Author Archives: Bonnie Finnerty

By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

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Vulnerable people, whatever their age, deserve protection.

But even prior to the pandemic, the Wolf Administration failed to protect our elderly by ignoring serious long-standing concerns in Pennsylvania nursing homes, according to a Spotlight PA expose.

“We are facing an elder care crisis. And we continue to ignore it at our own peril,” acknowledged the state Auditor General, a Democrat himself, in 2019.  

And then 2020 brought a novel virus. 

The overwhelming majority, almost 70% of Covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania, have occurred in nursing homes, the fifth highest in the nation for deaths involving long term care residents, according to a July 30 New York Times article.

Could lives have been saved had the Wolf Administration acted upon findings from 2016?

Four years ago, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale reported several problems to the administration including:

-Low minimum staffing requirements, long criticized as “totally unsafe”

-poorly trained nursing home inspectors who were often too “cozy” with facilities

-and a low 2.7 hours of daily care per resident, substandard to the federal recommendation of 4.1 hours of daily care

While these unresolved concerns were highlighted again last year by the auditor general, to this day, the Department of Health has failed to issue the reforms they’ve long promised.

Incredibly, it was into this already stressed system of elder care that the state ordered “stable” Covid-19 hospital patients, putting other residents and the staff themselves at great risk.

And it was in the following month we saw the Covid death toll peak in Pennsylvania, with the highest count at 186 deaths on April 26.

In between, the Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine,

from a long-term care facility.

Initially, an emergency response plan was developed for nursing homes. It was never fully implemented. Rather, a far more limited effort was activated in mid-April, but significant outbreaks had already taken hold.

In addition, the administration waived existing requirements, allowing nursing homes to operate even if they fell below state staffing levels.

At the same time, the safety net of in-person inspections has been suspended, replaced mostly with “virtual inspections.”

Family visits have also been halted, leaving little to no accountability for the facility, no advocacy for the residents, and an isolated population of elderly trapped.

Those in the twilight of their lives, highly dependent on others, certainly deserve better than this. And nursing home staff, dedicated to caring for them, deserve more support.

It’s difficult to understand why the Wolf Administration placed recovering patients into an already strapped system without an adequate plan to protect the parties involved.

It’s difficult to understand why for four years deficiencies were not addressed.

And it’s difficult to understand that while so much time, energy, and resources have been put into stopping the spread of Covid-19 among the general public, comparatively less effort has been spent protecting the elderly population experiencing the highest rates of death.

It seems the Wolf Administration has not just been wearing a mask, but blinders as well.

The lives of the elderly have an inherent value and dignity and the state has a duty to protect them from known harm.

To not do so amounts to passive euthanasia.

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by Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

A simple idea conceived by Pennsylvania Pro-lifers a quarter century ago to support women in unexpected pregnancies and to lower abortion rates has had a huge impact on over 323,000 women, their babies, their families, and the rest of America. Families are strengthened, relationships built, communities grown, and futures secured. The ripple effect seems infinite!

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation has advocated tirelessly for 25 years for the Pennsylvania Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program. Due in part to the Federation’s efforts, Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to fund such a program of hope with tax-payer dollars. That inspired 14 additional states, with Real Alternatives’ help, to follow a similar model.

From its inception, the program, administered by Real Alternatives, has provided critical services for approximately 323,000 Pennsylvania women in need, and consequently many others alongside them.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation was recently honored with the Founders’ Award, which recognizes action crucial to the growth and success of the program’s vision. President and CEO of Real Alternatives, Kevin Bagatta, said, “If it weren’t for the Pro-Life Federation, we certainly would not be here.”

Started during pro-life Governor Robert Casey’s administration, the program funds pregnancy support centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social service agencies throughout the state to provide much needed services and support to vulnerable women.

According to Federation Board President, Susan Rogacs, Real Alternatives has always been a priority because lives are saved. And the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation continues in its efforts to protect and promote the program, fighting against every attack to ensure that money in the state budget goes to help women and their babies. “We’ve lobbied legislators, issued press releases, and educated the public about the importance of this program. We stand firm in resisting those extremists who would take the safety net away from women,” said Rogacs.

Several other champions for life were honored with the Founders’ Award including Former Governor Mark Schweiker, Former U.S. Congressman Joe Pitts, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, and Morning Star Pregnancy Services, who began the program 25 years ago. In addition, Real Alternatives staff members Cliff McKeown and Tom Lang were honored with the Founders’ Award for their dedicated service over many years.

In his closing remarks at the program’s virtual 25th celebration, Bagatta thanked “all those people who had their fingerprints on history and didn’t know it.”

The Federation is honored to be part of a team that created a first-of-its-kind program that continues to generate ripples of life across the state and country.

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By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

You may think “explosion” too strong word. But abundance, plethora, and even oodles seem to fall short.  If you could have seen my kitchen table, you would agree.

Overflowing with Amazon boxes and puffy envelopes, I had to relocate the mounting stash into my trunk just as the Amazon Prime van pulled up to my house yet again.

This was the remarkable response to an online baby registry that was posted just a day prior. Everything on the registry was bought within an hour. Pro-lifers from around the nation contributed, never having met the mother in need. Bottles, diapers, wipes, baby girl clothes, and much more began arrived. It was my privilege to open, sort, and deliver not only the much-needed items, but also to deliver a strong message of love and support from the pro-life community.

And this woman needed that.

She was six months pregnant when she lost her job due to the pandemic. Then the father of the baby walked out on her. Then she lost her housing. Just weeks away from having a baby, she and her nine year old child had nowhere to go.

Fortunately, someone gave her the number for LoveLine, an organization that has assisted 230 women and 400 children since starting in October 2019.

She called the number and found authentic compassion and real help. Their network of volunteers connected her with a local pregnancy resource center, paid for temporary housing, helped her get approved for unemployment, and set up the online baby registry. Because I live close to her, I was asked to receive and deliver the items from her registry.   

If you don’t recognize LoveLine or their parent organization Pro-Love Ministries, you most likely will recognize the founder, Abby Johnson as the former Planned Parenthood Director turned pro-life champion. Her latest mission is to identify gaps in the pro-life movement and unite organizations and resources to provide strategic help to women in need.

In the words of one of the LoveLine workers, the help they offer is not just transactional, but relational.  Their motto is When you love first, life follows.

So very true. And pro-lifers are willing to love in a big way.

Posted baby registries are usually filled in an hour. Additional donations are made through gift cards and a diaper fund.  Whether through LoveLine, aiding pregnancy resource centers, or through some other means, the pro-life community continues to step up to welcome precious new life.

While my kitchen table is now clear and my trunk empty, the “smoke” from the explosion lingers as I recount the joy of meeting a deeply appreciate mama and her sweet newborn daughter. They and the generous pro-life community provided a powerful, bright light, an explosion of love, that will long illuminate my life.

To learn more about LoveLine, go to https://loveline.com/

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By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

Just when we all needed a glimmer of hope and a boost in optimism, they delivered. They are the students who entered our annual pro-life essay and oratory contests and they are an impressive lot.

As a former English teacher, I think I have some pretty high standards. These kids met them! With eloquence and conviction, they took on tough topics, articulated strong arguments for life, and exposed the lies of the culture of death.

Lydia, for example, doesn’t buy into faux feminism that offers abortion as a tool of empowerment. She beautifully proclaims, “Pregnancy isn’t a hindrance to equality, it is something that makes women special.  The ability to conceive is a wonderful gift that women should use to honor and glorify God.”

Alyssa says nature supports this miraculous gift of life, explaining how the release of the “love hormone” oxytocin bonds mother and father with child. This beautiful, natural bond is horribly violated by the act of infanticide. “Protecting the lives of the innocent from infanticide…should be one of our most prioritized goals today.”

“Even animals realize that a baby, and an unborn one at that, is part of the family. They understand that the baby isn’t some impediment, or something they can get rid of…If animals can understand that, then why can’t we?” penned Helena, a passionate and wise eighth grader.

Gwen urges us to heed the silent crying of the babies. “It is our job to protect them, to speak for their rights.”

Camryn, in just seventh grade, wrote about the high percentage of abortion centers in minority neighborhoods. “No matter what the crisis is, abortion is never the answer…Society needs to stop this tragedy and help mothers, especially minority mothers.”

Clare spoke up for those whose abilities may be different but not less. “Unborn babies with disabilities can also live good lives. But we must give them a chance at life so they can show the world that they are not a hardship; they are a gift.”

LJ warned that, “Giving a person less value because they are in the beginning stages of life is the ultimate exploitation of our youth,” while Elise urged being pro-information to help others “appreciate the greatest art: the creation of a human being.”

Abigail points out the travesty of babies created in laboratories to be destroyed for research. “In short, lives are created with the complete understanding that the majority of those lives will be taken soon thereafter,” treating life not as a gift, but as disposable property.

Emily recognizes this destruction of life to be in conflict with our civil rights, citing the “guarantee of life” under the 14^th amendment. She writes, “The legalization of abortion not only violates the unborn child’s right to life but also strips them of their ‘due process of law’.”

Alluding to the current crisis, Nathalia says, “If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us, it is to honor the value of life.”

In a time of great turmoil, Thomas reminds us of who we are and what we must do. “The United States is called the land of the free and the home of the brave. Yet, we allow abortion, an attack on the helpless…Let us turn the minds and hearts of this country back to those great principles of truth, protection of the innocent and freedom for all.”

May the passion and wisdom of these young people inspire in all of us a renewed commitment to defend and protect all human life.

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By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

George Floyd’s life, without qualification, had inherent value.

His death and subsequent events come after a long period of nationwide isolation. At this time, we should be re-uniting in solidarity to proclaim the sanctity of a man’s life, of every human life, but instead society seems to be fracturing into shards of disunity and destruction.

How can we reconcile and heal? How can we fix the ills that beset our society?

There are no easy answers.  We have much soul-searching to do. But we must be willing to address the core of such unjustices.

Racism, and other –isms, such as sexism, ageism, and able-ism, are rooted in the same thing: a failure to fully and consciously recognize the inherent dignity that belongs to every person by virtue of being human.

In failing to recognize this fundamental dignity, we tend to objectify the other, seeing him as someone whose worth is based on what he can do, or looks like, or possesses, or knows, or some other arbitrary criteria, rather than the premise that a person has worth simply because he IS.

Someone once explained to me that “intimacy” means ‘into-me-see.” See the person. Truly see the person. In all his goodness and glory, with all his faults and imperfections.  Peer through the surface, and see their unrepeatable value.

We must look into the eyes of a person of a different race or creed, the eyes of a person with autism or Down Syndrome, the eyes of an elderly person frail and dependent, and allow ourselves to see the treasure of that individual.

We must truly listen to and hear those with whom we differ, dialogue earnestly with those who disagree with us, and persistently strive to remain civil even to the uncivilized.

We must advocate for the vulnerable, marginalized person threatened and overpowered by those bigger and stronger.

We must regard the sanctity of every life, without qualification, as our first and foremost right, seeking to defend, protect, and honor every life from its natural beginning to its natural end.

Let us honor the life and memory of George Floyd by changing how we look at one another.

Let us gaze selflessly and intimately at the other to see the value within.  Into-Me-See.