned Parenthood was clear and the evidence was irrefutable. Planned Parenthood had engaged in, or was willing to engage in, directed abortion of black babies over white, gender selection abortion, services to cover up child sex slavery and child sex abuse. They had misinformed mothers, telling them that no hearts were beating and no arms and legs were present on the 10 week old pre-born babies they were about to abort. They had engaged in altering abortion techniques, including the use of partial birth abortions, to harvest baby organs for sale to the highest bidder.
The Planned Parenthood lieutenants and the crowd were livid. As these facts were delivered there was mocking laughter and hissing among the crowd. They rose to the microphone and said these proven facts were lies. They claimed the irrefutable evidence was invalid, as it was only from ideological extremists that wanted only political donations and didn’t care about women. They proudly proclaimed that open, easy, and low-cost access to abortion services was essential for the good of women and “women’s health.” The supporters of Planned Parenthood never mentioned the good of the baby scheduled to be killed in the womb. They ignored and minimized evidence that the OB/GYN organization leading the charge (ACOG) in favor of Planned Parenthood has a $1.7 million conflict of interest.
The Dead Zone
The sun set and the following Monday came. The Planned Parenthood supporters were curious as to whether I was done—practically begging that the issue be left alone for the rest of the meeting. One unhinged delegation chairman actually yelled at a medical student when told that the pro-Planned Parenthood resolution would be brought up for debate to make it even “better.” He knew that would create MORE unwanted public debate on the subject and leveled a public, screaming tirade against her stating he would ensure that 18 state delegations would come down hard on the group of Residents who dared to pursue this against his will.
A minor incident later became very symbolic. Early in the meeting, the speaker of the AMA HOD announced to the stunned assembly that electronic devices used for voting were not functioning properly. There was a “dead zone” in the house such that 30 votes could not be counted. Many rose to complain and protest because the incident would require that people stand to be counted. It was clear that God has sent the Holy Spirit to make sure that people would have an opportunity to literally stand for life when the time came. A dead zone was present in the AMA House of Delegates, a key policy-making body for most healthcare policy in America—an AMA dead zone on life revealed for all to see.
Stand and Be Counted
Tuesday, the final day of debate had come. I extracted resolution 224—the one in support of Planned Parenthood—to amend it to oppose Planned Parenthood. I carefully jockeyed to secure myself as second in line at the microphone to prevent debate from being cut off by a parliamentary trick at the pass. I was second at the microphone and, mercifully, had the chance to force the issue. I offered up the amendment: “…but opposes public funding of Planned Parenthood of America, Inc.” A startled delegate ran to the microphone and questioned if this were “germane” to the topic. The Speaker ruled “yes” and the debate was on. Earlier in the day, debate had been cut down to 90 seconds each from the standard 3 minutes. I began:
Since 2007, Planned Parenthood has engaged in corrupt behavior in multiple locations, multiple states, and over multiple years. The evidence has been captured on unedited, un-doctored videos that have been audited and authenticated and are available for all to review in full length. They have agreed to direct donations solely to the abortion of black babies. They have covered up child sex slavery and child sex abuse by providing their services to them in secret. They have engaged in gender selection abortion and told pregnant women that their 10-week-old preborn babies had no beating heart and no arms and legs. They have been exposed as altering abortion techniques to allow organ harvesting. It matters not if there was profit involved in these activities. What matters is that they engaged in corrupt behavior. Planned Parenthood is not worthy to receive taxpayer funds. I challenge those here to do as I did and watch the video of the baby, the 20-week-old fetus, lying in a steel bowl—twitching as it died. I nearly vomited when I watched it and I challenge you to watch it too. Those with eyes will see and those with ears will hear what the AMA does here today and whether they stand in solidarity with Planned Parenthood or with life. The Delegates here should vote with their consciences. The AMA should stand against the corruption of Planned Parenthood, and I call on the delegates to support this amendment to defund that corrupt organization.
I had said my piece and spoken for life. I had accomplished my primary goal: to force an open debate and vote on this matter at the AMA House for all of America to see. I returned to my seat and one other person rose to speak against my amendment. Then the parliamentary hit squad came out to shut down all further discussion by “calling the question”—which would move us straight to a vote. There were about 30 people lined up at the microphone, most of whom were set to proudly proclaim their allegiance to Planned Parenthood. But that would certainly present a media challenge for the AMA (which had already enjoyed the diversion of media attention to the horrendous Paris terrorists attacks on November 13, 2015).
The time for the vote had come and I called for a counted vote—intending for the malfunctioning voting devices to be used. Miraculously, the speaker called for people to stand. Those who were the bravest stood for life—about 25 of the 434 delegates in the room. I knew there would be less courageous people or others facing persecution who would not stand. So I demanded an electronic vote. 71 people voted “no,” nearly triple the number who stood. 363 people voted against the life of pre-born babies at the hands of Planned Parenthood.
The Real Dead Zone at the AMA
It is clear that there is a large dead zone in the AMA as a whole. On November 17, 2015 they stood as a medical organization in full solidarity with death and corruption embodied in Planned Parenthood. The AMA has already embraced an invalid “ethic” that states that physicians should be “prudent stewards of shared societal resources,” even if it meant rationing care and ending the lives of the sick and elderly to save money for society. At this very meeting they also began evaluating language supporting POLST (Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment), a measure to promote euthanasia of people when they become sick and in need of medical care. This writer is nearly certain that the AMA will support POLST, a paradigm the National Catholic Bioethics Center urges healthcare institutions to reject. There is a massive dead zone in the American Medical Association, a group most Americans would expect to stand up for human life
Even after the vote to support Planned Parenthood, one wayward soul walked up to me to discuss the matter. After some polite formalities he tried to point me to some alleged Catholic priest who clearly excommunicated himself by stating that some ethics are situational. The priest allegedly claimed that there are times when it is okay to kill a baby for the greater good, pointing to the story of a Jewish family in hiding that reportedly killed their crying baby to save the larger group from discovery by Nazis. I pointed out that such an action was unjust if one merely understood the Catholic Catechism on Morality (the ends never justify the means). This particular wayward soul frequently advocates for ending the life of the frail and the sick in our hospitals to save money for a larger system. He proudly told me that he had publicly renounced Christianity. I told him that he should come back to God. His own vanity was his guiding light and I now know that I need to keep him in my prayers. I would ask all of you to keep the dead zone of the AMA in your prayers so that those souls can also return to life and God.
Editor’s note: In the photo above, President Obama speaks at the 2009 AMA convention in Chicago.