Obama Names Pro-Abortion Lawyer, Ex-NARAL Staffer to Judicial Team
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a move that underscores Barack Obama's dedication to promoting abortion, the incoming president has named a prominent pro-abortion attorney to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Dawn Johnsen is a professor at the Indiana University School of Law. But she is more than that -- she is a longtime abortion advocate and worked for one of the leading abortion advocacy groups. Johnsen was the Legal Director for NARAL from 1988-1993. After that, she served in the Clinton administration as the Acting Assistant Attorney General heading the Office of Legal Counsel from 1997-1998 and as Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 1993-1996. Johnsen also served on the Clinton transition team in 1992. Full story at LifeNews.com
Second Bioethics Advisor Shows Obama Promoting Embryonic Research, Cloning
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama has appointed another bioethics advisor whose appointment, pro-life observers say, makes it clear he will force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. The appointment of Alta Charo, a former member of Bill Clinton's Bioethics Advisory Commission, also could pave the way for human cloning. Charo is a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin and she will serve on Obama's Health and Human Services team. She is a well-known advocate of embryonic stem cell research and has sparred with Wesley J. Smith, a noted attorney and author who is a top bioethics watchdog. "The new Obama Administration is going to push full speed ahead pouring money into embryonic stem cell research and, I worry, human cloning," Smith said in response to the news of Charo's appointment. "This concern is heightened by the appointment of Alta Charo to the transition team," he added. "Charo, like so many academics, is very radical (from my perspective) on these and most other bioethical issues, and so--as I have said previously--we are entering very dark days," Smith explained. Full story at LifeNews.comPro-Life Advocate Backs Republican Chair Candidate, Steele Opposes Abortion
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In the latest developments in the race for the chairmanship of the Republican Party, pro-life advocate Donald Wildman, the head of the American Family Association, has weighted in on the race. Meanwhile, Michael Steele has reconfirmed his staunch pro-life views in the wake of some criticism. Wildman, in an email to Saul Anuzis, the pro-life Michigan GOP chair who is himself a candidate for the national office, backed South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson. Steele, a 2006 Senate candidate and a leading black Republican, is seen by some as one of the top candidates for the national chairmanship. The Times indicated Steele met with its editorial board on Tuesday and reconfirmed his pro-life views. As the Times notes: "Steele clarified his stance, saying that he thinks Roe should be overturned as a sloppy piece of decision-making, favors state regulation on abortion, and supports the Republican party's platform that calls for a constitutional ban on abortion." Full story at LifeNews.com
Election Results Don't Mean Pro-Life Movement to Stop, Limit Abortions is Dead
Chicago, IL (LifeNews.com) -- One of the most respected attorneys involved in the battle to pass pro-life legislation at the state level says the presidential election results are a setback for the pro-life movement. But Clarke Forsythe, senior counsel for Americans United for Life, says those who say the pro-life movement is dead are exaggerating. Forsythe talked with the Zenit news service about the results and said Americans aren't less pro-life because Barack Obama was elected. Instead, he believes the election was about the economy and, in no way, a repudiation of pro-life principles. "It is very difficult to keep pro-life and other issues of justice at the center of public life in the midst of war and economic crisis," he told Zenit. "William Wilberforce's campaign against the slave trade in Great Britain during the 1790s -- which was derailed by the French Revolution, war with France, economic crises and terrible harvests -- is a good example. But Wilberforce (and his allies) persevered and things turned around over considerable time." Full story at LifeNews.com
Obama Picks Pro-Abortion Napolitano for Homeland Security, But Helps Arizona
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Incoming president Barack Obama has picked pro-abortion Gov. Janet Napolitano to become his new head of the Department of Homeland Security. Napolitano constantly chagrined pro-life advocates with her vetoes of pro-life legislation and the pick may help get pro-life laws on the books there. Napolitano would have to survive a Senate confirmation vote, which isn't expected to be difficult despite some criticism of her on other issues. Should she be confirmed, pro-life Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer would become the state's next governor -- which appears to be good news for pro-life groups. That would put pro-life advocates in control of both the state legislature and the governor's seat and would theoretically make it easier to get new laws on the books. Napolitano has been a formidable obstacle as governor. She vetoed every piece of abortion legislation that has come across her desk -- seven pro-life measures in total. Full story at LifeNews.com
Planned Parenthood CEO Claims Cardinal O'Malley Out of Step With Catholics
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- It's no surprise that Catholic Church officials take pro-abortion politicians or groups to task for saying they are out of step with pro-life Catholic teachings. Now, a Planned Parenthood CEO in Massachusetts is turning the tables and claiming Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston is out of step with his membership. After the presidential election, O'Malley told the Boston Globe that he is worried about the election of Barack Obama because of his pro-abortion views. The concern come despite his pleasure that the nation turned a corner in electing the first African-American president. "My joy, however, is tempered by the knowledge that this man has a deplorable record when it comes to pro-life issues and is possibly in the pocket of Planned Parenthood," O'Malley said. Dianne Luby, the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, responded to O'Malley in an email to the newspaper. "It diminishes Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley's credibility when he attacks President-elect Barack Obama and Planned Parenthood for views and services his own members overwhelmingly support," Luby claims. Full story at LifeNews.com
Virginia Pro-Life Advocates Try For Choose Life License Plates a Second Time
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) -- Virginia pro-life advocates are trying a second time to approve legislation allowing motorists to approve Choose Life license plates. The Virginia legislature passed a bill allowing the plates in 2003, but pro-abortion Gov. Mark Warner vetoed it and the legislature couldn't muster enough votes to override. Now, pro-life Senator Ken Cuccinelli of Centerville, who is a candidate next year for Attorney General, will be sponsoring SB 801 to bring the plates into existence. With the support of Richmond Coalition for Life, Cuccinelli's bill will provide for a "Choose Life" revenue-generating license plate. The money raised from the plates, according to the legislation, will go to "not-for-profit agencies...that provide counseling and other services intended to meet the needs of expectant mothers who are committed to placing their children for adoption." Victoria Cobb, the president of the Family Forum, a pro-life group, is urging pro-life advocates to support the plate and the bill. She says it's about time Virginia residents have a Choose Life plate since so many other specialty plates are available for purchase. Full story at LifeNews.com.
Allegheny College in Pennsylvania Fails to Include Pro-Life Newspaper Ads
Meadville, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Officials at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania are coming under criticism for refusing to run a newspaper advertising supplement from a pro-life group. The ad, from Human Life Alliance, would have appeared in the student newspaper, "The Campus." HLA frequently inserts its 12-page advertising supplements, which appear as a mini-newspaper, within college papers because studies show college students begin to move away from the pro-life position during their time on campus. The content of the supplements has changed through the decades that HLA has provided them and the latest ad, "We Know Better Now," details information on pregnancy and the impact of abortions on student's lives. At Allegheny College, officials for "The Campus" had already accepted payment for the November 13 edition when a local supporter noticed it did not appear in the paper. "We were shocked the paper would take the money, have us ship 1500 copies of 'We Know Better Now' and then refuse to run the advertisement," Jo Tolck, executive director for Human Life Alliance, told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com.
