Another Catholic Law Prof Endorses Barack Obama Despite Pro-Abortion View
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Another Catholic law professor has endorsed Barack Obama despite the fact the presidential candidate has a solid pro-abortion view. Duquesne University School of Law dean Nicholas Cafardi will likely earn the same rebuke from pro-life Catholics as has Douglas Kmiec. In an editorial appearing in the National Catholic Reporter, Cafardi contends he believes abortion is an "unspeakable evil" yet he supports Obama, who has pledged to keep abortion legal another 35 years. "Despite what some Republicans would like Catholics to believe, the list of what the church calls 'intrinsically evil acts' does not begin and end with abortion," Cafardi writes," he writes. "In fact, there are many intrinsically evil acts, and a committed Catholic must consider all of them in deciding how to vote." Cafardi also claims Obama is not actually pro-abortion, even though he wants 50 million more abortions and has promised to sign legislation that would overturn every pro-life law across the country and cause 125,000 more abortions a year. Karen Cross, the political director for National Right to Life, points to a speech Obama made before Planned Parenthood in 2007 promising to sign the so-called Freedom of Choice Act that would make the Roe decision federal law. Not only would the bill make legal abortions in all nine months of pregnancy the law of the land, it would overturn every pro-life state enacted by state legislatures. That means states across the nation could no long place even moderate, common sense limits on abortions like parental notification, banning partial-birth abortions or preventing taxpayer-funding of abortions. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Planned Parenthood Continues Trashing Sarah Palin on Abortion, Rape Kit Lies
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With the vice-presidential debate coming up this week, Planned Parenthood continues to trash Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on abortion. The abortion business is also repeating the false claims that Palin somehow went after women who were victims of sexual abuse by making them pay for rape kits. Cecile Richards, president of the pro-abortion group, says that Palin and McCain would cause "a return to the dark ages" over abortion and reproductive health issues. To carry out her attack on Palin further, Richards is asking Planned Parenthood backers to sign an open letter to Palin that the group plans to feature outside the venue hosting the debate. "We're taking your message of opposition straight to St. Louis, Missouri, for the vice-presidential debate to say 'Sarah Palin is not our candidate' in a big, bold way that the candidates, the media, and the people of St. Louis won't be able to ignore," Richards says. The letter to Palin recycles pro-abortion attacks on the governor but it also includes the now-disproved rape kit controversy. "You are not our candidate because you required women in Wasilla to pay for their own medical examinations after being raped," Planned Parenthood claims. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Barack Obama Voted Against Extending Health Care to Pregnant Women, Unborn
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama claims he is the best candidate when it comes to improving health care for Americans and he touted better health care during the first presidential debate. However, his record is blemished with a vote against extending a health care program to cover pregnant women and their unborn children. The State Children's Health Insurance (SCHIP) is a federal program that provides funds to states to provide health care services to children of low-income families. Under a Bush administration proposal, states have the option of extending that coverage to unborn children -- which automatically qualifies pregnant women for coverage as well during their pregnancy. Because this is an administrative rule and could be changed by a future president, like Obama, Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado offered an amendment earlier this year to put the rule in existing law and make helping pregnant women and children permanent. While senators from across the political spectrum -- including Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Ben Nelson of Nebraska-- voted for it, Obama opposed the measure. The vote provided another clear contrast between Obama and Sen. John McCain, who supported pregnant women and their unborn children by backing the amendment. Senator Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, also voted against the health care coverage. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Congressional Bill Targeting Sex-Selection Abortions in US is Much Needed
by Steven Mosher
On September 23rd, 2008, two congressmen, Trent Franks from Arizona and Jeff Fortenberry from Nebraska, introduced a bill to "prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race." The event was overshadowed by debate over the proposed bail-out of America's financial sector, and so drew little press attention. But those who hold pro-life sentiments should take note of the "Susan B. Anthony Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2008," for it arguably opens a new front in the abortion wars. Like the ban on partial birth abortion, it will stimulate public debate on grounds favorable to the pro-life cause. Moreover, it introduces into the pro-life arena existing U.S. jurisprudence on the elimination of discrimination on the basis of sex or race. Who would gainsay that the worst form of discrimination, bar none, is to deny unborn women or Blacks the right to life precisely on account of their innate characteristics of race or gender? Some may believe that sex-selective abortion is only found in countries with a strong preference for sons, such as India, China, and Korea. But sex-selective abortion is also practiced in the U.S. by immigrant populations who bring with them their prejudices against girls, preference for boys, and find here that the ready availability of both ultrasounds and abortions makes it easy for them to act on these prejudices. Full story at LifeNews.com Washington Group Airs First Ads Against Assisted Suicide, Feature Martin Sheen
Olympia, WA (LifeNews.com) -- The leading group in Washington battling against the November ballot measure to legalize assisted suicide has launched its first set of radio ads. The spots feature actor Martin Sheen, a pro-life Democrat known for his role as the president in the popular television drama West Wing. "Hello, this is Martin Sheen with an urgent message about Initiative 1000," he says in the ad. "It's a dangerous idea that could hurt low-income people who need medical care," Sheen explains. "It's a step backwards and I urge you to vote no." "Initiative 1000 would open up a loophole that health care insurers could exploit to cut payments for the disabled and the working poor -- encouraging them to use assisted suicide," Sheen says. "This is exactly the wrong direction for real health care in America." Full story at LifeNews.com
Utah Pro-Life Legislator to Introduce Abortion Ban, Personhood, Fetal Pain Bills
Salt Lake City, UT (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life member of the Utah state legislature is ready to lead the fight against abortion once it heads back into session after the November elections. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom plans on a handful of bills including one that would ban most abortions. He says he thinks the time is now to get an abortion ban in place to challenge the Supreme Court on the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy. "It's not a guaranteed deal, obviously," he told KSL-TV. "But if the court changes hands and we have a couple of people retire, then the door would be shut forever on a court challenge." The abortion ban would mirror the one proposed on the November ballot in South Dakota, which prohibits abortions except in cases of rape, incest, and very limited but severe health circumstances. Another bill is similar to the ballot measure Colorado voters will consider next month, in that it defines an unborn child as a human being at the moment of conception. Full story at LifeNews.com
Russia Sees 64 Percent of Its Pregnancies End in Abortion, Causing Infertility Issues
Moscow, Russia (LifeNews.com) -- Russia has long been a world leader in terms of the percentage of pregnancies that end in abortion and experts say those figures are still high. They say the abortion epidemic is leading to a problem of hundreds of thousands of women suffering from infertility. Marina Tarasova is the deputy head of the St. Petersburg Research Institute For Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. On Monday, she spoke at an international conference and explained how the use of abortion as birth control among the Russian people has led to more than 5.5 million infertile couples. She explained that, each year, more than 64 percent of pregnancies in Russia end in abortion -- a contrast with the 20 percent that end in abortion in the United States and even fewer in most European nations. Researcher showing abortion's link to infertility is plentiful and the Russian statistics bear that out. "Over the past five years, female infertility in Russia has increased by 14 percent, and over 1.5 million Russians need advanced medical technology to become pregnant and maintain a healthy pregnancy," Tarasova said. The number of infertile women in Russia is growing by 200,000 to 250,000 each year -- with the main cause complications from abortions, she said. Full story at LifeNews.com
