John McCain's Pro-Life Abortion Record Gets Buried With Focus on Obama
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With the intense focus on the extreme pro-abortion positions of Barack Obama, there has been little reference during the weeks leading up to the presidential elections of John McCain's pro-life record on abortion. McCain isn't as outspoken as past presidential candidates, but his record speaks volumes. The most clear-cut vote on abortion came in March 2003 when McCain voted against a Senate resolution endorsing the Roe v. Wade decision. The Supreme Court ruling, which McCain has called a flawed decision and one that should be overturned, allowed virtually unlimited abortions throughout pregnancy for any reason. Unlike Obama, who opposes the ban, McCain voted repeatedly for the partial-birth abortion ban over the years and, in 2003, opposed all pro-abortion amendments to weaken the bill that eventually became national law and was upheld by the Supreme Court. McCain has also compiled a strong record over the years of opposing taxpayer funding of abortions in various situations. As recently as April 2005, and several times before that, McCain opposed an attempt to send taxpayer money to groups that perform or promote abortions in other nations. This anti-funding rule, known as the Mexico City Policy, is expected to be one of the first to be removed under a potential Obama administration as he has voted to scrap it. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Obama Catholic Groups Deflect Attention on George Soros Funding
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two Catholic groups that have received heavy criticism for making false claims that Barack Obama is pro-life and for receiving funding from pro-abortion billionaire activist George Soros are now trying to deflect attention by saying other Catholic groups get Soros money as well. As LifeNews.com reported, Catholic League president Bill Donohue accused two left-wing Catholic groups of getting money from the activist. Donohue said Catholics in Alliance receives funding from Soros' Open Society Institute (OSI) and that it is integrally linked to Catholics United. Now, Chris Korzen of Catholics United is deflecting the criticism by claiming OSI also funds Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Catholic Legal Immigration Services -- making them supposedly "morally equal." Donohue told LifeNews.com in response: "Unlike the three Catholic organizations cited by Korzen, Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance are apologists for abortion." "Their passion for abortion rights is so strong that they refuse to endorse the legal ban on partial-birth abortion. So scandalous is their work that they were singled out by Archbishop Charles Chaput last week for doing a 'disservice' to the Church," Donohue added. Full story at LifeNews.com
Catholic Obama Apologists Go Further in Misleading Voters on Abortion Issues
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Catholic Obama apologists are going further in misleading voters into thinking Barack Obama is pro-life and distorting the track record of authentic pro-life candidates on abortion. But, National Review writer Ramesh Ponnuru takes them to task for their mistakes. Nicholas Cafardi, M. Cathleen Kaveny, and Douglas Kmiec recently wrote a Newsweek column called "Catholic Brief for Obama." The pro-Obama authors write, “Center for Disease Control statistics reveal that prosperity directly affects the abortion rate far more significantly than Republican rhetoric pledging to outlaw abortion." However, the Centers for Disease Control, like the Alan Guttmacher Institute, reports that the number of abortions are at an all-time low under the Bush administration and that abortion rates are at their lowest points since Roe, as well. The pro-Obama authors claim overturning Roe and ending abortions is "a feat John McCain has failed to accomplish with nearly three decades in Congress." Ponnuru responds, "Are the authors seriously holding it against McCain that he has not single-handedly been able to, among other things, reverse a Supreme Court decision? No, they're not: They're just taking a cheap shot at him and moving on." Full story at LifeNews.com
Second NARAL Mailer to Key States Attacks McCain and Palin on Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Leading pro-abortion group NARAL is sending a second mailer to key battleground states after a first one attacked John McCain on birth control. The new mailer finally features abortion as a central issue and claimed McCain and Palin are "even more anti-choice than George Bush and Dick Cheney." "On their own, John McCain and Sarah Palin are bad for women," the NARAL mailer claims. "Together? They're downright dangerous." "John McCain and Sarah Palin oppose a woman's right to choose and want Roe v. Wade overturned," the mailer adds. NARAL accuses McCain, as it has done before of supposedly wanting women to die from illegal abortions, claiming he "has said he wants to outlaw abortion in all cases even if women die as a result." The comment takes comments McCain made in a 2000 interview out of context and relies on what a NARAL founder admitted were false statistics about the number of women dying from illegal abortions prior to Roe. The NARAL flier claims the pro-life policies of McCain and Palin are "dangerous" for women's health, but their piece makes no mention of the medical, mental health and other problems women face after a legal abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pro-Life Web Site Educating Voters on Upcoming Election is Huge Success
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The pro-life group behind CathoicVote.com knew they had a hit on their hands when they told LifeNews.com in September about the new educational web site. Since its announcement, the web site and its powerful voter education video has attracted over 2.5 million viewers. The web site has become so popular with pro-life voters looking for information and resources from the Catholic perspective on the election that the site has become more popular than the web sites of major companies like Ford and United Airlines. "I believe the video has attracted so many visitors because the message connects directly with people's hearts," Brian Burch, president of the pro-life group Fidelis, the web site's sponsor, told LifeNews.com. "It's a message of hope that reminds Catholics and all people of faith of the historic nature of what is at stake this November." Full story at LifeNews.com
Cornell University Officials Claim Accusations of Censoring Pro-Life Signs False
Ithaca, NY (LifeNews.com) -- Cornell University officials claim a student pro-life group's allegations of it censoring pro-life signs it displayed on campus are false. The Cornell Coalition for Life says College of Engineering staff removed a display it erected to educate students about fetal development even though it obtained permission beforehand. Less than one hour after CCFL set up their signs in the Engineering Quad, Dawn Warren, an administrative assistant, abruptly removed them. In a response send to LifeNews.com, Thomas W. Bruce, the Vice President for University Communications, says the Cornell official "removed them out of concern that proper authorizations had not been received." Tristen Cramer, a CCL member, talked with LifeNews.com and said Bruce's description of events is not accurate. "We have been told that the Cornell Administration is claiming our signs were returned immediately upon proof of approval, but this is false. We showed the forms indicating approval before the signs were even taken inside and the administrative assistant refused to return the material." Full story at LifeNews.com
New Jersey Hotels Stop Giving Discounts to Abortion Business Customers
Cherry Hill, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- After a LifeNews.com story exposing the practice, two New Jersey hotels have reportedly stopped giving discounts to women who patronize a local abortion business. An abortion center in Cherry Hill that does abortions up to six months into pregnancy worked out the discounts with two local hotels. New Jersey Right to Life brought the practice to light and indicated that local pro-life advocates learned that the Cherry Hill Women's Center made the arrangements. The Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill offered a reduced rate along with the Quality Inn in Maple Shade. In an email to LifeNews.com, Anne Madison, the Vice President of Corporate Communications for Choice Hotels International indicated the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center "upon reflection, has ended the practice of offering special rates to patients of the Cherry Hill Women's Center." Marie Tasy, the head of the pro-life group, told LifeNews.com she was "gratified" by the news. Madison told LifeNews.com that "we have been advised by the Quality Inn in Maple Shade that any assertions of a similar discount at that hotel are false." Tasy disagreed with the claim and says Madison is misinformed. Full story at LifeNews.com
California Parental Notification on Abortion Measure Leads in Another Poll
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A fourth poll of California voters in the last few weeks shows the parental and family notification for abortion measure leading. A new Public Policy Institute of California survey released today shows the measure with a 46 to 44 percent lead with 10 percent of state voters undecided. However, the figures are lower than the percentages in the last PPIC poll conducted in late September. That survey had the support at a similar 48-41 percent level after an August survey found the split at a 47-44 percent lead for the measure. While pro-life advocates in California can rejoice that the parental notification measure has had a plurality in each poll leading up to the elections, ballot measures and candidates who fail to eclipse the 50 percent threshold frequently wind up on the losing end of votes. Full story at LifeNews.com
British Scientist Abandons England, Criticizes Embryonic Stem Cell Research
London, England (LifeNews.com) -- Just one day after the House of Commons in the UK approved a bill that would allow hybrid human cloning combining animal and human DNA, a leading British scientists says he's headed for France to conduct research because the nation is too focused on embryonic stem cell research. Colin McGuckin, a professor of regenerative medicine at Newcastle University and expert on the use of adult stem cells, says Britain's priorities are out of whack. While the British government is pushing cloning and embryonic stem cells McGuckin says adult stem cells are the ones paying dividends for patients. McGuckin will take a position at the University of Lyon in January and bring along with him a 10-member research team, including fellow scientist Nico Forraz. There, McGuckin and his crew will open one of the largest institutes devoted to adult stem cells and cord blood cells in the world. "The bottom line is my vocation is to work with patients and help patients and unfortunately I can't do that in the UK," he told the Times. He said France provides a "much better environment" to cure patients and further his work. Full story at LifeNews.com
Australia Will Keep Ban on Hybrid Cloning Despite Britain Vote on HFE Bill
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) -- Australia plans to keep a law in place that prohibits scientists there from engaging in hybrid human cloning that mixes the DNA of humans and animals. The ban on "cybrids" remains despite the vote in the British House of Commons on Wednesday to allow the grisly research there. Australia banned the production of hybrids in 2002 despite allowing other forms of human cloning for research purposes more recently. A scientists could earn 10 years in jail for violating the current law. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Jan McLucas said the creation of hybrid was illegal in Australia and that was likely to stay that way. "We are not considering making any changes at this time," Senator McLucas told The Australian newspaper. Full story at LifeNews.com
Geneva, Switzerland (LifeNews.com/CFAM) -- In Geneva last week, Nicaragua came under fire for its laws protecting the unborn. Members of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) : the treaty body that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) : repeatedly grilled the Central American nation for outlawing abortion as Nicaragua presented its third periodic report detailing progress in implementing the treaty. Nicaragua banned all abortion in 2006 and rejected a 'therapeutic' abortion amendment last year. In advance of the hearing, the HRC sent Nicaragua questions concerning its abortion law and rates of maternal mortality, which Nicaragua addressed in its report. 'Experts' on the Committee also had the opportunity to pose questions. Among the queries was how, if Nicaragua were a 'secular state,' a ban on abortion could be reconciled with secularity. The delegation responded by pointing out that though the state is secular, the 'social reality' is that 90 per cent of the country's 5.6 million people profess Christianity, implying that the laws reflected the value choices of a majority of Nicaraguans. Full story at LifeNews.com 
