Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A Planned Parenthood watchdog is urging pro-life advocates to attend meetings that the Barack Obama transition team is sponsoring about health care. Jim Sedlak of Stopp International says the meetings are a good opportunity to urge Obama to oppose promoting abortion in his health care plan. The Obama team is holding small meetings all across the country to get input from ordinary citizens on health care concerns. Sedlak tells LifeNews.com this is an excellent opportunity to oppose both pro-abortion health care as well as the so-called Freedom of Choice Act that would make unlimited abortions a national law and overturn pro-life laws nationwide. "As part of the efforts to defeat Planned Parenthood, we are encouraging as many of you as possible to attend one of these meetings in your area and voice your opposition to FOCA, the Prevention First Act and all of the Planned Parenthood agenda," he said. Sedlak says the Obama transition team web site has a list of local meetings across the country and that the events go by different names such as "health care discussion group," or "health issues round table." All of the meetings should be open to the public. Full story at LifeNews.comCaroline Kennedy Would Push Abortion if She Replaces Hillary Clinton in Senate
by Anne Hendershott
For faithful Roman Catholics, the thought of yet another pro-choice Kennedy positioned to campaign for the unlimited right to abortion is discouraging. Yet if Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of Catholics John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, abortion-rights advocates will have just such a champion. Ms. Kennedy was so concerned to assure pro-abortion leaders in New York, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on December 18, that on the same day Ms. Kennedy telephoned New York Gov. David Patterson to declare interest in the Senate seat, "one of her first calls was to an abortion rights group, indicating she will be strongly pro-choice." In responding to a series of 15 questions posed by the New York Times on Dec. 21, Ms. Kennedy said that, while she believes "young women facing unwanted pregnancies should have the advice of caring adults," she would oppose legislation that would require minors to notify a parent before obtaining an abortion. On the crucial question of whether she supports any state or federal restrictions on late-term abortions, Ms. Kennedy chose to say only that she "supports Roe v. Wade, which prohibits third trimester abortions except when the life or health of the mother is at risk." Presumably Ms. Kennedy knows that this effectively means an unlimited right to abortion. Full story at LifeNews.com
Pope Benedict's New Year's Message Condemns Abortion, Population Control
by Dr. Paul Kengor
The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- Pope Benedict XVI has a special message for the world with the start of the New Year and it focuses on condemning abortion and birth control. The pope urged efforts to end poverty across the globe but said those efforts must also be life-affirming for women and unborn children. The leader of the Catholic Church said poverty is often regarded by abortion advocates as a consequence of demographic change. That's the claim that there are too many people on the planet despite evidence that several areas of the world are experiencing underpopulation. "For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have," the pope said. "Graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life," he added. "The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings," the pope said. Full story at LifeNews.com
Illinois Supreme Court Allows Morning After Pill Conscience Case to Proceed
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- The Illinois Supreme Court last month gave pro-life pharmacists a victory when it determined that they can proceed with their lawsuit seeking to overturn a mandate Gov. Rod Blagojevich put in place. The governor's order makes them fill all prescriptions, including those for the morning after pill. The pharmacists objected to being forced to fill orders for the drug on both moral and religious grounds and because the Plan B drug can sometimes cause an abortion. The state's high court said the religious objections of pro-life health professionals must be considered by the Illinois courts and sent the case back to the trial court. "This is a major victory for pro-life health care professionals who have been in legal limbo for years," Francis Manion, a senior attorney for the ACLJ, told LifeNews.com. Full story at LifeNews.com
Northern Ireland Sees Record Number of Women Head to England for Abortions
Belfast, Northern Ireland (LifeNews.com) -- New reports indicate a record number of women from Northern Ireland headed to England and Wales in 2007 for abortions. Abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland and abortion advocates are expected to use the figures to try to get the British Parliament to legalize it. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey released the new stats showing 1,343 abortions in England and Wales done on women who gave a Northern Ireland home address. That brings the total to 6,400 abortions done on women from the region in England from 2003 to 2007. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the 2007 figures represent a rise of 48 abortions compared with the 2006 numbers and an increase of 179 compared with the 2005 numbers. Full story at LifeNews.com
